California State University-Northridge Top Questions

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, knowing what I know now about college, I would quote the great Jedi Master Yoda and say ?Do or do not? there is no try.? In high school I was very unsure of myself and my abilities as a student. My insecurities followed me as I transitioned from a high school to college. I lacked self confidence which made me timid and apprehensive to raise my hand in class, communicate with my professors, meet new people, and succeed in school. It took me 3 years of community college to will myself into the person I am today. I had to dedicate myself to the 2 goals I had made for myself. My first goal was to transfer out of community college and attend a 4 year university; my second goal was to devote myself entirely to attaining my degree and future in a health-care field. Had I known then what I do now, I would have wasted less time and focused my time and energy earlier to will myself into a more confident and goal driven student.

If I could go back in time and give myself advice about college , I would say to myself "Marainna its not what you expect, your plans change." I would just warn myself of all the trails and victories . I would remind myself that I am strong and God will help me."People change and so will you. If God is your faith it will be tested. And every time you see Casey Wood talk to him. Dont be afriad to discover who you are, becasue everyone on campus is doing the same. Trust God in his plan. And not everyone graduates excatly 4 years after high school. Have fun and live life. Learning is an awesome gift dont take it for granted." This advice would open my eyes to see what lies ahead in the transiition and for college, because mine was very diffcult with deaths, and change of who I am now.

Pay more the your minimum on your credit card.Save more money for your car. Don't give up on your self. Don't be afraid to get help. Do your homework on time and go over notes after class. Exploring my options once I graduate college. Knowing that I don't have to major in science to go to medical school. Always have a plan b. Expect the unexpected. You can do what ever you put your mind to. Study, study, and study.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, the first thing I would tell myself is to focus and not mess around. People say that when your a senior your grades dont count, THEY DO! I'd tell myself to try harder in my AP classes because they prepare you for college life, and just to do good in general. Going to college is a big transition; theres more workloads and the stress level is much greater. But if I prepared for this in my senior year it would make things easier. I would definitely tell myself to not ditch my senior year, or any year at all. It only affects your academic performance and makes one into an irresponsible student. Being irresponsible and not going to class is something one cant afford to be in college. In my senior year I shouldve learned to balance my academic life with my social life. I would tell myself that living in the dorms is a great experience, but it is not an excuse to bail on academics due to the social life. It is possible to have both, and have an awesome experience in college.

A wonder it would be if I had access to a time machine and could travel back in time to my last year of high school, 2006. I would tell myself three actualities. The first , "Stop holding on to the death of your father and stay focused on getting into Cal-State Northridge, he is in a far better place and would want you to be devoted to your studies and graduating". The second, "Never let your peers influence your decisions, their opinions are not as important as thought to be. Listen to your heart and what God tells you, they will never lead you down the wrong path". The last and utmost important I would tell myself, "Take Personal Responsibility for your actions. You play a part in your problems and can play a part in solving them". I would give myself wisdom and enlightment, rather than advice. Advice is an opinion or recommendation offered. Wisdom is knowledge of what is true with just judgment. With wisdom one can open many doors.

If I had the chance to give a younger me advice about college life, I would say get off of your butt and do something! In the last four years, I?ve realized that life keeps on going, whether you?re participating or not. You can?t simply expect to go to college and have the perfect experience without putting in a little effort. When I started my first year of college, I was disappointed when I didn?t immediately make friends, or find a club that I liked, and I let too much time pass blaming everyone else for my bad experiences. But now I?ve discovered that if you have an open mind, a good attitude, and the bravery to take yourself out of your comfort zone, you will make the most out of whatever situation you?re in. Introduce yourself to strangers, attend school events, start your own club; even though it may be scary, at least you can say you tried something new! And that will probably give you the courage to try something new again. Life?s too short not to participate, and the same goes for college. So get out there and get involved!

I'm from the bay area and I really wanted to go to college in Los Angeles to escape personal problems that were going on at home. I would have told myself tohave planned it b etter. In high school I never had that dream college I wanted to go to but I knew where I wanted to live. Going to a community college in Los Angeles would have been better for me because that would have given me more time to figure out what I wanted to do. Although going to college has made more independent and taught to order your textbooks online. I would have preferred to see the colleges before I applied and know as much information as possible about each school I applied to. Also to not stress so much about school and that going to college in Los angeles will make me miss family and friends a great; especially my annoying brother.

First and foremost, procrastination is going to seriously become something like an arch nemesis; it's something that was easy to be seduced by in high school and community college and still get away with a decently high grade, however once switching to CSUN, it just literally was a huge bite in the butt and a chunk out of the GPA. Also, find the motivation to actually do extra work and research for classes because of the +/- grading system which if not careful, find the GPA dropping drastically because of the -'s instead of getting the whole letter grades like in high school. Lastly, the atmosphere is completely different; ages range from as young as 17 to as old as people in their 60's, and maybe its because of the huge age range that everyone's mindset is all the same; focused and academically striving for an A+. It's not anything like high school, because it's a faster paced environment and there is so much more work to be done which can still end in a C. Lastly, especially the policy for handing in work late is almost non-existent except in extreme and documented cases.

Live life like the deepest dream you never wanted to leave. Live it as if you were walking to your execution, Savoring every breath. Dont allow yourself to fail, but weigh your priorities correctly. Run after your goal as if running to the aid of your Love. Beacause "obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off your goal. You have a potential in you that dwarfs the standard human, but potential is wasted talent. So utilize what you have at maximum effectiveness. Make "Epic" your new "standard" exercise your creative God given talent daily. And when you visualize your dream of a future and you feel the bliss of a life you could accomplish. Take a still picture of that moment in your mind, and allow that to eclipse your troubles when pain and stress come knoking at your door. But above all Love God and Love People.

I would say something like this, "Angela, college is very different in comparison to high school. You get to pick your own classes whenever you would like to have them and there is no one to tell you what to do. Prioritize your life and school so that you will be prepared for anything to come your way. Make sure to budget your money right and to save up as much as you can. Every little penny counts. Stay away from the things that will put you in a compromising position and eventually lead you into trouble. Most inportantly be yourself and let God lead you in all that you do. He is your protection during this stage of your life and forever more if you let Him be. Make sure to join positive clubs or organizations if you so wish to be envloved. Enjoy your campus experience and make every moment count. P.S. You will graduate a year later than you are suppose tom but hang in there. See you in the future." Angela