Western Carolina University Top Questions

Dear high school self, When you go to college, do not be self conscious. You are an interesting person with a personality and sense of humor that can captivate others. You are here to step outside of your comfort zone and take on new experiences. Meet new people and make friends. Do not be afraid to do so! Also, don't go home every weekend. Your parents will understand. Taking this opportunity for granted would be a mistake. Learn as much as you can whenever you can. You will not always have the opportunity to be a full-time student. Yes, it will seem boring or overwhelming at times but don't let that deter you. A wealth of knowledge is at your finger tips. It's practically being thrown at you everyday. Soak it in! Try your hardest at everything you do. It may feel like it but you won't be in college forever.

Dear Savannah, you are about to enter into another world. As you transition into college remember to stay true to who you are. Follow your codes: Code 1: Be without fear in the face of your enemies, be brave and strong knowing that you are loved, do what is right even when no one else will. Code 2:

Get lost in finding yourself! Go to college, move out of your parents house and get a roommate. Take a small loan and travel to Asia or Europe. Go do something besides stay close to home! You may think you know who you are and what you want, but chances are you have nothing to base this off of. Throw yourself into something new and foreign. Meet new people and form new relationships. Take classes in topics you've never considered or know about. By broadening your social groups, education and personal experiences you will spark interest and emotion inside yourself previously unfathomed. I have found "the thing I love and will do forever" a dozen times. I find or try something new constantly that was never part of my vocabulary that is life changing. But, until you experience it you never new it was for you. The world is monstrously small. By going out into its vast and unknown shadows, you truly realize how connected we all are. It will even shock you how small when having espresso in Italy you see a friend you shared a beer with in Japan walk by. Get out there and find something!

Dear Carrie, Take it from me (your 35 year old self) pick a major you will actually use and enjoy. Don't choose Parks and Recreation (like you did the first time around because you wanted to work at summer camp for the rest of your life). Choose your passion and do not be afraid to pursue it. Be realistic. Stay focused. Most of all become someone you want Elizabeth and Tucker (your children) to look up to and aspire to be. You do not want to re-do college when you are 35 working fulltime with 2 kids. You will one day become a fantastic Elementary School teacher (I know that doesn't sound as tempting as a retired millionaire) but you will impact the lives of many and have rippling effects on who they become. However, even if you don't listen to the afore-mentioned advice, its okay. You end up meeting the man of your dreams at your Parks and Recreation internship the summer of your Junior Year and raise 2 amazing children together. Therefore some mistakes are worth making and you will then find the courage to go back to school at 35 and succeed.

Your college years can be the best years of your life. Study hard and go to class. As a high school senior about to go to college, I would tell myself that there will be some huge life changes, for the better, and to just be open minded about it. Allow myself to change to be the person I know I can be. College classes not only teach you about the information in the text book, but you will also learn many life lessons from your professors and fellow classmates.

I would tell myself to take my high school career more seriously. Although I would have been considered an 'exception' in my high school because I did not participate in partying and focused solely on school, I still regret some decisions I made regarding my education. The main advice I would give myself is to work harder and take on challenges instead of creating easier/lighter semesters when I could have been working more towards my college degree while in high school. I took some simple, easy elective courses which resulted in me not becoming Valedictorian or Salutatorian by about 0.05 GPA and bringing in less college credits in my freshman year. Since I am a financial aid recipient, I should have thought more about my electives and used that easy/free time to try and work towards the future in order to save money.

Looking back at the me in high school is hard. I didn't have any friends. I was a loser and a geek. I was bullied all of high school. I was a caretaker to my grandmother who is unable to walk or care for herself. I also assistied with the care of my mother who suffers from chronic illnesses. I saw myself being at home for the rest of my life and taking care of my family. The reality for me as a senior was that I honestly did not see how I could go away to college. If I was able to go back in time and tell myself just a year ago how much life would change, I don't think my younger self would believe me. Since going to college I have so much self-confidence, more friends, and a better relationship with my teachers than in high school. I would tell myself "This is your time to go for it. Don't try and be someone you aren't because you are perfect. Have fun and work hard and you will succeed. Above all things will get better and you can do this."

Get involved on campus and meet people, especially those who have the same interests as you early on. Try and get an on-campus job because this is going to help you out so much in long run giving you valuable work experiences and a time to earn a bit of money on the side. Also seek out job shadowing opportunities and summer internships or externships as these are going to give you an edge on everyone else who is applying for the same job that you are. Have fun, but not too much fun becuase you have to keep your GPA up. MEET YOUR PROFESSORS, they are some of the best resources that you will have as an undergrad and they are really cool people as well. In addition to meeting with your professors see about getting to know the staff, they will give you great ideas that if you ask for before you can actually implement and use. If you can meet your dean, he is undoubtably busy but he will also write awesome letters of recommendation as well as give you great advice. Keep in touch with your roots, your family, and your faith.

To my senior self- You are almost at the finish line. Do not focus on the petty stuff, those are just time wasters. You may feel like you are all alone, but you are not. Realize and understand that you have a support system that will be there for you at a moment’s notice. Parents are your sounding board, cheerleaders and forever champions all for you and on your behalf. Tough times will be plentiful but will not last. The effects of these times may linger, but you will get through them as a stronger person on the other side. Enjoy this year because it will not replay at a later time. Don’t be so fast in trying to grow up and get out to be on your own. Boys will always be the same. Take the time to find one who wants to have a future and not just become a statistic. You each will be a reflection on each other. Surround yourself with positivity. If friends cannot support you than move on. Be ok with saying goodbye to someone. Stay true to yourself and achieve your goals. Love, Your college freshman self

Don't worry, just enjoy the time you have before it is gone. Time is so fleeting, and it is one of the few things in this life that we cannot get back once it is gone. Worrying about what you're going to major in, or even what college you will attend is not worth the stress. Instead, spend your time sitting down for a family dinner or helping mother do the dishes. It's things like these that you will miss the most once you're away at school. Tell your high school teachers how they've influenced you as you grew into a young adult; without them, you would have ended up completely different. You don't have to know who you want to be in ten, or five, or even one year from now. What's more important is deciding the kind of person that you want to be at this stage in your life, and taking the actions to make yourself that person. Have faith in yourself, always; why should someone else believe in you if you don't first? Allow yourself to love like crazy, it makes our lives all the more beautiful.