George Mason University Top Questions

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would remind myself of Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken". Life does not always fit into neat and pretty boxes, cleary marked in black or white. Life ebbs and flows, full of visionary colors. It is okay not to graduate from college on time. It is okay to take a road less traveled in order to get where I want in life. When I was a high school senior, I was very worried about what others thought of me. My parents, my friends, my classmates- if I did not do things in the correct order, such as college, marriage, children- what would they all think of me? I would remind myself that it doesn't matter! So long as I am healthy, happy, and a contributing member of society, life will be okay and I will turn out alright. Today, I am married with four children, and I have returned to school part time for my undergrad, with the hope of teaching in the future. I turned out okay in the end- there was no need for me to worry.

Knowing what I know about college life and making the transition, the advice I would give myself is to ask not what a college can do for me, but what I can do for that college. During my senior year while picking out ideal colleges and applying, all I thought about is what college can offer me. I wanted to know if I had picked a college to attend, what could they offer me academically, socially, financially, and intellectually for my future. But in reality, what distinguish a college from other colleges in the nation are the students that make up that college community. Most colleges want the person they admit to their school to help improve and make the college a better place. As a freshman in college now, I am learning that I have to make the most out of my college experience. The college admission's office does not just look at the academic record, but what other factors and activities on this application can show that I am a well-rounded individual in society. College life is almost similar to high school in way that you have to make the best out of the experience.

If I could go back and talk to my high school self I think I would tell myself to try harder. I never thought I would amount to anything so I simply didn.t apply to any schools other than my local community college. I wish that I would have pushed myself harder so that I could have attended my first two years at George Mason as well. I see how much my friends and peers have enjoyed the college life at Mason and part of me regrets not applying. Even if i didn't get accepted until Mason on the first try, at least I would have tried and not have this regret of doubting myself.

I would tell myself to work harder and to not give up on my dreams. College requires a lot of focus and dedication and often times it involves giving up things you love and free time in order to acheive the things you want out of your grades.

I would tell myself to relax. It is not as difficult as you think. Nobody here wants to see you fail, they want to help you.

Stop stressing out so much about not fitting in. The world is much bigger than the tiny pond you live in and the people you know in high school don't matter so much. Move forward with the confidence that you'll be fine, even if you aren't right now. Also, don't go for that biology major. It may sound like the safe option, but you need to do something you actually love, not just something that sounds like it will pay well. Don't let yourself wake up at fourty realizing you're doing a job you hate because you chose your carreer options too early. You can succeed at whatever you put your mind to, just make sure it's something you want to put your mind to.

I would give myself the advice to really pick classes that you are interested in for your first semester to learn things. Another thing I would tell myself is that you can help others, but not to your own detriment. Helping others is great unless you are putting their work before your own.

Whenever my parents would lecture me, my dad would always tell me that they know better than me since they've had more experiences in life than I've had but being the stubborn child that I was I never listened. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to be more focused in school and internship/volunteering opportunities. I was more focused on hanging out with my friends. Those friends who I'm not even in touch with today. I could have graduated a year earlier but instead I took electives so I could graduate with my friends. When graduation came around, those seats were empty. Friends/boyfriends don't stay in your life forever unless your fortunate to become friends with the right crowd. I would have spent that time taking more AP courses or courses through the dual enrollment program. Even spending that time volunteering could have led to more opportunities to create a better future for myself. I would have read a lot on topics such as savings/investing. They don't teach you those kinds of things in school. I would have saved my paychecks and not wasted them on hanging out.

I would tell myself, "Danielle, you need to put in 110{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of your effort in every day. College doesn't come easy. Learn to study, manage a social life, and land a good on-campus job or internship. College is harder than high school but if you put your mind to it, you can do anything. Remember, your undergraduate year is your 'off year' from your secondary education to medical school. You can do anything you put your mind to. The transition portion, you can handle, it's the intensity level of the classes that you need to focus the most on. Let's make the best out of this opportunity we've got ahead of ourselves."

My advice to myself would be to develop better work and study habits so that I would be more prepared to handle the workload of the college classes. I would also think more carefully about what I really wanted to do with my life so that I could make the right decisions about my college major. My high school forced us to choose career paths before any of us were ready to think about the future, but now I wish that I had had a better idea of what I wanted to do with my life. I needed to take that time and picture where I wanted to be twenty years from that day, but at eighteen years old, I was not that worried about it. I would spend more time talking to my guidance counselors and getting ideas of what colleges would work for me, as well as trying to eliminate the careers that definitely held no interest for me. I would ask more questions about college and attend more college fairs and open houses to see what my options were instead of settling for a two-year college that would limit my educational goals.

I would tell myself to apply for more scholarships much earlier. There are so many out there and I never knew, i just assumed financial aid would cover everything. It doesn't. Grants are great, but there are only so many out there. Scholarships are plentiful.

If I could go back as a high school senior, I would tell myself to study more and stop giving in to "senioritis." There is a big transition between high school and college work, so the more one tries in high school, the easier their college life will be. Also, I would tell myself to not slack on looking for scholarships and apply to every one I was eligible for because I didn't realize how expense college was until I got here--there is a lot more money that goes in besides tuition.

I seriously thought I had my life figured out till college decisions came in three months after my final exam. Not only was my desire to read Law in college crushed, but I also had to figure out what exactly I was going to do with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and French especially in a country like Ghana. One semester in the University of Ghana had me wishing I had been the daughter of a University Professor so I could be pushed into the program of my choice without any hassle. That all changed with coming to study in the States. I have realized that there is more to life than wishing to be someone you are not and cannot be no matter how hard you tried. Looking back however, I wish I could have given my high school senior self this advice : "Look Diana, it is fine to study hard and be on top of your class, but it is also important that you get involved in activities that would benefit the society at large. Be other-oriented; that is what volunteering is about, and it is exactly what Hiring Professionals love to see."

College is a completely different world and be prepared for it. In high school, it is like I was in babysitting. All of a sudden, there is a huge difference when someone goes to college.

Find a job on campus that pays a good wage but still allows you to get your homework done. By the time you get your undergraduate degree you'll have saved enough money to pay for your graduate degree without taking out loans.

I would tell myself that having a small number of quality friends trupms having a big groups of friends that are not really your good friends. Having a small number of quality friends allows you to feel secure in your friendships and to know that the people you surround yourselves with will be there for you no matter what. I would tell myself that the friends you choose to have will be the people that you can depend on when in need. They are the people that when you are in college struggling to adjust to being in such a new environment, you call them and they get you through it. Alternately when they need the reassurance that they will be okay, they call you and your job as thier friend is to listen and be there for them. Friendships are a two way street of give and take. Choose wisely who you want to associate with becasue you are putting a great amount of trust in these people and you need people like this in your life. You need good friends you can count on to get you through tough moments.

I would tell myself to communicate with your soon to be classmates as much as you possibly can. It is good to get to know people from the college you're attending especially if it is out of state. Most of the time you can find your classmates on Facebook or on Twitter using a hashtag with your college or university's name and the year you're graduating. For instance, for my class I typed in #GMU18 and I came across so many of my future classmates. I would tell myself to reach out to your classmates and get to know them. Also visit your future home as much as possible so you can get a feel of the campus.

Alright, I know that you've heard alot of advice before, but I have to tell you, college is going to be the best thing that happens to you. High school seems great, but forget about it. Thinking about high school and the friends you made there and your home town and everything is great but don't get caught up in the past. You're going to make new friends and live in a whole new world when you get to college. A big thing to do is just forget how to be shy. Go say hello to everyone, whether they are in your class, eating alone or sitting and waiting somewhere. Just try not be creepy. The only problems you might have when you get to college is remembering to do your work and going back home after each semester. Oh, and don't forget to talk to your advisor. They know what they're doing and they'll make it so you won't have to go to gollege for two extra years. We all know it's too expensive.

I would inform my younger self about the increasing burden of student debt. I could share news articles to myself involving horror stories about families spending decades to pay off loans as well as inspiring accounts about students who sacrificed food, housing and comfort to have little to no debt. I could also warn myself of the impact that the job market and unemployment crisis would have once I graduated from high school. I would advise myself to research what career path would best fit my life. I should ask myself: “Is this career something I want?”,“Will my potential profession be worth investing time and money into a degree”, and “will it help me pay back my loans and get out of debt?” However, I would also remind myself that even though costs and finance are significant, my overall college experience like education and meeting new people is also important. These years of college are special because it will be the last time where all I have to do is learn from the brightest people in the criminal justice field. Ultimately, I have to decide: Would I rather be happy and be in debt or miserable and debt-free?

To focus more on your studies and to become more involved with the Mason Community and all the people who make it up.