California State University-Northridge Top Questions

First I would tell mysef I want to go straight from high school. This means NO breaks before. I would then tell myself to start to do a lot of research on schools online. Then pick a top five to go visit and really get to know how the school runs, maybe even talk to students in the same major I would be going into. This is to get the negative and positive feedback of the school. I wouldn't make my decision untill I am 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} sure that it's the right school for me.

I would advise myself to be more open to the programs the school offered. I would encourage myself to take more diverse classes to make the transition more smooth. I would suggest looking into a second major without holding back. I would advise to look into obtaining a minor along with a major. I would definitely advise meeting with professors during their office hours and to speak with them on the matters that seemed difficult to me. I would advise myself to be more flexible and encourage myself to spend more time in the fantastic library building that the school has. I would advise myself to make friends, join clubs and take full advantage of what the school offers. Last but not least, make sure to stay focused on school work and to become friends with the graduate students in the same field.

There are so many things I would tell my 18 year old self if I could. I suppose I would most like to tell myself to relax, you're going to be okay. You are going to find your niche and it is going to take you to places and fill you with more joy and passion than you've ever dreamt possible. Stay diligent, keep practicing and learn as much as you can. You are destined to do great things. Also, I know it's difficult waking up and coming everyday, especially when it snows, but it's worth it. A few of your teachers grade by attedance, so even though your test scores are impecable, your GPA will suffer due to not showing up. I know, I know, attendance shouldn't define you, but with a few teachers, it will. Stay on your toes!

One thing I would tell myself is: What do you want to do in the future? I was overwhelmed with the size of the campus and the complexity of the courses that I did not analyse my career choice. At first I thought I wanted to be a therapist and decided that I my major would be Sociology. Naively, I thought that once I got my BA I would be able to start my career, but I did not ask those pertinent questions. What kind of job opportunities will I have with a BA in Sociology? Will I need further training? What I should have done was spoken to someone in the field. Instead, I felt pressured to figure out what I wanted to major in before I finished my general education courses. I would tell myself to think ahead, what kind of life do I want to have?

The first thing you need to know is that you should not take Calculus in your senior year but now that you are in it, try harder. When you apply for University of California San Diego, you think you are accepted but it will turn out to be a computer mistake. It is okay though because you could go to California State University of Los Angeles. Los Angeles is the perfect place to attend college because you are a screenwriting major. Never change your major, don't end up like those kids who change majors every year like Pauly Shore in The Son in Law. Remember that paperwork is always important. Submitting applications, turning in your high school transcript, and most importantly saving your AP test scores. So, you forgot to turn in your high school transcript to CSULA, no big deal. San Diego City College is a great option for you. You are going to meet some of your best friends there and you will learn a few new things about yourself. For example, you love the theatre and playwriting. Playwriting will be your back up plan in case you hate the Hollywood life.

I will make sure to write a mission and vision statement for myself. Vision statement would of provide me with my goals that I would of pursue in college. Mission statement would of provide me with ways and again goals that I would pursue after graduating school. When I was in high school I was undecided what major I want to choose, so I would struggle but I would of never think of writing and gathering my ideas on a paper. Writing my goals and frequently going back to them and updating them would of give me advice on what path I want to choose. It was very hard for me to go to college and not know what I want to become. I took the LSAT, however after working with a paralegal I decided not to pursue law. After that I volunteered at school, I realized that I want to become a teacher who would make difference by helping students to overcome their fears of graduating and become valuable citizens for our country.

I would tell myself to go to the UC schools that i applied to. Do not try to save money by attending a California State University because the schools continually raise tuition and do not care for students.

Assuming that I was a high school student, advice that I would give myself would be on topics such as time management, money management and how to cope with home sickness. Now that I have had college experience I have learned a great deal about time management skills. As a high school student I would encourage myself to practice these skills. For example, keeping an agenda with tasks that have a specific due date is key. This is crucial to the college experience; here it is the student's responsibilty to remember due dates, because no one will be reminding you. Missing a due date and turning in an assignment late, can affect your grade tremendously. Secondly, I would advice myself to learn to save money. College students are not wealthy and we can come to learn this late. I would push myself to develop a list of items that are most important to buy and that I actually need. This would help me save money in the future. Laslty, dealing with homesickness can be a challenge. While in college you tend to miss your family more. As a result, I would tell myself to call and visit them often.

I would tell myself to spend more time being active on campus and less time at work. I would push myself towards the study abroad office and make sure I would travel to Europe, again. Most importantly I would try to convince myself to be more attentive in class and realize that it would help if and when I decided to apply to graduate school.

I would tell myself to try my hardest. Keep my grades up and become more educated and well-known with the colleges that would fit me. Plan wisely all housing decisions and peruse through college websites to learn more about financial matters and classes. I would tell my highschool self to get more well known with counselors and do my research on selected majors.