Kimberly
The best way to learn is to do so by doing. If I could go back in time and talk to myself, as a high school senior, there is a lot I would say. As I ventured through college I found it much different than I had thought it would be when I left high school. The best advice I would give myself is to start off with the basics. There are so many options out there for careers; it’s hard to pick the right one right way! Starting off with the basic pre-requisites is the way to go. By starting off with the pre-requisite courses you give yourself time and experience to figure out what major is best for you. This will open many doors of opportunity. Start off basic, take your time, and really discover what you love before committing to a specific major.
Demetria
HS Senior Self: Who are you?!
Me: Your future self! I came to tell you something important from the future and I only have a few minutes!
HS Senior Self: What? Do we finally know when Kingdom Hearts 3 comes out? I've been dying to know.
Me: Well, yes.....but that's not the point I'm here! I'm here to tell you to save up all the money you can! College textbooks are wicked expensive and eventually you will run out of money! Also make friends with as many professors as possible, they are the gateway to really fun opportunities at college! And the advice that those girls gave you that day at AIC are the truth, NEVER skip your classes! I'll never forget that advice. It's done a lot of good for me!
HS Senior Self: Wow, the college life for me sounds awesome! Thank you so much! I feel much more prepared!
Me: *starts to disappear* Oh and tell Mr. Ostroff I miss him! I wish he was a professor at AIC!
HS Senior Self: Wait, why? What's going to happen to him?
Me: You'll find out. *disappears*
Abigail
Dear Abi,
Congratulations on starting your senior year! You've made it this far, and you only have a few months to go before graduation. Before you head off to college though, there are some things you should know.
First and foremost, you are oh so very smart. Don't believe what your high school's atmosphere has taught you for so very long. You can do this, and you will see when you get into college just how very smart you are. You're going to work very hard and get good grades and succeed the best you can. And you will love school.
That's another thing. You need to love to learn. College is different from high school, you will have opportunities you didn't have before. Don't leave your passion behind, take it to college with you. And be prepared to learn outside the classroom as well. You are about to enter a culture entirely new to you. Listen to the people around you share their stories, and let them help you grow as a person in understanding and compassion.
Well, that's it! Good luck!
All the best,
Abi
Robert
Well, since a good portion of my high school senior year was spent trying to catch up after a recent concussion I sustained, I would tell my high school senior-self to get on the ball as early as possible in the college process, and start a list of which schools look appealing. Tour them, if necessary, and research. Continue to gradually narrow that list down as the days go by. After all that, oh ever so fun, college application process, sit back and find out logistics about each prospective school. Base your opinions off research and personal visits. Maybe the large state school is just too daunting, maybe the quaint, compact setting tucked into a city is just right. Knowing what I know now, I would have told my high school senior alias to not even bother looking at larger state schools, because they aren't as generous with scholarship and loan packages, and are far too expansive. Massive schools like that are basically their own world, an easy one to get lost in. Smaller, private schools are much more forgiving in the financial aid process and are certainly a whole lot easier to navigate!
Ariana
If i were to rewind and give myself advice, I would say to let go of everything. Don't get swept away by any drama, peer pressure, high school realtionship, or even lifestyle. College is an entirely different world: the real world. People are accepting, encouraging, and helpful. Don't be shy but live a little. Be care free but in a wise manner. If you want a fun senior year to remember, embrace the application process, drop any negativity, and just be happy. I know if I were given the chance to avoid or even redo a few moments, I would avoid come relationships and create others immediately. I also wouldn't be so worried about picking out the right college. It just hits you. I thought I would never go to AIC but once i visited it I fell in love. Moral of the story: don't judge, go with the flow. Good luck!
Jessica
Going back to being a senior in highschool, I regret waiting until the last minute to send my applications in. Most colleges require an essay, therefore I would advise seniors to get them done and not wait. Transitioning to college was very hard for me, knowing that I'm going to be more independent than I already was. I advise seniors, when entering college, the or she should get involved in a sport or an activity group to keep themselves active and away from trouble.
Brittany
Brittany push yourself to do better in all your classses. You are smart and wonderful and you will achieve everything you want to achieve in life, if you put your mind to it and do it. Don't worry about what people do and what they think, you are who you are! you will get your degrees and don't worry about how long it takes and don't worry about going to a community college, it's going to be good for you. Also get more out of your shell, be yourself and be friendly, make friends. You are great and never doubt it. You can do it, and I am proud of you Brittany. Life is going to throw you around, but keep God first and everything will be alright. Keep the faith! Love you Brittany!
Megan
work harder at you grades so it can help you get more money for scholerships for school because it is so expensive.
Ryan
Frankly there will always be something I could tell my past self to better my future self. If anything right now I wish to tell myself that I need to start caring. Generally I was very apathetic towards most everything. If it didn't make me feel good or didn't feed my laziness I could care less about it. I'm not saying I was some uncaring teen that was unsensitive to others, but I did not give the slightest interest into my future. I did what I needed to do to pass a class and that helps no one. Now I'm trying to scrounge around for money to go to the college I want to attend due to MY lack of care towards academics and what I was to do for college. I thought I could skim by through everything in life and come out unscathed. I guess this results from being too much of a momma's boy. If you are spoonfed all your life and don't care enough to feed yourself, you will starve eventually. Now my parents cannot feed me the funds so I have to learn myself.
Margaret
I would tell myself to not go to AIC, it is a good school, but not the right one for me personally.