Georgia Southern University Top Questions

I would have worked during high school and saved money to help pay for college!

It's August 2010, my last first day of high school. Thinking about all of those who came before me, it seems surreal that it's finally my turn to be a senior in high school. I feel great and my expectations are set high with hope that these expectations are met. Time passes by and it is now April, 2011. I have one month until graduation. Senioritis has been in effect for a long time now and I'm just counting down the days. I'm slacking on work and my grades are shifting. Knowing what I know about college life and making the tradition, first I would tell my high school self to learn how to study. Then, I would tell my high school self to not let senioritis hender me from having a strong finish. I would advise myself to take advance placement classes more seriously. I would also advise myself to not accept doing enough just to get by because that will get you no where in college. Lastly, I would make sure I was aware that making honor roll all years of high school doesn't ensure good grades in college.

If I could go back in time as a senior in high school to myself advice about college life. I would first tell myself to prep harder and boost my G.P.A. Then I would say to me, apply to as many colleges and unversities as possible and that I should not limit myself to being hung up on getting in to just one school. In addition I tell myself about getting a game plan for paying for college without racketing up a bunch of debt, as I go to school so later I to can praticipate in change the world after gettting my degree. Also I tell myself to tell someone that is in the profession that I believe I want to do for the rest of life. Sometime we find we want to do something else with our live but we go through the motion of trying to make the things that is making us miserible work first. I tell myself do not this. If it makes you unhappy, try another profession and do not take a brunch of courses toward one degree. Leave your options open until something grabs your attention. Then say this is it.

If I could go back twelve years and talk to myself when I was a high school senior, I would tell myself: “Do not to be afraid of facing the challenges ahead. You might feel like you cannot meet the demands of school and work, but you are more capable than you realize. You will worry that you can’t afford to go to college, but you will find aid from many sources and find a way to make your dream of becoming a nurse come true. Be an active participant in your education by asking questions and conferring with others as you learn new concepts. Go beyond the desire to get a perfect grade and rediscover the joy of learning. When you move out of your parent’s home and transition into the life of an independent adult, remember to keep believing that dreams can come true, even as you struggle to pay rent and college tuition. Life is not easy, but it is neither hopeless, and it is up to you to persevere in your studies so that you can achieve your dreams. When you make mistakes, learn from them and move forward with renewed confidence in yourself.”

Dear High School me, I am writing you this letter by taking advantage of a space-time continuum malfunction. I do not have much time so you must listen carefully. You are did fine freshman and sophomore year. In September of 2009 you will move to America. American High Schools are nothing like the movies. Junior year, do not get side tracked with the idea of fitting in with the cool kids, when you reach my age, you will understand that none of them will matter. Trust your gut with the people you are first going to make friends with. You’re new; they can either be nice to you or take advantage of that. Senior year you are going to move to California, once you decide to take AP Calculus that is the point of no return. I cannot stress enough how much every minute spent memorizing and reading can save you a lot of trouble. Just suck it up and stick with it bear in mind that it will pass. I shall go now, like I said I do not have enough time! Remember Ali, suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.

I would sit myself down and tell myself to forget what anyone has ever said to her about not being successful. I'd say forgive them for what you feel they've said to hurt you so that when you graduate with your degree in Psychology you can say it was for YOU. You feel like you have something to prove to the world, when you really should focus on how to give back to the world. I would hope and pray that my 18 year old self would relax and know that she would end up focusing on serving her community instead of holding in her bitterness. Now I can see that I've gotten over that stage, but it would have saved time if someone sat me down and told me what really was important in life.

There is financial aid available for college in the form of scholarships, grants, work study programs, and loans. Maintain the high G.P.A. you have in high school and throughout your college years to be eligible to apply for merit based scholarships. To keep a high G.P.A. in college you will have to develop independent study skills, balance your social and study time, get enough sleep and eat healthy. Unlike high school, in college there are grants available for low income students that can be used for tuition, books, school supplies, campus housing and meal plans. To be eligible for low income grants fill out the Fafsa application at www.fafsa.gov and the college's financial aid office will mail you an award letter. Student loans and work study programs for college expenses are also obtained by filling out the Fafsa application and through the schools financial aid office. Limit the amount of student loans you apply for as much as possible by working. The debt and repayment of student loans and the interest can accumulate very quickly and become a burden to the borrower. Develop a budget and manage you money wisely.

Knowing where I am now, with the experiences I have been through so far in college, my advice to high school self would be a few simple things. Most importantly I would advise myself to go with my gut instinct, to not to second guess myself about which college to attend. This is my education and this is where I am going to be for the next few years of my life, make sure I make decisions for myself and no one else. Additionally, I would recommend figuring out what field I would like to major in. By going into college “undecided,” I feel as though it somewhat set me back a bit. If I had taken more time in high school to assess my interests and options, I could have saved myself some time and pressure to decide in a hurry. Ultimately, I would advise myself to focus more on myself! On what I want in my future, and what will make me happy during my journey there.

I would tell myself that I need to learn relaxation techniques. I love college, and I wouldn't be as happy as I am now if I hadn't gone, but I stress over school more than anything else. Being able to make myself relax and gain more joy from my college experience would make my life even more fulfilling. Knowing what I know now high school was easy compared to college, but the challenge helps me become the person I want to be. Comparing high school to college is like comparing riding a bike to growing a plant, and I would rather grow a plant even with all the stress that comes with it. However, even without the relaxation techniques I wouldn't change anything about college because I know I am doing the one thing I need to satisfy my doubts about my future and make a great life for myself.

I would take AP classes in high school, junior and senior years. My friends from high school who took AP classes are already sophmores in college. Taking AP classes in high school and doing well in those classes speeds up the college process. I would also prepare better for SAT/ACT tests because there are scholarships awarded for scoring well on these tests. I would take these tests more times to try to improve my scores. Wasn't aware in high school what an impact these two things, AP classes and high tests scores, would have on my college career.