Illinois Institute of Technology Top Questions

If I could give advice to myself, it would be that single sentence. It is a concise statement that I believe sums up much of the best advice that is available about high school and life beyond. I underestimated the value of learning about people and different cultures as a high school student. However, I learned as an engineering student and maturing adult that knowledge of people is more crucial that one may think. High school, college and life in general can be thought of as a never ending course in sociology, and it is a course that should be pursued as arduously as any other course. Many successful and failed pursuits in international relationships, war, science and engineering, business, etc., can be attributed in part to a lack of knowledge and/or respect for people we know, serve and interact with on a daily basis. To quote a meditation from a prose by English poet John Donne, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” In order to succeed in any endeavor in life, we must understand and work with everyone around us.

As a high school student I always did well in classes without ever really being a good student. What I really mean by that is I would not study for a test or quiz in even my hardest classes and still end up with a final grade of an A or a B. My first semester of college proved that I did not gain the study skills needed to survive a tough college curriculum. Unfortunately, my GPA took a huge hit and made me ineligible for a scholarship. If I could tell my high school self one thing it would be learn how to be a student and not just get good grades. Being a student includes studying material even if you think you already understand it. A student wants to be confident in all aspects of a subject and not just what might appear on a test. I had to learn this the hard way but now I am really off to a great college career.

Going back in time to talk to myself senior year of high school, I would tell him to not procrastinate and manage his time well because those are the two most valuables things in college that got me through the year. During the first half of the school year, I didn't have these valuable skills and so school really hurt me during the first semester. I realized how important school was for getting my future job and so I really implemented these skills into second semester and I succeeded better than first semester.

If there is one thing I could tell my past senior self it would be to not worry about the small things and focus on the important things. Concentrating on schoolwork and keeping your friends close are two big goals. You’re going to go through a lot of hard time with your best friend joining the Air Force but you will overcome. You will even better yourself because of it. Even if school gets tough you’re going to make friends that are going to not only back you up when you’re down but also help you achieve leadership spots, notably becoming Debate Club President. Throughout going to college you are going to make mistakes. This is not a burden; this is going to be the best time to learn from it and to improve yourself. Kindness is going to play a giant part of your life. Having the skills to not only receive kindness but to return it with a smile. These next few years are going to be hard but I know you can overcome any obstacle and grow up to be the man our parents want you to become.

Knowing what I know now, I would tell my high school self to enjoy my college career more and utilize the resources that were available to further my education and give myself a headstart in the job hunt. I would encourage myself to take more steps out of my comfort zone and take elective courses that could increase my skills, making me a more versatile version of myself. By encourageing my past self to expand on the vast amounts of knowledge available, I would be able to expand my horizons and potentially find a career that was unexpected. Hindsight is always 20/20, looking back I would have provided my past self with a lot of advice about focusing more on my education. I wouldn't have changed the outcome that brought me to where I am now even though there may have been some bumps along the way. The best advice I could give my high school self would be enjoy my time in college, work hard, and always trust my instincts.

I learned a lot about myself, my capabilities, and my potential after completing my first year in college. I believe one the greatest pieces of advice that I would tell myself is not to let self-criticisms or the criticisms of other people affect you in a negative way. Rather, learn to take away select parts of their comments that are constructive and beneficial to your development here in school and block all judgments that you may think are negative because you ultimately control how you feel. Learn to think in a positive light and have confidence in yourself because no other person will believe that you will complete school and accomplish things except for yourself. Another piece of advice that I would tell myself is to develop a strong work ethic before you enter college. In college, there is a lot of time given to students and a lot of work can be completed in a day if you learn how to utilize your time wisely. Invest in a planner and calendar and develop a habit of writing in them every day. This will allow you to accomplish many things in a more efficient manner.

I would tell myself that school only gets harder and to get good grades while I was still a freshman because having a gpa in the upper 3's will help you land that internship at your dream company and also it will help you attend a graduate school of your choice later on. Remember to study as hard as you play and always remember to work as hard as you can because you only get to do this once.

To disturb the space-time continuum is always a delicate endeavor, but a fantastic opportunity. I wouldn’t offer any grandiose insights or magnificent realizations. The single indispensable parcel of knowledge I would impart unto myself is to act. Don’t defeat your chance and extinguish opportunity before it can even be breathed into existence; if you’re waiting for the opportune moment then you’ve already missed it. So act, act boldly, act swiftly, act decisively, be defiant to the childish fears of rejection, be the wave of commotion that overtakes the stillness in the water, be dauntless in the face of perceived future failures. Don’t succumb to the treachery of hesitation nor give life to the betrayal of pause. Rather than extinguishing opportunity you must stoke it by remaining eager and vigilant to act. When the flames have been stoked and the fire is ablaze remember to exercise caution and if you’re insistent on keeping your eyebrows remember, no matter what anyone tells you, “inflammable” actually means flammable.

The transition from high school to college was a smooth voyage for me. I decided to attend a local community college that offered economical tutition and transferable college credits to a long list of accredited universities. I felt like I had my future college trip completely mapped out and set on cruise control. Which leads me to my crucial advice to my high school senior self. Skip community college and head straight for a four year university! I looked at community college as a financially easy solution to get ahead of my college credits, but boy was I completely wrong. Little did I know that the four year college that I would finally attend would be more financially accomodating then the community college that held me for two years to obtain an Associate's Degree in Science, which doesn't support my architectural major at all. If I would have headed straight for a four year university, I would have been an adept college graduate out in the working field. Instead I'm over a year away from attaining my major goal, a Bachelor of Architecture degree.

Find a job NOW, save ALL the money you're about to make, and then take a year off and travel. Go to the places you see in National Geographic and Planet Earth. If during that time you find yourself missing school, then it is the right time to go College - because you want to! Make sure to do your research, talk to your friends who are completing their first year to see what it's been like for them. Consider financial limitations, look for Colleges with transfer programs that pay you to go to school! Do very well, take your education seriously - you wont regret putting in the extra effort to get above a 3.5 GPA -- it is only a number, but there is no denying it will open more opportunities. Regardless of whether you're in school, traveling or working, make sure to do whatever it is well because it is reflective of who you are. There will undoubtedly be tough times, but remember that the struggles make the summit that much more enjoyable. Be welcoming of friendship, introduce yourself to someone new. Stay humble and stay courageous.