Academy of Art University Top Questions

I would go back and tell myself not to listen to my childish thinking of I will take a year off and then start college . The problem with that is you don't go back you find excuses after excuses. I would tell myself how important college is in the real world of life not a teenager who thinks life is easy but warn myself what life is really about not trying to fit in. Iknow am attending college and persueing my dreams that would of made my life and my children's life so much easier if I would have had a career started by proper education instead of hard fast food work and now I am old and slow can't do the job that I have done all my working life and it is really hard but the important thing now is I am doing it. I am proud of my life just wish better decisions were made by myself ealry on but I will do it now. I know I can so the main thing I would tell myself is "I can and don't give up."

Haha. hindsight is 20/20. I would go back and tell myself that my dad was right and being cool has absolutley nothing to do with real life. I would not have squandered the money i recieved over the years and actually invested that money into photography equipment. I would have used and abused the Photography dept. at my school and would have been very active in clubs and stuff of that nature. I would have read more books. I would have not spent all day thinking about girls and friends and spent more time thinking about possible Art ideas and spent more time documenting the surroundings of my highschool life. I feel there was a lot to expose at my school and i would have made for a great photo book commenting on social satire and modern life of the Igeneration.

Andrea, please start early when looking for any kind of financial aid and make a decision on what you really want in life! It's going to be harder than you imagined and it's very important to stay strong and keep going for your education. There will be times you want to throw your hands up and quit, but don't worry you'll get through it. Don't let anyone tell you, you can't do something. Everyone is capable if they put their mind to something.

I would tell myself to continue to pursue with my education and not quit for any reason. I'm twenty nine year's old and have been through some tough times. Originally i quit collage and got married and let my wife at the time continue her education while i worked and payed the bills. Year after year kept getting worse and worse. I ended up getting a divorce because after my father died my mom needed a place to stay so i took her in until she could get a place of her own and my wife at the time didn't like that, lost my job shortly after because the company i worked for filed for bankruptcy, and lost my home and car for being unemployeed for several months. After realizing that I wasn't going anywhere i decided to enroll back into college. I currently have an associates degree in Multimedia and plan to continue to persue my education to earn a masters degree in animation. And after telling myself this story I would end it with out of all the things you strive for nothing can take away what you have learned through college.

If I could go back and speak to my high school senior self, I would tell myself to take advantage of the resources that are offered in the counceling office to make an educated decision of what is right for me and my career goals. I would tell myself to research all of the schools available. I have already attended two schools and spent tens of thousands of dollars and it wasn't until after I was already in the program that I realized that they were mistakes. Second, I would tell my self to research all of the loans available to me. I have spent thousands of dollars in interest alone, simply because I applied for the first loan program that I discovered. Lastly, I would explain that college is probably the most important educational experience I will ever have, in relation to my future career and to give all of myself to it in order to gain the most from it. That advice probably would have changed my life if given to me back then.

I would ask many question on specific carreers that I had an interest, I would volenteer my time . Be more envolved with my community. Be more open minded. I would allow myself more freedom to explore new ideas and travel more maybe go to school over seas. I would learn more about money and how to mange it better.

Being that I am 30 years old and have had a lot more time that most college freshmen would have to reflect, I think my advice may be of a different variety that most. No "be sure to pack an extra toothbrush" or "put your name in indelible ink on all your belongings" here. The only advice that I think I would offer is to be open-minded but stay true to one's self. And that if the education you're after is truly what you want, then work passionately at getting it. The student is the one ultimately responsible for his education. A school can provide an environment for learning, and instructors can provide insights and guidance. But only the student can educate himself. The student must be like a sponge - soak up all that he can hold. Let things less important drip away. If an education is what one wants, one must take responsibility for it himself.

If I knew what I know now when I was a senior in high school I'd tell myself it?s never too late to live your life the time is now its do or die. In other words, my passion is my life; my passion is photography, stop passing it off as just a hobby. It is time to grab the bull by the horns as they say, save up as much money as possible, stop throwing it away on things that come to an end. All the roads we have to walk are winding; it?s time to pick the right path. Stop looking for a way around college, there are some things you just can't teach yourself. There is never an easy way out on any road we take so pursue your dreams; at times it will be hard but things will work out in the end as long as you know in your heart that they will. You can have anything you want in this life as long as you set your mind to it, follow your heart, trust yourself, and believe that dreams do come true to those who work toward them.

Young Noah, it is very wise of you to wait to go to college. Working in the field that interests you will lead you into adult hood and future endeavors. Always work your hardest, pay attention and treat others with respect. Financial aid is way better at twenty-four so it wouldn?t be a bad idea to wait until then to start school.

I would tell myself two things: Be fearless and do not take what people say about you personally. Taking what people say about you as truth, on a personal level, will only hinder your path to what you consider success, and make you afraid to go out and experience life. Too many times have I have passed up oppurtunities in life because I was afraid of failure; I listened to both positive and negative comments people made about me and I took it personally. Listening to these comments threw me off the path that I wanted to be on. If you want something to happen in life you have to go make it happen yourself; no one owes you anything. Your friends and family may always love and support you, but when it comes down to it, the only person who knows who you truly are is yourself. This means that only you know what you want for yourself in life. Every one else's opinion about you is based on their perception and own life experiences. Two guidlines will help you navigate through life: Be fearless and do not take what people say about you personally.