Ada, OH
Ohio Northern University

It's October 9th 2013 and I'm alive. Senior year I reeked of failure and social awakwardness. I had no plans and goals for after high school. Instead I found myself tangled up in my own madness. I became that nervous villian lurking behind my fellow classmates who were destined for greatness. Me? I was destined for being alone because; nobody wants a weed inside their garden. I treated every senior acitvity like it was waiting at the doctor's office. It's uncomfortable, long, and dreadful. I wished my senior self knew that you didn't need to already have your life planned out by 17. I'm turning 20 in 26 days and I'm still working out the kinks in my career and education path. Depression yanked away the good parts of me and left me broken for two years. I wished I tooked a deep breath and looked at the joyful things in my life. I was editor on literary magazine and I had created wonderful friendships with teachers over the past four years. I now reek of hope and good memories.

Although they can be friendly, at times they do act small-minded.

I would tell myself, "Go big, or go home." There I was, with the ability to apply to any school I wanted, but I limited myself to staying in Ohio because I was afraid to drift away from my comfort zone. Now I am at a school, that I fit into academically but not always when it comes to other ares, such as finances. Ohio Northern is definitely full of many kids who don't have to work for anything. They can simply call their mom, dad, or grandma and ask for whatever their heart desires. As an independent student, I don't have this luxury. I knew college would be difficult with the lack of a support system in place, but I would tell myself, to not only get a summer job, but 'Save, save, save.' Emergencies happen all of the time and we never know when one may occur. And I'll just say, I have had more than my fair share. I would tell myself that, "A lot of people you depend on now, won't be there 3 years from now... and at first, it WILL hurt. But tomorrow is a new day."

It's in the middle of nowhere.

To say the least, I loathed high school. Not knowing where to start with my future; college was something I couldn’t even grasp. I took the SAT once, ACT once, and I applied to one college. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and got differed, because my SAT score was too low. If I could go back I would probably smack myself in the face and yell “WAKE UP! This is your entire life, take this seriously! No one else is going to do this for you!” Sebastian from the Little Mermaid puts it best, “if you want something done, you’ve got to do it yourself.” Instead of just waiting around to see if my parents would help or if someone else was going to magically put me into their University. I know now that if you want to achieve anything it comes with small steps that turn into huge accomplishments. For example, I have now lived on my own in a one bedroom apartment working and going to school full time. Therefore, every task I do puts in motion a goal, from taking out the trash to reading a chapter for school, and creates a dream.

The most unique thing is the quality. Out of the colleges thatI had looked at, Ohio Northern had the friendliest people. Even now that I am enrolled as a full-time student here, the people are still incredibly friendly and nice. Walking around campus you can always expect at least five people to say hello to you, and most of the time, those people are complete strangers. The people here truely care about you and treat you as another friendly individual.

I would tell myself to not stress over the transition. It's not nearly as lonely as I thought it would be, and it is very easy to stay in contact with loved ones back home through phone calls and Skype. Do not be afraid to talk to the people in your classes and/or orientation group; they are just as scared and unsure as you are. Those people will be your first friends at college, and they help ease the feelings of homesickness. Another piece of advice is to try to move in early. I did move in early, and it really helped cut stress on my first official day as a college student. Orientation runs smoother knowing that you are already moved in and can just go back to your room and relax. The last piece of advice that I would have is to tour the campus as many times as possible. It helps to know where all the buildings are even if you do not have classes in them. You never know what building a group's meeting will be in. Lastly, walk through your schedule before the first day; it is a big time saver.

The most frustrating thing about Ohio Northern is wifi connectablity. In the freshmen dorms, wifi is very spotty. An ethernet cord is a must for dorm life. Even in some of the buildings I have not been able to pick up wifi. I only use my laptop in my dorm, and it is always connected to the Internet through an ethernet cord. There is only one corner of my dorm room that has wifi, and I can only pick it up if I sit very still in that one spot.

My classmates are some of the best people I have ever met. They are willing to help with whatever they can, whether it be in or out of the classroom. They are not only classmates, but they are best friends; some are even family. They are there for you when you need them to be, and even when you think you dont need them.

If I could go back in time to when I was a senior in high school, I would talk to myself about time management. Going into college, I expected to have less free time than I do. Sometimes I even have so much that I put off my work for a few days. I would tell myself to work on time management in high school so that it wasn't so hard to manage things in college. Make a list of what needs to be done and when it needs to be done, but make sure to schedule breaks in between. Being self-disciplined in time management would make life so much easier.

The kind of person who should attend this school is one who is focused. The students at this school know what they want to do, and they know how to get there. While they are concerned with their education, they are also concerned with helping others. The students are caring, and give much of their time in community service and assistance on campus. Most of the students come from Christian backgrounds, and have high moral standards.

Small town, small school.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to get more involved and have more fun.

The best thing about Ohio Northern is the small class size.

Oh, Felicia! Don’t procrastinate! Those nights of choosing Grey’s Anatomy over completing your college essays were NOT worth it. You should have finished your college applications in the summer, taken you driving lessons and test, and began the year with enough time to attend numerous academic clubs and community service days. You could have applied to top notch schools through early-decision and the pressure of them monitoring you would have been worth it. You should have applied to numerous scholarships and contests earlier. Since you would, in the future, need to move far from home and live on your own, you definitely should have taken mom up on those free cooking lessons. Ramen will be your best friend soon. That list that you should have made, detailing every single much-needed college dorm appliance would have come in handy. Become acquainted with grocery lists, budgets and laundry. Avoid slackers and party animals. Just because it looks like soda DOESN'T MEAN IT'S SODA. Professors are not all boring, humorless, middle-aged “meanies.” Love your body. Study the campus map hard. Remember to apply for work-study early. I’ll always love you. You were built tough.

I have not set foot on that school yet. I will get there.

I have not started the year yet....

I do not need a sentance to describe Ohio Northern I only need one word, home, from the moment I stepped on campus the environment and friendliness made it feel like home.

The first thing that I would tell myself as a high school senior is to relax. Do not stress out before college, you will make friends, you will make an impact on the campus, you will find a job, and everything will work out, just breath. Next I would say college is a time to reinvent yourself, make the best of it leave the past in the past. Put academics first and drama last. Focus on yourself no one else will focus on you and you are not being the best if you are being the best in every thing, then you will only burn out. Cherish every minute of college and talk to everyone, you never know who will be your best friend, business contact, or even a relationship. Last but not least, you will suceed and be the best you can be.

Everyone should attend Ohio Northern no matter what social class, religious affiliation, gender or race. Most hobbies and skills are represented by campus organizations. There is not discrimination based on anything here at Ohio Northern. It is a place for all to grow no matter where they came from.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a High School Senior I would advise myself not to waste a single minute of "being a kid". I would also advise myself to be more responsible with my school work because that will affect my financial aid for college. I would tell myself that I may think I have all the answers but I definately do not. I would remind myself that my family is always there to lean on when things are tough.

I don't think there is anyone who should not attend this school. Ohio Northern University offers everything a college student could ask for. ONU has expections programs as well as extra-cirricular activities. There is definately something for everyone at Ohio Northern University.

A quiet hometown school.

I have learned how to live on my own. I have had to learn to rely on myshelf and my own judgement on the choices I am making. I have also learned to juggle time better, when you have to do laundry, study, take test and manage to get a shower in when you can it is all a balancing act. The lessons I am learning are life lesson as well as class lessons.

The students here are all friendly everyone always knows everyone else. So you should be able to get along with all kinds of people. Also they have high GPAs. They school is pretty quiet, not a party schools, because everyone here studies alot. So you would need to set high standards and be able to work toward your goals. The people that attend this university are hard working goal oriented type people.