California State University-Sacramento Top Questions

What should every freshman at California State University-Sacramento know before they start?

Roberto

If I were given the opportunity to give myself advice in high school it would be to take my classes more serious and stay out of trouble.

alejandro

One thing that i could say to my self it to put more focus more on school.

Andres

If I had the opportunity to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior the only advice I would give myself is to study hard for the SAT’s and the ACT’s. I think that would be my biggest regret as a college student today. I would really want to give myself advice into the college life and making the transition because the experience of coming to college not knowing anything relives oneself to bloom and become who they really are. I really would emphasize though on the SAT and the ACT because when I look at it now I see it in a way that if you do well on the test’s and pass with an adequate score you really invested into a college career. Unfortunately I didn’t do good in the SAT or ACT so it caused me to take remedial courses witch cost me a good amount of money on materials but more importantly it slowed me down into my college career. So in a sense I would just ask myself this question “college for four years or college for six, you decide.”

Margarita

I would tell myself to keep my head up no matter how hards things got. To try hard and focus on myself a lot more. Worry about my school work and get things done ahead of time. To feel free to have fun once in a while.

Sarah

Knowing what i know now about college life, my advice is to try harder. Do not give everything your least effort, put some hard thought into everything you do. The harder you try the better the outcome will be. You can not just live your life without trying, I mean you could, but what meaning would life have on living if you only made it to be the least effort possible. By trying harder your giving yourself a reason, a reason to be something, a reason to do something, not just slide by knowing if you get the lowest passing grade you will graduate. College has definately change my perspective on my life, what i know now i wish i knew in High School. I have and will try my hardest in everything that I do now in life. Thanks to being pushed into college and not having a little regret for going back to school.

Yanna

I would tell myself to take more Advance Placement classes in high school to get credits in college. If I knew I had to pay the amount I need to pay I would of gotten a job sooner.

Kristine

If I could go back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to always focus on my goal. There are a lot of unexpected bumps on the road but to never give. College life is a lot harder than high school life because there are no professors to guide you every step of the way. It's easier to get distracted, but to always stay commited with my work and to always be the best I can be.

Fabiola

Lil Fabz, don't stress so much. Leaving this small town will be the best choice you've made thus far. Sure you will be leaving your high school friends, but you will be exposed to so much more; you'll realize that there's a whole world out there of places to see and people to meet. All you have to do is take a chance! I know you have lots of questions now so once the time comes, start asking. Ask anyone. Ask a complete stranger if that's what it takes to get an answer. Don't procrastinate because it will be the death of you. Stop beating yourself up trying to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life. Great accomplishments take time. Listen to your heart and forget the rest. Trust yourself and you'll figure it out soon enough. All that matters is that you believe in yourself. You've made it this far so don't stop now. Put on a winning smile and go get them.

Victoria

Shoot for the stars and discover your full potential!

Kayla

If I were given the opportunity to visit my past self as a high school senior, then I would advise myself to be more proactive rather than reactive. If I had been more proactive my senior year of high school, then I probably would have had a job therefore have extra money to help with college expenses. Because I was not very proactive, I am now (the summer before starting college) being forced to be reactive -- and try to catch up with the expenses -- which has proven to be challenging and stressfull. The pressure of college fees has recently hit me when I was informed that the amount FAFSA had offered to lend me would not be enough to cover the total tuition fees. I would give myself this advice because this problem might have been avoided if I had been more proactive with my finances during my senior year of high school.

Taylor

Taylor, I know you don't care about academics and think that you're not worth more than a C, but it is incredibly important for you to start paying attention and putting more effort into your school work. You can't just sit in class and get by with minimal effort after High School. College work will really sneak up on you if you're not on top of your game and decently organized. That being said- don't be too afraid to expirment with what you want in life. There are so many options available to you. Don't listen to any of the counselors, and make sure that you're really doing what you want to do. I promise you'll make mom proud.

Rina

Do not slack off and make as many friends within each class as you can. School is much easier if you have friends that not only make the class worth going to( especially if the class is a bit on the boring side) but are readily available to help you if it is needed. Doing work in groups is a lot more beneficial than doing work alone, especially if the class is difficult for you.

Lindsey

Listen up, high school me. I want you to hear me on this – high school is just a blip in your life. In fact, it’s not even a whole blip. It’s half a blip. It might not seem like it now but the day-to-day drama is so trivial. It’s only been two years since I graduated and I already can’t remember who was dating who or what the cool kids did on Friday night. So don’t sweat the small stuff. And don’t be ashamed of being a little nerdy. It’s what gets you into the college of your dreams, where being a nerd isn’t such a bad thing. The transition will be hard at first, but fear not! You’re not alone. Every freshman feels a little unsure of themselves and sometimes even terrified. It’s part of the process and we’re all in it together. Oh, and one more thing – when you take a year off to save up money for school, don’t chop off all your hair. We look absolutely ridiculous now.

Claire

I would tell myself to start earlier with school and to network more with professors and fellow students. I would tell myself to get more involved with volunteering. This would help with my graduate goals.

Anastasiya

I would advise my high school self, to go straight into four-year College and be more confident and firm in my choice of the major. I would advise to enjoy the classes and take as much from them as possible. I would remind myself to be firm in my personal beliefs and let not anyone shake them. As a twenty-five-year-old I would remind my eighteen-year-old self that the possibilities are endless, but I should do what I enjoy doing, and to not be discouraged by difficulties that come at times. I would advise to persevere and keep doing the best job I am able of, but to still keep your priorities straight. I would advise to listen to my heart and not try to please my parents by taking what I would dread by the end of the semester. Follow my passion and work not for my grades, rather do the best I can, that way anything I’d do would always be the best work I can do. Enjoy these years and look cheerfully into the future.

Chelsea

CSUS has a strong emphasis on multicultrualism and diversity on campus. There are clubs that encourage students of different races, religions, and genders to interact and realize our similarities. Had I known that there was such a strong emphasis on this topic I would have volunteered in more culturally diverse settings sooner. While in my junior year of college I volunteered at a low-income diverse middle school. This allowed me to understand the structure of the Special Ed classroom from the perspective of the educator. I learned that the students benefit greatly from a college student that is willing to come to their classroom a few times a week and help them out with their coursework. The class that I volunteered for was included Caucasions, Asians, Latinos, African Americans, and Indian students. Students that are entering college should realize the benefit of helping students that are in need of academic assistance. Students that live in low-income neighborhoods may not be raised with the idea that college is possible for them, and they may not value their education. For college students to reach out to them would help them realize they can go to college too.

Micaela

No matter the decisions you make and think are wrong, you will learn and grow from them. Do not be afraid to be challenged academically, socially, or finacially because you will be stronger as a person from those challenges. Choose what makes you happy and makes you smile. Love what you learn and where you live because you earned the place to be here and have worked hard for it. You will face some extremely challeging times, no doubt, but you will emerge as a strong, beautiful, intelligent person. Never give up and stay with it because you will fall in love with learning. Mosty importantly, be yourslef and do not let anyone define who you are because only you can make that judgement. Have fun, live it up, study hard, and work harder. The future is yours for the taking and you will be awesome!!! :)

Kristina

I would tell my former self to stop being so anxious about everything and let go of any negativity that will come my way. College is a wonderfully stressful experiences as it is a part of life which means there will be a lot of situations that cause people to become distressed. I used to be the type of person to become overwhelmed with those situations but now I have learned to let go. I cannot control every aspect of my life or situations around me and the best way to live is to relax. I learned that when I went abroad to the UK for a year as apart of my education and when things did not go my way I adapted a British response to life; to let it happen- good or bad. I am now a much happier person for it. High school seniors, just relax and enjoy it because time truly does fly!

Ruby

The advise i would give my self is to take life more serious and learning from my mistakes. As a high school student you dont think what's out there in college taking more of your time studying and reading. One of the ability is having the mentality of learning new things in class and paying attention to the teacher who is helping the students succeed. As a college student you are on your own, proffesors are aware of their students being responsible of their own work. The best thing i would of do as a high school student is work part time and save money for books and tuition fees. I look back thinking thats the best thing i could've done. Especially being a teen mom in high school it wasn't easy, the best thing i can do, is do community service for my community helping out.

Juana

My only advice is to never give up, regardless of the situation I am in.