Clayton State University Top Questions

I have had a long time to contemplate this question. I am a 41 year old wife and mother, completing my undergraduate degree. I began school back in the fall of 1992 and had a few mishaps along the way. Over the years, I have learned that is extremely important to recognize opportunities and to take full advantage of them. Youthfulness is a profound advantage and opportunity, use it wisely. I would tell my younger self to, yes, have fun, but do not fully commit to anyone or anything but you. And in the midst of that commitment, find the balance between you and humanity – whatever your goals and dreams are the world needs you to accomplish them. And finally, be gentle with yourself. We all make mistakes; give yourself room to grow through the mistakes. It’s ok. The only tragedy is when you do not learn from those mistakes.

Its important to stay focuse and dont allow unnecessary obstacles get in your way. Concentrate completely on your degree, set goals and take the proper step which will help you in the future. Become a diverse individual and gain knowledge from various professor. Form connection with people that are active in your field and dont be closedminded to different opportunities. Study and alocated enough time to your work because its important to make yourself knowledgeable in your field. Be strong and dont give up on your dreams.

Jessica, Being an athlete that went on to compete in college, I have many things that I would tell my younger self. For one, be confident, not only in sports but in school as well, you are capable of more than you think. Do not procrastinate, procrastinating will get you nowhere and you will end up getting an 89.6 instead of a 90 and college professors don't round. I know you re a slow reader but start reading and get used to it, start liking you books. Lastly, embrace every moment because it is only here for a short time. Trust your gut and go with the flow, college is supposed to be a once in a lifetime opportunity that most people don't take advantage of. Once you do all of these things the rest is yours to figure out. Your future self- Jessica

All right, Past Akil. I need you to listen up and listen carefully. During your first semester of college you will meet some fascinating people. Their characters will make you grip to them and hold on for your dear life. You'll lose yourself in the joy of their presence and what you believe to be the muddledness of their personality. Here is your warning: Imagine these people complexly. Work painstakingly to do this. Think of them as more than captivating storybook characters, but as people with actual concerns, desires, and fears. Do not lose yourself in your interest in others. Keep reading books. And don't make any promises you can't keep. Love, Future Akil

Don't let ANYONE tell you what to do. This is your life, and at the end of the day, only you can live. Mother doesn't always know what's best. Don't be afraid to grow in your relationship with God. Get your license as soon as possible. I love you. I always will. You'll find the right guy, but don't get caught up on finding him. Work on yourself first.

If I know that have to take this many general courses (60 credits total) for two years, I'd take as many AP classes in my high school as I could and really studied the materials in order to get at least a 3 on the AP exams. Then I'd have much more time to focus on my major-related courses or take interesting courses such as Drawing and Computer Science. Moreover, I'd try my best to apply for many scholarships because college is really expensive. I have to buy everything myself, for instance books (super expensive) and scantrons along with other writing utensils. Furthermore, I should get a part-time job, so I can pay for gas and grocery expenses. Speaking about food, I should have learned cooking because eating out frequently is not economic and very unhealthy. And I need to stay healthy for fight cramming nights preparing for the exams and others projects in college.

If I could go back in time I would tell myself to stay focused and concentrate on completing your degree. There will be plenty of time to parlay and play around on the days there is no class and you are secure in your field of study. It is important to finish what you start and take your grades seriously.

Dear Victoria, College is much better than high school just hang on a little more. The people in college are older and more mature. The professors actual like it when you talk to them. The workload is not half-bad and the chairs in some of the classrooms swivel! Also everyone is nervous. So get outside yourself and greet people, act like no one is a strange and all was have a soccer ball in the car. The soccer ball has created many special moments. It has allowed me to meeting new people, build relationships and to have professors come over and start talking about world history. When specking with your professors show honor and respect, this way they think your smart and will help you out with papers that are due for their class. You will also find that many students are just there for a grade, hold close the idea that grades are not everything and that life after college will not be depended on grades alone, but on the person you have become throughout college. I wish you the best of luck in college and no worries you go this. From yours truly, Victoria

If I could got back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior this is what I'd say: "Carla, it's a good idea to go ahead and go to college immediately after you graduate from high school. I would advise you to go into the Armed Forces so that you can gain your college education, all while serving your country. College life is much different from high school. In college, you're expected to do everything on your own. In high school you are given some freedom, but still have someone there to hold your hand, sort of. In college it's different. It's to your advantage because this will give you a taste of what you will experience when you have graduated and are navigating your way through corporate America. To be the most successful in college, find that one professor that you can befriend. It would be to your advantage to glean all of the information that you can from them- as they have been where you are trying to go. Most professors are more than willing to share information that will assist you in your studies, career and graduate school choices."

If I could talk to myself as a highschool student, I would tell myself to just breathe. Do your best academically, and don't get involved with all the highschool drama. Highschool is not a simulation of the real world, nor is it the same type of work you'll do in college. Do your best. Practice making friends, but don't freak out if your social life isn't perfect. It only gets better. Don't do anything stupid, that you'll regret. Your life is not over when highschool is over, so enjoy what you can and don't sweat the little stuff. And get started on applying to schools and taking tours, they help the most!

The best advice that I could give my high school self would be to really take the time to focus on school. I wish I had not taken a semester off from school. The one semester I took off turned into 14 years off. I would not trade my life; however I do wish I had gone to college right after high school so that I could truly do something that I am passionate about. I truly feel that my heart and soul needs to get a college education so that I may make my son and husband proud. I want to be an example to my son that I can do anything if I set my mind to it.

Knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition from high school to college life I would tell my then "fresh out of high school" self, "I know you really excelled in high school and have graduated as an honor student in the top ten percent of your class so CONGRATULATIONS!! Now, listen to me very carefully, DO NOT rest on your laurels and think that because you excelled in high school that college will be a breeze. You will need to really focus and apply what you have learned in high school in order to succeed in college. It's okay to have a life and occasionally go out with friends socially but remember that you are going to college for a reason. You have to excel in order to be competitive in the employment market when you graduate. Mediocrity will not be rewarded! Your classmates are your competition so accept this challenge and show up everyday to classes and give your VERY BEST self. You many not have this opportunity in your lifetime again to focus solely on school as later in life you may have other responsibilities with family, etc. Seize the day!!

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition I would give myself the advice of don't hold back and build lasting friendships that would last a life time. I would tell myself to not be afraid to go out and get in certain clubs or try out for different activites. I would tell myself make friends, real friends, and hold on to them and build relationships and bonds that are unbreakable because during that time is when you need them the most and definitley after graduation.

The most important advice I would give myself is to focus. There is so much freedom and things to do while in college it is very easy to get off-track. I would tell myself to set goals periodically, and do my best to achieve them. I would also stress the importance of freshman year. A terrible freshman year can really make it difficult for you to end up with a quality grade point average. And lastly, I would tell my self to enjoy it, because once it is over you will definitely miss it.

I would tell myself to get informed of the new environment, faculty and resources available, which will aid in making concrete decisions about course work. I would immediatly get connected with my advisor and get to know him/her and create an indvidual plan, so I can complete college succssfully and on time. Getting involved on campus and joining clubs , such as PTK, will help give a sense of connection to the college. Offering to volunteer to be a student leader also benefits me and I would get to know other students who are entering college. I would immediatly seek out resources, such as tutors, to ensure that I can get help when I need it for classes I struggle in. There are job opportunities on campus to fit into my schedule. Over the past two years, I engaged in the student community and found this to be the most immportant link to my success. My advice to myself would be, to create the best learning environment for myself which is tailored to my needs. Over the past two years Instructors, staff, peers and even the Dean have become like family to me. This spells success. I am worth it.

Advice to myself would be too learn how to study and learn how not to procrastinate.

If I could go back and talk to my myself as a high school senior I would remind myself that school isn't really over in the 12th grade. Degrees are important in tis competitive job market. I would tell myself to figure out which subjects I like and compare them to jobs that are expected to grow. I would also tell myself to withdraw early if there was any doubt about finishing a semester. Lastly, I would tell myself to look at the lifetime maximum amount awarded for financial aid. I would encourage myself to live on campus and participate in a work study. I would also tell myself to stay surrounded by people who are as serious as you are. I would laso tell myself to wait to get married and start a family until after I graduated, preferably with a Masters of higher. If I had done these things I would not have wasted six years in college, only to run out of financial aid my last semester.

When I was in high school, the only reason I made good grades was to make my parents proud. I was always told that if you have good grades, you will get a job. If I had the chance to talk with myself as a senior in high school, I would sit down with myself over tea and give the following advice knowing what college is like now. My first piece of advice would be to start doing more research into colleges and what they have to offer. While it is nice to know what a college has in terms of student life, it is more important to know what academic programs are offered. Another word of wisdom I would offer myself is that a degree is meaningless if you don't know what you are going to do with it. I would explain to myself that you should find out what you are going to do with your life by volunteering or doing internships and get a degree that will help you get there. It is important to start research into degrees early rather than later. By following this advice, I should have been more prepared for college.

My main advice would be to know what you want before you start going to school. Going to college right after high school felt more like an obligation rather than an opportunity. Because of this, I didn't take college seriously when I first started attending college after graduating high school and I basically flunked out of college. I spent years after that bouncing from job to job, but I was never going to find a career that way. While having that experience made me appreciate and take advantage of my educational opportunities today, I wish I had been able to realize then that I was not only able to complete my education, but that I would be successful in that pursuit.

"Advice to my high school self" Ashley, don't listen to the people that mean to hold you back. You are much smarter than you give yourself credit for. If you could only see how well you are doing now, you would begin to believe in yourself. There are no limits to how far you can go in life. You have just as much of a chance as everyone else. You are stronger than you know, and you will come out of your horrible family atmosphere and grow into a successful, strong woman. You will use the painful experiences that you have endured in your favor as you get older. You have been a successful hairstylist for 13 years now and you are making straight A's in school. You could have done this all along. Never doubt yourself again. Push forward and don't ever look back. You have recieved several awards for your academics recently, and this will only continue as long as you push yourself to be the best you can be. You did not deserve the life that was handed to you, and only you can change your future and break the cycle.