Every January, Wareham High School graduates who are attending college come back to the school to pass along advice to current seniors, answer questions, and talk about the biggest differences between high school and college.

Here are some of the tips they shared:

Take advantage of the college’s resources. Multiple students urged their younger peers to use their future college’s tutoring centers, talk to TAs, and go to professors’ office hours for help when needed. 

“There’s a lot of resources at college for you to go to, and don’t ever be ashamed to take them up, because they’re there for you,” said Nicholas Dix, a student at UMass Amherst.

Renneanna Dillen, a student at Harvard University, recommended bringing problem sets to professors’ office hours. Rather than struggling for hours on one’s own, she said, professors can help answer questions, allowing students to work more efficiently.

Apply for as many scholarships as possible. Gabrielle LeFrancois, a student at Stonehill College, said that applying for more than thirty scholarships paid off for her, as she received about 15 of them. 

“Local places around here want to give you money. They really want to help,” LeFrancois said.

While LeFrancois applied for two or three a night, Gwen Miceli, a student at Bridgewater State, organized her scholarship applications by deadline and focused on completing a few each weekend. 

“It’s literally free money,” Miceli said.

The students also emphasized writing thank you notes to each scholarship, and Miceli said she gives back by volunteering at fundraisers.

Be open-minded when choosing a college, but know it is ultimately up to each student. Prospective college students can be bombarded with information about which college to go to, but the Wareham High grads advised the high school students to keep an open mind and make the choice based on what truly feels best for them, while keeping finances in mind. 

“Don’t ever think you’re too good or too bad for any school,” said Nicholas Dix.

Emily Glidden is currently attending UMass Dartmouth, which she described as her dream school, but will be transferring to Cape Cod Community College for a variety of reasons. 

“You don’t have to go to your dream school,” she said.

Take advantage of AP classes and dual enrollment, because those credits help open up college schedules. 

Many of the students said the college credits they accrued in high school have helped them by allowing them to skip general education requirements and giving them an earlier slot to register for classes.