How you apply yourself throughout college is entirely up to you and you are responsible for the overall outcome of your experience. Following are suggestions to help make your college experience worthwhile:

• Most likely you will discover that college is more difficult than high school. You will only be a motivated student if you have a worthwhile purpose for going to college. Focusing on your future wants and needs will help get you through the difficult times.

• With more free time, students often find it difficult to keep focused on their personal and professional goals. There will always be something else you can do instead of studying, and procrastination becomes easy if classes are dry and/or instructors lack enthusiasm. Remember that it is up to you to stay focused and to discipline yourself through the occasional grind.

• Imagine yourself 10 years from now - what will you be doing and where will you be doing it? That's your vision for your self. Keep that in mind and eventually you will adjust to your new environment by making friends and succeeding at school.

• Don't allow anyone else to define success for you and don't try to live up to someone else's expectations or labels. You are your own person and you should not let others dictate your behaviors or your preferences. Keep enjoying the music and fashions that express who you are. Remember that how others define success is not necessarily right for you and growing up means accepting ourselves for who we are.

Having a positive college experience is all up to you and it requires a sense of personal honesty and self-acceptance. Know your own strengths, weaknesses, abilities and values and challenge yourself along the way.

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