Michigan State University Top Questions

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

Kelsey

I would tell myself to buck up and get ready for the hardest and most rewarding experience you'll ever have. High school was a piece of cake, but now you're going to a real college and you won't be the smartest person around anymore. Far from it. You are going to have to work harder on this than anything before and it's going to be more work than you can imagine. At times you'll wonder what the point is and want to quit, but remember, you have a dream and although your brain might melt on the way there, it will be so worth it when you finally walk onto that stage to recieve your diploma and realize that you have finally accomplished everything that you've worked for your whole life. And that will be the greatest feeling in the world.

Whitney

If I was to go back to myself as a highschool senior, I would tell myself two things. The first would be to save money, because having a job and being away from parents makes it really easy to spend money too liberally. Making a budget is helpful to ensure that there is money for the future. Second would be to take a variety of classes freshman year and to keep an open mind about choosing a major. I went into college believing I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, but after taking many of the classes in the field I thought I wanted to go into, I realized that I did not enjoy it.

Alison

Get ready! You are about to embark on a great new experience, but you have to stay prepared. You put in so much time and effort during high school, and you definitely cannot be ready to give up now. There's an entire sense of new found freedom, but with that comes a new responsibility to keep your own head in the game. You have to take care of yourself now, and stay intrinsically motivated. You're not going to give up. Sure, at times it seems so stressful, and yeah, you will have three exams in one week, but keep your head up and perservere. College is great, but only if you make it great. Don't get caught up in too many things that will distract you from why you are here. You are here to get a great education and to further yourself in life, whether it be for a career or to discover what is true for yourself. I can't say it enough, but keep at it, and you'll be successful in all your college endeavors.

Katherine

To be honest, Katherine, you should really enjoy yourself being in such a good high school in the area. Not only do you now have much more chance to make American friends to help in get more involved in the culture, but this is also a place you can have a lot of fun. I am not here to say that college life does not allow you to make friends, or it is boring; my saying is that in high school, it is like in a playground when you go to school. Everyone is "locked in" the school, you only have to meet so much people everyday at the same time and place. And this gives you a good chance to "force" others to be part of your life, whereas you can only be good friends with those in can hook up in college. Also, in high school, your teachers are like child daycarers, they care about you personally more than college professors. And the largest point in difference is that high school teachers help and treat new immigrant student like me, as a new born baby. College professors is not the same story. Enjoy where you are now!

Kayleigh

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I do not think I would. What could I tell myself that would make my experience at Michigan State University better than it already is? I love the experience I have had here, the friends I have made, the place and the people that I work with. The atmosphere is engaging and the school spirit is completely infectious. I think that college is what you make of it. When I came here I came with optomism and and an open mind. I think that that is really all anyone needs when making the transition from high school to college. It is not everything you expect, but you have to be open to everything that comes at you. That's the advice I gave myself before I came to MSU, and that is the same advice I would give myself if could go back in time.

Marisa

If I could go back and talk to myself about college I would tell myself to be more confident when talking to professors and roommates. I would also tell myself that I need to learn to make friends to study with and don't be afraid to be foreward with people in lab. It's a new place with new people so take advantage of it and make some good friends.

Courtney

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would have a lot of things to say, such as to not let yourself get lost in the crowd. When my parents dropped me off to college for the first time I felt so alone and lost. I wish I would have been more prepared for that moment. No one from my high school came to Michigan State with me and I felt like I was dropped into a pool surrounded by people I did not know and it was the most terrifying feeling ever. Now that time has passed and I realized that I wasn't dropped, I dove into the pool head first. If I could say one thing to myself now that I am looking back, it would be to believe in yourself. I came from a really small school, my graduating class was 69 people, to a really big school with my freshman class having over 4,000. It took a lot of hard work to get where I am at today and by learning to believe in myself more I have made all my dreams happen.

shanhai

I would have told myself that prestige in a university is not everything. I was looking to apply to a school with a "name" and therefore I limited myself to the wide selection of many great universities around the country. Size and location should not have negated my choice, I wanted to attend a small school on the east coast but being here made me realize it's not the size or location but the pride that the students have for the school. One of my biggest mistakes was depending on one particular scholarship- nothing is guaranteed and I should have used my resources and had plan B, C, D etc. ready. My advice summed up to myself would have been " don't limit yourself Shanhai because you never know if you might like the very thing that you are least expecting."

Kaycee

I would encourage my senior self to start meeting new people right away. There are 46,000 students here, some of them could be potential best friends! I would tell my younger self not to worry, not to stress, to soak up every moment because it does not last long. It's important to get the most out of the experience while you can so going to sporting events, concerts, game nights, movies, and parties are all good ideas. Learn how to do laundry, get a bus pass, buy some good tennis shoes because you do a lot of walking here, and bring as much of home as possible so that soon your dorm room feels like home. Learn to manage your finances; it is easy to spend money here--ordering chinese food or pizza, getting ice cream from Cold Stone, shopping at the nearby book stores, going to the mall...Set a budget! Have some self control. And that applies to a whle lot of things--make good choices, stick to your principles and be kind to everyone because you make a small difference for a lot of people. Most of all, have a whole lot of fun!

Colin

Simple answer - learn how to take notes. In high school I was used to a class size of around 20 - 25 students per class. In college I have experiences classes that range from 20 in a class to 300. Some classes have very little student/professor interaction and the teaching style is pure lecture. Learning how to take notes, listening for the critical pieces of information to include in notes has been a difficult transition to make. When you have only 1-2 exams per class, the notes become critical. I learned the less the hard way when final exams arrived. My notes did not fully make sense and where very scattered, making studying from them very difficult. Poor notes caused me to spend more time rereading chapters and trying to study with other students from the class, hoping their notes and memory were better than mine. This semester my goal is to try to approach note taking and listening in the lecture halls in a more concentrated manner.

Jessica

I would advise myself to come with an open mind. College is a time for experiencing new things and discovering who you are. I would tell myself to embrace the journey ahead and look forward to the future. I would tell myself to be prepared to work hard, yet also remember to take time to relax and have fun. Taking life and schoolwork too seriously will cause a person to burn out incredibly quickly. In order to maintain a steady amount of motivation, a balance needs to be had between work and play. I would also tell myself that even when there are times that I miss home, those eventually pass and things do get better. Wallowing in homesickness ruins the college experience. To cure it, go out, meet new people, and do something fun. Finally, I would tell myself to not stress over figuring out life. Things will work out in the end. It's normal to change majors and question the direction our lives are meant to take. It's all part of growing up and figuring out who we are.

Torey

The carefree days of high school are now just a fond memory. My transition from high school to college was a lot harder than I had anticipated. I wish I would have known what I was getting myself into when I signed up for classes. My advising for what classes I should choose first semester was fairly poor. I would go back and tell myself not to sign up for that chemistry class just yet, wait until I get into the swing of things. I cannot stress how much I wish I would have been told to get involved and not be scared. At such a large campus you're not judged as harshly as back in my hometown. Risk-taking and individualism is actually encouraged. The most important thing I could ever tell myself is to relax, be yourself, and study hard. The rest will work out.

Ryan

I would tell myself that college is what you make of it, meaning that you can choose to get involved and have a great college experience or choose not to and just go to class and have a miserable four years. I would tell myself to be the person that relishes every opportunity to get involved and to go throw myself into new situations, as college is about life learning experiences that also go along with your education. I would tell myself that although the transistion time can be tough at first, it really isn't so bad, because I also have the chance to go home frequently if I needed to. Finally, college can seem a little scary at first from the outside, but it really isn't. Just like high school, you just need to find a rhythm to keep yourself in tune with everyday, and before you know it, things are going great, just like in high school.

Randal

If I had the chance to go back in time to give myself advice about college life there would only be a few things i would tell myself because a big part about college is learning from experiences. The first and most important thing I would tell myself would be not to limit yourself. There are a lot more things to learn in through college than just in the class room. Alumni, counselors, and other students can teach you things that you would have never known if you had not interacted with them. Do not ever limit yourself. The world is your playground and classroom of course. The last thing is to have fun. College is a time reinvent yourself, meet new people, and be independent. It is a time to open up and express yourself.

Mallory

If I could go back and talk to me as a high school senior I would tell my self, as cliche as it sound, carpe diem - seize the day. I'm still in my first year here, but time has already gone by so fast. Since I'll be graduating in December of 2012, I only have five semesters left before I'm done. Moving on will be a fun but scary new experience, but I want to get the most out of my time here. High school was something I feel as though I may have already taken for granted. I just wanted to get out and move on to bigger, better things, but now I see that high school is a great time in its own way, just like college. So to senior me, I'd just like to advise a little appreciation for the present. As Ferris Bueller once said, "Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while you might miss it."

Samantha

Apply to Cornell University, you are not going to go there but you are always going to wonder if you could have gotten in. Also, please relax. It really is just high school right now; enjoy it. I'm not saying that you are going to want to go back, all I'm saying is that not getting that 4.0 really would not be the end of the world. There is still drama in college, but no one cares about what drama there was in high school. Spend more time with Mom, please. She is going to miss you a lot more than you think. Save more of your money; books cost more than you are planning. Change is more exciting than you give it credit for; you will make friends and maybe first semester is not what you wanted, but trust your future self, second semester is. Thank your teachers. Have an open mind. Do not listen to the counseling department. Apply for more scholarships now. It really is okay to miss home when you get here. Join everything. Take a deep breath. Smile. I know this is corny, but this is important: believe in yourself.

Ashley

The advice I would give myself would be to have chosen a school that was more in my financial bidget or at least to have done more research to find financial aid so that I would not have the additional stress of finances in my college years. The stress of money is hindering. It can cause addded pressure to an already stressful situation and may cause you to miss out on the more enjoyable experiences in college. But the best advice I could give myself and any other prospective student would be to find a schoool that you know in your heart is where you want to be and can stuy what you want to study. When things no longer go your way at least you have your studies that you can focus on and succeed in, which in return will benefit you in the long run. Finding a school is hard and stressful so choose a school that you have thoroughly researched to have your area of interest and is located in an environment that makes you comfortable yet pushes you to explore new things and meet new people that you would not have neccessarily done otherwise.

Megan

If I could talk to myself as a high school senior, I'd first stress the point that it is OKAY to not know what you want to do with your life right away, and that it's OKAY to not go to school immediately. Taking two years off school and traveling was the MOST valuable growing experience of my life to date - I learned who I was, who I wanted to become, and what was important to me in life. I would stress that it's okay if you don't know where you want to go to college right away, and that community college really saves a lot of money. But also that living on campus can be an enlightening experience as well. I'd say engange in social activities/sports, but don't let it compromise your ability to do well academically. I would stress reaching beyond what is required, and chosing friends wisely. Lastly, I would tell myself to trust people when they say that the time passes you by quickly, and to grab on to what you believe in and use it to your benefit in your college experience - but to remain open minded.

Danielle

First, I would tell myself to relax. College is scary , but everything that is new seems scary at first. After a few weeks you will not be as nervous as you once were. The first year of college is a transition period. Give yourself time to adjust to your new surroundings. It is okay if you do not know everything. Do not be afraid to ask, people are willing to help you. Go to class and study hard. If you do not help yourself, no one is going to help you. Strive for good grades, but do not beat yourself up over them. It is okay if you do not have a 4.0 in every class. Go out of your comfort zone. There are many opportunities to meet people on campus and participate in various activities. Most importantly, be yourself. Know who you are. Do not follow the crowd. Do what works for you. If you lose friends it is okay. I rather lose friends than my integrity and dignity.

Margaret

If I was able to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to relax. I spent so much of the time leading up to my move-in date worrying about every single aspect of college that I didn't have time to simply enjoy the transition. Looking back, I now realize that having so many unknowns ahead of me was really exciting and I should have just been excited about them instead of expecting the worst. There is no way to be completely prepared for college life, even if you ask everyone you know about their experiences with the transition. Everyone will experience the change differently and the best option is simply to take things as they come and be open to the new things that will undoubtedly arise.

jessica

I would warn myself that the school is so big and there are so many people that it is hard to get to know many people. I got so lonely my first couple of weeks here. If I had known this before, and actually taken it into consideration I may have gone with a smaller school, especially one I could have done sports or extracurriculars at. Michigan State is so big that the sports teams are hard to get onto. I was on the diving team in high school as well as in the marching band and very involved in drumline and winter drumline. I would have liked a school that gave me to opportunity to be involved with things that were so prominent in my life before college. I did however make a great group of friends by being involved in the on-campus bible study that I by chance attended. I would tell myself to make sure that I went to that. Those friends and the fact that I am half way done are the only thing tying me to Michigan State.

Bethany

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself many things. The first thing I would tell them is you will have a great time. You will meet so many great people and many of those people will become your best friends that you have for life. I would tell myself is to get involved. The worst thing you could do is not get involved. This is the best way to meet new people and meet many of the people you will become friends with. I would also tell myself that you need to really work hard. When I went into college I thought that I wouldn?t have to really try in my classes. My first semester I came to find out that that thought was very wrong. To help prepare my high school self, I would say that studying and getting your work done on time will help you do the best you can in all of your classes. The last thing I would tell myself is to enjoy your time in college. These will be some of the best times in your life.

Edward

College life is awesome! You are the master of your own destiny. But that means you can mess up your education. Pick friends who share some of your values. You had some good practice in high school being with friends who are different. College is even more like that. You will find friends who barely speak English, and who have had life experiences that you can't even imagine. Learn from them to broaden your horizons. Save all the money you can so that you can take advantage of the study abroad options. That is an amazing experience that you can't even imagine when you are in high school. Enjoy learning from those professors who love their work. Learn to speak up to those who are not engaged or who act like they are not invested in the success of students. Get involved in things that you are passionate about. College is the time to begin to find out what you really believe in and stand for. It is the time to stretch yourself, to get out of the comfort zone of your family and friends in high school and to be a part of the world at large.

Kimisha

If I could go back as a high school senior and talk to myself, I would tell myself to pick more challenging class. I would also tell myself to learn better study skills. I would also tell myself to enroll in class early.

Jenifer

If I could go back to talk to myself in high school I would have told myself to take a lot more AP classes and to actually try my hardest in them. Not to just take the AP just to have it on my transcript but to also get a high score on the AP test. Taking the class but not taking the AP test or not scoring well on it is not beneficial. I would tell myself to develop better study habits and to read the text instead of always depending on the teacher to give you the lesson. A lot of college is being able to teach yourself and i wish I would have perfected my skills at that. Even though class attendance is important, being able to read through the book and to be able to take in all the information and then do well on the test is not easy at all. I wish I would have told myself to work a lot harder and put all my effort into my studies. My transition would have been a lot better and easier. I guess some things you just have to learn from experience.

Kristine

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a senior in high school, I would warn myself of the overwhelming workload and classes in a University. I would tell myself the same thing as I did and start out in a community college, expense wise. However, living away from home is more difficult than expected and it takes time to make new friends, but the friends you find will be longlasting. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE! Doing assignments before they are due makes the stress level way lower and leaves more time to have fun with friends and experience life outside of the books and classrooms. Don't be afraid to join some clubs or try out for school sports because you'll discover parts of yourself that you always wanted to know, and you'll make friends with people you never thought you would want to be friends with. Don't be afraid to be yourself because people in college don't judge and everyone is here for the same reasons. All in all, work hard but have fun! The best times in life are the college years, so attend classes, but experience life!

Anna

Become more organized, start to practice time management. You have to learn to read the material and attempt to teach your self. Do not procrastinate because it will hurt you in the end and cause unnecessary stress. Know to take a breather every once in a while.

Keenan

To: High School Keenan- You need to take your senior year seriously. Just because your going off to college and you think these times won't matter, unfortunately, you are wrong. You need to get involved more with everything you do; sports, academics, volunteering, etc. This is not the time to slack off in school. Getting a job and searching for more and more scholarships to pay for college will be a great benefit to you, don't just shrug it off and think that everything will get taken care off. YOU need to do some work believe it or not, things aren't just going to be handed to you for your entire life. Sign up for some Advanced Placement classes. They will give you a much better idea about how to manage your time and workload, therefore, giving you a much better chance at succeeding then you already will have going into it. Do not take things for granted. Once you get to college, you will realize that you actually are alone and need to be independent. Solve problems on your own when you can, but dont be afraid to ask for help. Good Luck.

Jessica

Knowing what I know now, if I could go back in time and give myself advice I would tell myself not be afraid to take chances. I would share with myself what it's like to big in a big campus with 40,000 people. I would make sure I knew what kind of opportunities there were out there and how to take advantage of them. I would also give myself a better budgeting plan so that I could be less stressed about money.

Prisca

Looking back as an immature high school student I would encourage myself to try, try and try again. When there are days where you feel you can't do it, because the work load is too much don't let that stop you. The college transition which I have experienced is similar to high school but the expectation not only from your professors, but for yourself is great. Make the grade, don't settle for less if you put in the work then you should get the grade you deserved. In college your able to speak with yoru professors on a 1 on 1 level of understanding. Applying for scholarships and any financial programs that would help you get through your educational career. Try and have a social life, join clubs and get involved not only with the school but with your peers it helps make the transition better, so your not feeling like your in it alone. Try and get a job to help build yoru resume for the future. We live for each day, because we don't know what tomorrow might bring, so do all that you can do now for a possible better future.

Cathy

I would make sure I was making the move to the right colllege and for me. Looking back, I feel as though I picked my college because my older sister was there. I should have made the choice for me and what would benefit me in the long run.

Laura

In a way, I'm not sure that I would want to tell myself too much, because I have found it valuable to be able to forge my own path and to learn from my own mistakes. If I ultimately decided to give myself advice, however, I would tell myself not to worry too much; everything works out. As a high school student, I was very concerned that I might not pick the right school for me, that I wouldn't know what to do with my life, and so on. I have found that as long as one is friendly, hard-working, embraces opportunities, and keeps an open mind, things usually come together how you want them to. On a more practical note, I would say it is essential to establish connections with your professors, to ask questions and participate in class, and to remember that there is something to be learned from every single class and experience that one goes through in college. Socially, I would say in college it is imperative to branch out and to talk to lots of people, because you never know when you are going to meet someone who will change your life.

Alayna

Assuming I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, from what I now know about college life and making the transition, I would give myself a great deal of advice. I would first remind myself to not just walk my class schedule once or twice before the first day of school but numerous times avoiding the confusion because I don?t entirely know the campus yet. Next, I would advise myself to work hard the rest of my senior year. Any college credit opportunity I have I should work extra hard to get, because in the future, it will pay off. I would also advise myself to work even harder in the summer to save up money for the school year. That extra twenty dollars is an extra twenty dollars I didn?t have before! Lastly, my biggest advice I would give would be to actually go into college with an open mind and force myself to meet others. That first month of college is crucial to the rest of your freshman year! This advice coming from the ?experienced-in-college-me? would have truly helped me transition from high school into college.

Mary

I would love to have the opportunity to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior due to the unexpected things that come along with college. Growing up in an lower middle-class area with 97{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the population consisting of white people, coming to East Lansing along with 45,000 students from all over the world was a drastic change. When first arriving, I was shocked with the diversity and the amount of people. I was weary that I would not be accepted and felt at first that I had to change my personality to "fit in" with others around me. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high-school student, I would explain how coming to a school with a variety of different cultures and backgrounds is a very rewarding experience. I would tell myself to never change my own personality for anyone else because my unique and genuine self has something to offer which is why this university is so fufilling. Coming to Michigan State was one of the best decisions I've ever made and has shaped me into the person I am today.

Anne

I'd tell myself to not become a pre-med major, because I chose that major for all of the wrong reasons, like feeling the need to impress people, or the need to make a six figure salary one day. I'd tell myself it's okay to not know what the future holds, and instead study something I am truly passionate about, and that success will come if I work hard. I'd tell myself to study each subject every day, and to not let schoolwork pile up. Cramming for an exam the night before is a terrible idea. I'd tell myself not to be afraid of making new friends, because they want to make new friends as well. I'd tell myself to try new things and talk to people I think I have nothing in common with, because that will lead to amazing experiences, opportunities, and friendships. And lastly, I would tell myself to stop comparing myself to everyone else. Stop thinking, "I'm not smart enough, pretty enough, or cool enough," and instead focus on what makes me special, because confidence in that is what finally made me a happy, driven, and unstoppable college student.

Lyndsay

To me, high school seemed as if it was the largest obstacle I had ever encountered in my life. My parents had recently divorced my freshman year, and life at home was unbearable. I could not wait to graduate and move on with my life. During my senior year, I took four community college classes and received a 4.0 in all of them. I thought I was fully prepared for college and was ready to move out. If I were to go back in time, I would tell myself how college is not only about academic achievement, but is also about being independent as well as having the ability to live and take care of oneself. In high school, I depended on my parents and did not know the basics of taking care of myself. Therefore, when I went away to college, I had an extremely difficult time transitioning and living on my own. If I would have known how difficult it was to be independent, I would have taken more time to prepare myself mentally and physically for self-reliance. Today, the transition is still a bit of a struggle, but day by day it continues to excel.

Viktoria

When I was a senior in high school I don't think I had enough appriciation for knowledge to go to collage. I believe if I was ready to fully engross myself in higher education then I would have done better. I did not do well my freshman year so I left MSU and returned in January 2009, since my return I have made the Deans List every semester. What this has done is made me realize that anybody can excel at whatever collage they choose to go to. The key to getting good grades is to enjoy yourself and to really want to be attending your classes. Everyday I go to school and I feel so privliged to be able to hear these amazing scholars teach me my material and to walk the same sidewalks they so many scholars walked when they were my age. So thats what I would tell a senior in highschool, I would tell them to get excited about learning, to embrace it and appreciate every secound they spend in collage because there is no other time in your life that is so enlightening.

Patrick

If I could go back in time and talk to myself, (well, that would be pretty wierd, but that's beside the point), the biggest piece of adivce I would give is to put myself out there. I mean, join clubs, talk to advisors, get to know the teachers better, and make friends lots of friends. College is a pretty tough time, and having people around you helps a lot. They not only give you relief from the tough times, but they help give you a drive to do better. You talk to all the people around you, and here about what they do, how they've done in school, and you don't want to be outdone. Therefore, you psuh yourself harder and harder in order to be on their level. Therefore, having social connections, both friends and faculty, will help you move into the college setting, and prepare yourself for the rest of your life.

Jessie

If I could travel back to high school, and give myself some scholarly advice about college, I would advise myself to take an easier work load. My first semester I took very challenging classes and this made my stress level soar. If advised to take a few challenging courses and a few interesting/fun courses, my stress level could have been decreased. Another important transition tip would be to start an organization process early. During high school everybody just shoved all of their stuff into a locker. At college, especially Michigan State University, dorm rooms are small. If clutter and mess can be eliminated it can help keep your room clean, and organized. During high school, I was very social and spent many evenings hanging out with my friends. At college everybody needs to find a good balance of friend/fun time, and studying time. This would have made my first month a lot less stressful, because I was always worrying about when to make time for my friends versus studying. I would also want to remind myself that everybody needs some fun in their lives, and to plan accordingly.

Susan

I choose to move away from home for my college education at Michigan State University. I recently finished my first semester at MSU. The night before moving to MSU I had a hard time falling asleep. All I could do was imagine the friends I would meet, classes I would attend, and cafeteria food I would taste. A million things were running through my mind because I was very nervous to leave home, friends, pets, and most importantly my comfort zone. The first month was the hardest to adjust but once I met friends, got used to my class schedule, and became comfortable living with my roommate I was very happy here. My advice is to meet new friends, not depend on your high school friends that you have known for years. Second, spend a lot more time on class work and studying than you did in high school. Third, be open to trying new things that you haven?t experienced before, even if you?re afraid. I have heard that college is supposed to be the best years of your life; I am beginning to see that if you?re open to new experiences it definitely will be.

Sheree

The first advice I would give myself during my senior year in high school is to not take the psychology class at the local community college as I will change my major from Psychology to Human Resource Management. Instead, I should take a course pertaining to Human Resource. In addition, I would tell myself to not sign the housing contract until I am sure that I will be living on-campus because although the college kept mailing me the contract and telling me to sign it, the action is not necessary. By not signing, it would save the trouble of trying to terminate the contract. Finally, the last advice would be to introduce myself to fellow classmates,not be shy, and enjoy myself as other students are looking to make friends and have a good time too but are afraid to make the initial move. If I had this knowledge with me in the beginnning, the transition to college life would have been much smoother.

DeYuana

The advice that I would give myself as a high school senior was to save money for college. I had a job and I did not save anything at all and wasted my money on material things when I should of saved it all for for books and tuition. Another thing was to pay attention in my math class as a senior since the math in college is the same. I never paid attention in math and now I regret that because I dont no the things I should no. The last thing is to be prepared for all of my assignments no matter what because I was a lazy person and I had horrible study habits. So I should of forced myself to study in high school that way it would not be so hard for me now. Since I'm in college , I learned from my mistakes and now I want to give my all in every class because failure is not an option for me.

Brandi

As a high school senior, many of us did not pay much attention to our future because we were too caught up in the moment of being "almost done with school." Looking back, I wouldn't change much because I did have fun, while still managing to mantain good grades. However, I did not think much about difficult it is to afford college. These days college costs a ridiculous amount of money. If I could go back, I would apply for more scholarships and perhaps get my CNA so I could get a better paying job. Also, I think I would have tried to meet more people from around where I lived who were going to MSU so that I would have more friends coming in. I would also tell myself to go in blind because this whole arranged roomate thing hasn't really worked out like I thought it would. Other than that, I have had a pretty good transition with a few minor bumps. I've managed to pull off good grades, but this semester, I need to get out and meet more people and have a good time.

Lauren

I was one of those students who came to college and knew how to study, which is great. But, because of my knack for studying, I was wrapped up in trying to be perfect in high school. I may have gotten to be the Valedictorian, but I don't have nearly as many memories as a lot of my friends have from high school. I would study for hours every night so that I would reach my academic goals. I would skip get-togethers with friends, high school sports games, and weekend trips. This pattern of behavior carried into college and I found myself studying while my new friends were out having fun. I have learned to have a little more fun after being here a couple years, but if I could go back to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to have a little more fun, because in college you don't have as much time to have fun and goof around like you could in high school. I don't regret the successes I have had, but I do regret the sacrifices I made to earn those successes.

Ada

Remember that you are in college; work hard, but save a little time for fun. Feel free to get help if you don't understand something; chances are, you are not alone. Get together with other students from your classes; studying with others reinforces good work ethic. Plan ahead-anything can happen to cause you to miss out on being your best. Enjoy yourself and choose to grow.

Jeremiah

If I was given the opportunity to go back and start my college education over again, I would tell myself to dual enroll in college for my senior year of highschool. I would also tell myself to take more credits, more specifically, more essential credits. Also I would tell my former self to get more involved in extra curricular activities, such as student government and sports. I would also tell him to apply to more colleges, apply for more scholarships and be generally all around more active in his search for higher education. In the end however, I can't say that I regret the path I've chosen. The place I'm at right now is not that bad, by many it would be considered pretty great actually. That's not to say I don't live with regrets about certain decisions, but all around I'm happy with the place the path I've taken has led me to.

Rachel

There's a few things I would go back and tell myself. First suck it up and apply for scholarships, it doesn't take that long and getting loans is going to be hard and may not actually happen. Also you don't have to repay scholarships which will be beneficial when you graduate due to the job market. Second you make a decent amount of money at your job, save some of it and learn how to make a budget. Third, going to community college for 2 years will be the best decision you can ever make, it'll give you an easier time transitioning and you will have some fantastic teachers who will be more than willing to make sure you succeed. Finally where you go to school doesn't matter; work hard, make good connections, and get one or two good internships. These 3 things will help you succeed once you graduate, not the parties you attended or your football team.

Stacy

My high school did not offer enough college courses. I would try to take more college courses somewhere else to be more prepared in some areas in college. I would also tell myself to think harder about attending a college so far from home. I get home sick some times. It has helped me grow as a person and student to have to be able to figure out things out on my own.

Elizabeth

Rewinding back to my senior year of high school, I would simply slip myself a jumbo sticky note, " Live life as if your hair were on fire, without a fear of getting burned, turning each daily occurance into an opportunity. No Expectations! Things will never go as planned, that is the ultimate plan. Even when things go terribly wrong, recognize those times as "Ultimate Lessons" needed to become the aware, intelligent women that you are meant to be. Do your best, don't even relinquish for a second when you want to take a break. You will be receiving your college diploma faster than you can say, "I got excepted!". Study abroad as often as possible, global views are needed in every field, for how else could we as humans collectively advance. Meet new people, join school groups and organizations, leave your mark and help people as much as you would like to be helped. Last but not least, remember that God has impregnated you with a gift and you must go to any lengths to give birth to it.

Courtney

I wish I could tell myself to slow down and enjoy high school life. Life just gets harder as it goes on. School work gets harder in college. Relationship problems get worse the older you are. I just wanted to get out of high school and move one. I dont thinki ever got to really enjoy it. I made alot of wrong decision in friends and activities. I think if I would have slowed down i would have realized it sooner. I also wish I would be able to tell myself to explore as many options as possible. I am happy with all of my choices this far I just wish I would have explored as many college and major options as possible.