Aurora University Top Questions

My advice to you this year my friend is to really explore your career options and keep an open mind. I would suggest doing research online as to the payscales of selected career choices and compare that to what you will be spending on college. I would even consider doing some job shadowing on your selected choices to get a feel of the careers. Many students go to college and spends thousands of dollars on tuition for a job that pays very little. Start off right by pursuing a career that will make you more than what you spend on college.

“Keep your eyes on your goal,” I said to myself. If I could go back and speak to myself as a high school senior, I would say that loud and clear. Do not let the things going on around you interfere with your goal of getting that college degree. That boy-friend and full time job is no reason to turn away from your college goal. Whatever is going on in your life while you are in high school will be long gone in a few years and 10- or 20-years from now when you look back, you’ll have no college degree, that boy friend and job will be long gone, and you’ll be left fighting your way through the financial debt of an adult trying to raise two young children with a desperate desire to go back to college to complete your degree, that goal you always had. So I say to myself, “The point here is, to stay focused, do not let anyone or anything jeopardize your goal, and in the long run you will have a great accomplishment that will give you a immeasurable outlook on your life for years to come.”

I would tell myself to learn how to study, studying wasn’t a big priority for me in high school. Now all I do is study and it would have been helpful if that was something I was used to doing all the time. Also another would be get higher grades, I had good grades during high school but if I did better I would have definitely been looked at by more colleges and more scholarships. Lastly, I would tell myself to not over stress myself, everything will work out in the end.

I know right now it seems like high school is something you're being forced to do, despite the fact that you dislike and are annoyed by everyone there. It's true, people in high school are very immature. But just remember that YOU'RE not. Be proud of yourself for seeing all their mean/cruel jokes as, well, mean/cruel jokes. You're not a chicken or a scardy cat for veiwing fighting as horribly wrong and pointless. I'm proud to be able to tell you that you still have never been in a fight or even a verbal confrontation. Oh and don't forget to remind yourself that you're doing all this "school" stuff for your future self, not your parents, not the government, and not to become a normal member of society. Whatever that is. You're trying hard right now because in the long run, it's going to affect your whole life. Just imagine how amazing it will feel to finally have your own restaurant, have people working for you, not having to do anything but sit around and collect your money. We're going to do it, you're already so close.

I wish more than anything that I could go back in time and talk to myself my senior year. I was the first person in my family to graduate high school and Start College. I choose a Community college close to home so I could be there for my younger siblings. My biggest regret is not going to a university right away. If I knew then that I would be supporting my youngest siblings now, I think I would have opt to go. It has taken me a long time to get where I am today, and financially it's been a struggle to continue my education. If i could talk to my senior self, I would tell myself, "GO RIGHT TO A FOUR YEAR UNIVERISTY! Get it done as soon as possible so you can ultimately live the life you imagine yourself living in your mid-twenties. There is no excuse to wait!! Go chase your career dreams that will set you up to live successfully in your future. You will have financial issues no matter where you go to school. Get your degree so you can support yourself and not have to rely on anyone! "

The advice that I would give myself is way beyond what I ever would let anyone tell me, and that's slowing down and taking everything in. As a senior in high school I had a lot on my plate, and so does other seniors. But I felt as if I had too many things going on at once. Between filing out applications for college, keeping my gardes, and leading my class as the class president, my head was spinning constantly. I would tell the s high school me to start slowing down and doing everything slower. And by slower I mean taking my time and rushing my senior year to jsut pass away. Of course it's harder to say then do but, hearing it from myself would of made me think again. In high school I was the class president for four years, SGA vice president, I ran track and I also was the track captain, I cheered, played flag football, I even played volleyball, and the worst part about this is that I was working everyday to support myslef. If I had to tell my self anything it would have to be, slow down and enjoy highschool.

If I could give my high school senior self advice, I would tell myself to fill out as many scholarships as possible. I am very stressed out about the debt I am going to have when I graduate college. I could not have acquired any better grades. I got a 4.0 GPA and a 31 ACT score, yet I am going to be $60,000 in debt after college. I wish I had filled out more scholarships because every dollar counts!

I would advice myself to pay close attention to all my classes, as they are the foundation of all college classes. This would have helped me in getting better grades and the smoothness of all classes. I would also advice myself to invest more time in school work and studying in order to obtain a higher GPA; therefore, my opportunities of getting scholarships and grants would have increased significantly. Pretty much, my advice in general would have been to make education my priority.

I would tell myself to take school serious becuase the classes i took in high school were not what i really needed in order to excell in the carreer field that I have chosen. And i would tell myself that nothing is guaranteed, you have to work hard to get good grades and that will help with college.

You have been told to always reach for the stars. While these are wise words, take heed in interpreting them. They are encouraging you to go after attainable goals. You might say, “I have to reach for the impossible, do not limit my potential!” I am not advising to limit your potential, rather I am encouraging you to make decisions carefully. The letters of acceptance you have received from top universities speak wonders to your intelligence, but before saying yes to them ask yourself this, “Can I afford this school?” If you attend a school considered the “best” you will have to drop out because of its high cost. You will spend four years struggling to receive scholarships while working two jobs as a full-time student just to pay tuition. While attending a “top” university is great, consider what is more important. Would you rather attend a top university where you will have to drop out or attend a reputable university where you will achieve so much more than you had imagined? By taking the latter route you will discover it does not matter which college you attended, rather what you did with the opportunities presented to you.

One thing that I would say is if you did not score well on the ACT your junior year, you should retake it and try to get a better score. If you got a 22 or higher on your ACT, then it would be easier for you to get into your majors classes without having to retake it. You could also take classes in high school that could go towards college credits. You also need to keep working hard and study as hard as you can for school to get good grades so you can work towards the degree you want to earn. I would also tell myself that hard work does pay off if you really work hard.

Dear Nick La Combe I am you from the future. I want you to know that life is what you make it. In high school it was always about wrestling. Everyday was a good day becuase we were apart of a team, a brotherhood. You always had someones back, they always had yours. In college you will be alone most of the time. Left to your own self motivation. You will have to push yourself to get great grades. You will have to work out on your own to keep your body sharp. You will have to rely on yourself. You will have to financially rely on yourself. Your mother will kick you out in your time of need. Your dad will try his best to give you a home but the soul motiavtion to get your eduaction will be all yours Nick La Combe. High school was great. You had a home to go to. You had a warm bed to sleep in. You had all the luxuries of living in a first world country. These challenages of college are hard but they will make you stronger. Embrace the suck and never give up. It only gets easier. Thanks

The advice that I would give to myself as a high school senior would be to no be scared of the transition that is ahead of me because there are lots of different people that are there in the college experience, such as your counsler to help along the way and that meeting new people is nothing to be afraid of either, its a great oppotunity to make new friends. I would tell myself to begin looking for a college early and apply to all the schools that are appealing to me without hesitating because it can open my mind to something new, like living away from home, and I would be more prepared if I did apply early. I would also tell myself that I should just go straight into a 4 year college because the sooner you become a student there the sooner you can get involved and make new friends that can become life time friends. I would also tell myself as a high schooler to not stress about college because it is not as bad as I imagine, it is part of life and it is a great oppounity that I am very fortunate to have.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself not to be scared. I would make myself see a Dr and get on some anti axiety medication. Social anxiety consumed my life when I was younger and I dropped out of college right away due my disorder. I would let myself know how important it is to take advantage of this time when I am single and without kids or other responsiblities. This was the prime time to get everything in order for the rest of our life. I would let myself know that she has the support she needs from family and friends she just needs to reach out. I would say while you are still young jump into life and explore. Don't let fear consume you because that will only lead to regret. Take evey opportunity you get because they won't always be around.

If I were able to go back in time to when I was in high school and advise myself on how college really is and how the start of adulthood is very complex, I would be a very fortunate high school student. Once I turned 18, I began to see my world change. Becoming an adult comes with a multitude of responsibilities and college is a nice way to transition into being an adult. For starters, there are a lot of things you have to figure out on your own. Some examples include, how to order/purchase textbooks, how to manage your time (the right way), what routines work best for your day, and most importantly; money is much more complicated than we realize. Everything has a price, "there is no such thing as a free lunch", and we are all limited by the amount of money we have to spend. College has many amazing componets and definitely is a life changing experience that I think all of us should take part in, but the responsibility and stress level that is incorporated into the life of a college student and of an adult is something to be prepared for.

The advice I would give myself as a high school senior would be to relax. I went into college worried about the huge differences between high school classes and college classes, when in reality there are hardly any. The main differences would be students don't go to the same classes every day, and you have to acquire your own textbooks. The difficulty of the classes was also not a problem. Another piece of advice I would give myself is to do the work when it is assigned. I should have mentally prepared myself for the work load. Since I did not have the same classes every day in college, I figured I had time to slack off. However, it always ended up being done at the last minute, as in high school. Lastly, I would tell myself not to worry about making friends. Almost everyone (freshman, anyways) did not know a single person the first day of school. It is almost impossible not to make friends when there are so many new people and everyone is willing and eager to form new friendships.

"Don't be discouraged. College will be a long process for you but keep at it. You will be the first one in your family to get a Bachelor's. Never doubt yourself. Put school before work. You will always find a way to support yourself financially, but school will fufill you more than the jobs you will have to put yourself through school."

The advice I would give to myself as a high school senior would be to take school more seriously. I could have done a lot better that year if I had studied more and if I would have tried harder to get better grades. I might have been able to attent the University of California like I originally wanted to. I would also advise myself to be more outspoken. I was always the quiet guy who didn't always speak what was on my mind for fear of what others might thing. I was also afraid to fail and I let that fear of failure get the best of me rather than using that fear to make myself better like I've learned to do today.

There is no reason to not attend where ever you want, there are options for financial aid. Do NOT be afraid, ask questions and you will get answers. The dumbest thing you can do is not ask questions. Spend 1 day asking questions or a life time of wondering why you didn't take that 1 day.

If I was lucky enough to go back to my senior year and give myself advice about what to expect in college, boy would I do it in a heart beat. I would stress the importance of scholarships! They are key to chosing what college you choose. Yes, they may take up time, but they are all worth it. I would also stress the importance of not procrasinating. Managing time is also very important. You can't just leave things last minute and turn them in last minute expecting a high grade. What you turn in--well done or not-- will surely reflect your grade. Have your priorities straight because things that seem very important in high school won't matter when you are on your own in college. And yes, this means that all your friends, your social life, and even your high-school sweetheart probably won't always stay consistant or the same. I would definitely highlight the importance of mentally trying to prepare myself for hours of homework and studying. Best of all, I would tell myself that the best part of my life would soon be approaching. Hard-work pays off and you can be rewarded.