Marylhurst University Top Questions

If given the opportunity to travel back and advise my high school self, I would say that it is important to get out and experience the real world for a couple of years before deciding on a degree program. So many people make the jump from high school to college without really knowing what their interests or skills are. A student can waste many years and many thousands of dollars, jumping from college to college, or changing majors throughout their education. Often students graduate with some generic degree which doesn't lead them on to careers in their field of study. My advice to myself is to take the time to work for a couple of years, see what works and what does not work, then make a decision on a degree or major. Investing a couple of years in research could save many years of work later.

If I could go back to high school and give myself one piece of advice, that advice would be to go in blazing! It was scary, starting a new life in a new place with new people, but timidity was only a part of it. A lack of confidence in my own scholastic abilities was my greatest adversary starting out. Avoiding challenges and shying away from opportunities does nothing but intensify the fear and make the jump seem that much bigger. Grades are very important, but college is not all about straight A?s. College is about preparing students for the challenges of the life ahead and directing them onto a road of life long learning.

Follow your heart and find something you love to do that you can turn into a job...the money will come with it. Be of maximum service to the God of your understanding and others whenever possible...personal reward will come with it. It is up to you to change your life and make it have value...not your employers. Be kind to everyone...you never know if you'll be working for them someday.

Don't give up so easily on being able to get an education. Even if some of the classes seem silly and the profs, in general, might not seem very bright, you'll meet a few who will inspire you and will help you connect with the larger world. But you'll have to kiss a few frogs, for sure. Don't make assignments any harder than they have to be and don't worry about aceing classes. "It takes a C to get a degree!" is actually a pretty good motto, and although the content of your education might have remarkably little to do with the kind of career you actually end up building, what's important is getting the degree under your belt, sooner than later. It's painful and frustrating, at times, but there will also be some good moments. Don't get too hung up one way or another. Just get through it. You'll be glad you did.

Having the chance to go back and talk to myself as a high school senior would be very interesting, as it certainly would change the entire course of my life up to and including the point I am at today (provided I listened to my own advice of course). As a current "adult learner" with many years of work experience under my belt, I now know how to make use of education as a tool to shape and direct a career. In high school, however, I saw college as just more of the same, and initially did not want to go. Although I now appreciate the learning for what it is and how it is affecting my career, the motivation I would give to myself as a high school senior would include a descriptive explanation of how great the college experience would be along with a comparison of what a day of school would be like (as opposed to a day of work for a person with limited education and experience). As an adult I have learned to make life-long learning a part of my plan. I just wish I would have started sooner!

I would first have to tell myself not to give up, that doing well in high school is worth it. That college will be different. In college you will be surrounded by people with common interests and the petty concerns of high school will be irrelevant. In college you will be praised for being an individual. Your artistic talents will be nurtured and praised. You will gain confidence in your work and yourself. You will experience joy and success that you have not known in years. Taking the risk, letting yourself be vulnerable, will all pay off. You will make lifelong friendships. All the debt and diffuculty with finalcial aid will work out. Most imporatntly, all the struggles in your life that led you to this point were worth it. You are worth it.

It's not necessarily a negative experience to work for a year or more before entering college. Statistics on the matter aside, as a mature learner you will appreciate everything more. Volunteer a little and work hard, knowing you'll make mistakes. Be silly from time to time, but explore college campuses and let your intuition and your good nature guide you. Remember, colleges are designed to engage you in discovery and therefore should not be feared. Don't be afraid to move away from the city you were born in to find your own, true voice. Stand tall in claiming your identity and your education. Trust in who you are and dream of who you wish to be. Recognize those you admire and understand what it is about them that touches you, for they are a small part of how you envision yourself. Know you will continually evolve and that throughout the process a good college will guide you, honestly. Remain humble and curious, always. Have the courage to enroll into the unknown world of academics and revel in it. There is an amazing feeling you will have after your first classroom experience. Praise yourself for it.

Dearest Pam, I know that you think the only way to escape your home life, is to get married. You've been told you aren't intelligent enough for college; that you are only a girl and girl's can't make a difference in the world. I'm here to tell you, it is simply not true. You will discover that soon. If today, you follow that dream of education, you will find the mysteries of the natural world and humanity, opening to you. But today, you must learn to focus on the task at hand. Today, you must take your love of expression and mold it into usable skills. You must take your natural curiosity and create a goal for yourself that can sustain you, with or without a lifetime partner. The path ahead will not be easy. You will be challenged in ways you never dreamed. You will be asked to think,... alot. You can get the tools you need for your education: funding, housing and tutoring. You can find them through the offices of financial aid and of student services for any school you choose to attend. Be brave. Be committed. You can do this.

Try harder, study harder and focus on my own education rather than the social arena around me. If I could go back to being a high school senior I would want take the knowledge of how good it feels to earn a good grade through hard work instead of just sliding by doing the bare minimum. I would set out a plan to focus on my study habits, time management and social life so that the social aspects of high school and college did not effect my ability to succeed. I crave the education handed to me.

I would have sought my degree immediately following high school graduation. I did not realize how crucial it would be in my chosen field of business administration to have a four year degree. Being recently unemployed, the majority of my competitors seeking work have such a degree making it difficult for me to be considered for positions.