CUNY Hunter College Top Questions

I actually dropped out of high school during sophmore year. I was pregnant and living on my own. Once i had my son i got my GED and applied for college shortly after. Now i am currently attending Kilian Community College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and working towards my degree in Medical Assisting.

Knowing what I know now about college life, the best advice I would give myself as a high school senior would be to stop being so apathetic about life but to instead discover my desires FOR life and to allow it to carve my path for my future . I'm currently attending Hunter College as a Second Degree student due to my lack of passion while attending my undergraduate school. After graduating high school, I began college without any understanding of who I was or what I wanted to be and as a result decided it was just easier to follow my parent's guidance because, at the time, it was just easier to to make them happy than it was to make myself happy with what career path I was going to choose. As a result, I chose a career path whose identity I could not wrap myself around and it was because of this that I finally went through a phase of self discovery to really understand who I was and what it is I really want to do. If I could go back in time to talk to myself, I would say "Start my self discovery NOW"

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior the first thing I would do is tell myself that there are many opportunities out there. I would tell myself that school comes first before anything. Work, athletics, and maybe even friends. It is important to stay focused in school. Work is also important because it provides funds, but it is also a distraction from what is truly important. Work will only help you in the meantime; whereas school will help you out for life. There are also scholarships, financial aid, school clubs, and many different opportunities that help out a student with tuition, books, and all kinds of academic expenses. I would also recommend myself to go straight to school and not waste any time. Yes, it is importance to balance your work load, but it is also important not to waste time because the longer you spend the more things change in the world (i.e. work, economy, politics, etc). But over all I would tell myself to enjoy myself. Stay focused in school, but also realize that if you don't like what you do, then it probably isn't worth it.

If I were to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, there is much advice I would give myself. The first thing I would address to myself is to continue non-stop with classes in college. Stopping with classes for one of the semester will only make it longer to reach my goal in finishing my major. The second thing I would tell myself is to practice time management skills. There are a lot more deadlines in collage than there is in high school, and in collage they are not as willing to let you turn in work late. Also with time management, will help with my studying. When you are a full time student you need sufficient enough time to give each course attention in retaining information. I would let myself know it is always best to do things early. The earlier things are done, the more time to edit work and or study for other classes. The last thing that I would tell myself is to always take good notes. I noticed the more neat and organized my notes were, the better my grades were.

Don't sweat the small stuff, college is important, but you should be going crazy over anything. If you do that now, how are you going to act once you're done with this? Listen to your peers, ask about good teachers, you can't always trust rateyourprofessors.com, although that is a good start. Do us both a favor and talk to more people, you're so quiet, college is about education and metting connections! Get out and mingle, no one is going to bite your head off over it! Dont worry about fashion too much either, believe me, you'll want to save your money for your school supplies and "surprise" emergencies. Basically, college isn't hard work. I mean, it is, but it's not ALL hard work. Calm down and enjoy these years, they're supposed to be your best.

College isn't that serious, relax and enjoy the ride. Make friends during the first semesters. Since no one knows anyone, everyone is pretty open and its nice to have a sort of college "family" to hang and eat with or call in case of anything. Explore your interests through the elective courses they offer especially during the very first freshman semester when the courseload is light. Learn an instrument, a language, how to scuba dive, whatever and if it doesnt work out, the withdrawal date is far enough that you can have fun with no strings attached or effect on your grades. But dont slack off on the 101 classes! A high GPA is easy to get, through them, at the beginning and will make you eligible to more scholarships and financial aid. Speaking of, be friendly with people at the financial aid office. They hear of scholarships and grants first so a heads up from them might be gold. Finally, understand your major's course plansheet and requirements and register for classes the minute your registration appointment opens up. You can choose comfortable class hours and avoid an extra year of college because of a missed class.

If I could go back in time and speak to myself, I would tell myself to look at my future and do something with it. I had a child my senior year of high school and barely graduated. I did not enroll in college for another 10 years, and had looked in the mirror at a divorced, empty, and devastated person. I wondered what I had done with my life. I had done nothing; I didn't have a career, I had a job that I hated that barely paid the bills. I am now a full-time student, and I struggle to manage. I wish I had gone to college right out of high school. Oh what I would do to be able to go back in time..

Frances, I know right now you want to sing and dance, but put your best foot forward to get into a college that gets you where you want to go. Intelligence and ability are qualities to build on even in the arts. Don't procrastinate about this and think one of these days you'll get around to it. You may never get that round tuit, because you missed to opportunity to obtain it. You may think time plentiful now, but use wisely the time you're handed. Better jobs in every field become available for those with a degree, but extremely limited to those without. You may be the most talented prospect for a job, but without that degree, it tells the boss you weren't willing to work hard enouph to be educated in the career you want to be in. Don't let anybody tell you that you shouldn't aim high. I say, "Aim as high and far as you want. Just make sure you shoot for the target. Remember, if you take take your eyes off the target then it moves and finding it becomes longer and more difficult." Life awaits you, go for it!

If I were able to go back in time and converse with my high school senior self, there would be so many things I would want to tell her. First, it would have to be to believe in yourself and that anything really is possible. Thusly, take any and every opportunity that comes your way, because they are all experiences that make you stronger and wiser. When I was in high school, I did not believe I could have achieved all of things I have today, especially considering where I come from and the lack of support I had. Yet this encourages me to want to tell all young girls that grew up in poverty that whatever you desire in this world is yours, as long as you believe that you can attain it and work hard to do so. I would caution her that there are going to be people that doubt you, and at times, when you doubt yourself, but you must remember why your goals are so important to you, and that the only person who can hold you back from success is yourself. You are capable of anything and the world truly is yours.

I would tell myself not to worry about the transition. Going to a community college is just about the same as high scool, the only difference is that doing the work is more of a responsibility for myself and myself only. Teachers won't be breathing down your throat on whether you did the homework or not. It is your responsibility to make sure that you study, pay attention is class, and maintain a high grade point average, because without your gpa, you basically have nothing. I would also tell myself that keeping a planner and color coding all the things that I need to get done will be perfect for transitioning, so that that way, I never forgot about what I have to do.