Marylhurst University Top Questions

It's really quite simple. Each individual must walk the path that they are currently on, to the best of their ability. If I were able to talk to my 17 year self, and if I had listened to the 27 year old me, then I wouldn't have made the choices that have brought me here today, and that would be sad. Each path I took, each mistake, triumph, and stumble helped develop me, and I am proud of who I am, imperfections and all. If I had known my senior year of high school that in the next 10 years I would attend 2 universities, get married, move four times, drop out of college, have two kids, watch my husband endure 15 months in Iraq, move to South Korea, then go back to school to complete my degree. I would have panicked and possibly never taken the path that I was meant to take all along. I would say believe in yourself, have faith in who you are and trust your instincts, because even if they're wrong they'll lead to another path, and towards another adventure worth expereincing.

In the future, you become a single mother trying to raise four sons on your own, without an education. Your possibilities are limited. It could all be different, if you focused on school. Having an education means you can support your family and yourself without fear. Take the time to study. Take the time to learn. Take the time to meet people from all walks of life. Take all the opportunities that are available on campus. Take the time to invest in your future. If you don't do it now, you will regret it later on in life. I promise you that!

If I could go back in time and speak to myself as a senior in high school I would say, "Jennifer, don't go to college right away, but know that you will always go back. Remember the importance of an education. Live your life by working hard at any job you pick, experience everything in life, learn from those around you, travel, be a good person, and leave everything better than you found it. " I would then tell myself, "Don't take too much time off because balancing school and work will get harder with age and time but it will be worth it more than words could ever describe. Too much time off will only delay your eventual dreams. And most importantly remember that there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome. Life is not hard, only moments and things are hard, and we all have an equal chance, so don't ever, ever give up."

At the end of my senior year, I was almost a whole year short of credits so I completed my GED. Because of getting a GED, I really felt that I was worthless and that a college education was not an option for someone like me. I finally realized that I wasn't that different and that a college education was attainable even for someone like me. If I could go back I would tell myself that t I was worthy of attending college, regardless of my background and family life. I wouldn't have been so worried about what people thought of me and I would have sought counseling and possibly even a mentor who could help me break my goals down into attainable steps. I have been attending Chemeketa Community College for over 10 years and at 48 years old, I am proud to say that I finally have the 90+ credits needed to transfer to a 4 year school. I am attending Marylhurst University the winter term of 2010. I will be the first female in my family to graduate from college.

I would tell myself to pay attention, to get better grades and not to listen to what other people think. To realize that an education is the most important thing in the world. I was raised in a household where school wasn't made a priority of life. Listen to counslers and teachers, ask for advice and use it. prepare for the future.

I've always been a dreamer, a big thinker, one of those people that is likely to be voted "Most Likely to Succeed" in high school. One of the main differences between those people and me is that I didn't graduate. I passed the GED in early 2001 and went straight to college. I was 17 and I wanted to go to college. In fact, I had been dreaming about going to college before I was in high school. For some reason, college always seemed like fun. Now that I'm grown up, I realize that college is hard work. I'm still struggling to complete school and I've been attending on and off since I was 17. Oh well. You live and learn. If I could go back in time, I'd tell my 16 year old self not to drop out of school and that college is a lot harder when you haven't completed all of the required courses for high school. I'd tell my 17 year old self to wait for college, get good grades, take the SATs, spend more time with friends, and just be patient.

As a college junior, when I return to speak to my high school self, the time tunnel is 42 years long. I'll be a little scary to ?little me.? Scared is okay, kid. Get used to it. Not sure what to do with your life? Take a deep breath. Pondering the totality of life is daunting, but life is lived one slow day at a time. It?s not a race but an adventure. You have good intentions and sharp instincts. College is your last opportunity to explore your options full-time. Soon, work, family and financial obligations will occupy the majority of your time. To fulfill your good intentions, you need to know more about possibilities. To sharpen your focus, you need to develop your critical thinking abilities. That?s what college is for! John Lennon says ?Life is what happens when you busy making other plans.? Before you know it, you?ll be gray and wrinkly like me and wonder if you could have done more with your life. You?ll always have regrets but completing your college studies will never be one of them. Life?s changing fast. An education will prepare you to thrive.

If I were a high school senior, I believe that I would have invetigated further what it was that I wanted to do for a career. I didn't have much influence in my family regarding going to college. Nobody in my family has ever went to college. My father was a machinist who barely graduated high school and my mother was a single parent raising my brother and worked at various office jobs. She did not complete high school. When it came time for me to graduate I didn't really have any direction. I explored taking photography and even took a few college course right out of high school. I then went on to be a hairdresser because my father thought that if, "I learned a trade, I could always find work." Both of these were things I didn't really want to do. There are more resources today that are available to students than when I was in high school. If I were back in high school, I might suggest to myself to go talk to a career services advisor or to network with people in various fields to "job shadow" them for one day.

make the time and find a way to get into college no matter the cost or the time it would have taken me. But, it is okay because I have a good life now and I have no regrets as I am going to go to school now and obtain the reality of a degree that I have desired all of my life. My family could not afford me to go to school because my father and mother thought it more important to be able to provide a home and food on the table. Neither one of them could afford to go to college or afford to send me to college. So I have had to work very hard to get to where I am today......... I bless my parents for teaching me that HARD WORK AND BEING HONEST TO YOURSELF AND WITH OTHERS THAT WILL PAY OFF IN THE END.................AND I AM GOING TO SCHOOL NOW.

Three simple words. Don?t give up. I jumped into college life after high school full of enthusiasm and energy. I assumed I'd graduate in four years and move on to graduate school or a profession. I kept my grades up and worked hard. But along the way life happened, as it does. I became the primary bread winner for my entire family of origin my Sophomore year and dropped out of school to work. I excelled in work, and took one class at a time here and there along the way, persistent in the pursuit of my goal. I began to lose hope though, until one of my clients at my place of work graduated with her GED and told me she was inspired to go on to college because of me. In that moment I realized that I couldn't give up on myself and the importance of knowledge. This year I went back to school, less than a year from graduation with a new sense of appreciation for the power of an education. Women must gain strength from one another. My client was my inspiration and I want be that for other young women by graduating.