Community College of Rhode Island Top Questions

If I could go back three years ago and talk to myself as a high shcool senior I would have many things to say. First would be that I would tell myself that even though I had to work hard and have the grades come easy to me it is not like that in college. I found that out the hard way by acting the same way the first year in college and didn't get the A's I wanted. However, after transferring to the Community College of Rhode Island and studying every day and night I did get the grades that I wanted and made the Dean's List twice now. I would tell myself that in order to get what you want you have to work as hard as you can even if it seems like a waste of time while you are doing it because positive results will show. I would have never thought that I would be going to Johnson & Wales in the Fall of 2010 but I am, and if I didn't have that talk to myself when I entered CCRI I would not be the studetn I am today.

I would explore schools that would offer a program in Nursing and that would help with job placement when I graduated. I would also speak to the college students within my intended major to see what they like or dislike about the program. The Guidance Dept. is a great resource for planning out a curriculum once you chosen your major or even for general help with classes. I would also look into when classes for the major I am interested in are offered. Scholarships as well as loans are helpful for those attending school so I would advise anyone to look on websites such as this one to obtain potential financial help. I would say, "Relax, listen, and try your hardest," and with all of those in place you will succeed!

Looking back at my senior self, I see someone who just wants to get her freshman year of college over with. It was bad enough to be a freshman in highschool and now that process repeats, a new school with new expectations and responsibilities. So I would tell myself to stop. Stop running in out and out everyday as soon as class is over. Stop and socialize, talk to your professor about questions you had on the material or just wander around the campus and take advantage of clubs or organizations. Why rush home? What is there to do at home that can't wait an hour? So stop and take in the sights little highschool senior and enjoy the new and next level of your life fully.

If I could go back in time I would convince myself to attend college and get a degree right after high school. I am currently 39 years old, working full time as assistant to the CNO of a children's psychiatric hospital, and I will be starting my clinical rotations for the nursing program in January 2010. I would explain to myself that by attending college right after high school I wouldn't have the burdens of rent, utilities, and other billls to worry about that I do now. I would have been able to attend college back then without have to hold down a full time job while going to school.

Life as a misguided foster child hardly cleared the path for a life of academic prowess. With any chance of living as a "normal" teenager far out of reach, I chased the concept of personal vindication into string of minimum wage jobs and jail cells. Through all of this, I remember thinking to myself, "when am I ever going to get it together?" Surely a time would come when I would settle into a life of decency and purpose; afterall, I couldn't keep running forever. I wouldn't give myself a lick of advice. Had I not experienced the pain of living a life bellow what I deserved, I never would have embraced my education as I do now. Being the underdog has instilled an immense hunger in me. Any wisdom that I may theoretically impart on my formal self would change who I am today, and I love who I am. The hunger of which I write has propelled me to the Presidency of my campus' Student Government, a 4.0 GPA, and a membership into Phi Theta Kappa. This need for excellence will propell me toward my transfer into a four year school, next fall.

Study hard and get good grades, although it may not seem important now, that English class you are taking is going to count in your overall GPA 16 years from now when you go back to school to become a Dental Hygienist. The career that has been on your mind the past few years. I regret to inform you that you do not pursue a career in dental hygiene until you are 34 years old. I do not regret informing you that although you've endured a few bumps along the way you honestly have no regrets. You would not change a single act , or decision made up until this point in time in order not to meddle with the outcome. An outcome in which you are very happily married and have two beautiful children as well as two beautiful stepchildren. Never underestimate the importance of "showing up", even if you don't have the finished homework assignment or term paper in hand, showing up to class is better than not showing up at all. This is true in all facets of life. Presence is a powerful thing , even in the absence of the sought after tangible object of interest.

When I was a senior in high school, I was very skeptical about what college I wanted to apply to. I wanted to attend to the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) New York City to study fashion design and receive an associate's degree. My guidance counselor, however, didn't see it that way. She told me to apply to other colleges as safety schools but I was too much of an ignorant at that time that I didn't listen to her. When I applied to FIT, I thought I was ready and prepared, but boy, I was wrong. My portfolio evaluation in FIT went really bad and I was missing documents, therefore, I didn't got accepted to FIT. I applied to other schools but couldn't attend because my financial package couldn't pay my whole tuition. Now, I'm attending my third semester in the Community College of Rhode Island as an art student. If I looked back and see myself as a senior in high school, I would tell myself that is okay to start off my education at a community college and I can still achieve my first goal, going to FIT.