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Knowing what I know now about college life and tranistioning to living on my own, I have numerous things I would tell myself as a high school senior.

As a high school senior, my number one goal was to graduate with the best possible GPA and highest grades I could earn. I did my assignments not simply because I was eager to learn, but more with the intent to get it over with and get a good grade. If I were able to go back to my senior year and give myself advise, I would stress that although grades are important, it is more important to learn how to gain knowledge. In the future it won't be to my advantage to remember what grade I recieved on a test, but the information that I was tested over will be more benefitial than the grade. I would encourage myself to practice good note taking strategies and to write down what the teacher's are talking about, rather than copying what they posted on the board. I would remind myself that not everything I do has to be perfect and that the hardest lesson is to accept failure. It is the things that require the biggest struggle in which I am able to grow the most. With the right attitude and enough dedication, anything is possible.

Talking to myself in senior high school would be a great opportunity for me; I would have a lot to say. In my senior year I attended a college instead of staying at my high school. This made it hard for me to keep my friendships; I would encourage myself to work harder at maintaining those friendships. I feel that I would be having an easier time in college if I still had those close friendships. They were my support system in high school. In college, in such a new environment, I have been struggling without my normal support system. If I were able to go back in time I would ensure that I had strong friendships to rely on. I would also tell myself to focus more on my school work. In the past I didn't think a A- instead of an A would matter; but here, I am learning that things like that really effect me later. A slightly higher GPA would've helped me greatly. It is a great regret of mine that I chose not to spend an extra hour studying, or working on an assignment, I never realized what an effect it would have.

There are a lot of pieces of advice that I would go back to give to myself six months ago. The most important thing I would tell myself would be to go into college with an open mind. I thought that I would make 20 friends by the first weekend, when, in reality, it takes a lot longer to develop relationships with people than a couple days. In keeping with social advice, I would say to also keep in touch as much as possible with high school friends, because they are invaluable during the initial transition period. I would instruct myself to not be as nervous for college coursework, as it is not difficult if you put time, effort, and enthusiasm into your work. Finally, I would let myself know that even though the first week is nerveracking, scary, crazy, and full of emotions, everyone is going through the same emotions, and it always helps to talk to someone else (parents, friends, or a roommate) about it.

Now that I have been out of high school for 5 years, successfully received a Bachelor's degree and am now working toward a sescond degree I would give myself one big piece of advice. The biggest mistake I made in college was moving out of my parents house when I was a sophomore. I thought I knew it all and could live on my own, work full time AND go to school full time. Unfortunately, and fortunately, I got a big fat dose of reality. My partying increased, my grades decreased and I got two points away from losing my scholarship. What a scary year that was! If I was to be able to go back in time and talk to myself when I was a high school senior I would have told myslef to stay with my parents as long as they let me. Save money Ashley, save that money! I have moved back with my parents a total of three times now. Why? To save money and keep my stress level down so I can succeed in everything that I do in school. It has impacted me positively and I have nobody to thank but them.

If I could go back in time and tak to myself as a high school senior there are many things I would tell myself. I would tell myself to spend more time with my friends and my family because as much as I will love my new life at my University I will miss home like crazy. I would tell myself to try harder at my academics and set up some study strategies because procrastination does not work in college. I would tell myself to get more involved in activities and to try harder to find scholarships because college is expensive. Mostly, I would tell myself to stop counting down the days until graduation; I would tell myself to slow down and enjoy my senior year because everything changes when you walk across that stage and recieve your diploma and even though it will be a wonderful change part of me will miss high school.

I would go back and tell myself to really work hard in high school. I feel that back when I was in high school, things were just changing where laws were requiring more effort on the students' part. I feel that if those demands had been in place when I was in high school I would have been better prepared for college. I would also tell myself to try and be more involved in extra curricular activities whether it sports, clubs, etc. so that I could carry that with me into college as a way to make friends and participate insomething I love.

Look outside of the college you are applying for when it comes to financial aid assistance. The college you choose may have options, but after 4 years of college, the loans start to pile up and college tuition prices rise every year. Search the internet, local businesses, as well as your county or state for more financial aid help.

During high school, I was very eager to be in college. The social transition was flawless, and I have not felt homesick at all. I am happy with the classes that I am enrolled in, and I have made friends easily. I certainly would have told myself to take the AP Chemistry exam, however. Even though I took the class my junior year, I wished that I would have given it a chance. Along the same lines, I wish I had taken the AP Calculus BC exam. I had taken neither of these tests because I didn't think I was going to earn a high enough score to pass through the credits. However, the credits add up, and if I had taken those two exams, I might have been a sophomore this year, which would be helpful in terms of career fairs and internship opportunities. The bottom line is that a student should always try their hardest, even if they think they will fail.