Texas Woman’s University Top Questions

There are many things I have learned while attending college. Starting out taking a dual credit program at my high school really opened my eyes to how college is like. I have become very disciplined when it comes to my school work. Unlike high school, there is no second chance at your work in college. Now, attedning a four year university has made me see the different types of teaching styles and how to adapt to different types of teachers. The freedom there is in college is also a really exciting experience. This is when time management comes in. It is very valuable to go to college because it teaches you how to be disciplined when it comes to your studies but it also demonstrates how you can have fun if you can manage your time well enough.

I have found my true calling in life, to serve the mentally ill who is also the one of the most vunerable populations in this country. Psychosis. Mania. Borderline. PTSD. The list goes on. I also believe that my own positive and personal experiences with therapy have influenced my decision to make a career in psychiatry. As an undergraduate, I was employed in a residential treatment facility for children and adolescents. In this particular setting I had the opportunity to work with trouble youth who suffered from a wide variety of mental illnesses including: conduct disorder, bipolar disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder. This experience furthered my interest and commitment to a career in mental health. Currently, I am employed at Metrocare Services in Dallas, Texas, as a staff RN .This acute outpatient setting affords me the opportunity to experience individuals suffering from a wide variety of mental illness, including: psychosis, bipolar disorder, depression and chemical dependency issues. These experiences have been the “icing on the cake,” in affirming my passion and decision to pursue a career as a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

Attending college has helped me to open up and expand myself in many ways. First, it has helped me to meet new people from many backgrounds and has taught me to value those differences. Second, I have expanded my ways of thinking. Not everything has a simple answer or, for that matter, a correct answer at all. Different viewpoints lead to discussion and creativity. Lastly, my college experience has taught me the value of hardwork. Attending class, being on time, completing assignments, studying, and balancing everything else that comes with a busy life can be stressful, but college has put all of that in perspective for me. It has taught me the importance of time management, making schedules and being organized. I have taken everything that I have gotten out of my college experience and applied it to all the other areas in my life with amazing results. College has been a part of my life that I will never forget.

I wasn't able to gain as much of the college experience as I desired. I worked full time and my GPA wasn't high enough. The program should offer an internship to let the students to decide if they should continue majoring in the dietetics program or change fields. But, it has been valuable to attend to meet new people and get a different perspective from other students and professors.

College has been a wonderful experience for me. I am a first generation college student therefore I've shared this experience with my entire family. College has taught me how to be responsible not only for myself but for my community. I've learned to give more of myself while pursue my goals. College has been valuable because of the life lessons taught and the life lessons learned. As an erudite individual, I’ve learned to manage my finances, studies, social life and community service without neglecting one for the other. It's all about balance and the college experience teaches you to be faithful and reliable. College allows you to experience life before entering the "real world". I view my college experience as a set-up for a tremendous breakthrough.

College, I believe is what makes or breaks people. For me it has molded me into a more responsible person. With college you have noone by your side correcting your actions, you are independent, relying on yourself to correct your mistakes. For me college is enjoyable, novel, and fast-paced. This new-found educational freedom also brings many challenges. I have to juggle two part time jobs, organize my college social life, have practice and games for cheerleading, and of course, regularly attend all of my classes while scheduling everything so that they do not intervene with each other. College has also taught me how to manage my academic life alongside my social life. Doing well in school, and being active in the student life of my college is hard to manage time-wise, however, it is very fulfilling. By attending college, I find that I am responsible for my actions that cause me to succeed, I am learning to be an adult by handling adult-like situations such as juggling many things at once and learning how to prioritize, and most of all college has taught me that I am currently shaping the person I will eventually be.

I had decided to drop out of college, because I never felt comfortable at a big school. I thought I didn't have what it took to be successful in school. This college experience has helped me to believe in myself, and the professors seem to really care about us. Now I feel that I can go as far as I want in school, and that I will be ready to start my career when I finish. With the co-op classes required for my degree, I'll get real-world experience in the field, and make many important contacts. Not only that, but I am actually making friends with my classmates, not just exchanging numbers to share notes. TWU has changed my opinion of higher education, and anything is possible!

I have gotten and a grate education from Los Angeles Pierce College. I am proud to be its student. I am doing AA in Computer Application of Technology. I have learened a lot that I think I would never have learned it befor. My College experience was and is wonderful. I just feel like still going to College. I never felt like I don't want to go to College. I just love going to College because of what I have learned and how the Professors are teaching. It is valuable to be to attend the College because it fun, Interesting, and move educated. Everyday I learn something that I have never learned before. I jsut really enjoy even though I still have long way to go. After finishing my AA Degree in Computer Application I would like to do an AA Degree in Computer Science. That is the reason I still want to learn and conutiue to go to college no matter what. Its cool to have Certificates when I finish each classes with an "A." It feels good that I have done good and I have somthing to look at later and show it to someone later.

College not only prepares me academically, but personally and socially. I must learn to balance several tasks and roles in and out of school. I work, live independently with no roommates, and go to school all while striving to avoid loans for school at all costs. I also aim to make the highest grades possible, and not just barely get by. TWU is a place where I fit in, because many non traditional students like myself, are doing the same juggling act as I am, and it keeps me encouraged to keep going. This prepares me for life, for one day juggling a career and a family, and not to mention financial accountability and responsiblity. Preparing for college and choosing a path gets me in a train of thinking long term, instead of the here-and-now tempting easy-way-out opting we all have. It teaches me to think criticially and make wise choices so I can avoid wasting time drifting around as I have in the past. Having attended school going on 3 years now, I also feel more well rounded acedemically, and my interests and appreciations have broadened.

I have been at Texas Woman's University for almost a full semester now and yet I have learned so much more than an entire year at the community college I attended. Being at such a culturally diverse school has really taught me how to be comfortable in that sort of environment. Coming from a town of very little difference it was quite a shock for me the first couple of weeks here. Also, being here has let me find myself as well as find new friends. My biggest fear of being five hours from home was that I was not going to make any friends and be left all alone, but this school makes it so easy to network and find people that you have similarities with. I had new friends within my first week of school. I really do love it hear and love the relaxed quit atmosphere that the campus has. I will value this experience and all it has given me for my entire life.

I have learned, by attending a technical college, that there is more in my future, to do, than I realized. I originally started school to become a computer support technician but, because my mother is a disabled veteran, I have found that medical coding is not only an interesting field to study, but also a challenging one with other opportunities that can come up because of it. My mother, my mother's father and my father all served honorably in the U.S. Navy with a combined total of 51 years. I am hoping to receive enough education to be able to obtain a job position at either a military base hospital or at a veteran's hospital and help give back.

New friend and lots of new expirences

What I have learn is that you always need to try hard to get where you want to. Noone is going to make the desicion for you. My college is experince is yet to come, but hopefully it's a good one.

In high school I found myself being somewhat of an under achiever. My graduating year I managed to get by only taking the classes nessecary to recieve my diploma. After high school I took a year off in which I moved away from home and got my first job only to be forced to move home by reasons out of my control. If college has taught me anything it's that my life is going to go one of two directions at this point; The first being applying myself and obtaining good grades in college to create a carreer for myself or the alternative, continue to stumble through life in hopes that an oppourtunity will find it's way to me. College is my last juncture of education in which I can mold my future for succes.

I have been blessed with a good college experience in the four years of my undergraduate degree. I have learned that being a college student does not mean it's time to "party" but it can be fun. In my last two years of undergrad, I attended Texas Woman's University where I had the opportunity to participate in college organization referred to as SOCS (Student Organization of Communication Sciences). Within the time I spent in SOCS, I acquired leadership skills as Vice President, gained friendships, and provided services such as picking up trash in Denton, donating school supplies to the Philippines, raising money for children with cleft palates to have surgery as well as many others. On the side note, I realized that having a college career takes dedication, hard work, love for the degree being pursued, and never ending persistence. These are the qualities of which I have acquired throuht my college years which have made my time (and money) worth while.

What have I gotten out of my college experience and why has it been valuable? The answer is not a simple one for me but this is my grateful response. My first college degree brought me out into the working world where I networked with many professionals in my field and even made some friends along the way. It taught me how to use not only the lessons in the books, but the lessons in life, to pursue my dreams with unending determination. It gave me the opportunity to meet those professionals who wrote my recommendations for nursing school. It gave me the tools to study hard for my NLN?s and score within the top 99th percentile in English and Math, and in the top 96th percentile in Science, out of all the students who took the test. It gave me a light at the end of the tunnel, and a path to get there. It was valuable to attend college because it gave me my first career and the option to change careers ten years later. Because of this, I was accepted into the Nursing Program at Great Bay Community College for the 2010-2011 academic school year.

What I have gotten out of my college education thus far is not only a new education, but a new sense of pride and self worth. When I attended high school, I was not the worlds best scholar, but in college I have a B+ average, not only am I proud of myself, but me children think I rock as well. I am showing myself that I can do this, that I can be good at something, and I am being a solid example to my children.

What I have gotten out of my college experience are great friends, time management skills and an amazing education. It has been valuable to attend because if I had not have I would not have had the same chances to have the same experiences as I have had in college.

I have realized that I wish I had started college sooner. I dropped out of high school when I was sixteen to work and help my family with bills and living expenses. I was able to get my GED around the same time that I would have graduated from high school but it's still not the same. I have worked very hard and tried many times to go to college but life has always come up and thrown me some curves. I am a single mom now and work full time at a non-profit and just began to work on my AAS degree. I hope that I will be able to make this work so that I can show my son that school is important and if you work hard enough you can make your life pleasant. I have learned that you are never to old to learn and sometimes being a little older gives you life advantages in school. The best lesson I have learned is to keep striving and you can do it no matter when you start or how old you are when you graduate as long as you do!

I have gained a lot of knowledge from only being in college for one semester. When I first started unpacking all my stuff into the dorms I was a nervous wreak! I did not know how to fit my entire life in what felt like a 12 foot room, but I made that work. Then I had made what I thought would be my best friend for a long time, and that became a disater with one crazy person. I began to dislike my major because I thought everything was falling apart and I began to wonder if I was in the right field for me. My first semester I was a mess, I didn't know how to get past the dumb things and learn that every single terrible thing that happened I learned from it and became a better person. I learned to make do with what you have, not let one person influence your decisions and be your own person, and to not let one tiny thing destroy the thing you love. School comes first and my 3.5 shows it, but college is not just about grades. It's about learning who you are.

Knowledge is the first word that came to mind after reading this question. I feel that whatever you choose to do in life you should gain as much knowledge as possible. To attend college is the best way I know of to gain that knowledge. It has also been interesting to meet new people of different age groups and gain insight to how they view things. I have only been back in college for a short while, but if I knew then what I know now I would have went back right out of high school instead of waiting. I feel that I wasted alot of time working at a job to get by, when I could have went on to college right away and finished long before now. I would already be doing the work I am going to school for.

Since I have attended college I have had many oppurtunities to grow as a person. I have had the ability to interact with almost every race and culture while having my mind opened to Ideas I've never had before. I have also been able to obtain a large amount of knowledge that will help me to find a great job and perform at high levels as a registered nurse. When people's lives are in my hands I feel confident that the education I am recieving here will allow me to make the best decisions at the most critical moments. I also appreciate the options of a payment plan as well as the affordability of the university. I have had several oppurtunies to apply for scholarships, as well as work on and off campus which has helped me to pay my way so far. Organizations, such as the Campus Activities Board and the Nursing Students Association have also helped me to feel integrated into the campus and to become an actual member of the university not just a student.

Given my experiences from high school graduation to this point in time, I have t ruly learned the value of studying and maintaining a steady focus on my academics. I would tell myself that while it seems like an important thing, an active social life is not a necessity and should never come before academics.

the thing that i would tell myself is to think of all the benefits that i can get after you finish college. the better jobs that are waiting for me. the decision is mine if i want to stay at a dead end job, or if i want to be succesful in life.

Advice that I give to myself as a student in high school is prepare for colleges by researching information on what types of programs that are offered to best fit my needs. This would include researching more than just one college. The best time to prepare for college is at the time you enter high school as a Freshman, and by the time you are a Junior, is the time to apply for the colleges you have picked out. If this information was made known to me back then, I would have had made different choices about my future. An obstacle for me was having to work at a job because of a car and insurance payment that needed to be made. I was focusing my attention on paying bills rather than searching for scholarships. If I could go back in time, I would have focused more on an education.

I remember the first day of college. I was afraid about the classes, the professors, and was wondering if a girl like me would be able to succeed or not. I didn't believe in myself. Growing up, I was timid and I never allowed myself to shine and I figured I had to do everything on my own. Even though I am intelligent, no one ever knew that. When I got to college I knew not what to expect. I continued being timid and not allowing myself to shine. My first semester ,however, I learned that people actually care about your education, and they want you to succeed just as much as you want to, but it all starts with you. Now, I am not afraid to be intelligent, and I am not afraid to shine. If I could go back, I would believe in myself. I don't think anything affects your education more. I didn't believe that I could succeed and I missed out on a number of things that I thought I couldn't do. Believing in myself is my foundation for success. I believe that I can succeed now and I will.

I would tell myself to enjoy myself more. High school life is way easier than college life. You have to grow up and understand that you are now going to be responsible for yourself and your actions. What you choose to do is your decision but make right ones because there are consequences to everyone of them. Work hard to get where you want and believe in everything you do becasue if you think negative you'll recieve negative results. Giving up is also never an option, to me it's a sign of weakness and no obstacle is put forth upon you if you couldn't go through it. I would finally tell myself to make lots of goals but realistic ones that are attainable and then make future goals that take longer time but most of all try your best to achieve them all. Plans may change but at least try to achieve every single one of your goals because there's no sweeter taste than know you achieved something you wanted.

If I had three wishes one of them would most definitely be to go back and redo my senior year. I would do all the things I should have done that I look back on now and beat myself up now for not doing them. I would have strived harder to make better grades because that is one habit that is needed to be practiced religiously in college. In high school I took advantage of the opportunities of being in advanced placements classes and did not pass them. I would have worked extra hard to pass them and in return I would not be taking dreadful hours like I am now trying to catch up on credits that I should already have. College is tiring and stressful at times because I did not do what I was supposed to do in high school. I just really wish I could go and do it all over again but since I can not I will just continue to try even harder to excel in college.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to try harder. Try harder, study more to make sure you get scholarships. When you don't qualify for lots of scholarships and financial it make life a lot harder. I would also tell myself to not be affraid. Don't be affraid of going out there on your own, it's won't be easy, but you can do it.

If I could go back in time and give myself a pep talk as a senior, I would tell myself to not worry. Don't fear anything, and go after what I want no matter what. I would also tell myself to actually enjoy my senior year. Take more pictures and make more happy memories. I would strongly encourage not only myself but students everywhere to develop better study habits and better oraganization skills. There isn't a lot I would tell myself because I have had such a positive experience thus far.

Because I did not finish college as soon as I was finished with high school, I would tell myself how much easier, how important college was to finish back then. I married my high school sweetheart and he finished college and got a very good job right out of college. He was transferred to several different states early in our marriage. I was able to take classes off and on at differet times, but college was put on hold many times. The longest time was when I was able to stay home and be a full time mother to my girls. Then about 4 years ago I was able to take a job at my daughter's elementary school. I so enjoy teaching there, my only problem is because I don't have a degree I can only be hired as a paraprofessional. I tutor kindergarten thru 5th grade during the day when they need extra help in all subjects. I love this job, but would like to do more, so I am persuing a Bachelors in General Studies and then a Masters in Teaching. College would've been so much easier had I finished college right after high school.

If I could really go back in time and talk to myself as a senior in high school, I would tell myself to actually save my money that I was getting at work instead of spending it on new clothes and shoes. I took money for granted and spent it every chance I got because I knew that I'd done well in high school and that I would get a good scholarship, but things did not work out the way I thought. Although I had the oppurtunity to go to any college that I wanted to in Texas, I really had no money to go. I actually depended on the graduation money that I received because I stopped working, which was not much. So I would honestly go back in time and SAVE, SAVE, SAVE my money because right now I am depending on loans and some family, which I also would consider a loan. I took things for granted and I should not have, but now I see. I will SAVE!

Dear Abby, Here are some tips you need to follow for college in order to survive. Sleep is vital! Even though the hours in school can seem less, sleep is very important. Don't drink sodas or caffeinated drinks! You are now independent. You have to contact your professors and make decisions your parents can't make for you. Make as many friends as possible. It's nice being surrounded by people who enjoy your presence. Don't let a load of work stress you out! Take one thing at a time. Remember, working out is your remedy! Don't buy easy mac, you'll get tired of it quickly! And, above all, have faith. Know that the Lord is always with you no matter what. Best of luck, Abby (from the future)

Life isn?t easy as I thought it would be; parents won?t and can?t be there to provide for everything because of their own financial situations. Because of this, work has become my priority, resulting in me putting school off for a while. Be prepared before graduating because if you don?t do research you will get stuck getting in debt with loans and losing the chance of a great career. For the choices I have made after graduating has cost me the chance of becoming a firefighter sooner. My lack of money has been the cause of all these hardships. Use my struggle for a better future as an example of what not to do. Don?t make the same mistake of becoming me.

When I graduated from high school, I went to a community college. I thought, "ya know, I'll save my parents money and it won't be near as intense as a university would be." I was also working at the time, and after I finished my first semester I thought I should take some time off. One of my worst mistakes. It took me three and a half years to get back to college. If I could go back now and talk to my self as a high school senior, I would say, "take this seriously! Please stick with it! It is worth it! By the time you're twenty two, you'll be graduating with a degree! You could be a teacher and not have to worry about a crappy job anymore! You might even stay and get your graduate degree! The possibilities are endless, Samantha! You have to work hard and study hard! And when you get that first A, it just makes you want to work harder! You can do it, Samantha! Just stick with it!"

As a first generation student, I feel that the majority of decisions that I was making were questionable, and that wisdom and advice from an experienced student could have really help. Weather it was financial or adacemics, the need for further explination or acknowledgement would have prevented me from make certain consequences avoidable. The different ways of communicating a concern or a complaint with a roommate would have also made my living environment a tad more comfortable. The environment of your living quarts could really affect the amount of productive studying is recieved and just how affective one is in their resident hall. Lastly I think that having a social involvement in school has made a great exoerience my first semester and I would advize myself to become more involved in different organizations on and off campus. Whatever the importance was in the advice that i would give myself as a high school senior, I can not imagine not experiencing this first hand and taking away this in the process.

The advice I would give my "high school senior self" would be; forget the boys, apply for more scholarships, and that the course work is not at all like high school work, you actually have to study to do well. My last piece of advice would be to spend more time with and ask my father everything I ever wanted to know about him because soon he would be gone.

As a high school senior you should make a list of potential Universities you would like to go to and research the school and narrow the list down to the best match to your needs. Apply for Scholarships and Grants to help with the expensive Tuition and books that the University require. Volunteer as much as possible because this will look fabulous on your Application because it shows that you are helpful and dedicated to make a change for the better. Teachers are more than happy to write a word of recommendation for you, but it is up to you to request the letter. These are a few tips to make College life easier and prepare for the major change in your life.

Nicole from high school, I think it is important that I tell you that you really are not prepared for what it is really like. As much as teachers try to explain it, it is just a leap of faith and learning process that you really have to experience for yourself. I would tell you that you will be a little lazier and sometimes a little out of the loop on what is going on around you because suddenly the world has become so big, but you're going to do great. You are going to love college and the way it will change your life, I promise. Don't ever regret not going to that school up north, TWU is the best place you could have ever gone to. I promise.

I would of took some college courses in the summer or while I was in high school and be more social. Also, being involved in extracurricular activites and know that I should study more.

If I was able to speak to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to get ready to broaden your mind and develop into a more intellectual person in hyper-speed. I would also say it is important to start thinking critically now to avoid getting sucked into tasks that aren't productive (like Facebook apps). Decide what is important in your life, set goals to push your dreams to the max, and act on those goals to get them accomplished. With proper organization and planning college should be a breeze. Don't procrastinate, stay on top of work, school, and keeping up with your chores. And, if you seem to notice your slipping of track, don't get depressed and mope around, just start catching up at that point in time so you don't have to pull any all-nighters to stay in good standing. Last, but not least, don't forget to have fun, make friends, and take time out for yourself as a reward for how good you've been.

Looking back we can always find room for improvement. As a Senior I would have appreciated someone telling me to get involved in school activities and be more social. I can see now where that would have helped me on many levels. As a student, it's very easy to become engulfed with the responsibilities of juggling work and school. However, making time for activities would have led towards more friendships that would have provided a strong support when I was away from my family. Activities give you something to look forward to and reward yourself for. Plus, always opening yourself up to creating new friends helps you practice skills that you will need later for networking. Social networking helps build friendships and careers. Social networking is also rewarding on the flip side: When you are able to help others in their career, it creates an even stronger bond of friendship and respect. It is so easy to put aside things that will make you happy in order to achieve something greater. However, looking back I realized that making time for those things that make you happy are actually the building blocks that help you achieve even more.

As a high school student, I was never very involved. Looking back, I regret not having utilized all the opportunities that were available to me at the time. If I could give myself advice as a high school senior, I would tell myself to get involved with my community, church, and school in order to make my college applications look better--along with my current resume. I should have participated in Key Club and more community service activities. Not only would I have been making myself more appealing to colleges, I would have been helping out my community. Secondly, I would tell myself is to apply for every scholarship that I was qualified for. There was (and still is) so much free money out there that I did not have a chance to receive, since I never tried. The last thing I would tell myself is to have more fun. I was so focused on my academics that I seemed to have lost myself in the process. My college experience has taught me to try my very best--without sweating the small stuff. Life will go on; therefore, I should live it to the fullest, as happy as possible.

This is a fun question because I guess I am considered an older student and it is fun to think about "what if's". I would definitely tell myself to stick with it. As I graduated high school and received a small scholarship, I chose a school and moved into the dorms. I tried to have a "normal" college life. Unfortunately I did not finish and luckily ended up in the military. After 4 exciting years in the military and a family later, I have found myself back in school. I do not regret any decisions I have made. The military changed my life in a good way, however I would not wish this particular route on everyone. I use this story to my children as a life lesson, although I took an alternate path and eventually ended up where I wanted to be, it was not the best or easiest path. So the advice I would give myself is that life may seem hard right out of high school, but there is so much more to gain by going directly to college and sticking with it. There will always be challenges in life, so take them in stride.

The advice I would give myself is make sure to take AP classes and makes sure to have a high GPA so when college starts I would be prepared and be ready for college courses. Another advice I would give myself is to play soccer and run cross-country the sports I love and have a chance to play in college and apply for sports scholarships. To be able to use my resources in high school, like the counselors I would have been prepared by applying for scholarships early and get enought money for tuition, fees, and housing. Going back to high school as a senior would be great because I would know how college life is and would takes many classes to prepare myself and pass the course.

If I could go back in time when I was a senior in high school and give myself advice before entering college I would have advised to take some classes that were dual credit. Doing so would have made it so that I would have had college credit and could have completed most of my pre-requisites prior to college. It would shorten the time I would have to spend in college and would cut down the expenses. I would have knocked out two birds with one stone. Saving prior to college would have also helped because I entered college handling a load of finances; there was always something unexpecting that needed to be paid for that I didn't have the money for. Unfortunately I still struggle financially so preparation for all the expenses and figuring out a way to cut them down is key.

College is a completely different experience than High School, and even though that's what you're looking for be careful on how different you want it to be. Don't let the first week of classes intimidate you. Yes, it is alot of work and alot to worry about, but you work hard enough and are dedicated enough to do what you are asked to do. Things can get pretty caotic with volleyball, just make a schedule and the time to do what needs to get done. Don't be afraid to say what you want to say. If you're accepting of others they will most likely be accepting of you. Never Give Up!!!! Do the best you can. It's ok to set your expectations high, but it's ok to be satisfied with your work, as long as you know you did the best you could. Make the effort to get involved, it's all for the best and you'll enjoy it. It is ok to party not everyday, but hey you need a social life. Just don't make the wrond decisions when you do Party! Don't Be Scared Be excited!

Knowing what I know now I would tell myself to work harder and to appreciate school. I graduated from Marcus High School in 2006. I then attended a junior college where I slacked off and later dropped out. I am now 22 years old and I have a beautiful two month old baby girl. Since I blew off school and did not appreciate it enough to work hard at my education I am suffering the consiquences. I never thought that I would be patiently waiting to go to college. I want to give my little girl a good life and I cannot do so without a college education. I truely wish that I had another chance to go back in time because I would love every minute of school. I would appreciate that I was in school and that I was working hard so I could provide myself with a better life.

I think the most advice I could give myself is to be extremely open and outgoing so that I can make new friends who are like me. It has been a slight struggle for me to find friends who are interested in the same things that I am, and I do not believe that I am that extremely unique. I have made a few close friends but there are not so many things that we have in common which is no problem at all until I want to go mountain biking or kayaking. So, it is important to find events and activities that cater to your specific interests and try to make as many friends as possible there. It may not be extremely important to make sure to go to the same school as all of your friends, but it may be helpful for the transition but if it does not work out, it is not the biggest problem in the world. Making new friends is always great and there is a large amount of people to find a friend in. Also, it is important to go out and have fun from time to time, but school should be first.

Self, you know that you are leaving from under your parents' roof, and it is going to be different. Please make sure you balance your social life with your schoolwork. Do not date unless you are friends with the guy, and you know him well enough to trust him. Do not be persuaded by flattering words or physical appearance. Look for someone who respects you fully as a person before he respects you as a girlfriend. Get involved with clubs and organizations that are associated with your major and your academic interests. Start out the semester with studying a lot; don't get so far behind that you have nothing on which to fall back. Do not go out partying until you have your time management under control. Remember: studying and good grades are priority. Pray continually; go to a Bible study once a week, and get involved with the people there. They can be such a great help to you, especially if you need prayer or emotional support during the tough times. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.