Mansfield University of Pennsylvania Top Questions

If I could go back and talk to my self in High school before I graduated I would tell myself Don't go out with Colleen again she will jsut break your heart again. Don't jump right into college take sometime off you will need sometime to discover who you are. And lastly spend more time with your grandparents they won't life for much longer.

If I were able to talk to my high school self, I would say "you are wasting precious time!" I would say to myself that the bad habits that you adopted in high school will come to harm you later in college life. Work hard, work ahead, work to be on time, and you will be able to do amazing things with that knowlege. It won't only help you in college, but it will also help you when you do enter the work force. Only now am I finally understanding that I was throwing time and money away. I am finally getting A's in most of my classes. YOU could avoid that few years that it took for you to discover that by beginning today. You could graduate and begin your life at 22 years old rather than at 25. Don't waste time.

If I could go back and talk to my 12th grade self, I would tell myself to research careers sooner instead of later. I decided at the last minute to go to college and got everything done late, so I would tell myself to put more effort into finding out the type of career I would want to have in the future, to speed up my decision making. I would inform myself of the costs of going to college and tell myself to get a job before hand and to file for FAFSA earlier than I did. I would tell myself to be prepared to talk more often in college than in high school. I would inform myself of all the different career and volunteer possibilities I am now thinking about to give my 12th grade self more incentive to go to college. With more incentive I would have done more my senior year and even improved my grades.

Don't give up! I wish I had someone to say those words to me at a time that I desperately needed them. After having spent 17 years in foster care, I had given up on myself and I barely graduated high school. I married my way out of the system, and graduated high school the proud parent of a 3 month old baby boy. College was far out of my thought processes at the time, and I wish I had been there to tell me what a valuable experience it would turn out to be. I would tell myself to look for ways to overcome those barriers. I would have taught myself about the additional funds available for high school graduates who are wards of the state. Most importantly, I would have told myself that going to college isn't about being successful or making more money. It's about overall satisfaction with your life. Finally, after all is said and done, I would tell myself that someday I would be proud of my accomplishments in school and in life, not in spite of the hardships, but because of them.

Dear Wendi (age 17)- Twenty-six years ago, I was standing where you are now. You are full of self doubt and you don't believe that you can go to college and pass the classes that you need to in order to become a nurse. I guarantee you that you are smart enough and that you just need to believe in yourself and not be afraid of making mistakes. You are an intelligent young woman and you should not miss out on the opportunity to live in the college dorm and learn how to make your own way. Twenty-six years from now, you will not only have an associates degree in nursing, but you are working full time in a cardiac catheterization lab and attending on-line classes to obtain your BSN. You are doing all this as well as raising your family. Just think, if you had not given in to your fears and used your determination and intelligence earlier in life, you could be farther along in your journey to becoming a nursing professor. You can do it!! Sincerely, Wendi (age 43)

Get Involved. I was never much of a social person. I never joined a team for sports or lasted long in band; I never really did much with those around me. It was not until more towards the end of my senior year that I realized that I should change that. When one sees an opportunity to do something, for instance join a club, learn a language, travel, or hang out with friends more, one should seize it. Getting involved in anything gives meaning to life; to be a part of something is truly just awesome. I wish that I would have been on something like the soccer team or got involved with one of the clubs that we had in school. Now that I have realized that, I am finally getting out there and getting involved and by doing so, I am learning. I value learning above about everything and I now try to get involved in as much stuff as I can so I can get a broad perspective of life. I am now in the chemistry club, german club, I have done an exchange with a student from Germany, and so much more. Life can be more.

Carla, I know it is quite a shock to see yourself all these years later. I remember when you thought that thirty seemed so far off. Trust me, it is not really that bad. But before you turn to the next chapter in your life, I want you to remember there will be many transitions, more importantly, as you begin to think about college. You may not think so now, but you will go out into a world that is unlike what you have ever known. You will interact with people you have never interacted with and begin to find out who you really are. Please do not let these new experiences scare you as they have scared me. I am finding that I am now trying to go back and accomplish what would have been easier had I not shied away from it when I was your age. I know that completing four more years of school seems like a lot, but I know you will feel a sense of accomplishment when you are finished. It will open so many more doors for you than what it has for me. Promise me you won’t give up. Sincerely, Carla

If I was able to go back and advise my high school self about college life. I would tell myself to not be as worried as I was in my senior year. I would be reassuring and help my high school self build the confidence she needed to make it through her senior year. I would have been helpful in making the decision to attend Mansfield earlier. The advice I would have given would be to focus on having fun and finishing my senior year so it could be remembered. I would have assured myself that Mansfield was the best option because of the education that I would receive there in the future could not be gained at any of my other options. If I could go back and advise my high school self I would have shown her just how intellligent she has become. I would have assured her that her hard work has finally paid off. I would have told her to relax and enjoy her senior year because the best years of her life are coming and Mansfield is where she will spend her time. I would tell her to chose Mansfield and to never regret.

It is a well-known fact that in order to succeed, one needs support. As a high school senior, I was unaware of this detail. Although I had the assistance of my family directly at my fingertips, I didn’t consider this advantage. Instead, my pride led me to contemplate my options as if I was alone. During this time frame of my life, I had to make significant decisions such as what career I wanted to pursue and if I loved it enough to devote the rest of my life to it. What school should I attend? How could I pay the tuition? As these thoughts consumed my mind, I focused on the resources that were unavailable to me instead of the network of assistance that I had all along. It wasn’t until I stopped agonizing over my increasing responsibilities and asked my family and friends for help did I realize that worrying cannot solve problems. If I was able to go back in time and counsel myself as a high school senior, I would inform myself that it is more effective to ask for help when needed in order to learn from other individuals' experiences.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to not be afraid to let go of high school. I had the mind set that I didn't want to go to college and didn't look at many universities. I let my fear of change affect my future and I will never let that happen again. I would tell myself to embrace change and embrace the differences at Mansfield and in other people. I wouldn't trade a day of my college experience for anything.