California State University-Stanislaus Top Questions

I would tell myself that a college degree is a necessary tool to have. I know you will get acadmic sholarship for UAA that it is a once in a life time opportunity to get a free education. If you don't finish college the first time you will have to pay or get loans and apply for scholarships which you will have a hard time to win, because there are many students wanting and need funding. If I don't go to college and finish now, I have to wait for the right time, because I have a family to support. And that is the same reason why I am going back to college is to support my family. But at the same time, I don't know if I would change anything, because if I went to college the 1st time I wounldn't have the family I have now. Thank you for your considertation to get this opportunity to return to school. Laura

I would have a million things to say and to explain about transition from what I know sitting here today. I would tell myself that you only get one shot and you need to make sure that you do your best, so you have no regrets, or think you could have done it better. College was a great experience and I wouldn't have changed that decision if my life depended on it, it was worth every second. I learned so much in such a short time, I grew so much. I came across many influential teachers, classmates and mentors. I gained a positive expsosure to things that were not possible if I did not make that one life-changing decision. One major thing that I would have stressed is family is important, but before you start a family of your own, I would have instilled that it makes it much harder to reach your goals and dreams for that better life that you dreamed of in the first place, and now you have to worry thet future of someone else, and you need that education to give that to them.

The two things I would tell my high school senior self would be: 1. take more AP courses and 2. try not to go crazy freshman year. What most high school seniors don't realize is that they have a great advantage by being able to take AP courses during highschool because it is significanly less expensive than taking courses at a university or college. I myself took 3 AP courses my senior year, but did not even bother to study for the exams because I knew I was already accepted into a university. I didn't see the AP exams as an opportunity to save money and to earn college credit. Also, college obviously offers more freedom than high school and unfortunately for me, I got caught up in the freedom and forgot the real reason I was in college, to get an education and not to party. I can't go back in time and tell myself what I know now, but I can take this wisdom and apply it to future situations.

If I were to be able to go back in time and give advice to myself when I was a senior in high school, I would tell myself to not worry so much about how hard college is going to be. I would tell myself that it's not as hard as people make it out to be. All I need to do is go to every class and pay attention to the lectures and read the book and I will do very well on the exams and pass the class. I would reassure myself that going to college was the right choice to pick instead of joining the military because I was contemplating whether to be a soldier or to go to college. I would tell myself that college is better than high school because you have more freedom to choose the classes you want to take and it won't feel like a waste of time. I will also advise myself to live in the dorms for the first year of college instead of moving into an apartment because I wish I had the experience of living on campus. I would tell myself to be positive and happy.

Given the ability to go back in time to give advice to myself as a high school senior, the first and most important thing I would tell me is to practice better study habits. Starting in the university its a whole new world and your grade is usually based on a couple tests that are consisted of a compressed amount of criteria which are learned throughout the semester. For me that was the most difficult part coming from high school and not practicing the same habits that I now have. Other important advice I would like to have gave is, trying to form some kind of relationship with your professors. Making sure you visit each professor and discussing anything that could help you improve in that class. Who knows, you could really benefit if your grade is a percent or two away. These are two most important things I've learned so far that have helped me succeed more in my acedemics. Luckily I learned all this advice early, however this is to me the most important advice I would have told Adam the high school senior.

If I could go back and talk to myself in high scool, I would tell myself that the longer you put off school the harder it will be when you go back. There is plenty of time for boys and playing around but if you do not take you education seriously you will find yourself in menial jobs and struggling to get by. I would tell myself to go to college right after high school while all the learning is still fresh in your mind because if you wait until you are thirty like me you will find the classes more difficult and you will have less time to work at a job you love. School is very important and you should never stop learning. Strive to learn something new everyday. I would also tell myself to remember that if you do not like the career path you have chose through your career you can always change it. There is never a limit to what you can learn or what you can do.

Assuming that I could go back in time and provide myself with advice as a high school senior, I would start by telling myself to look for scholarships and grants to apply for and find a mentor; someone who could help guide me and help me navigate my way through college. I would tell myself to learn how to network and stay in contact with other professionals, teachers, and peers because our futures may cross paths again. Learning how to manage my time and participate in many community and educational experiences will be impeccable to my learning experience, not only academically but also in all areas of my life. I will tell myself that college will be only as great as I am willing to make it. Lastly, I will tell myself that the next few years of college will be some of the best years, some of the worst years, and some of the most memorable years of my life; I will love it, I will hate it, but I will survive; so keep moving forward and thrive!

Be open to all types of people at the college because you will make great friends here, no matter college level they are at. Try to have fun with the classes that you take and make learning fun. Do not get stressed if you do not do as well as you would have liked on one of your tests because you will have plenty of opportunities to make up for it. Study very hard and take your work seriously. Memorizing and cramming the information is something you should not do with college courses, especially if they are in your major because then you will not learn the material. Do not freak out over little problems because that will only make the bigger ones that much harder to handle. Be yourself and take advantage of classes that catch your interest because those classes will help make getting through school easier. Be prepared to dedicate a LOT of time to schoolwork and not seeing your family as much as you would like...after all, it is college and they know that you will have to spend a lot of time there as well as not having the money to go see them.

Stay focused and take every opportunity that you have to use the resources so freely given to you. If there is a dream in your heart go after that dream and put in all of the necessary hard work that it takes to stay focused on the goal. Whatever dream that you have is not going to go away, and there is no way to escape the work that it entails to accomplish that goal. Do not become a bitter old soul who lives your life through the lives of your children, developing envious desires and feelings towards the other individuals who have taken the time to pursue and put in the hard work for that dream. Know that it is never too late to start, and any effort in the process counts. The days go by and before you know it you will be at an age that could become discouraging at the realization of how much time was wasted if you do not put your foot down now focus. If you put in the hard work now, you future could be one that you could enjoy and feel like you are making a difference in this life.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would give myself the advice to have a backup college plan just in case things don't work out the way you expected. I would have my educational goals set as to what courses I need to take as well as to have a major set. Another advice I would give myself would be to have tooken more AP courses in high school because they give you the advantage of not having to take that course in college.