Western Michigan University Top Questions

I would tell myself many things if I was to go back, but the two most important things would be this: go to bed early and save more money. I function so much better when I get sleep. I know this now, and I still do not get the necessary sleep at night. I would encourage myself to get to bed early each night, even if there was something on television or something going on. I would save my staying-up-late for the weekends so that I could sleep in. The other thing I would tell myself to do would be to save more money. Everything seems to get more expensive as age increases, so I would tell myself to do everything possible simply save more money. Have fun, but make sure my money is doing more than being spent on that fun. In conclusion, I would tell myself to go to bed early and save money, as long as I was leaving time for fun.

Apply for more scholarships to start raking up the money. Going to community college first was the smart idea but stay in contact with the 4 year university from the beginning so there are no suprises later on.

First piece of advice, go to class, ALWAYS go to class. Second piece of advice, use your resources and stop procrastinating so much. There are a countless amount of people willing to help you succeed in college. Third and final piece of advice, plan your 4 years as soon as possible. You may think you have all the time in the world before you graduate, but before you know it you'll be signing up for your senior year and all those classes you can "take later" you have to take now. Think ahead, plan, and use your resources.

I would have told myself to really look into the colleges I was thinking of attending by looking at, the clubs or extra curricular activities, study abroad opportunities, housing options, jobs near campus, and of course actually going ot visit the college. I would have told myself not to come to the college I am at today and I would have said I seriously needed to do scholarships. That money does not grow on trees and even if the scholarship is onyl for 500 dollars, that is still free money no matter what way you look at it.

Be prepared balance your time. It can feel liberating being away from your parents and having all the freedom in the world. It is important to put the time into studying and completing assignments early before your deadline so you will have plenty of time to hang out with friends. As much as you try to ignore the looming due date while you try to hang out, it never quite leaves your mind and you cannot really have fun. This will only cause you more stress later. Procrastination may seem like the easiest road to take at the time, but it does not pay off. Get your work done early!

Going to college is going to be very expensive. You'll be living on your own, which means you'll have to pay for everything by yourself. This also means that you will need to work a lot, as well as studying for class. This can be prevented though, you just need to do some extra work now. You should start looking for scholarships and apply to as many as you can, right away. Also, to improve your chances of receiving these scholarships and to enhance you time spent in high school, you should become more involved with school. Join more clubs, join the school newspaper, try out for more sports, do what you can to give back to your community. Also, start saving your money that you make at your part-time jobs through high school. Stop spending every cent you make, you will really need that money later when your parents won't be able to help. You could also try to take more AP classes or take some community college classes, this will also help save money by reducing the amount of classes you'll take later on. Also, remember to enjoy your time in high schol!

Choosing a college that's right for you is very important. Make sure you are aware of the campus' surroundings and the kind of education you are looking for is very important in terms of the classes that are available. Choose a school that has every career opportunity that you've been looking into. Also, do your best in highschool, because the choices you make today affect you for a lifetime.

I would definitely recommend starting out at a community college. They offer the same courses for a much smaller price and it is like a university except on a smaller scale so the transition was much more fluid for me. Another thing I would tell my high school self would be to prepare yourself for college. By that I mean being ahead of deadlines and making sure to apply for all the colleges and scholarships early. This can be a time consuming task and is so easily overlooked but it is so important because it will save so much stress later in your career. The last thing I would recommend is to explore all your available options. For colleges, some will offer better financial aid while others will have lower tuition, there are many factors to consider when picking a college. There are many paths to prepare you for college that need to be explored also. Taking college credit classes while in high school is a great way to get ahead, and preparing yourself for placement tests can be beneficial to college applications and your future class selections.

I would tell myself not to stress out. Because of finacial issues I was unable to go to a 4-year university out of high school. After four years in high school I earned a 3.9 GPA with AP credits and was forced to go to a community college. I was heart broken and cried everyday. In the end it probably was one of the best things to happen to me. I was not ready to leave home and need to discover myself. I would also tell myself that all my hardwork would not go to waste but instead get me into a high ranking school. I would tell myself that there is so much more to look forward to in life and things really do happen for a reason.

Knowing what I know now about college life (as a soon-to-be college junior) and making the transition I would tell my high school senior self: "Continue putting in your best effort, apply for as many scholarships as possible, and to go to college for your dream and not anyone elses. I would also tell the younger Kaila/"Greatness" to stress A LOT less and to focus on future goals. College is only hard if an individual does not apply him/herself, does not study, and/or attempt to learn the material. Health is also very significant to success as well. Excercising can reduce depression and health risks linked to inactivity and bad diet. Try to get eight hours of sleep per night and eat healthy. Every semester with new courses gleans life lessons, some more significant than others but all beneficial to your future so do not skip classes. Continue to only submit exemplary and excellent work but, remember grades do not define your self worth. Take care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally and everything will fall into place."