Valley City State University Top Questions

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

Paige

I would put more time into applying for scholarships. It's free money that is just waiting to be used for education. My goal is to not take out any student loans throughout my four-year degree. I want to apply/win as many scholarships as I can and graduate without any student loan debt. Debt just holds you back and keeps you from getting other loans in the future such as a car loan or house loan. I believe that society and the government have gone numb to the dangers of debt and they believe that it's okay to let it build up and pay it off for the rest of your life. I believe in being smart with your money and investing rather than spending way too much on education when I could've been using scholarship money.

brittany

College is a good change in your life. It may seem hard at first, but in the end, it turns out to be really fun and brings a lot of knowledge into your life. The information you get here will help you in the future. You can make it, and you shouldn't feel worried about costs or even your ability to do it. All of your worries are wasted worries. Things turn out for the better once you take that first step.

Aaron

The main thing I have gotten out of my college experience is valuable life lessons. While what professors teach out of textbooks is very important to our professional life after school, the most valuable things I have learned are what they teach me when the book is closed. I have learned more in the past two and a half years of my life while sitting down and having personal conversations with my professors that I will apply to life after school than I learned from their lectures during the actual class periods. Without these lessons, there is a good possibility I would not be as focused on my future and would not have the tools to function as efficiently in the real world. College is a valuable experience that everyone should have the opportunity to experience and scholarships like these make it a lot easier for more kids to have those experiences.

Emily

Life as a college student has aspired me to value the meaning of friendship and the importance of leadership. Staying active in the community and staying informed on current events will enliven young adults to effectively communicate their ideas. Forming groups or clubs with people of the same motivations develop lasting bonds while expressing the voice of our generation. Members of a student-led club will learn how to polish and refine leadership skills. The experiences I have faced through being an active member of student organizations have taught me the importance of staying involved. The skills and tools used by our organization and in the classroom will prepare me for a future in Education. The ability to email my professor, organize folders of important documents, channel my creative thinking into a Word document, and to discuss World News topics by means of online discussion boards will prepare for a career in a technological advancing world. Debating controversial issues with other students inspires me to become more aware of the changes taking place in the world. Developing the knowledge of an intellectual allows students to become influential to change simply by educating ourselves on more than just reading and arithmetic.

Erin

My college experience is one that I will never forget. I have completed one semester of freshman year and I absolutely love school. The professors are more trusting and knowledgeable than what I’m used to and I can’t help but engage myself in their lessons. The work is definitely tougher, but that’s why I like it; I get to challenge myself and think about ideas in different and intriguing ways. Because of the new challenges I’m facing in college, I have gotten much more out of college than I expected. I now have more independence, I have learned time-management and know how to avoid procrastination, and I also can direct and control problems head-on instead of avoiding them or giving it off for someone else to handle. These lessons have been so valuable to me and will be to my future. These are the things that the professors can’t teach you, but you have to learn for yourself to really understand their importance. I’m going to carry what I learn in college with me for the rest of my life, whether it was taught in the classroom or from real life situations.

Jen

I have learned that the best time to go to college is immediately after high school graduation. I like the small school atmosphere, especially as an older than average student who has not been in the school setting for quite a number of years.

Derek

I have gotten a lot of out my college experience. The college experience teaches you more than just what your academic career can give you. It teaches you how to interact with your fellow students and enhances your interpersonal skills. Going to a college such as Valley City State University also provides many opportunities to network, such as career fairs and the occasional booth. Skills like interpersonal skills and networking are very important to anybody's college experience.

Richard

During the first couple of weeks of college, I have to admit that I didn't like it, especially living in the dorms. I missed my friends from high school, and I missed my family. In fact, I questioned if I belonged in college. However, I have now made some new friends, and I am finally enjoying my college experience. These new friends are great and so are my teachers. I have learned much knowledge from all of them. However, the most valuable aspect of college that I have experienced is the sense of finally being able to live indepently. My whole life I have feared having to live on my own, but I now feel like I am ready. This is the most valuable part of college that I have experienced so far.

Rebecca

Since I have just started going back to college there is not a long list yet of things I have gotten out of my college experience. But by taking this first step and getting back into the classroom the biggest thing I can say I have experienced is that, I CAN do this. There will be the tough times with raising my daughter and getting my homework done, but it only has helped me manage my time better and I have to keep to some sort of a schedule so I make sure I get everything done. It will be highly valuable once I graduate and get that better job so I can be there to support my daughter in her extra activities and be home when she is home and not having to work two jobs, just to get by. So that value to this experience in the long wrong is more then people can imagine now.

Ethan

I would tell my self to get to work and take the course work seriously. I concentrated on sports, girls, and parties in high school and thought very little about my school work. Knowing what I know now, I would tell myself that the high school classes lay a foundation on which we continue to build upon for the rest of our lives. I found myself struggling right away because I did not take advantage of my high school classes. I would tell myself to start developing time management skills. I learned that a little course work time each day can give you free time later as well. I would help to make the "high school me" understand that instead of being arrogant and trying to be cool in class, I should concentrate and listen to what my teachers have to say. The amount of homework in high school was very light and I could have taken more interest in my studies. I am now majoring in the fields where I paid the least attention in high school. College is a place where we can set ourselves apart from others and I should have started in high school.

Angie

The advice I would give myself is to not worry about the transition so much. Being at college is actually not all that different from being at home. I would tell myself that it's just like going to an extended summer camp where you take classes instead of play games. Also, I would say not to worry about making friends or about people being nice, because the people here are great. I would also have told myself to apply for a few more scholarships, as they are very important to your financial security.

Sarah

If I could back in time to when I was a high school senior knowing what I know now, I would tell myself a lot of things. "College isn't as scary as you think it is, Sarah. You will find friends and will get good grades. The friends that you have now in high school will not be as important to you in college. The pressures they put upon you to be "cool" like them will not matter anymore. You will find friends like yourself that aren't trying to pressure you into doing things you do not want to do. So, don't worry about your high school friends that are nagging you because soon they won't matter. Another thing, Sarah, is to try and be more organized. It will come in very helpful in college to make sure that you have a proper place for everything. Lastly, you should develop better practice habits when playing piano. In college, three hours of practice is required a day, and at the rate you're going now, it will be very difficult to bump your hours that much. Biggest words of advice, just be yourself."

Steven

Do not hesitate. Life is shorter, and time more precious than we realize. Use your time to discover yourself and to build the man rather than just getting by or by pursuing trinkets that will rust and fade. People rarly get a second chance, so choose your persuits carefully. Think about where you would like to be in ten years, and then understand that ten years is just around the corner and the time to act on this dream is now. Dont sell yourself short, and dont settle for less than you can be. There is nothing worse than living with regret, so act now to insure that you will not. Education is the key. It is the one thing that cannot be taken away. It is the one thing that really matters. Take now what is offered you and excel.

Katelin

If I could go back to myself as a senior, I would tell myself to not be as shy. I didn't interact with other students until passed the midterm of my first semester of college. It made everything very hard. If I didn't understand something in a class, I was too afraid to ask other students or the professors for help. I would try to figure it out on my own and if I didn't, I just gave up and tried the get the next thing we discussed. i also had a very boring social life. I would also tell myself to start developing better studying habits now. I have never been very good at making myself do the studying that I need to do and it has always resulted in my not doing as well as I should be able to in my classes. If I just made myself do all of the things I know I need to do I would probably be one of the top students in my area. I am becoming a better student now but it would have been better to just start off my education in college this way.

Alyssa

If I could go back and talk to my self as a high school senior I would tell myself to do all of my homework as soon as it is assigned. I know now that it is better to have it done as soon as possible rather than wait and stress yourself out. College is a lot different than high school.I would tell myself to ask questions because I will need to know them later when I go to college. The teachers are able to help more and the assignments are harder. When your teachers tell you you will need to know this stuff, they weren't lying. It would be a little less stressful if I would have asked questions when I had them so I would know them now. I would also tell myself to work harder and do extra work. I already took my classes seriously but I could have done better. I wish I would have did extra work so I would have gotten extra practice. These are the things I would have done differently knowing what I know now about college.

Courtney

Don't be afraid to get out there, be yourself, and make friends. Remember, most of the people you are about to meet are just as nervous, if not more, about coming to college and starting a new chapter of their life as you are. It doesn't hurt to get involved on campus but don't forget about your studies. Try to keep a schedule and it will keep you on task and cut down your stress level immensly. Try as hard as you can to not procrastinate. It may be a very difficult thing to do to keep your studies and social life both satisfied but it's something you must try. It will take time and practice but if you set a goal for both it will, hopefully, help you achieve both in the long run. Don't worry about messing up and making little mistakes, that's what college is for! College is also for discovering yourself and the future that awaits you. So, don't forget to have fun but never forget to strive to be and do your best in everything you do.

Steven

I would look at different colleges in other states. When I was a senior, I wanted to stay close to home, but now I find that I could have done better at a school farther away. I also would have taken advantage of my high school counselor more. I would have asked her about more scholarship opportunites and really worked hard at doing more of them.