California State University-Fresno Top Questions

I think that if I was to go back in time and give myself advice about college I think that the advice that I would give myself would be to always make time for everything. One of the things which I had to learn to do now because when I just came I was having struggles with managing my time to do my homework for all my classes and because of that I end up failing one class. Another advice would be to always do my homework before is do because procastination makes everything harder that it is, since when you leave things to do at the last moment you always end up doing most of the things the wrong way and also you end up doing it very late meaning that your work lack of either information or effort. Teacher in college always want you to do good but if they see that you do not put the effort for success they will noy be there to help like high school teachers do.

I would let myself know that it is extremely important to save your money! I know shopping may be an addiction, but tuition, books, and rent is no joke, so it is best to start early to avoid extra pimples due to stress. I would also encourage myself to not be afraid of taking chances and getting out of my comfort zone. Nothing is worse than leaving your hometown and being all alone in a city you are not familiar with. Make friends, have fun! You only have one chance to experience this transition so don't be afraid to be afraid. You are not alone. Do not try and visit your family every weekend! Get comfortable with getting comfortable, I know it may take time, but it will all be worth it. Do not be afraid to email your professors. Although they may seem intimidating, they really are there to help you succeed. Oh yes! Be extremely careful when walking down the bleacher stairs at football games, falling is no fun, and scraped knees are not attractive. However, do not be surprised when you recieve a bunch of followers on instagram, they all love your clumsiness!

Take Colonel Vandiver’s offer on the Air Force Academy. He is one of the best people you have met and he will help guide you through the whole process. It may seem scary or far-fetched right now but trust me, you will not regret at least making the Air Force Academy one of your options. Also, apply for any UC colleges. ANY! Going away for college will be good for you! I know that you do not want to take out any loans or feel like you are abandoning your family which needs you at the moment, but it will be good for your soul. The independence and distance will be rejuvenating. The very least you can do is apply for those colleges outside of Fresno so you have options, instead of just going to Fresno State. Lastly, get out of your comfort zone. I know you are an introvert, but make new friends! It will make college a whole lot more fun than it is now.

If I could speak to my adolescent self, I would give myself information on how life could be different with knowledge. Staying in school is important and the fast money that you see only last a short while. In contrast, I know pursuing an education seems slow to you now but the outcome will remain with you for a lifetime. I know times have been tough for you, loosing a brother would damage anyone but trust me in time the hurt will ease up. In a short while you will be 18 years old and the most important thing you could do in life is stay in school; college life is easy the most imortant factor is appearing and staying in contact with your instructors. Believe me their there to help you I know that majority of people believe that help is not available. But this is not the case in college; and do not believe the lies about not being able to afford tuition. There is money for you and if you really work at it there is scholarships and grants available to help. Believe me college life is for you.

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As a high school senior I was involved in a diverse range of activities. I was constantly busy and loved every minute. I took AP classes, competed in three sports, played in band, took piano lessons, was an active member of my church youth group, and engaged in many hours of community service. My first year of college I decided I should "focus on my studies." If I could go back, I would shake myself and try to express how incredibly stupid that idea is. Staying involved in at least some of these interests wouldn't have distracted or taken away from my studies, they are what made me a happy, well-rounded person. I know it is a common occurence to be told to "get involved" in college, but I don't think anyone realizes how much it really does matter until you aren't involved in anything but school. I spent the first year of college life completely lonely and miserable because I was missing all of the other things that could have enriched my college experience as well as the learning I was tring to focus on. Don't completely overwhelm your schedule, but do something. Anything!

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to start looking for a job and play softball to the fullest because it would be my last time playing a competitive sport.

Regarding applying, I would have told myself to immerse myself in more activities and clubs. I would have also told myself to remember how to actually study and write papers, because it is difficult. The most important part would be time management, because it is difficult in college to manage your time.

My whole life, I have been a hard-worker in school. One thing I have always struggled with, however, was being too hard on myself if I was to recieve a sub-par grade on a test or if I was not living up to my own expectations or goals. I had intense worries about my future- I was plauged with anxiety about not getting into the school I wanted, or getting into the school or not being able to handle the financial aspect of attending my university of choice. If I could talk to my 17-year-old self, I would tell myself not to worry so much and to focus all of that energy on my studies and enjoying my senior year. I recieved many acedemic recognitions my senior year and was accepted to all of the acedemic instutitions that I applied to, so I would explain to myself that there was nothing to worry about and that I should go out for ice-cream with my friends and enjoy myself rather than worrying so much so that I can go on to university with an open, fresh outlook.

I would have immediately smacked some sense into myself- you need to find what you want to do. Geomatic Engineering is a very interesting field and my past self would definitely be interested in the ability to travel, not to mention the chance to get the best education possible on the subject! Also, work hard and save your money, you need it for the coming debts. Haha.

Advice to the high school version of myself. Do not be quick to judge. Don't dismiss a person or idea too early just because you immediately get a bad impression from it. Pick the right classes. Think very carefully of the classes you take. You are setting the foundation for your career with these classes. Have respect for authority. Your teachers and your parents care about you and are only doing their job by giving you advice. Listen to their advice and heed it. Do well in academics. You want to develop good academic habits for college. Invest a good amount of time in researching and applying to scholarships. Money is hard to come by as a college student, take advantage of these opportunities. Create a set of goals. Both short term and long term. Make a plan on how you would like to reach those goals. Learn to take accountability. There is nothing wrong with admitting you’re wrong. And last but not least, learn to see things in others perspective. Everybody has their own lens. See and appreciate other people’s perspective, I promise you will learn a lot from them.

If I could go back in time I would tell myself that the grades do matter, and to keep up the good work. I would encourage myself to practice writing more, because you do a lot of paper writing in college. I would also tell myself that it's ok to relax and have fun sometimes. The most important thing would be to encourage myself to save money. Although I recieved grant money in undergrad, I have struggled greatly in my graduate school. I have had to take out student loans and now I am experiencing a great deal of stress because if the financial burden.

Fernando, You will be fine. The application proccess will be difficult; you will get rejected, and you will be accepted. Making a decision will be the hardest part of the process, but you will be happy with the decision you make. I know that going to college seems scary, but after meeting some of the people, you won't be nervous anymore. You will pick Mechanical Engineering as your major, which will be an extremely difficult major. Transition from high school to college will be a diffiult change, but you will enjoy the college atmosphere much more than high school. Don't stress your last year in high school, and have fun.

I would tell myself to try harder in college once I started. High school was a breeze, so when I started college, I thought it would be the same way. It took me a semester to realize that I have to crack the books open and put in some work to do well in college. No longer could I get by with only paying attention in class and not doing anything else. I would tell myself firmly that college is not like high school at all. It is some serious business that requires hard work and dedication. It is definitely not like how it is portrayed in the movies where people party all the time and never do any homework or studying. I would also tell myself to make the most of it and meet new people. I learned a lot just from the people I met in college. The toughest advice I would give myself is that sometimes there are professors who want you to tell them "what they want to hear" and not your opinion if it goes against theirs. This was the hardest thing for me to accept about college.

I would try to work on my study skills.

If I were to be able to talk to myself as a high school senior, the main thing that I would tell myself would be to work harder and study more. I can remember being told that if we did not do well in high school by our senior year, we would not succeed in college. I would tell myself that this is not true, and there is always a chance to work hard and succeed. I would make sure that I knew that the college transition from high school would be difficult, and to do prior research to find the departments and services that would help me to succeed in college. I would also advise myself on the importance of volunteering, and encourage myself to start as a high school senior instead of waiting for my freshman year of college.

Given the chance to travel back into time and talk to myself as a higschool senior I would only have one thing to say: Keep calm, and carry on. I would explain to myself that there will be speed bumps ahead, but as long as I continue to work hard I can overcome any obstacles. It is important to remember that in the end everything will bw fine, and if everything is not fine don't worry; it's not the end. I would also tell myself to approach people, don't be scared. The world is full of amazing smart people, the only way to learn from them is to approach them.

Focus on school and save more money. The VW is a lemon and will end up costing more to fix than originally paid. You need to self-motivate above all else, and remember that your education is important. Nobody will be there telling you to go to school or complete assignments. Test out of as many generals as possible - the experience of those classes isn't worth the stress. Make friends and do things besides work so you have those experiences. Mom will help out more than you expect. You won't be ready for the courseload until after you have a child. You're pretty immature yet and won't fully comprehend the gravity of flunking out of college until you're trying to pull your GPA out of the gutter, and it WILL follow you around years later.

Dearest Claudia, I know you think you have everything figured out all ready, but you are about to enter a bigger world with lots of opportunities. There are good and not so good apects of college. You will be exposed to several different types of people in your community and you will need to know how to get along with all types. You will make plenty of new friends and loose lots from high school. However, the friends you keep are the ones that will help you get through college and become successful. I advise that you get involved with school organizations because not only do you get to meet new friends, but you also begin networking for your future career. The people that you know really can open opportunities that are not always apparent. Don't ever be scared to express yourself either physically or verbally because college is a whole new playing field compared to high school. Instead, you want to make yourself stand out on campus and in classes because it shows you mean business. Lastly, even though classes look rigorous, DO NOT DROP OUT! You will learn the most in those classes. Goodluck, you got this!

If I would be able to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would remind myself of how difficult it was to transition into not only a college student but also into adulthood. Aside from having to worry about maintaining good grades, I would also have to worry about wheather or not I would have enough money to pay for my rent and basic expenses. I found myself struggling all the time, if it wasn't one thing it would be another. So therefore, I would tell myself to save up some money, start saving some of the allowence money because in the long run that would make my life so much easier. I would also tell myself to research more about what my University actually has to offer, I went in almost as if I was blind. I had no idea where anything was much less what kind of services Fresno State actually offers. I would also encourage myself to try getting into a sorority because I believe that would be helping me out even more, I would start becoming more social rather than just dwelling on what could have been.