California State University-Sacramento Top Questions

Assuming that I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition, I would tell myself not to procrastinate as much as I did my senior year. I was able to pass all my classes in high school but if I had not procrastinated as much it would have been a lot easier and the transition wouldnt have been as difficult to process.

Tanshea life does not wait on anyone. Enjoy school, live to learn and grow with knowledge. I would encourage myself to stay focused and prepare one's self for the future. Time is the most valuable commodity available. Education will always take you far. Be a leader and stay on the path that will enrich your life.

If I could go back and tell myself a few things when I was a high school senior, I would say "study harder" and "don't procrastinate as much."

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would advise myself to do plenty of research to figure out what I am generally interested in. Almost every student struggles to figure out who they want to be when they “grow up.” However, I would encourage myself to research interested majors and to have at least a little bit of faith when applying to prestigious campuses. As a high school senior I felt that due to the little income my single father received, I would not be able to go to a prestigious university or even a university away from home. With limited resources and little encouragement to attend an undergraduate or graduate school I limited myself from exploring the possibilities that were out there for me. Now as a late college bloomer if I had the opportunity to go back in time to my high school senior self I would give myself a little bit of encouragement and show myself the possibilities that are out there.

Kelly, why didn't you take the college application process more seriously? Why didn't go you visit the college campuses? Why did you procrastinate to fill out the applications? Why didn't you research on what you wanted to major in? Oh Kelly, why? You should have been doing what you are doing right this nanosecond! Yes, that's right--filling out scholarships to aid your financial needs. You have always done well in school and joined many clubs, sports, and volunteer activties. But what have you been doing that for? Yes, all of that made you happy, but it also reflects who are you for the colleges. They don't know you, so they look at what you have done: all of the awards you've won, the plentiful hours of volunteering you've done, and the amount of work you put into school which is reflected by your 4.3 GPA. Kelly dear, you have done so much work that you forgot what portion of the work goes to: your future college.

Pick a major and stick to it sooner. I wasted too much time changing my major which lead to me taking lower division classes that I did not need and were not very interesting.

I would advice myself to have taken more college courses while I was in high school because they were so inexpensive. Now I have to pay over three thousand dollars just to attend a state university and be an undergraduate.

I know how much you hate it when old people and know-it-alls try to give you advice, but stop being so stubborn and defensive! Not every piece of feedback is an affront to your intelligence. Some advice DOES make sense. Try having a budget, practice safe sex, and please take me seriously about having flip flops on when you’re in those communal showers! And use a calendar to track things like due dates for financial aid, homework, and family stuff mom will never forgive you for forgetting, like grandma’s 90th birthday. Everyone will say how “different” things will be once you're in college. And they’re right. The cool part is that you get to decide whether or not “different” is going to be terrifying and terrible, or the best years of your life. So many things up to this point have been out of your control, but now that you’ll be in college on your own, you call the shots. It’s an exciting new mix of freedom, responsibility, and unlimited potential. Trust me – you have what it takes to succeed. PS Tell Mark you’re sorry about the goldfish. Really sorry.

Breath. It doesn’t matter the anxiety and the stress. It does not matter that life is hard, and getting harder every minute. It’s worth it. You are working towards a clear achievable goal, and you will get there! Stay focussed, and do not wait until April to do your senior project that is due in May, trust me. You are bright and talented and competitive. You are beautiful. The boys don’t matter right now, and you are doing the right thing by not chasing them. You are also doing the right thing by staying on track, and not making any mistakes to jeopardize your future. You will succeed, and it will be worth it. When to go to college, do not get the coffee from the kiosk by the library, it’s worth the ten minute walk to get the better coffee that doesn’t make you nauseous, and lay off the cupcakes, you’ll thank me later. Thank you for giving future you a strong foundation, you’re going to need it.

Some advice that I would give myself would be to study hard and study often. I'd also advise myself never to drop classes. After getting out of high school and being allowed to choose which classes I take in college also allowed me to decide if I wanted to stay in a class or drop it. I would never have dropped a class since it eventually made me take much longer at a city college to transfer to a four year.

I would tell my self to push harder in high school. In high school it is easy to get away with good grades and not learning the material. But when you get to college if you have already learned and mastered the things you should have it will be alot easier. Also push your self to get good grades starting as a freshman because who knows what school you will want to go to when it comes time to apply. If you pushed your self you will have a better chance at getting in to what ever school you choose in the end.

Sometimes it takes being on the outside of things to really appreciate the beauty and benefits of the inside. In my case, I didn’t go to college until four and half years after graduation. I was an outsider to university, looking at my friends blast through college, picking up degrees in this, and certificates in that. I thought my high school GPA and motivation was too low for immediate enrollment into college, and I was right. Going back in time, I would tell my high school self that the path I took, which in this case the military, was the right choice. Taking time to explore others after high school was necessary for me to appreciate college later in life. The thing is this. I wasn’t ready for college after high school, and some non-academic activity or adventure would probably be as beneficial and fulfilling as college would be. And I do declare that it was for me. College isn’t something you do immediately after high school; it is something you do when you are ready, be it at 18 or 50.

The best advice I could give myself if I could go back in time as a high school senior would be for me to apply to as many scholarships as possible and seek other resources and opportunities outside of community service. I have always done community service but never involved myself in too many social events. By applying for scholarships I would have been more prepared for college financial expenses. I also may have started at a university earlier in my lifetime.

The world is different now. When your parents were in college, a BA was enough. You could live comfortably with a BA. An MA could get you in to the upper class. But now, you need to pull out all the stops. Nothing is ever enough. I know it is difficult to process, but with the economy in the toilet, you need to be competitive, academically rounded, and a social queen. You need to make connections with professors and your peers to ensure future success and social support. Stop being shy. Shy people get run over in the hallways and forgotten in the library. Stop being scared. Fear will crush your future. Some basic advice: credit cards are your enemy. You do not need a grande coffee every morning. Nurse that one beer the whole night, because believe me, you do not want that drunken spree on facebook. It isn't the amount of parties you go to, its the impression you make with people. Group study - socialize and learn at the same time. And finally, you don't need to compromise your beliefs. In fact, stand up for them, and later you'll be respected for it.

The advice I would have given myself would be to always put my best effort into every class I take. There has been a few classes that I hated but needed to take to finish my general education that I did not try my hardest in which I regret.

Assuming that I could go back in time when I was senior in high school, I think that I would tell myself to take school a little more seriously. I would encourage a continued sense of humor but more dedication to my studies. I would tell myself to not be afraid of other people or insecure about myself, because those things that seemed so life threatening are little mole-hills. I would convince myself that I am just as important as the others around me and my opinion means something. Study groups would also be something that I would encourage because they allow broader perspectives and a new way of looking at something. Connecting with other people is probably the best advice I could give myself because it is really amazing building connections and making friends.

I would ask my high school senior self, to be a reader. There is are various materials to read: textbooks, novels, articles, and other reading materials. It would also be nice to tell my senior self to also be aware of the financial difficulties I will get myself into, while I am trying to earn my degree in Film study to become a films director.

No matter how hard things seem as a high school student if you don't get your diploma now and enroll in college now, you will always wish that you had. Even though you think that you know it all, you really don't and honestly never really will. Quit trying to grow up so fast and enjoy the little time you have left to be a high school or college student, don't be in such a hurry to get into the workforce. If you don't finish school and try to further your education you will always just get to have a job and you will work tirelessy to accomplish only half of what your true potential is. If you finish high school, get your college degree and start a career, life will be a whole lot less stressful and by having a career and not just a job you will be more secure in yourself emotionally, physically and financially. Be an inspiration to all of your family and friends, not just another statistic.

Save up more money for education, apply for more scholarships, figure out from beginning which field to go into, and plan classes ahead.

There is more to life than High School. I would put much more hard work into my studies right now, as it will help you prepare for a rigorous educational journey. Even though all you may want after high school is to get married and have a family; there is no way possible to have that without a good job along with a higher education. In a couple of years you are going to regret the fact that you didn’t prepare to attend a four year university. Please surround yourself with mentors who are going to encourage you to dream bigger than your “stay-at-home-mom” dream. Although that may indeed be a good dream, your dreams will change and shift; your dreams will soon include attaining your Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. Helping others is something that you loved in high school, and your passion is going to grow even stronger when you get older. Enjoy the ride, it is an amazing life; especially when you achieve your dreams of helping others, it is indeed fulfilling.