My Journey to CollegeA few turns before I found my way

The 12th grade… the last!

Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Linkin Park, and Avril Lavigne were very popular. › I jammed to

Justin Timberlake, Eminem and Missy Elliot

On the tube…

The Sopranos, South Park, 24 and Buffy and Vampire Slayer were popular shows. › I was always watching MTV- like Real

World.

On the silver screen…

Lord of the Rings, Monsters Inc, The Ring and Spiderman were popular movies.› My favorite was

Shrek and Oceans 11

My senior year 2001-2002

A major event at the beginning of my senior year was the September 11th terrorist attacks. It was a shocking experience, and very difficult to understand. It changed a lot about our lives.

Niles West High School I was having such a great senior year

that I really didn’t think about college. I spent most of my time with friends. I had a boyfriend, but he lived far

away. My grades were decent, but I had

trouble getting my ACT up My favorite class was

Foods II, so I thought about going to culinary school.

How do I apply?

Steps to deciding on a school

Read up- › Check out the college and career center,

search online, and read any other info you can about the schools you are interested in.

Ask around- › Do you have friends or

siblings in college? › Ask what the best and

worst parts about their school are.

Check majors- Decide on something that you would like to do. Does the school offer your major? How is the reputation?

Apply. This step is important- don’t forget to make the deadlines!

Decide on living arrangements.

Visit the school!› If you can, go for a whole weekend

or a few days in a row so you can get the feel for the whole experience.

› Not just the weekend!

College Applications

During my senior year, I was working in a restaurant and enjoyed it.

I decided I wanted to major in Hospitality Management.

My goal was to manage a nice restaurant in a big city.

I ended up applying to two schools, Kendall College and Johnson and Wales University.

Johnson and Wales University

I visited Johnson and Wales in the fall. Providence, Rhode Island seemed like a beautiful city and the University was impressive.

During the school year I was offered a scholarship and strongly considered attending.

In April I sent in my room deposit and waited to find who my roommate was…

Six Months of Confusion! During May I got cold feet

and I withdrew from Johnson and Wales.

I was scared to go so far away, take out loans for school and leave my family, friends and move further from my boyfriend.

I decided that summer I wanted to move to California to be closer to my boyfriend.

We broke up in September.

Getting my act together…

I had not applied to a back up school… and missed all the fall application deadlines.

I decided to work for my family for a semester and save money for college.

I applied and was accepted to Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago for Spring 2003.

Northeastern Illinois University

I was commuting from home to school. I had classes three days a week and I

worked full time the rest of the week. I was taking general education classes, but

wasn’t really sure what my major should be.

I noticed some of my professors taught at my local community college…

Oakton Community College

I decided I wanted to transfer to Illinois State University or Eastern Illinois University to study education, specifically Family and Consumer Sciences.

I was paying twice as much for tuition at NEIU, so in the fall of 2003 I started classes at Oakton Community College.

I kept commuting and working to pay for school.

Transferring…

I took as many classes in as I could to get all of my general education classes done. Also to get my GPA up.

I visited and applied to both universities .

I was accepted to both and now I had to decide….

Finally! I chose Illinois State!

› I had visited several times and always had fun.

› It had a nice facility for my major.› I knew some people who went there and

liked it. My new boyfriend also attended. › It was big, but not HUGE.› It was just over two hours away from home.

I was almost 20, but it was like being a senior in high school all over again!

ISU- Go Redbirds! I had to chose a dorm. I picked a lifestyle floor, so

my floor mates would have similar interests.

I didn’t know any girls, so my roommate was random. A little scary!

I attended a transfer student day and was able to pick my classes for the fall.

Now I just waited for the first day…

Packing your life away What kinds of things do you guys think

you will be packing? Some examples:

› Clothes- seasonal items first!› I-pod/ movies› Toiletries› FLIP FLOPS!!! Don’t forget these› School supplies› Computer/TV/ Game System› Basic tools- screwdriver. hammer etc. › Personal items you can’t live without, like your

blankie! (DON’T WORRY- 54% of college kids still sleep with one!)

How do you know what you need to bring if you are living with someone????

The big day! We packed my Dad’s suburban

full of stuff. My boyfriend had moved in

early so he could help me We got there at the end of the

day so the line wasn’t long. Some people had waited for many hours.

I was sad when they left. I already wanted to go back. By the end of the night I had made some friends and I was feeling better.

Move in can be hectic…

what about the first day of class?

Nerves! Walk to your classes once before.

› A practice run! Teachers are cool

› they know that many of you are new to this. You will get a syllabus for each class-

› this outlines the topics that will be covered, as well as due dates for important assignments. It will also have contact info for your teachers.

Get a calendar and put important dates in.› Color coding helps!

Tips for Surviving Your Freshman Year

1. TRY NOT TO SCHEDULE BACK TO BACK CLASSES!  

2. Begin the first day of class.

3. Establish a routine time to study for each class.

4. Establish a place to study. Not your bed!

5. Do as much of your studying in the daytime as you can.

6. Schedule breaks.

7. Make use of study resources on campus.

8. Find at least one or two students in each class to study with.

9. Study the hardest subject first.

10. Be good to yourself.

Questions for me???

Please think of two questions you want to learn the answer to during this unit.

Questions From You!

What is a credit hour? How many hours do you get for an average class?

What is an RA? What’s a TA? About how many classes do you take a

semester? What is FAFSA? How many hours do you need to

graduate with an associates? A bachelors?