<p>Stuff I wish I would have known:</p>
<p>1) If you are interested in a school. Make it look like it. Don't just write (call, visit, interview) colleges like to know they're more than an application to be sent.</p>
<p>2) And another thing: make sure you have a SAFTEY school you would not mind going to. I can't repeat this enough.</p>
<p>3) Apply early. Early advantages come to early appliers (like special visits, overnight stay opportunities).</p>
<p>4) Don't set your heart on anywhere.</p>
<p>5) Remember more than 60% (forgot the exact percentage haha) of first year college students change their major (especially at U of I where you have to apply to your major) so don't plan for your major like you're never going to switch.</p>
<p>6) Be yourself on your essays. Write like yourself and overdescribe. Be creative and most of all: Have FUN!!!</p>
<p>7) Don't be afraid of a school b/c a lot of people from your school are going there. At a school as big as U of I you'll never see anyone you don't want to.</p>
<p>8) Don't bash other's college choices. They may be important to them. And don't act stuck up about yours.</p>
<p>9) Don't set your heart on plans b/c they can change (roommates, friends).</p>
<p>10) Don't slack off because its senior year and not take classes that would be advantageous like Euro Hist getting rid of a Gen Ed or Physics AP preparing you better in a subject you might take.</p>
<p>11) Remember college is different than high school and a lot harder. No matter what.</p>
<p>12) Try things you would normally do. (eat new foods, go to the nearest city, go to mueseums, go out for the play. Some stuff might pop up that you never would have experienced and not had knowledge of previously)</p>
<p>13) When you go to college things: be outgoing, introduce yourself. Others might not realize it yet but they will eventually want to make friends. Try to strike up a random conversation and people will remember you. Sometimes better than you remember them, because you tried and actually made an impact. (ie I was talking to one of my new good friends and college and I brought up where we might have met. I said psychology and he was like you don't remember? You came up and talked to me at the LAS meeting. I started asking if he thought that was weird and asked if he met anyone. He said no he didn't try but it was more interesting to talk to someone than listen to a boring Gen Ed lecture. haha so be interesting.)</p>
<p>14) Try to be more independent. Try to pay for what you can and do things for yourself. Instead of having your room cleaned for you or going and getting fast food, do it yourself. This is much more harder than it looks. Just do random things like bringing in the mail or taking out the trash. I was never pampered and did a lot of chores but my sister will have trouble with this.</p>
<p>15) That being said about independence, don't follow your friends. Decide on a place thats true to you. Not the name. Same with housing. It is all about you. This isn't your lifelong bud, Jimmy's education or your Bestest Best Friend Sara's college (nor is it your parents' college either, it may be their money and they can direct that but you have to choose). This is your decision and no one else's. Although that doesn't mean you can listen to advice (especially if they know what they're talking about). Go where you find (or think you will find) true happiness. And remember that could always change (you have the ability to transfer, switch majors and stuff going in the same vein as this.)</p>
<p>15) (!) Especially important if you are the first to go: Tell you parents, "Hey this is gonna be a hard year. Instead of bearing down, could you maybe lighten up. I'm trying my hardest and will not have you there next year. If this upsets you, don't take it out on me by yelling at me for everything. Let me breathe . . . by myself." This is a huge one. (The fights at my house got so crazy and stupid I finally, "I can't do this anymore. I don't want to go to college hating you." And they finally got the point. Don't let it get to that point.) So that you can have a stress-free year.</p>
<p>16) Jump at every opportunity presented (college presentations, invitations to the college, internships, scholarships b/c they will matter. I wasn't sure about doing an internship before freshman year b/c I wanted to relax but I have never made a better decision.)</p>
<p>17) From my list I have gathered that college is basically impossible to prepare for and completely unpredictable. I predicted I would get into U of I but never would I have predicted getting into the Honors Program or getting the internship before freshman year.</p>
<p>18) Don't get too caught up with it. Keep involved in other things. You life in high school will never be as stressful again. (This is a different type of stress than junior year. That was just crazy.)</p>
<p>I'll probably come up with more. I kept really laid-back but unfortunately it was much later and I had screwed myself out of a lot of my senior year. I see my sister this year making a lot of mistakes too. These are just the basics.</p>