CUNY Queens College Top Questions

Work hard but enjoy life. Don't fret over a poor grade, your not a number. In highschool I focused on getting high grades, I did'nt enjoy myself as much as I should have. College requires a lot of studying and work so do your best in high school but dont forget that there is more to life than school.

I can tell you that applying to American University, your dream school, is a waste of time because you will have to forcibly transfer out due to financial needs. I can also tell you that you will suffer days without sleep and nights full of tears. I can ultimately tell you that your sanity will be put to the test as you crave home. However, I can also tell you that applying to AU may have been one of the best decisions you have ever made. You will meet intellectual, beautiful people whom you will call best friends. These best friends will be sitting next to you as you pile junk food on your plate and cry alongside you because you cannot afford the school anymore. As much as going without sleep for three days physically hurt, you will gladly make the sacrifice if it means seeing your best friends laugh and smile. Until that day comes, treasure your high school friends because the friendship will never end. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. For now focus on acing English and how to stay calm during one of our Harlem RBI softball games. Right now that is what’s important.

I would tell myself to focus as much as possible. and not to hang out as much. To get ready for college, and also to not be so hard on the mistakes I make. I would defintely tell myself to work out the way I do now, and to read personal development books to prepare me mentally for how hard life can be.

Dear Young Stephanie, Life in itself is a school. Therefore, never think that learning is finished because just as you are done with a set course, you will begin another one. Never rush yourself or the dreams and goals that you have. Live in your presence and focus on the things that need to get done now only so that tomorrow you breathe easier. But work is certainly never done. Yes, you may have goals you have set and that is ok. But remember that sometimes, we may have unexpected guest events that can and will change our plans and sometimes it is easier to accept life the way it just is. Life is not short. Life is abundant and we always get more than enough time to accomplish our dreams. Don't rush yourself through school because you are anxious for a career and want to make money. Everything comes when the time is right and honestly, sometimes we do not know ourselves when the time is right for us. Take it one day at a time. Value the days, weeks, months, and years to come. At the end of that journey, you will want to relive it again.

I would tell myself to get started on becoming an actuary right away. I made the decisions to become an actuary somewhat late and even though I am still on track, I would have preferred to have made this decision sooner. I would have started on passing the tests much earlier and I would have been able to take internships that I am only now able to take. I would also tell myself that I should not have slacked off in some of the classes I took as a sophomore. Even though in the grand scheme it does not affect much, it still bothers me somewhat that I did not perform to the best of my ability. I would also tell myself to keep the same motivation that I had in high school as that was what has made me really successful in college. Also I would have told myself to start investing earlier and to read as many investing books as possible. And I would end it with by saying that, "Discipline is doing what you don't want to do when you don't want to do it".

I would go back and tell myself, "Think about what you want to do! Don't worry about what other people want you to do and don't worry about what people think of your decision because this is your decision and your life! People will always have an opinion on what you should do and what you become but what do you want to do? That is all that matters. If you have a crazy idea, then go for it, don't let other discourage you if you are really passionate about it, even if it's crazy! Sometimes it takes a passionate person with a crazy idea to come up with something brillant and earth shattering! Even if you don't come up with a crazy, earth changing idea if you just have a passion for a certain kind of work and you want to go do it, then go do it. Don't let others say no and hold you down. Stay true to who you are and what you want because it is your life and no one else can make this decision better than you!"

The major advice that I would give myself is that I should be more well prepared for college and have a lot more self discipline as well as self control. In addition, I should have paid closer attention to a lot of my high school courses which are related to my college courses now for my field in political science and history. In that case, it would be essential for me to have given this advice to myself to prevent myself from making the same mistakes in the near future before and during my life as a college student in general. Therefore, I would be more responsible and a lot more in control of my college life. As a result, such an advice to myself would have the capacity to save a moment, save a time, and in many cases even save a life. Finally, it would be obligatory upon me to be more determined to always get the job done and never give up or quit in any certain case such as college in this case.

DO NOT take an 8 am Friday class. It is the worst decision you could EVER make! Everyone always thinks that since they woke up early all throughout high school that one or two morning classes won't be that bad, but it IS that bad. Trust me from my experience, it is something you want to avoid at all costs.

My advice would be to take more chances and create a life at school, separate from that at home. As a freshman, I visited home a lot because I was homesick and still very connected to my friends that were still in high school. To a certain extent, this prevented me from meeting new people in college. Had I gone out of my comfort zone a little more, I would have talked to more people, gone to more campus events, and had different experiences. It was easy to stay with the things I knew and was comfortable with, but, like participating in the Student Exchange I am now, a whole different world has opened up because I took a chance.

The transfermation from the old world of the familiar to the new world of the unknown is a big step. It is not something that you can just shrug off and jump into and hope for the best, that is how you end up in a place that you should not be in. When you go and transfer into college make sure you surround yourself with trust worthy friends, people who will have you back no matter wait happens down the road. Make sure that you prepare yourself for the change, if you dont then you will fail every time. Be smart and use your head in making choices, do not go by your impulses. Plan the transitions that way you have a guideline for your future. Most importantly know that the world do not define who you are, only you can do that. Make sure the definition is one of Greatness.