Metropolitan State University of Denver Top Questions

Be perperded

Stepping through the time portal I feel strange but my resolve is strong! I have to talk to myself and tell him all the things that I now know. And there I am, it?s like some strange form of deja vu, I see the young me and shudder. Without being able to hold back I grab his arm and start jabbering away. You need to study more mathematics, more science, more everything! Challenge yourself young man and you will have a chance to make a difference in this world that you are having such a hard time trying to understand. I am here to tell you that you don?t have to make the same mistakes twice. You have a mind that is capable of greatness but it won?t get strong all on its own. All the classes that you find hard are the ones that you should take. I tell him: You have to mold your mind through mental exercise and dedication. When I was you, I thought that the world would fall at my feet because I had talent, but little did I know, talent isn?t worth a thing if you don?t nurture it.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I wouldn't say "Go to college!" I would say follow your heart and never fall into the conventional idea of working for money. I would have the conversation with teenage self of "How much money would make you happy?" I would let myself know that money is not going to make you happy and only by persuing your dreams will you have lived a fulfilling life. "Don't ever doubt yourself in anything you do because when you do, it takes away from moving forward", I would say. High school was just a general overview of different subjects and to really pursue your dreams you will need to attend a college/university/trade school. Follow your curiousities and the money will follow. Even if you don't get rich following your dreams at the very least, you will be happy. That will make for a fullfilling life.

If i could go back and talk to the younger me, i would say that i should take a year off and work at a physical type of job so that when he is prepared to go to school the thought of reading and studying is not percieved as a chore but a priviledge. Take advantage of your youth and use your time to travel to different cities and see if a change of scenery would do you good. Perhaps youll find a new home and be able to take advantage of in state tuition away from your family and friends, because nothing allows you to grow as much as figuring out how the world works on your own. Also i would tell me to not worry about mistakes and just do your best not to repeat them, this strategy would also make him a happier person. Most of all enjoy your time because every step forward is a good one.

You won't be able to do it all. It really is that simple. I know you are going to want to take charge of your life because you are away from home and independent now but you really need to ease into it. It?s alright to not cook for yourself all the time. That is what your meal plan is for! I know you, I know you are going to want to be heavily involved on campus right away and take on so much, but you need to adjust to the new environment of college first. Wait until spring semester to start getting involved, or get involved a little bit at a time. Guess what? All those IB graduates who came back from college saying it was so much easier compared to the IB program, they were right! Don't stress over the school work. You got this! All I can really leave you with is that you will have professors who frustrate you but you just need to remember, "The things taught in schools and colleges are not an education, but the means to an education." Ralph Waldo Emerson. Take a deep breath and enjoy the ride!

Adjusting to college does not become easier when you put it off as I did. I have realized that by choosing not to attend college immediately after high school I severely limited the options available to me. The scholarships and grants that were offered to me seemed insignificant at the time, but I now appreciate that I could have gone to a more prestigious school and still have been better off financially if I had taken advantage of the opportunities that hard work and good test scores in high school afforded me. Instead I ended up at a cheap public institution with very little national recognition. While my education will end up being relatively inexpensive, I will nevertheless be significantly in debt by the time it is complete. So if I were doing it over, I would toss aside any reservations about "not being ready" for college, and devote my energies to finding a good school and a good financial aid package that would get me a valuable degree on time and at a reasonable expense.

I would tell myself to follow my dreams instead of following in the foot steps of my father. It took me a long time to realize that I was passionate about health and fitness, and I didn't want to be stuck in my career. That is why, even though I have a wife and child, I have gone back to school to get my degree in Human Performance and Sport. I hope to be a personal trainer and maybe one day be able to do Physical Therapy or even be a doctor. Sometimes it takes life experience to know what you want, but I wish I had had the confidence to do what I would love instead of just try to make a living when I graduated high school.

I would take more AP courses in high school. It was cheaper and knocked out two things with one stone. I would do more reasearch on the college I would really like to attend and chose a bigger school.

Be prepared to be responsible for yourself. You have to push yourself, because you can no longer depend on the your teachers and family to always be there telling you what need to get done and when. Be strong in your studying habits before hand so that you can use them once you get into school. Be open to making new friends because sometimes its hard to keep the ones from high school. Most of all ENJOY EVERY MINUTE!!!

When I was in high school I was unable to see just how importan it is to choose a major and stick with it. Comittment to one degree can give many students a feeling of grounding in where they are at in there college career.