Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg Top Questions

I am 34 years old. I graduated high school back in 1998. I would tell my young self to go to college and get an education. I would sit myself down and explain to a young man that you don't really know anything yet about the world and that a good education will open doors for you. I would tell myself that I worked at The Patriot News for 13 years and never really advanced because you need a degree to get jobs that pay well. I would tell myself that hanging out in bars all the way through your mid 20's leads nowhere. Most importantly I would tell myself to be good to Jill. She's my wife and she's the person who helped me become a good man and a great father to our 3 year old daughter.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior the first thing I would tell myself is to relax. As a high school senior I was so worried about if I would get into the colleges I applied to, how I would pay for college, losing my high school friends and having to make new ones, being good enough to become a doctor, etc. But as I approach my sophomore year of college, I look back and see my concerns as silly. I still worry about finances because I am paying for college myself, but who doesn't worry about college finances. The main thing I would tell myself is to relax and pursue my dream. As long as you believe in yourself and work hard you will succeed. All my worries going into college seem silly now, but that's because I believe in myself and know that if I set my mind to something and don't give up I will succeed. I would tell myself making the transition to college is an exciting experience that every child should have. One chapter of life closes and another one opens.

Future self, I'm here to tell you not to fret. You're going to make a lot of mistakes but those mistakes lead you to the dream that you never thought you wanted. Don't be discouraged by anyone, even by your family. They will discriminate you over your choices and you will feel like you are all alone but you arent. You will find someone who believes in you and because you found that person you will blossom, you'll become more confident and sure of yourself when it comes to making decisions. You will have your ups/downs and you will feel depressed and sad, but stay focused because eventually the world wont feel like its against you. Then you can finally have the ability to study and get great grades. You will get distracted but keep your head out of the gutter and remember that your mom loves you, that is definitely the most important thing that you have to worry about. She loves you and although she might be a little controlling and cold, shes really proud of you because she knows this is the best way for you to grow and be succesful.

I would tell myself to weigh factors besides the factor of liking a job much more heavily when considering a college major. Factors such as income, travel required, availability of entry-level jobs, and consistent work availability were some of the factors I failed to recocognize as highly important. I am now on my second attempt at getting a bachelor's degree and moving successfully into the workplace. On my first attempt at college, I studied Aeronautical Science and accumulated large loans. I had my head in the clouds imagining that I was going to fly the largest plane in the world and all the other factors to consider would just fall into place. I ended up with no job, no prospects, and large loans right as the economy crashed in 2008. Now I am going back to school to study electrical engineering while my wife is pregnant with our first baby. Being wise and picking a reasonable college major while in high-school will save you years of grief, decrease your chances of unemployment, and help you to avoid large spans of time working dead end jobs. My college major decision cost me 10 years, make yours count!

Giselle, begin your note-taking strategies now. College will be a different experience for you. It all comes down to the question "how bad do you want it". Recieving a quality education will not come easy, you have to place your head in a positive state because there will be lots of temptations. LIsten to your instructors, because they know best. They are here to give you a better future. COntinue making your parents proud being a first generation high school graduate and the first to attend college in your family. Good job on everything and remember, "how bad do you want it?".

I would tell myself to apply to as many scholarships as I could. I would also not have taken any breaks and tried to wait till summer in order to transfer schools. I would also have saved up a lot more, exspecially if I thought I was going to become a mother while trying to attend college.

Attending college is very valuable because it is preparing me for a career.College is my first step toward a better life for my children. I want to be able to support them and give them all the things I did not have growing up.Every day that I have class, I learn something that will help me when I start working.College is the begining of all my goals and hopes for my family.What is more valuable then your first step toward a better life for your children?

My prespective on the world has and continues to be broadened as I take steps to pull my family out of the ranks of the uneducated. My college experience has been valuable to me because it gives me the chance to give my own future family more oppurtunities and comforts that I was deprived of as a child. With a proper education at the University of Phoenix I will be able to get a higher paying job and just increase the overall comforts of life and be a good provider in the long run and finally be able to set myself apart from the crowd in these difficult economic times.

I have gained a sense of self upo attending this campus. I have expanded my social network since I have been here and have met some amazing people including a future President of the United States. I have developed my independence as well among many other things. I do love my school.

The main thing I have gotten from my college experience so far is a hunger for knowledge. I find myself excited to attend my math and engineering class daily to learn more about the fascinating areas of study. I find myself more and more often going out of my way inside and outside of the classroom to learn as much as I can. The want for knowledge is a curious and never-ending cycle. Anytime you find the answers you are looking for, more questions arise than the number of ones you answered. I love having the opportunity in this day in age to have the privilege to expand upon my knowledge. I?m excited for the future to see all the wonderful things that can be done with the newly acquired knowledge. With every day brings a new chance to learn, and a new chance to change the world forever.