Rhode Island College Top Questions

Relax. There is no need to stress out. College is not the shark tank high school teachers make it out to be. There are plenty of students, professors, and other faculty members that are more than willing to help you. College is not a journey that you take alone and it is not a set up to make the kids who were not "properly prepared" fail, everyone is promoted and assissted to accomplish success. Work hard, study, and make sure to balance your hard work with spending time with friends and family as well. A well balanced and properly organizede schedule of your life is the key to a successful and very enjoyable college experience. Anyone can enjoy college.

I would tell myself that hard work is very important and that setting yourself to a task needs to be something you stick to. You need to make sure you do all your work first and then you can make your way through classes easier and not stress like you do now. You need to make sure that everying will be okay as long as you work hard and you keep your head on straight. Even as I would say this, I struggle with it and wish I got into the practice sooner. Each semester is a chance for improvement and studying is extremely important to your studies. College is the theoretics, so you need to make sure that you can apply the practice into real life. Keep your connections from work, school, and camp and you'll be just fine. Brush it off and push through it. This too shall pass, along with every other hardship that we have passed.

My advice to my former 17 year-old self is to not pick a major right away. Take as much general education courses as you can and prolong your decision as long as you can, unless you really do have something you've ways been passionate about since you were a child; if thats not the case then you should just explore your options. The right career is not always what best suits you according to your personality, work ethic and skills. There is a career you think you should undertake and really it's not best for you and if you dont explore what else is out there you may get stuck doing something you find you're not a match for, and may even discover this when you have wasted lots of time and money that you can't get back. Take personality tests, "career" tests, and research a lot until you can clearly see what you should be doing in life, and until it all falls into place and feels right for you. I wouldnt be surprised if most people find that they ended up with a career totally different from the one they started with.

If I could go back in time to my high school self, I would tell myself to be confident. I would inform myself that everyone has flaws, whether inward or outward, and that mine that did not define me, nor did they make me less important than anyone else. I woould also tell myself to explore life a bit more, to go to more events and talk to more people. College is nothing like high school. College students spend time getting to know each other, rather than picking at each other. The final thing I would tell myself is that it is important to be intelligent. I would inform myself that all of the things, like trying to impress other students and focusing on my outward appearance, were not as important as being intelligent. I would have told me to work harder, focus on imporving my grades, and being proud of my intelligence.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to do the application process earlier than I did. Knowing what I know now, I would tell myself to apply to college a lot earlier than I did. I would also tell myself to apply for scholarships a lot earlier than I am now. The reason i would have told myself to apply to college earlier, is because the amount of worrying I had to suffer through as I applied last minute. I could have saved myself a lot of stress and actually enjoyed my senior year a little bit more. The reason I would have told mysellf to apply for scholarships a lot earlier is to also relieve myself of the stress I'm going through. That way I would have already known what scholarships I would have gotten and I could have asked my guidance counselor for help.

I would say do all your school all at once and get it done. I have been a part time student while working full-time for most of my post-highschool career. With the cost of school and living going up it is difficult to finish a degree and work at the same time due to costs. Also to get involved in as many community and networking projects as possible.

Being a high school senior I didnt know much about college. Both my parents never attended college. Both my parents were born in Dominican Republic where education lifestyles were a bit different. As a first generation college student I knew I had to do many things on my own or seek help from my guidance counselors. I exceled in high school with an outstanding GPA. They did the best that the possibly could in directing me in the right path. If I could go back in time I would advise myself to have taken early college courses in high school. Those early college courses would have helped me advance in college now. I struggle to take more than 4 classes each term because of financial need. I work full time as a legal secretary to be able to put money aside and pay the most that I can for my college tuition. I receive partial financial aid and pay the difference out of pocket. I take what I know now and advise my younger sister of the importance of having a college education. I try to be a resource to her while she is a senior.

Alyssa, I know you're an oxymoron considering how shy you are for being a member of the high school drama club, but you really need to open up. Join more organizations, become more social! Trust me, the amount of work you put into seeking more diverse activities and friendships, the easier it will be to transition into college life. Everyone is different, everyone has a story, and in order to appreciate the amount of overwhelming culture thriving at your fingertips during your time spent at college, you need to take the first grasp early on. Become more aware of the social activity going on around you. Good luck!

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a college senior I would tell myself to look into college majors and scholarships more than I did. I didn't decide on my major until my fourth semester at CCRI and it was very stressfull. I had not really looked into different majors before then. I also have not gotten any scholarships since I started college so I already have a lot of debt and I still at least four semesters left.

If I could go back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell my self that college can be stressful sometimes but also it can be fun. College life is nothing like high school life, the teachers are just as hard as high school teachers, the work load is a little more but you have more time to complete the work. Also that as a starting freshemn living on campus is so much easier then commuting because you dont have to worrie about the traffic and it less stressful. Also get involed alittle, join clubs be apart of the college it makes it more enjoyable. Lastly, dont stress about you roomate because you and her are going to get along very well and the friends that you have made in college will last you a lifetime, high school is filled with drama and cliques but in college everyone is diferent and everyone is accepted in to the family just the way they are. Yeah sure there are some people who care about the people they hang out with be all that doesnt matter youre in college now. Its all good, dont stress.

Focus. Hunger. Drive. Those are the three words that come to mind that I would of have engraved on my forehead if I could of have gone back. Just for thirty seconds to even just say Focus would be suffice. I never realized how much a career could do, not just for myself, but for my country. I am Mexican-American, the stereotype in America goes around that Mexicans typically drop out of high school, or simply graduate and do not further their education. I am not sure if there is no hunger, if there is no drive, but we definitely do need focus. I think the reason for that being is the opportunities that we misunderstand. This degree in my field can provide hope, drive, and focus for my generation, for my family, and for myself, to bringabout that a career can change your life.

Knowing what I know now, I would advise my seventeen-year-old self to consider my options as far as other majors. I had my mind set on nursing at such a young age that I didn't let myself acknowledge the broad range of alternative possibilities. Now that I have successfully changed my major, two years later, I couldn't be happier. However, I wish I realized this sooner before spending such extended time on strictly science based courses. I would also advise ending a personal relationship which held me back from living on campus my freshman year and enjoying extra curricular activities I could have flourished at; due to jealousy and childish behavior on their part. Last but not least, I would advise to never give up on myself, stay determined and strong, understand the transition is awkward and stressful but amazing and necessary. Success is achievable even through midterms, finals, exams, doubts and uncertainty. On the other hand, I would only share that last piece of motivational advice. Simply because all my experiences and decisions have led to the development of the mature, responsible, independent woman I am today.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would excentuate the imprtance of time management, not only in the application and scholarship process, but in my courses as well. While applying to college and for scholarships, I learned how important it is to get things done in a timely manner. I waited to hear back from my colleges for months and realized that had I applied sooner I would have heard back sooner and had less time to stress. I also thought I had more time to apply for scholarships and missed many deadlines. I would tell myself to be ontop of taking application opportunities as soon as they became available. Finally, I would tell myself that this is a life altering time and the choices I make will be with me forever. Be smart, careful, and think about how my choices will affect my future.

Your education is an investment, don't worry so much about how much it costs. Find the school that you fall in love with and that has all the resources, classes, and opportunities that will allow you to achieve your goals and dreams in life. Make sure the college you pick will be a nurturing and welcoming environment for you, don't pick a school because your friends go there. You will make new friends whereever you go. It's ok to take time away from school and experience the world outside academia if you're unsure what you want to do with your life. Most importantly, have fun and love what you're studying; if you are not, then do not be afraid to change your direction. The journey is as important, if not more so, than the destination.

I would have definately considered staying home, other than going out of state for college. I would have thought about trying to find more scholarships, especially for athletics. I also probably would have started putting away money early.

If I were to go back in time as a senior graduating high school, I would advise myself to not be so nervous about starting this new chapter of my life. I also would express the importance of studying, reading and excelling in everything I do, making it clear to myself to give my all in everything I do. One of the many lessons I learned while attending college was you only have one chance to do your absolute best and to make that chance count. As a college student, I've become exposed to vast diversity; if I were to go back and talk to my high school-self I would encourage myself to embrace diversity sooner and use it as a tool to enhance my education.

It has been nearly eight years since I graduated from high school and I have learned many lessons along the way. However, if I could go back and talk to my high school self I would say to not give up or become discouraged. I know that seems like very generic advice but not long after I graduated high school I became pregnant and had my first son. I attempted to remain in school but believed it was too difficult and I needed to be home with Isaiah. Eight years later and with two sons now I have realized that yes it is difficult and yes it takes a lot of my energy and time but it is worth it because I am doing it to provide a better future for them. If I had realized this sooner I would be further in my career and able to spend more time with them and attend all events. So if I could go back I would make myself see that it would be better for my family to push through and finish and not give up so they cant say "my mommy quit because of me".

If i coud go back to my high school days and tell myself ahead of time i would say, just be prepared and dont take it as a joke. Being in college is very hard. When you are sitting around in that classroom your teachers are there but they are expecting you to know somethings and work on your own. Some people think that the teachers are always going to be there for you to answer ever question or yet giving them to you. I would have told myself that I needed to take noted and make sure that i can do it by myself. Most of my classes are done online so I'm only inside the classroom with my teachers for a little time of the day, they are they to helo and answer few questions and they dont do one on one time alot. I loved being in high school working with the teachers and having fun with the classmates but I wasnt prepared for college so i would tell myself, work hard, get your work done and pay very close attention to everything that your teachers are saying to you. Stop Think and listen to them!

The only thing I regret when I was a high school senior was not putting in the effort to get better grades. I ended my high school career with a 2.5 GPA and in college it is at a 3.0 and increasing. If I could go back in time I would tell myself to join more clubs in school and to work harder into getting better grades. Going to college with a 2.5 GPA isn't something to be proud of, but I have certainly learned from my high school experience that if I can put in the effort I can succeed.

The biggest advice I could give myself as a high school senior would be to begin practicing time management. In high school I had plenty of free time, and time management was not something I was very concerned with. Knowing I was going to wrestle in college while taking on a much larger courseload, I was aware that time management would be the key to my success. However, I had no idea that learning how to manage my time well would not be something I could learn over night. My first few years in college were tough because I had never practiced managing my time. During my first semester, while balancing athletics and 12 credits, I earned a GPA of 2.75. By spring semester of my junior year I received a GPA of 3.8, bringing my cumulative GPA up to a 3.5. Only this time I was balancing athletics, 18 credits, an internship, and a part time job. By now I would say I am fairly good at managing my time. However, if I had learned how to manage my time earlier I could have been a lot more productive during my first few years of college.