Macomb, IL
Western Illinois University

As far as the transition is considered, do not even worry about it. It went quite smoothly, and as you will have family here, it will go even more smoothly than you anticipate. From what I have been through, just try and get to know your teachers, they are quite reasonable if you are reasonable in their capabilities. Also, even if you have your brother or a family member as a roomate, if they do not clean up after themselves, you will inevitably dislike them, so make sure they are kept "in-line". On a further note, there are parties nearly every weekend during the warmer part of the seasons, or rather just summer and early fall, as well as spring and onwards. Try not to drink too much, but do not drink too little either, even if this is obviously illegal, it is an easy way to make connections in this school, and potentially life-long relationships. Sometimes you have to bend the rules to make it in life, this is one of those instances,within reason of course.

The school provides a great education for law enforcement and nursing majors!

There is a large population of black people and the T.A.'s are mainly Indian so they are incredibly hard to understand. While I am not against diversity, if the teacher cannot convey what they want to teach to the class, they will fail to provide a good quality of education.

The Quad Cities campus is an up and coming part of the area, allowing students from local school the option for a much lower cost of education.

Listen, Michael. You were not meant to have a life in the military. Moving from this smalltown of Flora, you wil move in with your older brother in the Quad Cities. He will be shipped to Iraq and you will be alone. You will develop a strong fear of that. You can make it and nothing is too big for you to handle. You will have many opportunities to develop long lasting friendships on your journey to become the first college graduate in the family. Don't think of fear as threatnening, but rather have the courage to stand up to that fear. Courage is the presence of fear, yet having the will to go on.

Having a location in the Quad City area has allowed me to stay in the area, instead of having to move to the main campus in Macomb. Being along the river has allowed me the opportunity to study on benches along it. It also has a bike path that helps me reduce the effects on the environment.

Every one at Western Illinois is nice and people will help you if you need it.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself while being a high school senior I would tell myself to take school more serious. Settling for C's is not good, I would say B's or A's are good grades because it's good to have your mind set like that when you're young whether than waiting till you get to college. I would also tell myself to get involved in more activities, because it gets you prepared for all the distractions that are going to be thrown your way while in college. And one of the most important things to remember is to never forget the reason why you came to college. Once you get to college remember that parties are always going to be there but getting your education and passing your classes should be your main focus.

Try harder in high school, grades are important and also make sure to save money for college. Try hard in every class, your career field makes good grades mandatory and good grades also help pay the bills. Paying for college isn't easy, so do a lot of research before choosing to stay on campus or commute, and makes sure to get dean's list. Try to take as many dual credit courses in high school as you can because college classes are expensive.

The amount of things you cna buy with the meal plan. Food is over priced and has tripled in price since last year.

Students who wish to go to into law enforcement or a science. WIU is great for these.

WIU has a wide variety of clubs, groups, and organizations to join. The campus is also very diverse.

The most important piece of advice I'd give to myself would be to not worry about the "transition" phase because, it's actually a lot easier than it sounds. The hardest part is moving away from your immediate family but once you get past that, the university is quite welcoming and not anywhere near as intimidating as it seems. Also, I would strongly advise myself to get a whole lot more serious about applying for scholarships because, even the smaller amounts will go a very long way.

The professors (for the most part) are very helpful, and there are plenty of resources to get help on a subject. Also, there are lots of activities on campus to get involved with.

My school is know for only 2 things; drinking and our law enforcement program, which is why I origionally decided to attend Western Illinois University. The school puts alot of pride into it's Law Enforcement and a large majority of the campus is a LE major.

Origionally I was against going to Western because it was what my mother wanted. I wanted to go out of state and get far far far away from my family. If I could go back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to be more open to each school I went to visit, including Western. I would have also told my self to be more serious about filling out scholarship applications. I didn't fill many out because I didn't think I would ever get any money, but now that I understand how much college costs I would have atleast given it a shot. Any money would have helped.

I have found that not many "city people" like to go to school here. It is a very small town with not much to do off campus. There aren't many stores or attactions in Macomb.

WIU is best known for it's teaching program and rotc/military and law enforcement program. The school does have a quite a bit of parties but what school doesn't?

Knowing what I know now I would tell my high schol senior self to not be afraid. I was so scared going into college, scared of failing, scared I would have a bad roommate, I was scared of people who drank (for personal reasons), I was scared I wouldn't find a good church near campus. I would tell myself that all those things were going to be okay. I didn't fail, I had two really good roommates (again, long story..), I got over my fear of people who drank, and I found an amazing church that I totally fell in love with! I would tell myself to love myself. That I am beautiful and not to doubt otherwise. I struggled a lot with body image when I got to college, so if I could go back in time I would nip that in the bud before the problem arose. I would tell myself the transition would be okay, and you would be okay without mom there! That you got blessed with two really great roommates who looked out for you!!

The type of person that should attend this school is one who wants to do well and be successful. I don't think you should pay all this money if you are not going to try or if you are just going to party all the time!

Graduating High School was probably one of my biggest accomplishments at that time, but entering college made me realize that there are tremendous amount of goals I want to achieve in my life. College is not a game, teachers do not remind you the due dates to assignments and if you forget it only hurts your grade. Some professors will not even announce test dates because it is your duty to keep up with the syllabus that you are given at the beginning of the semester. College classes are no joke when it comes to homework and studying, assignments can not be done in a few hours and studying for tests takes days of preparation. College takes a lot of effort to pass your classes and you work yourself so much harder to get an A in every class, do not leave things for the last minute it only stresses you out and might end up doing the assignment wrong. Last but not least, find study buddies for your hardest classes, it motivates you to do better and studies have shown that when you teach someone you learn more. I cant't tell you its easy, but its worth it.

I would recommend my self to start my homework the same day I receive it and to start studying many weeks before I take the tests. I would recommend my self to do a little research on my professors to make sure I got the best quality of education that matched my way of learning, since not all of us learn the same way and as easy. I would recommend my self to keep my notes a little more organized just in case I need to pull them out spontaneously. I would recommend my self to apply for many scholarships, you never know when you'll need them. I would recommend my self to take the hardest classes at the beginning, that way I can relax a bit more during my junior and senior year. I would recommend my self to never take night classes like I did on my first semester of college, those were the most stressful six months of my life due to the lack of sleep. But the most important advice I would give myself is to never give up, it will not be easy but it will definitely be worth it. Thank you.

The advice I would give to myself is to study hard. Life with just a high school education is tuff, you need to have a plan and college is the best plan you could have. Research your schools, have a plan for financial aid and know what you want to do. Attend school while everything you have asorbed from high school is still fresh in your mind . Ask your guidence counselor and your family for advice and to help you with planning your furture.