Union College-Barbourville Top Questions

work hard!

Enjoy your time in high school. Learn good study habits. Even if you get a good grade that doesn’t necessarily translate into good study habits when you are on your own in a college setting. It is important to learn study skills just as much as it is to learn a language and those math equations. There is a lot of pressure in high school to take advance classes but research your major and school to know if it is needed. It really is important to visit the school and even spend the night on campus if possible and sit in on a class. There are a lot of good schools out there. Don’t feel pressure to go to the big schools or where your parents went or where all your friends are going. Be honest with yourself and know if you can do well in a big school environment or know you need a smaller class setting. You will get home sick and that’s okay if you go away to school. It isn’t the end of the world and you will get through it and feel great about yourself when you do.

If I could go back in time to my high school self the main advice I would give myself is to apply for as many scholarships as possible. Money has become a big issue for me in finishing college and if I could go back I would have planned better and tried even harder. I would also tell myself to visit more colleges and get a better feel for the atmospheres at them before choosing the college. Before attending union college I went to another school, I only went there because most of my high school friends were going to attend this school. If I could go back I would tell myself to pick the school that best suited me and my career path, not the school that my friends were attending.

Make sure you make the best of your college experience. Take all the good and bad things that might happen and think about how the experiences can shape you into who you want to be later in life. Take for advantage of social activities and be apart of the college community. Try things you never thought you could do and challenge yourself.

There are definitely a good amount of things that I wish I would have known to be able to make a better college choice for myself. Actually, I'm in the middle of trying to transfer for the start of my sophomore year, in the fall of 2010. I was a little late in the process of visiting all the colleges on my list of potential places, and sending out my recruit forms for softball. In the rush I just settled for a place that gave me softball and offered the majors that I wanted to persue. Never do that, never just settle for anything, because now I am unhappy, at a school in the middle of nowhere. I would go back and take those visits, and contact school admissions counselors to find out more about those colleges, and actually attempt to fill out scholarships in order to get more money for the places I really wanted to attend. Some people only get once shot, and if they don't like it they'll quit. Fortunately, I'm not a quitter, it just took me a semester to realize what I really wanted.

If I could go back in time, things would be a lot different. In high school, teachers are more likely to baby their students. However, in college, professors give students more freedom and don't tell you exactly what to do. I would have practiced my study and note-taking skills more frequently. I also would have prepared myself for tests by taking online practice tests and things like that. College is a lot different from high school academically. That is something major that I would have prepared myself for before coming to college. The social aspect of college is a lot different from high school too. No one in college really knows what year you are unless you ask. People of all ages hang out and get along with each other. It's not about who's a freshman and who's a senior. It's more about the person you are on the inside.

I would go back and tell myself to study hard and make real good grades, so that my GPA would be higher and I could have gotten more scholarship money form the school. Also I would tell myself to learn good study habits because college is way different than highschool, and if you don't do good in class then you will be wasting your money. Make new friends because the ones you had in high school won't always be there when you leave home.

Don't be stupid. Make sure that you know how to balance school and everything else. You should enjoy the 4 years that it takes to get your degree.

Look in advice. Don't wait till last minute. Make sure you've checked out everything carefully and understandable. If you don't understand anything, ask questions.

My advice would be to research. Don't go with where you think you want to go. Look around, talk to people, conselors and your old teachers, people that care about you and that will give you good advice. Also, go and visit the schools, and get information on the schools, especially information on the finance issues you may have. Also, seek information on scholarships and grants early, don't wait until the last minute, because college is expensive and you need to know your money options. And last but definitely not least, pray...pray that you will make good decisions and that you will make the right choice for you and your family. Good Luck, and God Bless! Shawn Hadley II, Union College

There are many things to consider when trying to choose a college. It is where you will spend the next 4 years of your life, so you better make the right decision. Sometimes you think it may be better to choose a big college that is located in another state, but that is not always correct. Small schools offer a lot of things that larger schools don't have., for example at my small school the professors know the students names. When you are not in class they notice and wonder where you were. Its not like a classroom with over 100 students where you can sit and hide in the back row. I believe a smaller learning environment actually enables a student to learn better because there is nothing to distract them from studying. When choosing a college you may think you need to look outside of your home town, but sometimes what you are looking for can be right where you don't expect to find it. When you find the right college for you, make the most of your experience there by getting involved in the various activites on campus, so you can meet friends. Good luck!!