North Carolina A & T State University Top Questions

HAVE FUN DURING HIGH SCHOOL AND BE MORE ACTIVE BECAUSE COLLEGE GOES BY SO MUCH QUICKER AND IT TAKE MORE DETERMINATION TO GET THINGS DONE BECAUSE THE LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY IS 10 TIMES HARDER

Ever since I was a young child I always dreamed of going to college, and throughout my early to young adult life I strived to reach that goal often putting my studies before fun. Throughout high school I tried to be perfect, yes I did particpate in extra curricular activites (theatre my one true love) but I never thought it could be a career that is where I was wrong. In college I discovered that dreams are important, "the bigger the dream the more powerful the journey is going to be. " If I were to talk to my high school sel I would tell myself to have "fun." Love what you do and do what you love. Don't be practical! Being normal is vastly underrated! College has taught me that being your own person is the greatest thing you can learn. I would tell my high school self that you need to treat each day like its your last. College has been the greatest thing for my development as a person and if I was now who I was then, my world would be extremely different. My young self would know to take chances.

The advice I would give myself about college is to pay more attention to what's going to help me in college. To learn how to do more productive things with my spare time. I tend to forget what's important and do things to help others. When I know I should come first because nobody is going to graduate for me but me. That's the advice I would give myself.

I would tell myself to make sure you get in the habit of having better study skills. Also to not be such a procrastinator because once your in college that doesn't work to well. Also to make sure you save as much money as you possibly can because when you get older and have to live on your own and pay for school you are going to need it just for the little things.

When you are in college you are responsible for yourself mom and dad aren’t around to punish you for things but police, security guards, and faculty are in place. I’m sure you already hear about college parties, at these parties and other locations on campus there is often times alcohol and drugs around. People are constantly throwing a bottle or cup in your face trying to influence you to drink UNDER age. Half of the time they won’t take no for an answer they keep giving you reasons you should do it telling you it’s not that strong, you won’t get in trouble, and it’s only right for you to TURN UP. This is the furthest thing from right because there is always police and security on campus, suspicious behavior can cause them to stop you and you can go to jail. One night can cost you your education, once you get in trouble for that much more comes into play. The ways around peer pressure are simple associate with people who respect your decisions, hold on to your beliefs, and mean what you say. So if you tell someone no, really mean “NO!”

If i could go back in time, during my high school senior year, I would tell myself to take school more seriously and start learning how to study more because I have to know how to study well in order to be prepared for my tests and quizzes. I would also inform myself to take the opportunity to appreciate all the time I spend with my family because while I am at school, my family will not be able to provide for me as much as they could if I was at home. Learn how to be away from them, so whenever you get away you will not become homesick. College is tough and there will be times when you want to break down, but keep your head up and do the best you can because that will get you far.

Chris, I want you to stop and think about your future. What do you want and how are you going to get there? Pay more attention and make sure you are making the necessary preparations for college. College is fun and you will love it! But you will have to work hard, pay attention, and be diligent with your homework. What has helped me when I don't feel motivated is to think about what kind of life I want my family to have, and that will largely depend on how well you do in college. Another piece of advice I would give you is to always think about what you want to major in. This will be a big decision that you will have to make. Make sure it is something you are passionate about, something you won't feel is a chore but a new opportunity everyday. You will learn a lot about a lot of things in college, so it can be tricky to narrow it down to one thing. But remember to have fun through it all. Enjoy every day as it comes at you, it is an adventure and you will love it!

Experienceing college was one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life. knowing what i know now, I believe i would have considered going to a trade school after college. My reason is because i would have gotten hands on experience their versus learning experiences. Today, when you are being interviewed for a job the employers are mainly looking for individuals who have hands on experience. One of the biggest regrets i have about attending college was accepting unsubsidized loans. I did not have much knowledge on loans. My advice to myself would be to only accept subsidized and do not accept more money than what you need because the interest would not accumulate until after graduation. I am in debt big time. I can't rewind time but all i can do is make better decisions. In graduate school all they offer is unsubsidized loans but my master's degree is so important to me. I just believe i will be able to pay it back once i hopefully find a great job!

With the exhilarating experience of traveling back in time and meeting myself as a high school senior I would have a few things to say. The first thing I would tell myself would be, “We become the first person to travel back in time!” Then after the initial excitement begins to wear off I would become serious and say, “I know our father died last year but don’t give up and don’t slack off. This year is the start of your life. Dont't fear the transition to college it's not that scary, in fact you do better in college than you are doing in high school right now.” However, I will not tell myself of any major upcoming life experiences because I believe that those experiences are what dictate my actions and what have brought me to where I am today. I would try my best to not change anything in my timeline to prevent anything form changing. Finally the last thing I would tell my high school senior self would be, “Everything is going to be O.K.” I just hope after traveling back in time I would have a way to get back.

If I could go back and speak to my senior self, I'd probably tell myself to relax. Coming into university I was plagued with thoughts that I would miss my family too much, wouldn't get along with my roommate, would get lost trying to get to class, wouldn't understand what any of my professors were saying, and other general 'Freshman Phobias.' Having completed my Fall semester and begun the Spring, I can honestly say that these fears are, at least for me, unfounded in many ways. It may be due in part to the university I chose to attend because of all of the comraderie and helpful upperclassmen waiting in the wings to come to a struggling freshman's aid (if you look in the right place), but I found myself easily acclimated to the college experience with one minor exception, attending classes. Time management and self-motivation are traits that seem to have skipped over my generation and as a result I found myself missing classes left and right. These revelations in mind, I would tell myself to calm down and buy an agenda book and alarm clock with multiple settings. They help.