Georgia State University Top Questions

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would give myself the following advice: "Take the time to figure things out before enrolling in college. It is an expensive investment, and changing your major, even once, can throw off all of your financial aid. Apply to every college that catches your attention and take as many tours as humanly possible. Do not be afraid to apply to colleges that you feel are out of your league. Pay attention to your grades and do research about the administrative processes. They are sometimes hard to navigate, but you can do it! Fill out your FAFSA as soon as you can, and meet with financial aid personnel often to keep on top of your finances. Also, seek out scholarships every semester. Do not wait until you have all but tapped out your Pell Grant to get a scholarship. Be open to new experiences. Take classes that challenge you, do not cop out and take the 'easy A' classes; you'll feel much better having earned that A. Don't be hesitate to ask for help. Take advantage of your professors' expertise and connections”

Never give up. Take all AP and Honors courses available. Try to finish high school early and do not worry about petty things.

I would advise myself to study more and learn better study skills. I would also teach myself to observe and listen more in lectures versus trying to write everything down. I would tell myself to stay focused and not to get discouraged because college is hard, but it is a life changing point in my life. I would tell myself to look forward to what the future holds in my awesome career ahead of me.

I would tell myself to not wait to fill out applications and scholarships. Be proactive! Take initiative! It's not hard to do. I would also tell myself to also not be afraid to meet new people. Don't be nervous to make new friends because everyone is in the same situation as you. Also, it's ok to be diffferent and choose not to do things and it's okay to change your mind. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Do what is best for you. And what's best for you might not always be what is best for other people, but that is okay because everyone is different.

Do not slack off when it comes to your financial aid. Reach out and see what scholarships are availiable. Stay on top of your FASFA and make sure your latest information is updated. Reach out to your counselors and make sure you're staying on track to graduate on time. Reach out to teachers who are genuinely there to help you. Most of all; stop being so afraid of failing. Don't settle for that C or B and aim for the A. If you don't make that perfect grade, just be happy with knowing that you tried. Don't be afraid to reach out and partake in extracurricular activities that may open doors that you would never had known about otherwise. Be more aggressive and competative. Find out what you need to do to get things instead instead of waiting around and hoping someone notices that growing panic in your eyes. Don't ghost around through campus and wonder where everything went wrong as your approach your senior year. Own your experience. Make it all count. Oh, and don't take out that stinkin' loan! I'm still paying that baby off! Don't forget to smile.

Flash cards will help you. Make flash cards for everything.

What I would tell my former self is that I should have taken my education more serriously. Throughout high school all I did was skid by my classes, got mediocore grades and it just continued on and on. As a resullt, my reading skills are horrible, I have a hard time doing basic math, my study skills are non existant, and overall college is a stuggle for me. I always have to play catch up and it gets so frustrating at times because others in college can get good grades without even trying as hard. I have thought many times I might have a learning disibilty, but at the same time I feel like I have caused it on myself. I have tried so hard in the past year to better myself. I have read so many self help books in order to get me up to speed and so far they are helping, but if I would have just taken stuff more serriously in high school I would not be in the situation I am now.

Focus on the things that are important now, learn from your past mistakes and do not dwell on them, plan for the future without being distracted by where you want to be. Do the tasks that you are meant to accomplish each day and understand that the time that has escaped you now will never return. Do not mourn the time wasted wishing you could have done something else and instead turn this anguish into productivity by working harder than before. Work hard and make sure you set time aside to spend with those who love you because there is a chance that these friends will never be there again. Never procrastinate, I emphasize on time because it is always escaping us and each second spent is a second that could be used towards making the world better. Be considerate of others, you might not want to work to be successfull, but think of the goals you have to save innocent lives around the world. Every second counts, please use your time wisely.

The best advice I could give to my high school self is to mature gracefully and to be appreciative, two aspects that compliment each other exquisitely. Not only should one, at a younger age, be more appreciative of the extreme and extensive care they are given, but should also mature gracefully enough to stop demanding said care, and even begin to refuse it as the transition from childhood to adulthood becomes complete. In this way one never takes the good in life for granted, but never expects it, either. It is but something to be appreciated in the midst of a graceful maturation.

If I could go back and have a conversation with myself as a high school senior, I would have a lot to say. As a high school senior I was so bogged down by depression that there was hardly any life in me. I honestly did not think I would live past the age of twenty or so, I assumed I would be successful at killing myself before then. But if I could go to talk to that girl, that shell of a human, I would tell her that she is going to make it. I would tell her that it is impossible to fail as long as she never gives up. I would also tell her that the best times are ahead of her. College is a time for challenging yourself and confronting your own reality. It is a time for deconstructing your beliefs, examining them, and then either abandoning, adjusting, or reconstructing them. It’s a time for critical analysis of everything; yourself, the world, everything you want. This process is hard but exhilarating and profoundly rewarding. I would tell her it is worth every penny and heartache, and just to trust that she would make it.