Berry College Top Questions

What should every freshman at your school know before they start?

Bailey

It's going to be okay. I know we don't like change or the prospect of leaving mom alone, but it's going to be okay. We're going to go to school, try our hardest every day, pay attention in class, meet new people, and the world is going to keep turning. Try and talk to your parents because they miss you, even if they don't say that they do. Don't be afraid to get involved on campus or strike up a conversation with a stranger--you'll make more friends and lead a much more interesting life. Be a good person, as good as you are right now: Always stand up for what you believe in, never compromise your morals. Also, don't eat a lot of junk food and stay up too late playing video games--it won't benefit anyone. Most importantly, never question your abilities. Know your limitations and test them regularly, but never question your abilities. You are capable.

Emily

I’ll start by saying the people who say high school is the best time of your life are wrong. College is very different from high school, between the people you meet and the classes you will take, the environment is refreshing. The people that become your friends will be some of the most kind and genuine people you will meet. My first piece of advice is to not be afraid to break out of your shell and meet those people. I guarantee you will have a lot more in common with them than you expect. Joining clubs is a good way to meet these people. When you find your niche, the club members will become a second family to you. Finding people you are comfortable around will allow you to grow as a person and discover things about yourself that you never thought possible, such as becoming the president of the club you joined on campus. This means that you will change, so don’t fight the change. As you change, so will your interests and strengths. My final piece of advice is don’t let this keep you from changing your mind and finding what makes you happy.

Yennifer

If I was given the chance to go back and talk to myself when I was a high school senior, I would turn the opportunity down. I realize that while many people would jump to this chance, I have come to see that I learned so much of my own character and personality as I went through the process on my own. I grew as a person because I had to take on a huge amount of responsibility, and I feel that I made a handful of great choices that I have not regretted. I choose Berry College because I believed that their Nursing Program would be the best option for me, and they would get me ready the best to take on the healthcare field in all confidence. On another hand, the transition itself was nerve wrecking, but as I look back on it, there was no reason to be nervous. I have made some great friends, and I can already tell that their friendships will last a lifetime. I have grown much more confident in myself, and that is the first step into really believing that I can accomplish what I set my mind to.

Zachary

I would tell my self to go through with my application process for the University of Georgia. I would tell myself that if you overload on one thing, school or having fun, you will not do well. A equaly sharing of worka nd play will give you the most out of the college experience.

Elizabeth

If I could go back in time to talk to my self as a high school senior, I would tell my self that it is more important to find a college that really fits your personality than it is to pick a school because it sounds good. My first semester in college was spent at the University of Georgia and I absolutely hated it, so I transfered to Berry College and I absolutely love it! I thought I would be satisfied with UGA but it turned out that I was so unhappy. So going back in time I would tell myself to really think about my priorities and interests and what really matters to me. For me the things that really matter are my relationship with God and building up community in Christ. At Berry College, I am able to do these things which brings me great joy! With all that being said, I would emphasize the importance of being happy and joyful wherever you are.

Lainey

If I could go back to my senior year, I would tell myself that when I got to college it would be worth it. It would be worth moving 10+ times to all the different cities and schools, because the constant need to adapt to different situations will help in the end. I would say that it's nice to be in one place for a while and have friends who will be there for you. Lastly, I would say that college is so much better because its more on our level but that I would already know that because of the dual enrollment classes.

Casey

When I was a senior in high school, I dreaded making the transition to college. I was timid, quiet, and feared the changes I would have to face. As the first child in my family, I never had the chance to experience college through the eyes of an older sibling. I had no idea what to expect and only cared about going to an academically challenging school. Ultimately I picked Berry College because I felt that it was what my parents wanted. I did not realize that I had chosen the perfect college for me. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself that someday I would become a mentor to a class of nineteen freshmen, a vice president to an environmental club, an editorial assistant to the college’s alumni magazine, published in the college literary magazine, and take a class taught by a Georgia Author of the Year. I know that I would not have believed me, but it is true: I would not be who I am today without Berry College. My advice would be: Don’t be afraid of change because it will be the best thing to ever happen to you.

Alexandra

If I had the chance to go back in time to myself as a high school student I would push myself to go on more trips away fom home. My first semester in college was very hard because I was very homesick, but throughout the semester going home to visit and then back to school taught me that even though I am leaving home to attend school I am still always going to have a home and a family to go back to. Even more importantly I realized that no matter where I am, at home, at school, at the beach, anywhere in the world, it matters less where I am than who I am with. The people who surround you make the place you are in 'home.' I wish when I was in high school I could tell myself that no matter where I am in the world I will still have my family waiting for me to come home and as long as I make relationships where I am I will have a home anywhere I want. Knowing that would have made my first semester at Berry College much easier of a transition.

Neil

First, buy earplugs. The residence housing can be distractingly loud. Second, do not waste time in between classes but utilize that time to work on homework, read, or write papers; studying and working should not be saved for the night. Along with this, getting good amounts of sleep can suprisingly help you in your classes. Also join clubs and groups, when I say this I do not mean go out and join all the clubs on campus, choose ones that you wouldn't normally join. College is the best place to find out what you enjoy and what kind of person you are. Along with this, talk to people you wouldn't normally talk to, and whatever you do, don't get stuck with only one group of friends. The more diverse friends, the more you learn from them, and the more you grow and find what your likes and dislikes are. Lastly, make sure you set aside time for yourself, do not get caught up with school, clubs, and hanging out with friends so much that you rarely ever have time to sit, think, and pray.

Casey

Being the child of a teacher, I was always taught to do my best to prepare for college. I took harder classes in high school to prepare myself and pave a path for my education ahead. I thought I would be prepared for college; however, I was not as prepared as I imagined. College was a huge transition from high school, and I highly recommend preparing as well as you can to make the transition as easy as possible. If you are going away to college, you may find yourself all on your own. You won’t find your mother, father, and teachers hanging over you reminding you to complete your assignments and study for tests. Classes get harder, instructional time is shorter, but the work load has increased. There are fewer grades, sometimes only 3 or 4, and the assignments count for more of your grade than they did in high school. There is no makeup work or late work, so do your best the first time around. Time management can be the key to college success. Learn to set your goals and stay ahead as much as you can!

Amanda

My calculus professor always says that a college education is the only thing in the world that people are glad to be cheated out of. Students pay thousands of dollars for an opportunity to better themselves, only to be thrilled when class is cancelled or to skip class altogether. This first year in college has given me a fresh prospective on education. Learning is not a mundane routine, a specific class, or even any achievement. Learning is a daily enlightenment and a lifelong process—possibly the greatest process in the world—where one develops into a greater and greater person and reaches heights that were never even dreamed possible. True learning, at its core, is a joy! Start discovering the joy of learning now, before you are forced to in college. (Those who cannot find joy in what they do will find that studying is particularly challenging, and that life seems to drag on without much meaning at all.) This simple shift of mind will make all the difference in the world, throughout school and your entire life to come! As Jim Rohn said, “Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.”

Jessie

I would tell myself that my years in college will teach me many things--not just academics. In college I will get to know myself and what I am truly capable of doing. I will be tested by balancing classes, an on-campus job, off-campus class experiences, and a social life. I will be pushed to grow and to improve upon my weak points. Coming out of the experience, I will be a stronger and more developed individual. Even though my school career will be stressful, I would not trade it for anything because it will have allowed me to grow in so many ways. I will be more confident in my abilities and mature in the way I carry myself. Going to Berry, I will also learn how to learn--by discovering what teaching method works for me, and how to best retain information. Attending Berry I have a chance to gain out-of-the-classroom experience in the field I want to pursue. This allows me to go beyond reading about my interests in a textbook and live them for myself. My years in college are going to lay the groundwork for the rest of my life.

Lisa

Having a high GPA is not enough to fund your college education. Scholarships are extrememly important, and any volunteer work or leadership experience will increase your chances of getting aid tenthfold! Take the time to become more involved in community, church, and school activities. Join more clubs, and promote yourself as a valued member of the community and school. Writing an essay for a scholarship is not a bad idea either, since you have such great creative writing skills already. You might have a good GPA right now but what about two years from now? College is more academically challenging than high school is, and you need to be prepared in case your academic scholarships begin to wain. You can and you will succeed in college, but the issue of funding your education is less than certain. Take steps now to prepare your self, rather than wait until you are at a time in need.

Lauren

The soundest advice I could've given myself as a high school senior would've been to stay focused on your goals and keep setting goals that you need to reach. When I entered college I was bombarded with so much freedom that I could scarcely figure out what to do with it. With that freedom I fell short in achieving what I know I could've achieved now. High school did not prepare me for this change and I lost sight of my goals my first year of college. All the schedules I had been on through high school were set by someone else, but in college I had to set my own schedules which I wasn't accustomed to doing. In the end, my procrastination won and my grades suffered for it. Now that I am older and wiser, I have been able to keep up with my goals and set standards for achieving them in a timely manner. I've even been able to add in important time for internships and volunteer work to gain experience in my field of studies. I haven't mastered the skill of time management, but it's one of my goals.

Abigail

My three biggest unforeseen struggles in college have been finance management, time management, and stress management. If I could talk to my high school self, the first thing I ould tell myself is to make frugality my absolute policy. I got my first job as a high school freshman, so I had four years prior to college relatively expense free whenI could have beensaving a lot of money. As I'm learning now, every penny counts, so I wish that I had always asked myself before buying anything "do I really need this?" The uncertainties of college scared me, so I preferred not to think about it, but if I had set my goal of getting through college debt free in front of myself at the time, I could have had four more years of working to achieve it. "Prepare to work hard!" I would say. I would tell myself to prepare for spending most of my time doing homework and working. And I would tell myself that achieving my goals is important, but enjoy life at the same time. And don't stress over the small stuff. A mantra that will also serve me well in the future!

Maggie

Find one thing you love to do, and find a school that will allow you to do that. Any opportunity that you are offered, you might as well take it because you will never know where it will take you and who you will meet. Even though choosing a college is difficult and stressful, it will always work out in the end, if you end up going somewhere and you decide you don't like it then oh well you can transfer the next year. The most important thing in life is happiness, if your not happy change it. You also can't expect everything to go your way, so when something bad happens work through it and move on and forget about it.

Tharushi

Some advice that I would give to myself about college is that I should focus on my priorities and remember what my goals and dreams are. I would also adivse to stay focused on grades, volunteering, and working towards acheiving my goal, which is to become a doctor. I would also say to remember to take everything a day at a time and don't stress about the little things. I should focus on planning my time wisely and also make time for other activites such as socializing, getting involved in clubs and organizations, and improving all other aspects in my life. I would advise myself to stay true to my beliefs and values because my college experiences and friends could persuade me do stray away from my true values. One important advice would be to realize that college should help me become a better well-rounded person through experience. I would adivse to be myself and believe that I can acheive my goals if I put my mind and determination to it. Lastly, I would adivse myself to stay focused on my priorities and also strive to do my best in everything I do.

Katelyn

I actually would have told myself not to go to Berry. I am now realizing how much I love being close to my family and in my home town. Berry College is a 9 hour drive from my home town so making the transition has been really hard for me. So my freshman college experience has not be that great so far. Now I know what is truely important to me. When I was a senior in high school, I wanted to be out on my own far away from my home but that was a terrible decision on my part. I would go back and tell myself to think about what makes me happy which is being close to my family and friends.

Sarah

Dear High-School-Senior-Self, Stop procrastinating on life! There is so much of the world you need to see before you're done living. Go out and get your nails done with friends; go volunteer at the animal shelter like you always thought about doing. That's another thing. Stop thinking, and start doing. Do your homework! You think you're grades are good now? Imagine if you took the time to apply yourself. Stop doing the bare minimum and strive for perfection. Love the skin you're in, and quit worrying about what anyone else may think of you. Study for the AP Biology test. There is no reason to fail as badly as you did, and you could have easily gotten a general education requirement out of the way! Apply for more scholarships, and look at Kennesaw's teaching program. Regardless of all this: live fully, laugh often, and love deeply. This is the last year you have to be a kid; enjoy it while it lasts! Love, Berry-College-Freshman-Self

Stephanie

If I could go back to my senior year of High School, I would tell myself that grades really are more important than how many friends you can add on facebook or how many parties you attend. It is your grades that get you into college, and often enough it is also your grades that get you the financial aid in order to attend college. I would also tell myself that doing things outside your comfort zone is ok sometimes. You may be nervous to attend the first meeting of a club that sounded interesting to you, or you may be too shy to ask your professor a question, but you can not let yourself miss out on opportunities just becuase you are too afraid of what people think. In the end of the day, it is YOUR future, and the only person that is in control of what that future consists of is you. I would tell myself to take risks that are worth taking. The world has too much to offer to let things pass you by because of fear. The only way you learn about yourself and your environment is through experience, so try something new.

Gloria

This little green start is beautiful and big enough to satisfy your real demands deep inside your heart. If you remove your pressures on yourself and look at the sky for a while, you will realize what you chased for a long time is more worthless than what you thought. "Smart" people seem if they know about the world, but they do not. They fool themselves as if they have everything. But the most pitiful kind of people in the world is this "smart" people. They sit on a hard, emotionless chair and look at human-made tiresome blue lights from squared box, so-called computers for more than eight hours a day. Sometimes, they give up their times with nature and even family to see these blue lights again. They don't laugh, they don't smile, they don't have energy nor passion. The point is this: your true gifts are around you, waiting for you to see them. You have not been realized their importance and beauty because they are always with you. Believe me, you will get more than what you intended.

Bethany

Bethany, in order for you to do well in college, you need to take more time to study. Not studying and taking your work seriously can harm you in the long run. College isn't easy, it takes time and effort. Also, you need to apply for more schalorships, those scholarships could allow you to attend the college that you really want to go to. Last but not least, spend more time deciding what you want to study. Making decisions are hard, transitioning is hard, but life is even harder if you aren't sure what you want to do with your life. Make sure to take life seriously, connect your likes and dislikes to the career field that fits you best. Knowing what you want to study before going to college saves you a lot of time and money.

Aaron

I would advise myself, that study time is important, but for the most part in the beginning it isn't going to be all consuming. Getting connected is a big bonus, and not going to a huge college is always a really big plus. I'd let myself know, that as long as I major in something that I enjoy then I will never be too stressed over the class, oh and I'd let myself know that a BA requires you to take another language again.

Molly

Knowing what I know now, I would want to tell myself to save more money, work harder for better grades and apply for more scholarships!

Gregg

If I could talk to myself as a high school senior, I would advise myself to remember that I am going to college for me, not for the school and to keep everything in perspective. As an incoming freshman I came into Berry College excited, and when I was given a schedule, I was so happy to get it I didn't revise anything about the schedule. I didn't ask for help because I didn't want to give the administration any trouble. This was a mistake because I had a class at 8 AM, four days of the week, and because I was only taking 13 credit hours. These factors were detrimental because I'm not a morning person, so the early class was my lowest grade and it negatively and heavily impacted my GPA. Also, if I had taken more classes, I would have had a higher grade to help even out that poor grade's impact. If I were to have kept everything in perspective and known that the administration is there to help me with any issues, I would have never gone without reffering to someone about refining my schedule.

Alexandra

I would tell myself to apply to more colleges and universities and provide myself with more options. I may have told myself to consider community college for the general education courses and to develope a sound study technique at a cheaper price and attain a solid GPA. I would tell myself to apply myself more and focus on what really matters, that building a life around another individual is always a bad idea.

Michelle

You need to take college serious, and get your education now, and make the most of it. If you get the best education you can get you will never have to work dead end jobs, or be on welfare. Having a family is great, but you should wait until you have the means to support them. In todays world you never know about the job market, and if you get an education there will always be work for you.

Hayden

Do not let yourself stand in your own way of greatness. When it came time to apply for colleges, I applied to three safe schools and a 'reach school', or a school that may have been a bit of a stretch to get into. I would jokingly tell people that I was never going to get in, just so it would soften the blow to my ego when I would get a letter of denial. When I got accepted to my reach school, I realized that I had a lot to offer Berry College and needed to give myself more credit regarding my strengths. If I had to give my high school-self advice, it would be to have a great attitude. Just because I may not be great at Math or Science does not mean I can't strongly contribute to academics and the campus life at Berry College. With my newfound attitude, I have performed better than I ever did in high school, cultivated very strong relationships, and had the most fun of my life while doing so.

Abhinav

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would have advised myself to fill out a recruitement form for swim and baseball and see if I would have started to play a sport for my university. Coming to college is not the best thing ever because you realise that you dont know a lot of people and not everyone can be called friends. You are responsible for yourself. In high school I have been part of the swim and baseball team for four years so I had the habit of being part of a family that shares a common goal. When I came to university it was a complete change, I was a nobody. The routine was to go to classes, do homework and go back home. If I would have taken that step to get recruited I would have not been alone and would have been competing in a sport I loved. I will be who I am there is no need to change in order to feel accepted.

grace

My main advice to myself would be to relax and be myself. Do not be afraid to take a break from the homework. You will get it done and you will learn the matierial well. Grades are temporary and people are so much more important. Trust in those around you and make friends. These are the friends you will have for the rest of your life. They will also impact your life in ways you can never expect or anticpate. Trust in the plan God has for your life and know that you will always have support from those around you at Berry College.

Harold

Don't change a thing. Do and redo. Unlearn and learn again. Seek out those who totally different than you and get to know them. Challenge your firmly-held beliefs. Be open to changing who you are. Be open to starting from scratch, if needed. Find the faculty members who are most available to students and get to know them. Work part-time and consider that experience part of your higher education experience. Don't worry too much about getting the major or minor exactly right. The modern U.S. worker changes careers a few times anyway. Try disparate classes and extra-curriculars out to find out what works for you. Learn about yourself by getting to know others. Don't take on too much, though. Learn your personal limits and plan accordingly.

Cassandra

Okay, me, just breath. The highschool counselors weren't that active and neither were your parents in helping you figure out this college thing. The college will be though. They do know what they are doing and will help you get and do what you need to do to reach your final goal. Keep your head up and remember to sleep and eat properly, not doing so will be your demise. You know you are smart, perhaps a little lazy, but if you apply yourself a little harder than you have you'll be just fine. Don't worry about money, just work hard and fill out all the scholarship applications you can. Worrying too much about money will cause unnecessary stress. Don't forget to make friends and have fun. Good friends are hard to come by, you know, the ones that care. Remember to take a break every now and then. You are brilliant and will make something of yourself in this world.

Hannah

I would tell myself not to think college was as easy as high school. The transition is a whole lot different. In high school I may not have had to study, but in college you really do if you want to meet your full potential. You will be average if you do the same things you did in high school. Make time for studying along with having a good time with your friends, because it is the experiences outside of the classroom where you learn the most about life.

Marcylyn

I'm currently in college earning my second degree in Culinary Arts. While being in my third quarter, i've learned so much more than I'd anticipated. Going through a school that is teaching me, hands on, how to do the job I want to have is such an eye opening experience for me. When I was going to school for my first degree, it was all about studying and taking tests. I was also a full time worker, so I was working 40 hours a week as well as going to school full time. Going to this school has taught me that it isn't always only about the book work you do; it's about the effort you put into it and how passionate you are about the work that you do. I've learned to put my heart and mind into my education so that I can ultimately be proud of what I've accomplished.

Elizabeth

I have gotten the first hand experience that is imperitive to my application to vet school. This animal science program has a history of 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} admittance into vet schools, which is something that most colleges can say.

Tyler

Attending college has helped me grow in indepence, maturity and faith. I have been encouraged at my college to live a life that is Christ, community and leadership centered. By participating activies such as weekly Bible study and community service projects with my peers I have grown in community. I have learned responsiblity through the new experience of being self reliant. Something that has surprised me while experiencing college is the appreciation I have for my parents! I always appreciated them but seeing how hard they are working to allow me to receive an eduation in a private college is very humbling. I now realize that the advice they have given me is very useful and that I should have listened more! My gratefulness for them and their sacrifces has increased tenfold! The fact that I am able to attend a college where my values and beliefs are not challenged is a gift that I will forever value, Lessons that I am learning at college are making me into a more well balanced, appreciative, mature and educated person!

Christopher

i have gotten a sense of freedom from my college expierence. I came from a town that everyone knew everyone. I have made many new friends. I can already tell that these friends are never going to leave me and we will still be enjoying each others company for many years. Berry College has been valuable to attend because it is a liberal arts college. To me, that means that even though I am taking classes for my major, I can still enjoy classes in other subjects. This helps relieve my brain from the stress of certain subjects and I can enjoy learning about something totally unrelated to my major. Plus, this allows me to continue to broaden my horizons and take classes in areas I normally wouldn't. Another valuable reason I attend berry College is because it is close enough to home if I need anything but still far enough away that I can be my own person. Also, I get to see many of my friends from high school because they have to pass by Berry to get to bigger cities like Atlanta, Georgia.

sabrina

I lost my job about a year ago, making it possible for me to go back to school to learn a new trade. Always had great interest in the medical field but didn't really think I could ever afford to go back to college in order to earn a degree. Now I am going to Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, NC and have thoroughly enjoyed working with my instructors. I know it is important for me to do well and that my college education will be a valuable asset to my future and success. Not to mention, I am setting a good example for my 11 year old son.

Sarah

I have gotten so much out of my college experience that there is no way to accurately summarize it in just a few words. I have gained more knowledge about the world around me and how my surroundings, friends, and experiences shape me as a person. I've grown as a person bettering myself, preparing for my future, and learning how to give back to those around me. I've discvoered that communications is my passion, and after I complete a BS in Organizational Communications I hope to be able to use the skills I will have learned to reach out and help others to make their lives better and brighter. I know that without my college experience so far, I would not be the person I am today, and I'm proud to say that college has boldly shaped and brightened my future and the ability to share that future with others.

Katie

I love everything about being a student at Berry College. Berry has a very diverse student body which has opened my eyes to many different cultures, religions, and lifestyles. Because of the small number of students, class sizes are small and gives students a better oppurtunity to interact and develop relationships with their teachers. Berry College has provided me with a solid quality education while providing me with the oppurtunity to make life-long friends and develop a strong network with professionals in my field, all while living on one of the most beautiful campuses on earth.

Leslie

I have learned a good many things in the semester that I have been in college. I learned the value of time management as well as that of staying on task. Meeting new people is something that I was never good at, but I had to learn fast because I lived in a room with three other girls, and I didin't know anyone on campus. Learning how to be independent was definitely a skill that I had to learn as well, this being the first time that I did not have my family there with me to help me when I needed it. I also learned to treasure having people around you that truely have your best interest at heart. Being away from my family and friends and put into a new chapter in my life really helped me to realize how hard my mother worked to let us have the life that we did. Another thing that I learned was that the career that I have chosen to strive for really is something that I would like to do for the rest of my life.

Caitlin

The Berry College community welcomes you from the moment you step on campus and becomes your family away from home. The relationships between the students, professors, and all faculty/staff is as strong as steel. A regular occurance at Berry is not just limited to the President of Berry's campus sittling with you at lunch. Some professors will allow you to come visit their house, do laundry, or even babysit their kids. I don't know where I'd be without my advisor to guide me, my teachers to teach and encourage me, and my friends to create memories with. One of the primary reasons my college experience has been valuable to me is the Berry student work program. This program allows students to work on campus to earn money to pay for college expenses or have a little extra spending money. Through this experience, I have not only learned financial responsibility, but many life lessons from my job on Grounds Crew and from my supervisor. Hard work, perserverance, and time management are just a few examples of what I have learned from the work program, as well as yardwork skills. Berry College is the place to be.

Jessica

My life has been enriched in so many ways by attending college. My venturing outside of my comfort zone I've made new friends, learned how to better think critically, and experienced what it's like to be pushed to my limit. Now that I've seen it for myself, I can't imagine my life without college.

Sydney

One year ago I was entering my spring semester of high school. After I graduated and arrived at Berry I started missing home, I had a tough few weeks of decision-making. I could miss my home and friends that, frankly, would never be the same again and succumb to my nostalgia or I could make the best of Berry and begin to make it the home McEachern had been for me. As I was wrestling with the decision, I talked to my friends from home. We were scattered around the US and I realized that if I was having trouble succeeding at Berry on my own, I needed to do it for them. I needed to succeed for the the teachers that loved and invested so much of their time in me and for my family and friends who supported me through everything. So, if I could go back and tell my high-school self something it would be this: If what I left behind was really something special, it's eternal and the only way to truly honor its memory was to take what I learned and the person I became and make something out of it.

Will

My advice would have to be to apply myse,f and do my best in all areas of my high school career. I would advise myself to get more involved in clubs and sports, as well as volunteer more in my community. I would remind myself to communicate with my teachers, learning from them, and soaking up any and all information that they had to offer. I would force myself to learn better study habits, as my high school education came to easy to me. I didn't have to study very much, which created a problem my first semester, as college hasn't been near as easy and has required much more studying.

Sarah

If I could go back in time I would tell myself to focus less on proving my independence by going to an out-of-state school and more on going someplace where I will have the resources I need to succeed. I?d make sure I knew that wanting to be near your family wasn?t ?weak? or ?lame?, but normal. My high school self would know that, though RMCAD was a great school it wasn?t a good fit for me, and not every great school will be. I would also make sure that I knew that dropping out of one school to find a better fit where I will be happier does NOT constitute failure, and changing colleges is not the end of the world. I would make sure I knew that focusing so much on being perfect and succeeding instantly won?t benefit me at all and that I am allowed to mess up, make mistakes, and be scared because it is all part of the experience and all of it will make me stronger and happier in the long run.

Mahmethan

The events that have lead up to who I am as a college student have not changed my dreams, but they have made me see what I have to do to achieve the lofty goals I set as a child. If I were to go back and have a chance to talk to myself as a High School senior, I would tell myself to have faith in your friends and to have hope in the mercy of the world around me. I have had to struggle from the moment I entered college, not only financially but academically as well, but the two things that have kept me going so far has been the constant support of my friends and the kindness I have received from organizations that have believed in my mission to help people. I would tell myself to hold tight to our dream of being a physician and that he should not forget along the way that the inevitable goal is to help and that doing so doesn?t require a medical degree.

Hannah

If I could go back and talk to myself I would advise me to weigh out all my options and to focus on my priorities. It is important to choose a school based on your needs and wants. If finances are an issue look for a school that offers scholarships, or talk to financial aid offices if you are set on a school that costs too much. Learn to do things on your own and be as organized as possible, organization skills make life so much easier. Also, while you are in school, education is your main focus. The purpose of school is to get an education and prepare you for your adult life and career. So, the main thing I would say to myself is, don't get distracted and allow your grades to slip, because once you lose that 4.0 it is impossible to get it back. Also, pick a major that you feel passionate about and that will make it easier for you to learn. Most of all though, just try to have fun....responsible fun, you're an adult now.

Claire

I would tell myself not to worry about whether or not I am going to get into college. I would tell myself to work harder and not slack off. I would tell myself to try to balance home life and friends better before college. And most importantly, I would tell myself not to stress about money because one way or another I am going to find a way to pay for college.

betzay

I would definetly take work more seriously my senior year. Many times senior think that the last year is the easiest but in reality it is the hardest because it is when transitions happen and it is when a future is determined. For example, students who dont take it seriously forget college deadlines and are not able to enroll until the following year or semester/ It is verycrucial to have a bright brain senior year inorder to be successful the next four years of college.