El Centro College Top Questions

I've been out of high school for several years and I feel I've obtained some amount of wisdom through my experiences in the real world. I would sit myself down and have a heart to heart, because I've experienced some heart wrenching things. When I was a senior in high school I was very sporadic and wanted to do many things without considering the consequences or even the cost of my actions. Looking back I didn't really care for others and only wanted what would benefit me! I know I'm not perfect now, but I learned a lot in the 4 years that I've been out of school. I would tell my eighteen year old self, "It's not all about you! You aren't the best thing since sliced bread, you don't have it figured out, you will fall and it will hurt. You are a fighter. Be smart about your choices from here on out, go explore, meet people, experience things you've never experienced, and don't be afraid to leap!"

As a high school student I wasn't the most well prepared student which hurt me as I entered my freshman year in college because that is one of the keys to suceed as we all know. Another tool I would give to myself as a senior would be to do everything like it was your last day of school. The reasoning behind this is because on the last day of school everyone is ready to get out, turning in whatever assignments that are left, and taking tests they should have studied for at least sometime throughout the year. This would increase my efficiency and quality of assignments. In addition to all these things my last word of advice to myself would be to have fun and enjoy life as much as you can while in high school because once you graduate, life slaps you in the face after that summer. You start to realize all of these responsibility's and tasks you need to complete everyday. Then you think of when you can actually enjoy life and mostly it needs to be planned out at least somewhat.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school student, I would tell myself to attend a state school for all four years of undergraduate studies. In my experience, I found that attending an expensive private school did not offer enough benefits to outweigh the incredible cost. Unfortunately, because those classes were much harder (modeled after Harvard) my grades were slightly lower than students who attended state schools, despite the fact that I was on the Dean's List at my own school. This greatly affected my ability to be accepted into my desired graduate programs, forcing me to rethink my academic path. Now that I am maintaining a 4.0, many doors are opening, including medical school! I would love to say, "High school me, you should work harder!" However, I did work very hard. I would definitely not say, "High school me, take the easy road!". That is not rewarding in any way. I would say, "High school me, take the most efficient and beneficial road, the one that will allow your dreams to come true! By following this path, your hard work WILL pay off, and you WILL succeed early in life."

Take more AP classes! Open yourself up to experiences that are new & exciting, but always follow your gut. Changing your major doesn't make you a bad student. Make conscious food choices. Bike or walk EVERYWHERE-your body will appreciate it Take time to discover anything that interests you. Take advantage of campus health facilities (gym, health centers, etc.) Call your mom at least once a week. The time it takes to write a scholarship essay more than pays for itself when the alternative is debt. Not everyone you meet will like you & that's okay. You won't like everyone you meet. That's okay too. Remember to embrace differences. SAVE YOUR MONEY. No matter what you do to your hair to honor your self expression, it looks stupid. Trust me.

If I could go back in time, the advice I would give myself is, go to college right after high school. Don't sit around and wait to long and end up at dead end jobs. Wait to start a family, you have your whole life ahead of you. Get your education , start your career, then start your family. I wish I could go back in time. I would do a lot of things different. I would advise myself of all the things I would be missing out on, like the experience of staying on campus. College is so important to me now. I'm getting my two teenagers into school. I'm going to make sure they get to have that experience. That experience I missed out on. Just glad I have the opportunity now to go back now, would not trade it for the world.

Hey man, how are you ? i know right now all you worry about is probably having a girlfriend, or being a cool kid til the end of your highschool years. But man there are so many things coming up, so many struggles, i think you should start preparing your self instead. Prepare for the future, prepare to have a good career/job so that later on your family won't have to be struggling as you did. im just trying to advice you life is not easy, nothing in this world is free, everything has a price tag, either is in rollback or regular price, but the point is that nothing is free, and theres so many things to accomplish in this world so start getting ready for it, a bright future awaits if you only do the right thing. DON'T TRY ! JUST DO IT ! trying is not enough, is never enough, but doing it is always better.

If I could go back in time I would start the process of looking for college sooner and later. I would prep myself for the 9th grade. I would have asked my mother did we have to move. Because moving your senior year would not be the best thing to do. I would go and visit the college. Take my SAT or ACT as much as possible. Try very hard to keep your GPA up. You need to apply for scholarship, grants and of course FAFSA well before your senior year. Find out if you are the first generation to go to college. You need to make the decision whether to stay home or should you go life on campus. Make sure that you keep in contact with the admission office. Remember to keep your high school counselor updated with your decisions of college. If you have a Facebook or MySpace please keep them private and positive. Don't allow situation to stop you from being your best and greatest. Don't forget to answer will essay questions because they are extremely important in decision making. The last thing Do not slack on your senior responsible. Keep your head up!

Money makes the world go round, without it your options are very limited. I would tell myself to apply to as many scholarships as possible and hope to recieve the most money before entering college. The less you have to worry about paying for school the easier your school life will be. It is very stressful to figure out where money is going to come from to pay for your next semester. You will cringe at the site of your university asking for their next check.

Well so far I have only been to the orientation as I have said before I start my first day of college Monday August 23. And so far i have really enjoyed my experience the teachers and the falculty are very helpful and nice. In which I really like that because it makes me feel like I am in a safe and comfortable environment. For now I am taking my basics but soon I'll be taking the classes that I love and want to major in which is pastry. I CAN'T WAIT!!!(:

Don't quit now! Don't give up after receiving a diploma. Keep going down that road of education. You haven't accomplished all you can do. You can only get better than you already are. Building character is a rewarding experience you get from education and bettering yourself to a higher level into the best you can be. Just do it. The reward is grand.