California University of Pennsylvania Top Questions

Work hard for scholarships, because students loans is no joke!!

I would tell myself to look for as many scholarships as I can, or to go to scholl in state so I would be able to recieve more scholarships. Because finding money for college when you go out of state is very difficult. I would also tell myself to do better on the SAT's so more scholarships and money would be available to me. Another thing I would say is to stay focused and pay attention while in college becuase it is not easy.

I would tell myself not to wish my high school years away. I would tell myself that you are going to miss the way life was made for you during high school. Highschool gives you step by step instructions on what you need to do and what classes to take by 9 weeks, but once you get to college it is all up to you. Professors dont remind you about upcoming tests or projects like high school teachers do, and it is really hard to make that transaction from having things spoon fed to you in highschool to tending to yourself in college. So just relax and remember that once this time of your life is over it is a completely new world when you start your college carrer this upcoming fall .

I would have given myself the advice to try to save all of my money that I was making as much as I could. I would also have told myself to not do a lot of the things that didnt help me to excell. I might try to tell myself the winning lottery numbers as well, but most importantly I would have told myself to start my college search sooner so I could learn a lot more about what to look for in a college or what all of the vocabulary the websites threw at me meant. I feel like those little things would have helped my life so much right now.

Don't stress. Your are more prepared than you think you are, and you are ready to start this next season of your life. Don't sign up for an 8 o clock class freshman year, because you will not wake up early enough to get there. Don't forget when you sign up for an online class, because it keeps going even if you are not aware. Try writing your papers before the morning that they are due to avoid a lack of sleep and unneeded stress. Other than that, have fun and you will be fine.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, the advice I would give myself would be to just enjoy my time there and stop worrying so much. I had so many concerns about my future and stressing about where to go that I didn't allow myself to enjoy the present moment. It's easy to fear the unknown but it's even easier to miss out on the now. Everything always works out how it's supposed to anyway, so just appreciate your last year as much as possible.

If I had the opportunity to go back in time and give advice to my high school senior self, I would tell myself to not be so shy. It may sound like a small weakness of character, but my shyness definitely effected how I socialized on campus. Instead of stepping out of my comfort zone and trying to get involved with activities, I stayed inside my dorm room and read books all day. This is definitely not the way to live life on campus. One of the most memorable experiences of your life should be college, and being shy and in your shell is no way to remember it. After dying my hair blonde and getting a risky short hair cut my sophomore year, I began to come out of my comfort zone and started to find my voice. I found that not only are most people on campus some of the most interesting people you'll meet in your life, but they're helpful and undertanding as well. I only wish I had become more social my freshman year of college so it would not have felt I wasted a year inside my own mind.

The advice that I would give to myself would be that I can't be playing around and getting complacent with what I do. I need to act like every assignment that I have to put my all into it and not get distracted by things around me. Also, I need to take my work seriously and don't be afraid to ask for help.

If I could go back and have a nice discussion with my high school senior self over coffee I would tell me that it’s all going to be okay. As a senior I wasn’t exactly sure on what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go. I was constantly worried that I wouldn’t pick the right major and when I didn’t get into the University of Pittsburgh, my dream school, I thought my life was going to end. It turns out my life didn’t end and I discovered my true passion of stage managing and ended up receiving a full ride scholarship. In the fall I plan on transferring out, but the university has taught me many valuable lessons. Sometimes life’s answers take some time and you have to be patient to figure out who you’re going to be. You cannot be expected to know who you are exactly as a high school senior. I wouldn’t tell my senior-self anything that happens, the experience is the part that matters, but I would say everything is going to be okay, you find out exactly what you’re supposed to be.

As far as living adjustments, I wouldn't make any changes. I've adapted well to college life and I'm enjoying every minute of it. The advice I would give myself is to start looking for funding and scholarships as early as my Junior year in high school. I did well academically (3.96) and was a member of The National Honor Society. That wasn't enough to pull in any funding on its own. The rising costs of an education are well beyond me and my parents means. I was expecting to be in some debt when I graduate. at this point, I'm concerned about the magnitude. Since I'm the oldest child, we are learning the hard way about the reality of it all. You can bet my younger sister will be flooding the market with scholarship applications beginning next year. (Her Junior year).