Tennessee State University Top Questions

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

Tori

If I could go back in time and talk to a high school senior my advice would be to start early on their college and scholarship application process. Both college applications and scholarship applications can be very time consuming and require a great deal of attention and effort. There are millions of other students applying for the same schools and scholarships you are, so you want to put your best foot forward. Another piece of advice I would give a high school senior is to have a parent/guardian or even your counseler to help you with this process. It can become very overwhelming and stressful and the help from someone who has experience with this cycle can help guide you along the way.

Christopher

I would inform myself on how large the transition is for a student that attended a small private high school that chooses to attend a medium/ large college. I would tell myself that in college I would not have the same amount of direct individualized instruction that I had in high school, but that I would have to work hard to stand out as a promising student to my college professors and that absolutely nothing will be given to me. I would let myself know that I will have to work my absolute hardest in order to be successful.

Mariana

nothing really every thing i though about was exutaly the same.

monica

I would go back to my high school self and encourage myself to stand up and standout. I have a tendency to let my pride take over, but more so then than now. There were many missed opportunities because I let my pride get the best of me, but I would go back and tell myself to stand up and standout to my prideful ways. I would go back and tell myself to stand up and standout against my childish ways. I’m not saying it’s not right or good to have fun, because it is, but there’s a place and time, and during school while I’m supposed to be learning and preparing for college just isn’t the place or time. I would go back and tell myself to stand up and standout to those people that told me I couldn’t make it and do better, because I listened to and focused on them so much, that I forgot and didn’t recognize the potential and knowledge I had not even tapped into. I am having to make up for the time and effort not put into school in high school, now in college.

Thomas

The advice I would give myself as a high school senior is to learn as much as you can while in high school. I would also tell myself to apply for as many scholarships as possible while in high school. Lastly, I would tell my high school self to get a high GPA early on in college; I would tell myself the importance of GPA and the opportunities available the high it is. I would also tell my high school self to choose a major not only what they would enjoy, but what would also be a prominent and in demand career upon graduation.

Tiffany

Keep in mind that your goals need to come first. It is acceptable to be selfish when it comes to your education. The only person that can ever take your education away from you, is yourself. Listen to your friends and family that have already been to college, their advice will be needed. It is acceptable to allow others to help you, accept the help but do not abuse it. Study!!! The most important thing is to budget your time. Make sure you study and do not forget to have fun.

Teryn

I would tell myself that my mom will not be able to enforce the changes of my grades, or make sure I'm up for school, it will be me that has to have that drive to go further and talk to my teachers and have the courage to raise my hand in class. I would also tell myself to apply for scholarships earlier than everyone else, and dont bring your whole life with you because it wont be enough room for that in the dorms, also I would have better prepared myself to learn that in life everyone isnt your friend and that you have to learned from others. I say that because everyone and everything that happenes in your life is a blessing or a lesson but I will have to be the one to realize it. So, I would say to come into school with my head in the game because college is real life not a game and you pay a lot of money to be there and that can all be taken away. College is full of lessons to learn and I needed to be ready for them but overall its a great experience.

Jamal

Read more.

David

Do yourself a favor. Stay in school; Study computers. Do not allow anyone, or anything to distract you from completing your education.

Amyn

Learn to study. Even though you do not find yourself needing to study now, you will need the skills once you begin college. Sometimes life throws you curveballs, don't sweat it. You will make the right decisions.

Melissa

There are many things I would say to my high school senior self. Some of the main things I would say are to never limit yourself just because someone on the faculty implies that you cannot handle it. I would say “go ahead and take a chance at learning an upper level math class. Just because you are in your senior year and already have the minimum requirements for graduation, you should take the class; it will help prepare you for college.” The second thing I would say is that “sure you were pigeon holed through the years in school, just look at it as wasted potential, but what you did get out of it is something called hard work.” The third thing I would say is that “people may use pretty words for the meaning of the word ‘dumb’, never believe them, you are just an average person like everyone else. Everyone has the ability to learn anything; it just takes a different learning approach or learning style.” The last thing I would say is that “never be afraid of failure, as long as you work hard towards your goal, you’ll reach it eventually.”

Malcolm

I would advise to plan ahead what you want career wise and make sure that the university you are attending has what you need to make that plan a success. Also, know your program's guide, it'll help you avoid taking classes not needed and/or repeating classes. And apply for any and all scholarships, the more the better.

Kendyl

Dear 18-year-old-self, Congratulations! You are about to graduate and head off to college! Not so fast, you didn't actually get enough money to go to the schools you applied for so don't pay that $500 deposit. You'll be attending community college for the next year. I know you are really unhappy about this and disapointed, but its not all bad! Your classes will be easy as long as you actually go to class (GO TO CLASS!), and the classes are a lot smaller than your friends attending their dream school, so make sure you get some rec letters from your professors. You will have the oppertunity to get ahead a year by taking more than 15 credits a semester because the classes are so easy, DO IT! You will also have the oppertunity to participate in the Disney College Program. Enjoy every long tiring minute of it because you will miss everything about it as soon as you leave. Make sure you have fun during your last year of high school, becuase it will be they last year with no responsiblities. Make sure to be selfish while you can! Love, 20-year-old BrokeCollegeStudent

Keheira

Dear self, Well look at you getting readdy to graduate from the only public school you have ever attended. I'm from the future and I just want to tell you to keep doing what you are doing. It is ok you don't have the 3.5 GPA or the SAT score that conflicts with the ACT. Just know you are still doing good. I found out that you can repeal that rejection from University of Southern California but don't do it because we still can get what we want. I'm sure you are down to paying a semester for school or free school. As much as I wanted to go to North Carolina A&T it is ok to spend that year at TSU. You get a wonderful start but don't sign up for the general education course if possible and focus on major pre-courses. Well work hard like I know you will so we can transfer to North Carolina A&T. Love, Keheira from the future

Yovela

Instead of going to the military from highschool, I would have went straight to college instead and enjoyed the college experience and waited to have a baby. Applying for college early and going on college tours might have made me change my decision about going to the military first. Being a "non-traditional" student made me feel kind of akward and so much older than the traditional college students. I had to work full-time so I missed out on alot of events. My overall advice to myself would be to attend college and graduate then go to themilitary ,wait on having any children and enjoy life while you're young. Find others who have similar interets and surround yourself around positive people. Makesure to handle your paperwork in a timely manner and look for scholarships and work study programs to assist you financially. Pack lots of snacks and food and remember to bring shower shoes!

brittany

I would tell myself to stay focused on my main goal which is to graduate so that I can begin my career. I would also remind myself not to let any school functions or people distract me from achieving my goal.

halimo

dont have kids without a parent to help you. get a job. get a car. raise your GPA. do alot of community service. dont get married.

Remondo

The advice I would give to myself is that I need to apply for a lot of scholarships because out-of-state tuition is very expensive and so that I do not have to take out a lot of loans. I would tell myself to save up enough money as I can for emergency reason such as for food, books, to come back home if needed. I would also tell myself to use my money wisely instead of spending it because I got it. I would tell myself that I need to have an open heart and open mind when people come to talk to me instead of just being quiet all the time. I would tell myself that do not procrastinate on any assignments. Once I get the assignment I must do it in a timely fashion instead of pushing it to the side. This is waht i would tell myself.

Abbas

That i work hard and keep up the hard work until I am out of school. Never let people tell me about what they think I sure do because I know what is the best for me. I will make all my dreams come true in no time.

Taylor

I would tell myself that college isn't a walk in the park. It's not going to be easy, in fact, it's going to take a lot of time and commitment. At times you're going to have to force yourself to study and be diligent even when you don't want to. You will push yourself beyond your comfort zone at times and it will make you feel uncomfortable. College is either something you want or don't want; there's no inbetween. In the end, it's all worth it. The feeling you will recieve from accomplishing your persued career is overwhelming and great. Once you start, don't stop. Keep your head and mind forward and you will accomplish great things.

Abigail

Looking back from where I currently stand today in college, I would go back to my senior and tell myself to study harder, take everything that I learned and equip myself with what the teachers gave me for my future courses. Furthermore, I would tell myself to study harder and not to slack off because what I do during my senior year will carry on to college and will either help me or do nothing for me. I would tell myself to keep my head in the books and use what the teachers gave me for my near future. I would also tell myself to take everything I do in school seriously because everything the teachers gave me represents real life and responcible things that I need that will help me with my future. The teachers cared about my future and don't want to see me ruin it, so my advice to myself as a senior would be to be comitted, study harder, and take it all seriously.

Alexis

To make sure I focus, so that my GPA would be higher than what is was. Engage in better study habbits and better communication. I don't like speaking in front of people, and in high school even though I knew everybody I still couldn't talk in front of people, I would have tried to work on that more. My teachers knew me pretty well so I like the relationship I had with them, to continue it over into my university life. Other than that besides financial things, i think I transitioned well, I wouldn't change much, because I learned from everything I have been through.

Kierra

I would have told myself to finish my senior year off very strong and with the best grades that I could achieve. It would have been very important to work a lot more over the summer, inorder to have more money for when I got to school. Once moving to college, It would have been best to network a lot sooner then I did. Its important to stay on top of all of the work and work extra hard to mantain a great gpa. I would let myself know to make sure to choose a major that I knew that I was going to stick to and get a degree in. I would've encourge myself to get invould way more on campus.

haley

The advice I would give myself and any other senior would be start searching up the tuition and fees right away. Also start applying for scholarships,grants, and fafsa immediately. This would be because everything in college costs!

Cierra

I graduated as salutatorian from my high school and I currently rank in the top 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of my class. There isn’t much I could tell myself academically, because I am still focused in and out of the classroom. However, I would have definitely researched more on the cost of attendance. I knew I didn’t want to stay in-state but out-of-state tuition has put my parents in more debt. I would have looking into more scholarships being offered by the state of Tennessee as well as the University.

Luisa

I would tell myself that going to college would be great for our future. I wouldn't worry about having time to go to parties and hanging out. I would definitely work on time manaagement and get motivated for the success that comes after all of the hard work that is put into our college education. Going to college could be very influential on the future that you may perceive yourself to be at in the future. I would also remind myself that there is a lot of resources to help you with all the help that may be needed for your success.

Alisha

If I could go back to highschool to work harder in getting good grades and not playing around in the classroom along with friends. but it was hard on me being at school once my little sister got sick. I was never at home and moving around to stay with a family members at times. I really wasn't thinking about college or how my grades affected me at the time until my junior year of highschool. And that year was hard that same year my sister died at the age of one years old. but I still came to school every day gave it my all during my highschool year. I always did my work and work hard to earn good grades in all my classes. The advice I would give myself is to never give up on your dreams and have faith towards the journey or what ever you are tryin to achieve. And don't let nobody tell you that you can't do it because you can. My goals was to become better than my parents and to prove to myself that I can do it . I can do it and to prove others that wrong.

Brian

The advice I would give myself as a high school student is stay focused on my school work and keep my gpa up at a certain level.

elgin

I would have applyed to more colleges and universities rather than just apply to three in state colleges and also vist other universities out of state.

Tara

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to focus a little more. I would tell me that I need to get used to having a lot of work, tell myself to actually use my planner, pay attention in class, do not skip any classes (I never did in high school because I would be dead), I would tell myself to be a little more outgoing and social to new people. I would tell myself not to take anything for granted, to respect my teachers, and do all of my school work, not just the easy stuff.

Marquine

The advice that I will give myself is to take my time and pick a school that provides a great education and that is affordable. You need to know what you are getting yourself into as you pick a school that is out- of- state. Choose a major that will make you happy and not others because in the long run it's you who have to do the work. Marquine' make a decision that you will not regret.

Randall

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to focus more on education and less on popularity. I would tell myself to apply for scholarships and to get a few letters of recommendation. I now understand that it takes prepartion to get into a good college. I would inform myself to research colleges that best suit my field of study. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would make myself study harder and apply myself more. I would tell myself to take the ACT and to take the SAT again. I would also tell myself to save money because college is very expensive.

Jackie

I would tell myself to take advantage of every oppurtunity to do a scholarship whenever possible. Any type of events the school is having in your major should be attended if possible. Don't let anyon distract you from getting your work done. Its okay to have fun just make sure you finish all class related work first. Don't go to college expecting everything to be handed to you, anything you want done must have some major involvement on your end.

Kimberly

I haven't began colllege yet so i don't know what college life like.

Dontaveous

I would tell myself to stay a little a little more focused. dont focus of the financial problem and just know that it will be taken care of.

Sheliah

College , the transitioning phase between high school and the path in which one will take for the remainder of their lives. The things that I have learned within my 3 years of undergrad education as first time college student, are lessons that I wish someone would have warned me about. If possible for me to return to 2009, before graduating high school, I would have taught myself to budget and save more funds, place more emphasis on standardized test, i.e. ACT and SAT, and lastly become more involved. During your college years, funds are of importance, being that work should be on the back burner of education. The ACT and ST determine the amount of money you recieve through aid, and lastly the envolvement. College is designated to finding yourself, this is impossible if you don't experience the full effects and benefits of college. I put forth my best and will graduate within 3 years, but things could have went alot smoother if these 3 facts were not circling in my mind.

Chandre

If I were to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would start off by telling myself that college is a different ball game. It is nothing like high school. In college, I get to make new friends, and be active around campus. I should choose to go to college for the right reasons, and not the wrong reasons. Yes, college is expensive, but it is a life changing experience. College is also the experience to learn to be independent, learning to save money, and also help to understand who I am as a person and to develop myself to become a better and successful person. College tends to get diffucult, but it is very rewarding in the end. Parties and other off capmus activies are fun to attend, but I should focus on the main reason i am in college, and that's to get an education.

Derek

Work harder, Apply for more scholarships and Learn to study and organize before college.

Melissa

Knowing what I know now about college, the advice that I would give myself would be to get involved, take advantage of every educational opportunity given to you, if you can not find it, ask someone about it, practice on improving your study habits, do all work in advance, and to get to know your professors and people in office. Being involved will help you to network amongst your peers and develop communication skills. Taking advantage of educational opportunities such as honor societies, chances to get extra credit points, and styudying abroad. With this, you never know what positive things you would come across in the process, you probably will meet someone whi can help you succeed in the field that you are trying to go in. Studying can be the hard part in school especially if you have poor habits. Start early on with studying material because when the time comes for a test, it will be a breeze. Also, pay attention in every class you take, even if you feel it has nothing to do with your major because you never know if it may come up again in the future or what you will benefit from it.

Ahmed

well, only if that were true to happen, but if I was given that opportunity I would have went to the school of my choice and that would have been Vanderbilt University, only reason in which I could not attend is that I could not afford to pay for tuition. A good I could give myself at the time was first go to a community college for two years and then transfer to a university, first off I would have saved more money.

Quentin

What would I tell myself if I could go back in time and go to high school? Some people would tell themselves to stay out of trouble or be nicer to people who didn’t have many friends. If I could go back in time and go back to high school, I would tell myself to study more and pay attention more In math class. I would tell myself to study more in math and pay more attention to my math teacher. In my math class in high school, I used to copy off of other students’ homework and pass. If I would have studied more and paid more attention, I would have scored higher on my ACT or I would have had better grades in high school in that subject. Now that I am in college, math has gotten hard and I have to take the developmental courses which do not give me credit for my major. If I would have studied, I might be in college algebra right now. If I had known how hard math would be in college, then I would have tried harder in math in high school. I would have been a better student.

LeNesha

I've learned alot more about life from being here and learned alot academically. Its been valuable for me to attent because I have no other college that is close to home for me to attent, that is close to my family.

Laura

I have learned a lot and have had a lot of real world experiences.

LUKE

My college experience thus far has been amazing. Growing up in a small town and being homeschooled, I wasn't sure what college life would be like. But, I have flourished. I have enjoyed the diversity of the classes and the people I have met which has made me more aware of life outside of our rural area. My professors have become friends and I have enjoyed all my classes from Business Law to Fencing to Creative Writing. I don't think words can measure the value of my time attending Wenatchee Valley College the past two year. I feel like I have grown up and become more responsible as I started when I was only 16. I appreciate the fact that taking requirements has allowed me to figure out where my strengths & weaknesses lie. I look forward to pursing my a double major in Economics and Journalism at a four year univeristy. Thank you for your consideration.

Delsy

I am currently a student at a 2-year college where the tuition is low, which reflects on the teaching here. I haven't been learning as much as I would like to because of the lack of the teachers' wanting to help me learn. It is also very much a "party school" which makes it hard for me to stay focused on what is really important: getting a degree. What I have gotten out of my college experience is that I would like to attend a larger school, possibly a university, and gain a higher education than I could at my current college. I have learned valuable lessons from attending this college, like learning how to support myself and live with other people in a civil manner. It is hard for me apply for different colleges because they are so expensive, so getting this scholarship would help me get to where I am wanting to go and pursue a better education.

Chahara

While this is my first semester in college I can truthfully say that what I have gotten out of my college experience so far is learning. I have decided to major in Biology, which is not a very easy major to have. It requires a lot of essential learning from previous years as well as current learning from trained professors. I also learned how to budget my time better, something I haven't had the opportunity to do up until now. College so far has made me a better person, it has made me less dependent upon people and has shown me the wonders of taking life into my own hands. College has been valuable for me to attend because I know in the long run it will open many doors for me. My future is based solely upon college and all that I will learn from my experiences there; from the professors that teach me, to the friends that I will form life long bonds with. It starts by that first move in deciding to go to college and there will I gain all the experience and knowlege to one day get my dream fulfilled of becoming a doctor.

Christopher

I have gotten out of my college experience the tools I need to become successful.

Lenice

Out of my college experience I have learned the value of money, the value of knowledge and how to make myself a better person for me and not for the views of others. I have also learned how to manage my time properly, how to be studious, and how to go above and beyond to reach my goals. Attending Tennessee State Univeristy have been valuable to me in many ways, one way is that this school is a historically black university so I've experienced things that I would have not experienced anywhere else. This college allows you to grow in many areas and it challenges you to take risk to better yourself. Also, Tennessee State prepares your for the real working force and it helps you along the way.

Christine

It will be very valuable for me to attend college because I will be going into the medical field. It is very important for me to learn and know everything that I am taught because I will be helping in saving peoples lives. I know that I will get a lot out of what I learn and I am excited to apply it to life. Not only will I learn how to saves somones life, but I will also learn to be responsible in the real world. Teachers do not just teach you "what you need to know" they teach you life lessons.

Patrina

There have been many things I have gained throughout my college experience at Tennessee State University. Besides gaining the few obvious; education, a home away from home, and long lasting relationships between new found friends and professors; I feel as if I gained myself. Attending TSU allowed me to step into my own; allowing me to search within myself and find out who I really am. Out of everything I gained from being a TSU Tiger, finding myself, to me was what made TSU so valuable. My decision to attend TSU was 95{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} random and 5{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} on programs of interest; leaving me very happy with the education I have obtained and just a wonderful overall experience.