California State University-San Marcos Top Questions

During my first semester at California State University San Marcos, I've broadened my horizons for the future. I've learned things about the mind in philosophy and psychology. This has fueled my desire to enter the field of medicine. I enrolled in an Intro to Theatre class and this has made me want to pick up some acting. I would like to take some acting classes for fun and see where that takes me. I've made new friends, more than I had in high school and this has boosted my confidence level. I'm excited to attend classes every day. It has been valuable for me to attend class because to get into the Nursing program I need a gpa of at least 2.0. My first semester, my gpa was 3.4! I have worked hard for the grades I achieved. I'm ecstatic for the progress I'm making in college and cannot wait to start my career. Success is fueling me toward a good future. Overall, I want to live a comfortable lifestyle and make my parents proud.

I have gained a variety of experiences both good and bad from being in college. From doing my first team project with a person from a foreign country who I could barely understand to being on my own and living with roommates for the first time. College has helped me grow into a better and more diverse person. On top of gaining experience that will lead to a career being in college is a world among itself that will teach you many things about the world if you let it. While I 'm not so happy about the debt I obtained while in college the information I received more than made up for it.

College has taught me more about life than I would have ever imagined. Between living on my own and managing my schoolwork, I have grown so much in the past two years. The most valuable thing I've learned was to save money and budget better. Everyone says this but until you begin college and begin paying for classes, books, bills, and rent, you truly have no appreciation for money and its worth. In addition I have learned that procrastination is detrimental in college. After having to wake up mid-morning numerous times to write an essay or do an assignment I have most definitely learned that getting things done as soon as you receive the assignment is the best policy, instead of waiting until the last minute. I've also learned a lot about different people and interacting with different types of people. College has been an extremely valuable addition to my life, not only because of the knowledge that I am receiving through the classes, but also for the incredible life-lessons I am learning.

I would tell myself to really enjoy and cherish the upcoming experiences in my college years. I would say to myself that life will have its ups and downs and not to get discouraged when tough times do approach. To immerse myself more student life and what the school has to offer. I would add to keep a stronger balance with work and play as I have stressed myself out early in my college transition. The last thing I would say is to love my family and friends more and to create better relationships with them.

As a high school senior, I really wish I would have focused on what school was going to give me the best experience. I ignored the facts and picked a commuter school in sunny San Diego to save my parents the burden of paying the out of state tuition and me the burden of dealing with cold and wet weather. This year I am giving myself a do-over and transfering to a school that is school spirited, apart of the community, in a college town, and of course going to give me an excellent education. These are the qualities I should have been looking for in a school my senior year.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to take things VERY seriously. Pay attention to class lectures and take lots of notes. Never fall behind on school work, for it does have a negative impact on your grade at the end of the semester. It is quite difficult to catch up once you fall behind. Always find time to study before exams well in advance, it will only be most beneficial to you. Make sure that you are taking the correct courses for your major, if you are not sure then make an appointment with your academic advisor, it sure would make things easier. Be social towards others on campus and try to make many friends. Join clubs or organizations that interest you to keep busy and meet new people. Most importantly, don't let the actions of others have an impact on you emotionally, not everyone is going to be nice and it may be hard to adjust living independantly and away from home, but keeping a postive outlook is always the best thing to do!

A.J., you have one more year left of high school. You have made it this far. Do not quit now. You have been doing exceptionally well in all of your classes. Now it's time to step it up. Make sure you not only pass all the classes this year, but also take as much information from past classes to feed your brain. This will help you in deciding what you want to do in life and select your major. You want to start your college life quickly. Once you get accepted to the college you want to go to, do not hesitate to sign up for classes as soon as they open up for you. Make school a priority. I know friends, parties, get togethers, etc. are fun, but you have to focus. You will always have time for that. Get good grades in college. This will help you in qualifying for scholarships or even get you recognized to receive them. College is expesive, but if you get these good grades, you might get through college for free. Remember to be the best you can be and just have fun. All your hard work will pay you back.

I would tell myself that these days a college degree is necessary to sustain a comfortable life style. Even a bachelor?s degree might not be enough, a graduate degree ensures a lifelong career. a college education is the best investment a person could make to ensure your future. So you should try to find the best college that fits you. Also, you should stay involved in student activities and events; this will help keep you interested in school and have a reason to come back every semester. You also have a chance to meet new people and avoid loneliness which can lead to dropping out of school. I would also tell myself to apply for as many grants and scholarships, especially the FAFSA, and meet the deadlines ? those are important. College is expensive and a student can never have too much money. Also, stay on top of all your AP classes because you could skip up to a whole semester of your college career if you score high enough on the tests. Regular high school classes are important too, because the information you learn can still be useful and might also have a leg up in your college classes.

Senior year is a very difficult time for a 17-18 year old. You are faced with one of the most important decisions in your life. It is extremely stressful because this decision will determine your fate for the next four or so years, so you do not want to get it wrong. If I could go back in time, the advice I would give myself is do not choose a school that is far just because you are sick of your parents. Almost all freshmans are homesick at some point, some cases are stronger than others. Before you move across country make sure its truly what you want and not just to get back at your parents for not getting you a new car or something. I would also say visit and try to stay at each of your top schools before making the final decision. Often times than not the school is not what you pictured it to be and if you worked so hard in high school it is awful to be dissapointed. And lastly really research the schools and decide if this is really the best thing for you and how badly you want it.

First off, I would tell myself to start applying for scholarships there and then. College is hard to pay for I would prefer to not take loans until needed. Second, I would tell myself to not worry about general ed classes yet, and instead dive head first into the core requirements for my major and the foreign language. I would remind myself that I?m smart and can handle the full 15 units if I don?t slack off ? Stop playing video games, Self! Perhaps I would go to the local JC during the summers to start my GEs. Not as important for graduating but still an essential part of college: I would tell myself its okay to meet new people and try to make friends.

Having the opporunity to to go back in time and be able to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to challenge myself more in my class load because in college you can not get by the easy way. I learned that the hard way my first semester in college.

I would have encouraged the younger me to finish college while serving in the military since I tend to fit in better with the older graduate culture than I do with the younger undergraduate culture.

I would tell myself to make more of my own decisions when it comes to college instead of listening to my parents, friends, and family's wishes. I would tell myself that I shouldn't feel pressured to go to a certain college with my best friend instead of picking one out on my own because I am scared of making new friends. I would also tell myself to have a little more faith in my personality and trust that I can make new friends on my own. I would also probably tell myself to go to community college first instead of being obsessed with going away to a university right off the bat. Because I wasn't sure what I wanted to major in, I wish I would have gone to community college right away, then transferred to save money and take time to decide what I really wanted to do in life. Community college was one of the better experiences in my college career and I would tell myself not to be afraid that I would get stuck in the same place because of choosing to go to a local community college first.

If I had the opportunity to talk to myself as the na?ve high school senior I once was, I would probably remind myself of a number of important things I should have taken into consideration. Such as, studying for my ACTs and AP exams, passing one or more of my advance placement tests like US history or Enconmics would have helped me in the long-run by accumulating college credit to that particular class I took the exam in. I would also remind myself about how crucial it is to focus in high school in order to prepare me as a college student by not procrastinating, following deadlines, instructions, and rules.

If I were able to go back in time and give myself some advice, the first thing I would tell myself is to stay on top of things. In high school, especially as a senior, it is all about enjoying your senior year, in other words you can slack off and get away with it for the most part. Secondly, I would tell myself, "USE YOUR PLANNER. " College professors may give you a syllabus, but if you do not know the dates for assignments, forget it. And lastly, I wish I could have told myself never to settle for doing average, or just enough, but to do things to the best of my ability. School is not about how fast you can get an assignment done or how easy it was, but what you gained from it. Throughout high school I tried, but did not always give my best effort, and now I am going to my back up school rather than my dream school.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would definitely tell myself to take as many AP classes as possible. Being a junior in college now, I am really starting to notice how much easier it would have been if I had gotten more of my general classes out of the way while I was in high school. I would have also told myself to apply for college a lot sooner than I did. Because I went to an American school overseas since my father was in the military, our couselors had to deal with students from all over the U.S. This meant they could not notify every student about application dates and deadlines for each and every school so it was very difficult for me to find out how to do everything I needed to apply for schools in California. As much as I like my school now, I wish I had to opportunity to get information on UC's and apply for them and maybe have even a better college expeience.

Misconceptions. A high school senior's perception of college is full of them. In hindsight, I laugh to think of the idealistic expectations I had those few years ago. If I could go back in time and give advice to the kid I was when exiting high school, I would have a lot to say. More than anything though, I would want to slap myself and shout, "Wake up! On your toes! It gets tough now!" The common understanding among myself and my peers was that the college experience was all about freedom. Which it is. Freedom and responsibility. I had thought only about how convenient it would be to be able to cut class on a whim, choose whatever classes you like, and participate in any number of extra activities. I had neglected to consider that to do each would require discretion. You are expected to enroll in classes on your own, and take charge of duties like purchasing books and parking permits. The freedom to be absent proves to be more of a curse than a blessing. I would tell my past self, "You're just thinking of the freedoms. Consider the duties and responsibilities as well."

If I could give the pre-college me advice I would tell myself to be more outgoing in school from the very beginning, to get involved with groups that interested me in order to create close bonds with other students with similar interests. I have only recently gotten involved with my campus and wish I had started long ago. Also, I would tell myself to take advantage of school resources, such as the librarians who aid in research, and the writing and math center where peers are hired on as tutors. I would also recommend to myself to take the extra time before class to look over my work and the course material for the day, it is worth more than the little bit of sleep or socializing. With our current budget crisis I would tell myself to visit a counselor and get myself on track, because a full course load in the beginning will help you surely graduate on time even with the unit holds that are being placed, and the classes that are being cut, making them difficult to get into. But mostly I would say live it up, these will be the best years of your life.

I graduated high school almost three years ago. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would buy myself a cup of coffee and tell myself to sit back, open my ears, and enjoy the warm taste of caffine as I will have to learn to depend on it. My advice would be simple. This transition is not easy. Be prepared for change and maturity. Keep your head up and smile! There will be many situations that you will not be prepared for. But it will be OK. There are situations you will get in that will cause you great sadness, great joy, and great change. I will not tell you to what to avoid or what to point towards because without the rollercoaster of life, you can not learn. Everything falls into place gracefully. You will learn from the bad days and relish in the good days. You will learn to value every single penny and work hard for those dimes. Look forward to the people you will meet and the lessons they will teach you. Lead, learn, love, and laugh. Stay close to Mom and Dad. Stay innocent.

One major thing that I wouldo have told myself was to try harder, although it may seem cliche. Yes, I did well in high school and still had over a 4.0 average at the end of my senior year, but I feel that had I applied myself to a fuller extent I would have had a much more enriching high school experience. I also would have told myself the importance of budgeting my money, because now I am definitely learning more than ever how expensive it is to be a college student! I would have stopped myself from buying unnecessary items and instead saving my money for college expenses to help my parents pay for schooling. I also would have told myself to show more appreciation for my parents, because now more than ever I am realizing how many sacrifices they make for me so that I can attend a university and live a nice life.