California State University-San Bernardino Top Questions

Focus more on learning, and less time hanging out with friends. Your true friends will always be there for you but they will not hand you your education. Get your college education completed early in life so you have more time for the things you love. Intern and volunteer your free time, you will make life long connections that may lead to a career position you are passionate about. If you are having a hard time go talk to your teachers, that is what they are there for. They will help to guide you and teach you what you are having trouble with. High school is easy, trust me im in the real world.

If I could go back to high school and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself not to worry so much about the transformation to college. I think that knowing I would be packing up the belongings that I had in the comfort of my parents home and moving to a dorm in a college town where I didn't know anyone was absolutely terrifying. After having a year and a half complete, I can safely say that college has lead me to meeting the friends that I am looking forward to keeping for the rest of my life. I think that as a senior, it is easy to forget that you're not the only one. Every other freshman is going through the same thing as you -- you are not alone. College is a big change but it has been the greatest experience of my life and has led me to grow both academically and mentally. I would definitely advise my senior self to take a deep breath and not worry so much about what college had in store. It all works out and its not nearly as terrifying as it seems.

If I were able to go back in time to speak to myself, I would definitely tell myself to study harder, take extra classes, and learn more at all times. To really take the advantage of education and not just to take the bare minimum but to go beyond. Join every clubs you can. Always be patient in learning anything new and do not be too hard on yourself because everyone has their own struggles and move at their own pace and as long as you keep trying and doing your best, that's good enough.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to thank my parents for encouraging me to attend Cal State San Bernardino instead of CSU Dominguez Hills. This decision helped me more than I could ever understand at that time in my life. As a high school senior you want to move out on your own and experience the so called "college life" that everyone loves to talk about. When in reality if I were to have made that decision I would have been $40,000 in debt. Today, because of the help of my parents, I am able to further my education and attend Grad school because of the money I was able to save. Even though Grad school will require me to take out loans, at least I was able to save extra money by living at home and attending Cal State San Bernardino.

Some eighteen year olds know what they want and where they will go. I was not one of those kids, but I took a chance on me and continued my education. I didn't understand in those days how to study well or how to excel, but I can say that being on a college campus propelled me forward, even if my GPA didn't reflect the best grades. In the years since, I have learned who I am, succeeded and failed but kept moving forward. My undergraduate degree helped me to be where I am today - in a graduate master's program - and I expect to finish with excellence. So can you. You'll have some failure and some success, but don't give up on yourself. You can make it through. College is the first stepping stone - but you are the only one who can take that first step in the exciting journey of life.

If I could go back and talk to my high school self, I would advise my younger self to breathe. While it may seem like an odd piece of advice, my younger self was so caught up in what was required to get into college and the courses necessary to graduate that I forgot about the importance of breathing during each part of the journey. Towards the end of high school, the priority is planning out your entire future career, which was the case with myself. Through this tunnel vision of transitioning into college, I forgot to take time to reflect on the entire process. Looking back, the transition from high school to college was a blur, probably due to my reluctance to focus on anything other than my future. Unfortunately, I would characterize my college transition as an aggressive focus on my entire future while selectively ignoring the present. Furthermore, the intense desire to plan my future seeped into my college career. While college is a time of learning, the journey through college is one which should not be ignored. Therefore, allowing myself time to enjoy the journey and breathe would be my advice to my younger self.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself when I was a high school senior I would tell myself to focus on my priorities. When I graduated high school I was so focused on becoming independent and tasting freedom that I did not look at the big picture; which was receiving my bachelor's degree. I would tell myself that before making any choices, to make sure that my school business was taken care of first. There will always be time to be free and independent, but not to take advantage of it and forget the object that gave me that freedom. I would remind high school senior me that college is not free, and paying for school is no walk in the park. The best advice I could tell myself would be to focus on what's important and what is going to have a beneficial impact in my life, the fun and the freedom can wait because it will be waiting for me when I have a bachelor's degree.

I would tell myself to be more open about what I wanted. I always let people tell me that becoming a teacher was a horrible idea and that life would be unsatisfying, but now, with new supporters and professors that are on my side, I would honestly tell myself to become a teacher and to get to know as many people as possible. Follow your dreams, and make a change; dont allow people to tell you that your choices are bad. Be confident that you can make a change in others lives, because one of the reasons I decided to become a Mathematics teacher for high school students was so that i could change their minds about math being hard and to show them that there are other ways and easier ways to solve a problem. I would tell myself to keep tutoring and to never give up or give in!

You're going to get mad. You're going to open those test results and you're going to rage and sulk about why you ever put yourself in the International Baccalaureate. You're going to wish you took the easy way like everyone else. Angry with all that hard work you put forward and ending up in the same place as so many who you feel did much less. Don't wish for it to become easy when you're in college. It will still challenge you. Sometimes you'll do great, sometimes you won't. Know that you can't have the good without the bad. But remember that it's the good you need to look at. Look past those financial burdens that accompany your education to a greater future. Look past those personal problems you have in your vivid life. Look beyond the bad and toward the good. You have an opportunity to have an education that will strengthen you. Push forward. When things don't go your way don't become angry and don't become bitter, because in the end - it doesn't matter where you end up... what matters is who you become.

I would tell myself to try harder to be more outgoing. It may seem like relatively simple advice, but I was a hermit, while I was in high school. I mostly kept to myself and the small group of friends that I gained in the brief period I tried to be an extrovert. This shyness carried over to my undergraduate studies at California State University, San Bernardino. Once again, I was reluctant in making any friends. Unless I needed to work in a group or make a presentation, I stayed inside of my little bubble. However, I soon realized that my introvert personality was hindering my schoolwork and my ability to interact with those around me. In studying at California State University, San Bernardino, I learned that going outside of your comfort zone can be beneficial to your physical, mental, and social well-being.