Montclair State University Top Questions

If I could give my high school self advice about college it would be to save as much money as I could. To be neat and organized, always be timely. I would advise myself to apply for as many scholarships as I could find. I would tell seventeen year old Colleen to follow your passions and go to fashion school, and to move further away from home. I would tell myself to do things that scare me, because conquering your fear is the only way to continue personal growth, both professionally and personally. I would tell my high school self to ALWAYS read books and to stay up to date with current events. My best advice to my senior self would be that nothing is as easy as it looks, always dig deep into a problem and work hard to solve it.

Take your classes wisely!

As a student who graduated number 17 in her class, I believed that my transition into college would go smoothly. However, nothing I learned in high school had prepared me for the heart wrenching dilemma I faced. While most of my fellow classmates were enjoying themselves, I was depressed. I didn’t have enough money to pay for school and was soon forced to withdraw. After reaching out to the president, I received the necessary funds to continue my first year at Montclair State University. To my senior self I say, you must learn to set your pride aside and ask for help when necessary. There is no need to be afraid of your destiny in this life and understand who you are as a young woman. You deserve to be just as happy as anybody else living on this green earth. So go out there and simply be Sophonie. Forget about trying to fit into the crowd or behave like your peers. That is not your place in life. Your place has and will always be to be different. Yes there will be trials and constant tribulations but remember always that there is nothing too hard for your God.

Stacy, I really have to tell you that you really should go to college right after high school. Don't wait two or three years for that wound up being around sixteen years. Well, all of those nights watching Law & Order put a bug in your head about law. You're taking that Legal Studies in high school right now so you got even more interested in it. Years later you finally decided to go back to college to get your Associate's Degree in Paralegal Studies. I know you're worried you will pick a subject that you won't like but you have nothing to worry about. All of your law courses are fascinating to you. Despite that you are years older than some of the students there you are getting good grades and making new friends. It's not true what they say you can teach an old dog new tricks. No offense. You really should've gone back much earlier for you had nothing to fear really except fear itself. This is really a great career field for you. The program director calls you a rockstar! So don't be afraid just go for it, girl.

Hello you, I mean me! Just some words of wisdom for the years you have to come. Find what you love, whatever really pulls you in, and don't settle for the career choice that others would like for you. In the end, you'll find that your not happy and may need to start back from square one. Maintain goals, and try to acheive them, in order to do so you must stay focused. Many things will try to blurr your vision of the dream you have ahead of you, just remember that parties and popularity are things that have no value in the future. Most of all stay active in your student cohort, your peers will have an effect on you, make positive connections, and you too will be a connection for positive things. Don't give up! There will be long papers, research, and obstacles that will challenge you, take on the challenge and you will be glad that you did. You've got lots to learn kiddo!

Don't believe what teachers say because high school did not prepare me for college. You are your own person so you must take charge of your life. Enjoy that you won't know eveybody and join as many activities as possible. Be smart about your choices and have fun. Admit to your mistakes or that you don't know what you are doing because most people won't.

Don’t let petty high school drama get to you because sooner or later you will be off to a different school and will not see those people who caused you unnecessary stress. College is a time to meet your lifelong friends and to start your future in the best way possible.Do your best in high school this way when you get to college you will already be used to pushing yourself to achieve above and beyond. Plus, if you get good grades all through high school it will be a lot easier to get into your dream schools and not have to worry about being let down.Go into your new college with an open mind. Mostly all high school students have been with the same group of people from elementary through high school; therefore, an open mind makes lets your guard down and lets you make the best of your college years!Lastly, you do not have to find a roommate you will be BFF with. Just find someone easy to live with—coming from a person with a bad first roommate experience.

I would tell myself that college is a time of self-discovery. The changes you go through are ones that you can never plan for, but you must allow them to happen because it is essential for the transformation into adulthood. The beautiful thing about leaving home and going to college is that you have all the time in the day to focus on yourself and your transformation. These key changes cannot be done as effectively unless you have the time to focus on your needs to be a successful individual. Although I never realized the difficulty of being away from the life I once knew, it taught me to never take anything for granted, while appreciating what you have in any given moment. I wish I could have told myself never to focus on the past, but on the future. As a wide-eyed freshman, sometimes you are drawn to past memories and you realize how truely different your life is now that you are in a new enviroment. You feel like a different person, but being able to remain yourself in a world that is everchanging is where your focus should be. Be yourself!

I would have to my advice to myself would have to be make sure i would have continued with it instead of backing out becaue Fasfa fell through the first time. I would have of told myself not hav waited 5 years after graduation to go back to school. I would have also told myself to stay confident and not let other people tare me down, I didnt believe in myself. If i would have known what i know now, I think college would have been a much eaiser task. But we all learn from our mistackes. Even the old me knows that, But i really want to let my younger self know, even being with that beautiful red head back then turned out to be even better because i married him and he is one reason why i have strived to continue. He has joined and we help each other understand math. College has been a great chance for me to learn who both of us turned out. I am proud of the old me and new me.

The advice I would give myself is to not of slacked off as a freshman. I regret not trying and thinking my grades the first year wouldn't matter in the future. The start of high school is when a student should become motivated to be successful and reach for he/she's dream. I wished I worked harder, and studied more because now I believe it really does pay off. Even though college is when it finally hits you, that you're a grown up you should always remember your long term goals when you start in high school. I would tell myself that I need to not procastinate like I did, because then I'll become a slacker. I need to tell myself that I'm adult and now facing the real world.

Finishing high school is a great accomplishment. However, you must prepare to take on college life after high school. The following tips will help you with your transition with college life: In High School Get your gpa above a 3.0 Take the SAT Apply to 3 colleges that match your credientials Fill out your fafsa Talk to your guidance counselor if you have any questions Get a part-time job to save money and pay for misc expenses Get your driver's liscence Attend any pre-college events that your future college may offer Seek advice from a college graduate or someone who is currently attending college. First Year of College Use the 9-5 approach with your classes Apply for a student worker position Learn time and financial management Eat a well balanced diet and exercise Get involved in no more than 3 organizations and be loyal to them Create and use study groups Build a professional relationship with your professor Go to class Take notes and rewrite them after class File your exams to prepare for finals. These are the commandents to become a successful college student.

I would tell myself that college life is completely different. I would tell myself that at college they really treat you like an adult. You are in charge of your own life in college and that you can structure your own life anyway you want. I would also tell myself that in college you will have more free time. In highschool, your in school round the clock, however in college that is not the case. One of the last things I would tell myself in high school back in time is to not worry about the future. I know that in the past I would always worry about where I was going to go to college. Just live life and life will take its course.

As a high school senior I worked three jobs to have some money saved up for college, and recieved advanced placement classes. To go back in time with the knowledge I know now, I would say to myself to relax and focus on my Advanced Placement classes. Since with higher scores I could enroll to college with credits. My third job was not necessary because I recieved a fair amount of Fanancial aid and the two jobs could support the other payments. I will say to budget my time because in college it becomes very valuable. Restrain myself from slacking and running off with friends so I can focus in class. Not to be afraid to participate and ask questions with all your teachers, because those letters of recommandations will benifit you. As well I would tell myself to take advantage and look for scholarships in time, because they help no matter what. I would tell myself to seek for help from High School counselors for scholarships information given to them. The most important thing I will tell myself is to have faith and not to worry about not getting accepted to a college, because your grades are excellent.

If I could back and talk to myself in high school, the advice I would give myself would be to study hard, get good grades, participate in school activies more, participate in sports, and do volunteer work. The most important is studying hard in order to get good grades. You would accomplish that by reading and rereading assignments, taking several notes, rereading/revising notes, asking questions to get clarification, studying with peers, get good night's sleep, and eating correctly.

I really do wish I could go back in time and tell myself, as a high school Senior, everything I've learned while being at college. If I had known that I would be well off once I got to MSU, I think the weight of the world would have been lifted off of my shoulders. I would tell myself that going to college offers an opportunity to meet new people, and that there are plenty of opportunities to get involved, even as a Freshman. My biggest worries were not finding a job, and failing my classes, and now that I have found two jobs on campus, and have developed more apporpriate study habbits, I feel more knowledgeable on how to succeed, both academically and socially, in college. I may not be able to build a time machine and tell myself that, but I do the next best thing, by running orientation during the summer for Montclair State Univresity, and informing the incoming first-year students on all of the knowledge I've gained about life in college.

Anje, find a job RIGHT now, and fill up that savings account. And volunteer at a zoo or a vet's office.

High school students, may not know the many things that they know after they have gone to college. I initially went into college with my newly found independence thinking that I will educate myself for four years graduate and find a job. However, I soon came to realize that while in college, amazing things can unravel! I would tell my high school senior self to not enter college life hoping to be able to slack off and miss classes because no one would penalize me, but tell myself that I can keep challenging myself and grow as a person. The second I stepped foot into my first college class I wish I had told myself, " This is your chance to prove to yourself that you are an intelligent young adult that can truly surpass your own expectations of who you think you are. Be the best student you can be and never doubt your ability to do amazing academic work." The knowledge I have gained as a college student is something I will never regret or forget. I know college is a transition, however getting into college means you have done something right!

If I can go back in time the only thing I would say to myself is get ready. I would make sure to tell myself that whatever you experience in the next few months will be the best moments of your life. You will experience things beyond your current understanding of things. My advice I would also give myself is that to not hesitate on any opportunites that you will be handed to you soon. To not be afraid of anything that may of scared you in high school because you was afraid to allow yourself to be heard. I would mention that college is an entirely different world and you will really enjoy. Finally, mention that will lose some people that you thought were your friends in college but, will be on the direct path to greatness.

You are better off waiting for awhile you need to develope more as an adult. Take some extra time to decide what your purpose in life is all about. Besides all that, I was a single father that would never abandon his son so i would not have listened even to my self. So now that my son goes to school so do I.

“No matter how well you may plan, interruptions can happen, but it is how you overcome these interruptions and advance forward in your professional and personal ambitions. The life you live with a degree versus without a degree will drastically differ.” This is the advice I wish I could have given myself in high school. With a wide-eyed hunger for more out of life, I moved abroad to complete University my sophomore year. However, when the economy hit hard, I found myself financially unable to return to college. The decision I made to put my education on hold is one that I regret daily. Almost seven years have passed since my high school graduation. After realizing I could have graduated and could have already had a few years’ of work experience underway, completing my degree is the most important priority in my life. Without a degree, I am short-changing myself in what I want most both in my professional life and in my personal life. If chosen as the recipient of this scholarship, I will be able to achieve a long-desired dream, as I am financially in need of assistance to make this dream come true.