Rasmussen University-Bismarck Top Questions

Here's the thing. As a high school senior I was on track. I slacked off in my earlier years with my grades, but I was working hard to get my grades back up. I lived in a small town and graduated with a class of around 115 people. If i could go back in time I would tell myself this: find your roots. Remember being 13 and saying you were going to be the worlds greatest vet? Well, you will find, after a year and a half in the education field and your bank accounts going empty putting yourself through it, that becoming a vet is what you really do want to do. For the animals. The 20 year old version of you is sitting on a couch, looking for scholarships so that you can go BACK to school. Life is hard on your own. At 18 you are not invincable, the "it will all work out" attitude doesn't apply here. You will have rent to pay, a job that is getting you no where, and bills piling up on the conter. And all I ask is that you never forget where your heart is. For the animals.

If i could go back in time and talk to myself as a senior in high school i would tell myself to stop focusing so much on sports and focus on my studies. Sports give you a life time full of pain and suffering education does not. I would tell myself that although i am very talented in football and could have got a scholarship to play somewhere its not worth the time, two messed up knees later and surgery on ACL and meniscus, put the effort into my studies. If i would dedicate myself to education the way i did sports i would be unstopable, more organized, focused, determined, and ready to shoot for the sky once i graduate. Which is what i am doing now.

Dear lalita, Stop dating John, it will end badly, he will hurt you and you will be too nice to walk away. Please stop listening to mom now, it only gets worse over the next two years and no she will not forgive you for moving out. When they call you a hypochondriac, drama queen, attention hog, teacher's pet, goody-two-shoes and all that other stuff, smile, and walk away. You have the paperwork and this is normal for helpful people to hear. Don't worry, you will change your nickname from light to fire, when you go to the halloween dance, dump andrew, move in with nonny and tell patrick you will love him forever. When he looks scared, tease him. Do your scholarships early, call every college you want to go to a year in advance and tell them what is wrong. The paperwork will hold you back for an entire year otehrwise. Organize, throw things out, stuff is replaceable, get an expanding file and when you finally get things going the right way, listen to your grandfather and pray. Growing up will be hard, mom will take your family, you will be okay. Corsair Lasair

I started college at the age of 34, so I have a fairly different perspective than most college students. When I finally reached the decision to attend college I was completely focused on getting my education and a degree since I had already spent many years in the job market and I knew the consequences of competing for a job without a degree. The single most important piece of advice I would offer myself is to stay focused on your education and not on the social and extracurricular aspects of campus life. You are not there anymore because your mommy told you you had to go. I have seen a lot of college students put the bare minimum amount of work into their academics that they need for a passing grade without truly learning anything. Those are the students that will drop out as they reach higher level courses. Instructors will not stop class to help you learn what you should already know. You are paying for this knowledge, and the person that works hard at school will be competing for the same job as you are further down the road.