Culinary Institute of America Top Questions

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to make sure I take care of my body. This means not overworking myself, getting an adequate amount of sleep every night, and telling people when I have too much on my plate (no pun intended). Yes the freedom of college life may sound appealing at first, but it's so easy to fall behind in such a fast paced environment like the CIA. It's also easy to overload yourself when your doing something you love.

I would tell myself to study harder and take my classes a bit more seriously. Also to start thinking about what I want to be. I wasn't quite sure in high school. It would be good advise to tell myself that the college professors aren't as easy going as high school teachers, they don't care if you don't pay attention because it's your money that you are wasting. Don't under estimate the importance of studying and have good study habits. This is your future and if you don't take it seriously then you won't be able to get a good job because others won't take you seriously.

Take Math, French or any other foreign languages. Do not involve yourself in any criminal activities. I was able to graduate top of my class because I did not get involved with anything illegal or criminal. I studied with very extra time and got involved with the community. I volunteered with children evening class teaching younger children about the little I knew about life. I would encourage students in high school now to get involved in some volunteer opportunity in their communities.

If I had the opportunity to go back in time I would tell myself to study harder and to start working in restaurants so when I came to this school that I am now ( The Culinary Institute of America ) I would have much more experience in my field and be more prepared. I would also had told myself to start applying for financial aid soon.

In the short comment, i'll give myself an advice as " Always try your best untill you hit the bull's eye! and whatever you do , never ever give up!" In addition, in your life, there is no such thing impossible, because I'm possible, I could make it possible."

It does not matter what the task is, always do your best. It does not metter whether or not you like the task or the situation at hand, you will have better results if you go through with a good attitude. Things worth having are worth working and waiting for. Trust God and everything else in life will fall in its own place. It does not matter what everyone else thinks about you. You have to live your life because no one else can live it for you. If you allow what other people say and think interfere with you living life and obtaining your goals, you are the one that loses, (you know how we hate losing). Never give up.

I would tell myself to study hard and maybe consider other choices. I would say to apply to other colleges too. Also I would tell myself to be a little more responsible about the financial aid and apply ealry instead of putting it off. I would tell myself to apply for more scholarship and finally I would tell myself to remain calm try not to panic. I would tell my senior self to learn to step out of my comfort zone. Since college is a social place. I would also give him adivice on choosing the right people to be friends with. If you feel someone is to crazy stay away from them. So thats about it for the advice I would give to myself.

I always told myself, the one thing I regret is doing poorly in high school. I thought I was invincible and that things would just fall into place for me. I had dreams of going away to Emory University and winning academic scholarships. If I had the option of going back in time to talk to myself as a senior in high school, I would say “never give up”. I did remarkably well in my senior year, but since everyone told me I wouldn’t get into any out of state colleges because of my previous grades, I didn’t follow my instinct to apply to my dream colleges. I know now that colleges also look at SAT scores, recommendations and extracurricular activities. I would also tell myself that college is more intense than high school, because they require more from you as a college student, so try to prep to be a good college student by taking AP classes, going to seminars that prep you for college and maybe even get a job so I could learn more responsibility. If I took matters into my own hands, who knows what may have happened.

The next three years of your life will change your mind of what you have planned to do with your life. At the CIA you will learn more about yourself than you have thought you already had. Work hard and ask as many questions as you can. Strive to be the best and don't settle for what others are doing around you. Get to the class early and be the last to leave. Learn to love youself and know that culinary arts is your passion, so embrace it!

The best advice I could give myself as a high school senior is not to be afraid. Not to be afraid of making mistakes, and not to be afraid of excelling. College is a learning enviornment, and while it is important to take everything I do seriously, it is also important to enjoy what I'm doing. For most of my first year and externship I was in a constant state of panic, in perpetual fear of doing anything wrong. I didn't take chances, or truely allow myself to delve into the material and the opportunities presented to me. Completely obsessed with what I had, I didn't realize what I was being offered. Equally as important, I cannot be afraid to stand up for myself. I finally gained respect at my externship not for my hard work, not for my talent, but for not acquiescing to everything my Chef said. I finally spoke to him as an adult and abandoned my passive agressive behavior. With this advice as a senior I could have resolved myself to not fear my ability to grow as a chef, nor the stregnth of my words, and finally to learn with reckless abandon.