CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice Top Questions

College provided me with different insights in life and academically. I learned how to think outside of the box. The education in High School was easily given to the students. However, college students have to exert more effort into their education in order to achieve their degree. There were times when college was challenging academeically which only led me to grow and choose different routes in order to achieve my degree. College provided me with a sense of independence and choice in my education. Moreover, college is vaulable to attend in order to grow as a person both professionally and personally.

I would have begun applying for colleges and scholarships earlier so I could have spent more time writing scholarships. I would also check on the legal age to take out a loan in my state instead of finding out a few weeks before I was supposed to go to New York that neither I nor my mother qualified to take out a student loan. I think I also should have spent more time writing my application essay; even though I was accepted, I recently read my essay again an couldn't believe I'd written something that bad. I think that, when applying to college, the most important thing to do is to give yourself plenty of time to do everything and to make sure you know all that you can about the process.

Currently a freshman, I would tell myself that there are a lot of things to adjust to when attending college. One being the fact that you won't be surrounded by a group of friends like in high school, you are now on your own. Two "YOU NEED TO MAKE THE FERRY", living in Staten Island & attending college in Manhattan has its perks and disadvantages. Starbucks being on every corner is one thing but if you do not catch the ferry you will be a half hour late for class. Another word of advice would be that there is a lot of responsibility involved in attending college, you will experience deadlines and expectations to be prepared for class with your text books. I would tell myself that the major difference between attending college and high school is that your professors only know what you notify them of. They don't ask you "where's you paper?" like teachers did, they grade what they've received and don't worry about you. So you must notify them of any difficulties you're having or makeups you are interested in. Last but not least I would tell myself "Enjoy College!"

If I were to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would have a lot of things to say. First, I would tell myself that the teachers make college seem so intimidating when in actuality, it's not. College is fun for the most part, and that's what high school teachers should talk about just as much as they talk about working hard. It's a lot of work at times, but it's very different from high school. You have way more independence. The proffesors sometimes don't even know your name. You can be just a number to them. But, you're in college for yourself, for your education, not anybody else's. If you work hard in high school, it will definetly pay off in college, especially if you were lucky enough to gain AP Credits.

If I could go back and talk to myself before I went to college I would have alot to say. I would let myself know that its ok to ask for help because at John Jay there are so many people willing to help. I would have definitly encouraged myself to apply for more scholarships. I would tell myself that I am going to do really well and not to worry because worrying won't help. That I will do so well, it will feel great and things will change for the better. I would warn myself about the teachers who werent so great and let myself know to make some of the important connections that I made alot sooner. I would still tell myself to wait the three yeas Iwaited because I belive that my life experience has helped me so much and given me the drive I needed to do well. There is alot I would change but there is no much I would not. I truly believe that John Jay College was the best choice for me, I don't believe that I would have recieved the support I have recieved at this school from anywhere else.

Even if I tried to imagine myself as a high school senior it wouldn't be possible because that was not the case for me. I only made it to a junior in high school. I was very foolish back then and school was not my first priority. But if I could go back in time and taklk to myself I would tell myself to cherish everything I am learning now (in high school) because the information that is being taught in high school will come back to haunt me in college. If I fail to retain any of this information it will bite me in the rear in the long run. Being able to complete my four years in college will not be possible if I am unable to retain the information provided. I would feel hopeless and begin to lose hope and confidence in myself which is a barrier towards achieving one's goal. Everything being taught in high school is just a glimpse of what college life is like and if you can't deal with it in high school how are you going to deal with it in college. Retain information taught because it's essential.

The adivce I would give to my high school self is simply not to wait. Don't be afraid to make a decison about university. Sure the transition can be rough, however the transition later in life, once you've taken on real life adult responsibilites, is much more difficult.

If i could go back in time, the advice that i would give would be endless . The First thing I would tell myself is to take more college-accredited courses. Reason Being, I would have a higher number of college acceptance letters If I had taken classes such as AP English, AP Spanish, AVID and so on. The Second Thing I would tell myself, Is to not get lazy when it comes to filling out college applications because it will have bad results such as: not getting accepted to the colleges you want , Getting accepted to the colleges you don't want, or even not getting accepted to college at all!. The Third Thing I would Tell myself is the fact that college is NOTHING like high school, in college you're on your own, if you don't understand something you have to go your own way on trying to understand it. The fourth thing i will tell myself is to really take advantage of scholarships, grants, and programs that colleges have to offer. So that way you don't miss out on colleges that are offering great opportunities. Finally, go for your dreams, that's what matters most.

If I could go back in time & talk to myself as a high school senior, the advice I would give myself is to be a more self centered & organized person. Learn how to be punctual & on time with projects, papers & any other work from school. Alos, I would tell myself research colleges with an open mind & explore the various majors, programs & the background of the college I may wish to attend. maybe i might have missed something very unusual or unique about as certain university. Look for what specific areas Im interested in & then apply for those colleges. Most importantly, be very time wise managable. Be able to manage how much time I am going to be able to put into college homework, studying & then work with my personal life. Maybe I might have to work part time & school might have to be shifted to work with my schedule. Lastly, get ready to enjoy myself & live college life to the fullest.

Be prepared and work hard because the work you do in highschool can pay off when you go to college.

I would tell my high self to go to Albany and not listen to my mother. I would tell him to follow his heart and his dream and go to Albany. I would also tell him to never take second best but to choose the best college. I would tell him to do better on those SATs to get better scholarships. I would tell him to study psychology because thats what he is going to like in the future.

Interestingly enough, I would advise myself alot of the same things my elders advised me to do when I was a high school senior. This includes, going to college immediately after high school, studying for and taking the SATs, and saving money whenever possible. However, with what I know now, I would also provide information and resources involving the application process and how to find funding for college. Though these resources were out there when I was a high school senior, for whatever reason I did not access them. Also, being the first in my family to go to college, I did not have an example to follow and mostly felt lost when it came time to applying for scholarships and filling out financial aid forms among other things. Therefore it would also be important to give my high school self motivational or inspirational stories from people who have struggled to earn what they have achieved and know that it is possible to reach your goals if you are truly dedicated and persistant. I would tell myself about Antonia Pantoja whose story of struggle and achievement for the benefit of the latin community is as compelling as it is inspiring.

It has been over 30 years since I graduated from high school. Knowing what I know now,I would have concentrated more on my education. and would have received the degree early enough to be able to have the career I have always wanted. Although I do not regret what I have achieved, Served in the military, having a wonderful daughter, grandchildren, I believe that by continuing my college education earlier,it would have greatly improved my life, my children and grandchildren's lives.

Dear Marie, I am writing to you five years later at $40,000 in debt. I was able make this one opportunity to reach out to us to prevent the five years of no direction in our college career. First let me start off by saying that our high school advisors can never really tell us where we?re going to be and what we?re going to do later in life. There are always going to be people that try to bring us down, but ignore them and persevere. Secondly, take as many opportunities as we can to learn more about ourselves and what we truly desire to make our educational career more worthwhile. To put it simple terms, college is an experience to find our place in life. Use all our resources to obtain direction in what we?re most passionate about. And lastly, apply for as many scholarships as possible because we both learned that no one pays our bills and it is only up to us to change our future. Love always, Me

I wish that I took all of my classes more seriously and didn't settle for just barely passing because now I have to get use to studying and that is something that I have never done.

As a high school senior you are overwhelmed with everything life throws your way, especially school. Classes become harder, time seems to run out, prom is around the corner, and if you?re lucky you?ll be turning the big ?1-8?. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would have so much to say. First, I would tell myself if I thought that high school was hard, think twice because it doesn?t come close to college. You have to make a 360 degree adjustment. You must learn how to use time effectively; also know that there?s a time for play and a time for seriousness. Secondly, your professor will not constantly remind you of when assignments are due. You are given a syllabus after that you are considered an adult not a child. You must know when assignments are due and hand them in on time. Lastly, if you?re the first generation in your family to graduate from high school, as I am. Don?t be afraid to ask for help. Everyone has been there before. You?re not the first or last to ask them!

I would tell myself that College is not at all like High School. Yes I do have a lot of freedom but their are still consequences that comes along with the freedom. I would advise myself to work hard because the work does not get any easier and that I should also get as much help in subjects I do not know so that when it is time to attend college I would not really have any problems with the class. I would also advise myself to start asking questions in class. When you don't ask questions that is when things get more difficult and I would not know how to catch up after it has gone far into the class. The teachers are their to help you not to hurt you. I would tell myself to look into more scholarships because then my mother would not have to scrape in order to pay my tuition or for the books that I would need. With these advices I think I would become a better student and I would accomplish more in college. Although it would still be hard, the transition would have been easier.

Do not take any time off go straigt to college upon high scholl graduation. It will be worth it!

Knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition, the advice I would give myself is to always keep my mind focused on my responsibilities. I must always sty punctual with school assignments because once you fall behind in some type of class work, it becomes more difficult to catch up as time passes by since more work piles up. Also, the school offers a lot of services, whether it's academic-related or extra-curricular, I should take advantage of them to have a better college experience. Many of my questions can be answered if I search for it in the services offered in the school and also the extra-curricular services can help improve my personal college experience by providing leisure time besides only studying and doing class work. Overall, the college experience is something that I have learned from in all the aspects of my life.

Stay with your parents as long as you can! It's hard to work full time to pay rent and bills while attending classes full time. Get all the general courses done at a community college, it will be cheaper in the long run, because you can transfer those credits to the school you ultimately want to attend.