Brooks Institute Top Questions

If I were to go back and tell my high school self one thing it would be that boys are not worth the heartache. I remember in highschool putting too much time into having a boyfriend. I learned so much more about myself and my values as a person when I was not dating someone. I realized that life is so valuable and precious. I wish I would have not wasted so much of my time being upset that my boyfriend broke up with me. It was really not worth it. I would tell myself that no matter what everything will be ok, and that time stops for no one. So stop worrying about a boy that broke up with you and start living and being an amazing independant woman. You will learn so much more about who you are and not who people tell you you are.

Take general education classes at a community college and save up enough money to live on your own. Apply for hundreds of scholarships, you're funding your own education! It can get expensive. GPA isn't everything; make sure you thoroughly understand all of the material you're being taught. Go into this new experience with an open heart and a solid mind. Enjoy what youthful experiences you may have now, because you're on the road to responsibility. Being an adult is tough, but very rewarding. You'll do wonderfully with the right mindset.

Learn to cook! I know you hate it, but is going to be really useful when you live alone. Don't date anyone before graduating, is causing a lot of troubles to my friends. Continue writing all your ideas for stories, you will need them to write scripts. Watch as many movies as you can, so in college you can have more culture. Keep enjoying every day, once you move one, you will never go back. Listen to as many advise as you can, but chose which one you are going to follow.

Save money now.

If I could go back I would tell myself to apply for more scholarships because now that I am in college I actually can see how much everything cost. When I was in high school I always thought I would have a job that would pay enough to keep me out of debt and I didn’t know I would have to spend close to a thousand dollars on all my books each semester. Now I have to make time in my busy schedule to apply for scholarship so that I can have more help paying for my school.

The advice that I would give to my high school senior self would be to be prepared for anything and know that everything will work out for the better. When I came to Brooks Institute I was an extremely late addition. I had just applied on a Friday and school started that Tuesday. I told my family and friends what I was doing, I quit my job and I went down to Southern California with nothing but my clothes and camera gear packed into my car. When I got to Ventura I didn't have a place to stay, didn't have any friends and had to fend for myself. I slept on peoples' couches and stayed in hotel rooms all while going to school full time and trying to find a permanant residence. But now here I am 4 months later, I have great friends, a great place to stay and I am in love with my classes and I am doing very well in all of them. While I was sitting and stressing out over what to do with my life in high school, I should have been just trying new things and buckled up for the ride.

If I could talk to myself as a high school senior I would emphasize on the importance of attending college straight out of high school. Unfortunately, I was not able to begin college after high school because of family problems. I would tell my high school self to try and overcome the obstacles that are going to be placed in their path after high school. I would also tell myself that I am smart enough to go to any college and to study for the entry exams.

I definitely would've warned myself not to stay in community college for so long. Right out of high school I went to the local community college and stayed there for 4 years. After that time I was close to completing the courses for my AA in music, but decided it wasn't for me after all. I took a year off of school and tried to decide what my next move was. As late as I feel I'm starting my education, I am glad I found the Brooks Institute now rather than any later.

I would tell myself to take as many classes that relate to what I want to study in college. I would also tell myself to take college classes if possible to get ahead on my college credits. As well as to try as hard as I could to learn and retain as much as possible. To not take the easy way out but instead to push myself as hard as I could mentally.

Hard work and time management is essential to sucess in life as well as school. The only person who can stop you from being successful and achieving your career goals is one self. If you constantly strive for your own personal perfection and never stop improving you can attain true greatness.

I would go back in time and encourage my high school self to apply for scholarships earlier than I actually did. I would encorage extreme focus and determination. As a senior, getting caught up in social life can be a big barrier. I would tell myself as a senior, to keep my eyes on the prize, and stay completely aware of my goals. Another big thing is that in high school, everyone has a title or a label. Starting a fresh school, with all new people and a higher level of maturity is very comforting. So no matter how awkward, popular, boring, or quirky you were in high school, in college you consume a whole new identity. You become an individual, and are ultimately treated with a different level of respect. You begin to feel a sense of adulthood, maturity, and freedom which is an amazing feeling and it's definitely something that I would've loved to know as a high school senior.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to work hard and pay more attention ! I was so ready to just get out of high school and be an adult and was not focused on my studies. Well now Im 28 and a single mom struggling to make it. I would tell myself to study harder not focus on boys but homework. I would take more classes that prepared me for college . I just took an accuplacer test to enroll into college and I did not do very good in the math section of it and now I have to take a class that prepares me for college algebra. I have wasted alot of time and wish I would have focused on school before I had kids so I didnt have to manage kids,work, and school. If I would have planned out better I would have been finished with school and now working as dental hygentist having a more stable life for my kids .

This is my fourth year in college. I have been to four schools all in different cities. This is largely based on the fact that I did not do my homework and plan for the college I wanted to attend after graduating high school. If I could go back and tell my senior year self any sort of advice it would be to put the research in and find a school that fits me so that hopefully I would get it right the first time. I have no regrets with my route through my college life however the craziness of moving from four different cities in four years took a real toll on my college career. I finally found a home at the Brooks Institute. I have always been a strong believer in thing happening for a reason if you put in the work for what makes you happy. However, I am now a believer in strong life planning to avoid the situation I find myself in now. So the one thing I would tell myself in high school would be to do the research and find a school hat you fall in love with.

Well Chelsea, I've got a lot to say, so listen up, and listen closely. Whether you can believe it or not, you will move out of Littleton, Colorado and into Santa Barbara, California, and yes it is as beautiful as everyone says. The transition will be hard, and it's going to test you, but in the end you won't think a thing of it simply because of every experience you will have while you're here. The people you are going to meet will change your life in the most positive way possible, and you won't be able to help but love them. School is tough, but try not to listen to everyone who says it will run you down into the ground because after all... This too shall pass. When you doubt your potential to be successful because school is overbearing and "too stressful...You just can't handle it," remember that you absolutely can and will do it. You're going to laugh, love, cry, yell, learn, fall down, and rise back up higher than before. Your entire life is in front of you, embrace every second wholeheartidly.

High school doesn’t tell you who you are or who you’re going to be. The pressure of parents, friends, and reputation taint the desire of we want to be and replace it with the idea of what we think others want us to be. College is where people are meant to find themselves free of negative pressure. If I could talk to me high school self or what I wish someone would have told me is how much more opportunity awaits us when we graduate high school. When we move on into the real world there’s freedom, something we couldn’t taste as minors. The freedom to make yourself into the person you are going to be. I would have made better decisions in high school if I realized that it doesn’t matter what people wanted me to be. I just wish there were people who told me to follow my heart because that’s exactly what I would tell my high school self. “Follow your heart”. We can only find ourselves if we are free of pressure from the outside world because it matters more how we value ourselves than how others value us.

If I had the opportunity to go back and talk to myself, two years ago, what would I say? "Elizabeth", I would begin, "Stop overthinking everything. I know you're excited to leave home, and experience new things, but cherish the time you have here, before you go. I know you're scared, too, but it'll be okay. College is awesome! You're going to grow as a person, and an artist. I won't lie, it's hard. You're going to live with some awful people before you find your true friends. It'll be a struggle to adjust to classes and an eight-week schedule, but we'll switch to semesters eventually (which are even more insane). Adjusting from Pennsylvania to California living is...weird, but you'll get used to it, promise. You'll sleep very little and learn more than you think can fit in your head. The memories you'll make, the people you'll meet, it's an experience like you've never had before. But, don't rush it. Cherish each moment, both before you leave and after you get here. It's a brand new chapter, and you're ready.

If i went back in time and talked to myself as a senior in high school, there is a lot of adive I would give myself. I did not know what I know now about to attend my first year in college. I wouldn't talk to myself in a mad tone but a more helping tone so I know that i'm there to help. I would explain the amount of money college classes cost. To start applying for scholarships now and not to wait. In high school I spent my college savings on a truck because I didn't think I was ever going to attend college, I was ready to be done with school. My college savings would have paid college off, I would encourage myself to keep that money for college. You won't be in debt when its time to pay back your loans. Attending college and graduating with an accounting degree, you will be able to get a good paying job and be able to buy a truck in no time. So just wait a couple more years and you will have the truck and career you want.

If I were able to go back in time and talk to myself in high school, I would definitely have told myself to try and save up as much money as possible to help pay for school. It's a struggle to stay in school because of how expensive it is and how much equipment we have to buy every semester. In the end I know it'll all be worth it because this is what I love to do and I'm proud to be doing it. I would definitely tell myself to work as hard as possible with saving money to help pay for rent, equipment, and school in college, because that's definitely the one thing that I struggle with now. Other than that, I think I chose a very good school to go to, especially since I love doing what I'm doing and that I'm happy doing it!

If I were to go back to my Senior year, i would tell myself to be more serious and to not goof around so much. i would say that its better to have the best grades that you can have and to study more. I would tell myself that its important to always do the best you can, but to be timely about it.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a High School Senior I honestly don't know what I'd say. It's only been a year. I never expected to grow, or to learn as much as I have. But I have no regrets. I left not knowing what to expect. I grew up in a small town, moved to a big city. Never worked for anyone other then my mother, and had $2, 000 in my pocket. No car, not even a license. I just wanted this more then anything: to be on my own, to be free, to do what I love I never once considered I might fail. I almost did., 8 month passed and I was down to 20 dollars, before I found my first job. I've made mistakes: taken rides from strangers, bought my first taser as a result, meet some crazy people, and some how I'm still here. I'm not out of the woods yet, but I'm getting there. So I don't know what I'd say to myself back then. We're two different people, and I wouldn't have listened anyways.