San Diego State University Top Questions

Don't be stressed out. I know textbooks cost money. I know you won't find your grandmother's kitchen on campus. I know you have to figure out how to budget a meal plan. But I promise, you will be rewarded. In the grand scheme of the college experience, these trivial things become obsolete. Think about all the friends you'll make. Think about all the things you will try and the places you will go. Savor the fact that you can go to class in a tank top and shorts in mid-January when everyone back home is wearing North Face coats to the shower. All the skills you will learn here are the most valuable skills you can ever hope to learn. You'll soon discover how to do things like make a budget for a month's rent even though last year you were memorizing a sheet of geometry formulas. It is here where you will learn to be a citizen and an adult. So keep that head high and prepare to enjoy the REAL best years of your life.

I would advise myself to take a year off before going to college and also to take out as little student loans as possible.

I would try to work on the social aspect of my character. When I got here, I was not the most social guy and that would be about all I would change. I would just tell myself to find more meaningful relationships at the beginning because honestly it is hard to find. And most importantly that staying with my girlfriend was the right choice, because she is amazing.

The best advice I would give myself is to develop good time management skills while you are still in high school, and become independent and ready to test those skills when going to college. It's not just about studying; you now become responsible for making sure you are physically fit, getting enough sleep, making sure you have good meals, and being responsible with things such as getting to class on time, being prepared for those classes, insuring that all assignments and projects are completed, and helping your friends that need extra assistance. Look at college as an opportunity, not something automatically given to you. Accept the challenge, and live accordingly; enjoy it, but take nothing for granted. And study hard!

Less than a year ago, I finalized my decision to enroll in the university I am currently attending. The decisive process proved to be long and grueling, filled with uncertainty. In the end, I was euphoric with anticipation for Fall. I landed a private dorm room and one of my best friends from high school also planned on attending. Everything seemed to fall into place. But life has a knack for throwing a twist in one’s stability. Upon move-in day, my friend informed me she decided not to attend this university. I also learned I was not assigned to a private dorm room, I would be living with eight other girls. The semester provided difficulties I never imagined I would have faced. Admittingly, experience took a rather heavy emotional toll. If I could return to advise my younger self I would say this: the foundation of identity lies with one’s morals. In future endeavors, do not compromise these morals. However, adaptability to new situations is crucial. Plans may deviate from the original schematic. You cannot let this break you. Know the limitations of right and wrong, allow them to guide you through tough times. Never lose yourself.

If I were able to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would give myself tons of advice. For one, I would stress the importance of grades and an accumulative GPA of all four years of high school because even though I caught on eventually, I did "mess up" my sophomore year. I would also stress how important extracurricular activities were in high school, whether they be sports, band, clubs, associated student body, etc... Once again though I did participate in extracurricular activities, it might have done me better to participate all four years of high school not just the last two. Listening to my parents and not what everyone else had to say would also be a pivotal piece of advice that I could offer to myself, because though at the time I didn't think they had my best interest at heart, I now know they did. My last piece of advice would be that there is no such thing as filling out too many scholarships, you will definitely need them in the long run and every little bit helps. Trust me!

Do not just assume that because no one in your family has attended college, ever, that you have to settle for anything less than the best education. Just because you have no money, no one to borrow money from, and you make less than ten thousand dollars a year does not mean you cannot go to the college or university of your choice. Do not let your current circumstances derail you from your dream. You can be anything you want, and you can do it all. Research all your options you will find a way to not only attend college, but also graduate with a degree that you earned. Do not let others tell you that you will be just like your parents. You are already proving them wrong, you will graduate high school. The first person in your family to do so. You will go to college and will travel the world. You will learn, you will explore, and you will grow into a better person because of it. Lift your head up high and take the world head on! And take a handkerchief to your graduation, the air conditioner quit that morning and it felt like a sauna!

I would tell myself two things; (1) stay focused and (2) never stop applying for scholarships or colleges. During high school, I excelled in all my classes and gained respect from my teachers. When I hit my senior year I was feeling the pump of graduating just as everyone else did. The anticipation of being done with high school and graduating was so overwhelming that I lost focus of the next step. I was living in the present while forgetting to plan for my future. Once I reached the peak of my graduating year I soon realized I had a whole other mountain to climb, college. College is a place where money is devoured by institutions in order for a person to receive a higher education. Since I didn't assert myself to apply to numerous of scholarships and colleges I limited my future steps. Even though I got accepted into the colleges I applied for, I could not attend them because I was low on funds. However, one last thing I would tell myself is no matter how far down you are there will always be opportunities to advance in life, just do not let them fly by.

The thing I could have done as a high school senior to better prepare for my new life in college would be to get more real-life experience. Most of us arrived with good academic habits. But I am definitely lacking in the “everyday life” department. I should have learned how to do my own laundry, and how to shop for healthy easy-to-prepare food, especially ANYTHING other than ramen noodles! I should have learned how to read a bus schedule, and how to get from Point A to Point B without a car. I should know how to (and how much to) inflate a bike tire without having it go BOOM! (Trust me on this one). I should have figured out how to install an e-reader program on my laptop and how to change ink cartridges on the printer. I should have learned how to keep a shopping list, so I don’t forget things at the store. I realize now that it would be really nice to go back and learn all of this from someone with experience, rather than by trial-and-error. It would have saved time and money (and a new bike tire!)

Some people say college is a time when you can start anew and begin life with a clean slate. While this may be true, my advice to myself would be to never forget you are still YOU. Starting college doesn’t necessarily mean finding what the “new you” should be like in life. It's when you get to grow into the more mature preppy/nerd/jock/artist you were before. It’s discovery, not a retrogression where you forget the life lessons learned in 18 years of life. College allows you to explore opportunities that were previously unavailable to you in high school. In college, I have found that the opportunities I participated in reflect similar activities that made me content growing up. I am on the men’s rowing team, which reflects my enjoyment of being on sport’s teams since I started T-ball. I work at the diabetes camp I attended as a camper since I was 8 years old that taught me so much about my diabetes. Don’t allow college to entirely change who you are, but use it to take advantage of how it can transform you into a responsible leader of society.

"Just go," I whispered to myself, "and do what makes you happiest. Most of my first year at State was miserable because I was sad and alone and refused to go to any club meetings." I throw an arm around my high school self and say to her, "Living in San Diego completely alone and scared hurts and Lord knows how much pain you've gone through this last year. College is the last time you'll be able to have any fun. Go join theater, like you've always wanted. Take a shot at Young Life, they're the most accepting and loving group of people you will ever meet." And then I'd look at myself square in the eye and say, "You can't be everybody's friend. If you try too hard they will drop you the second you can't commit to them. But don't cling or smother others because you'll drive them away." And with a final hug I would say "Stay true to yourself and don't let anyone give you any crap. You're not a doormat, you're a person too."

Honestly if I could talk to myself in high school I would say to finish my certification from the New Jersey Small Business Development Center. I had completed 3 out of the 5 small business workshops, but I could not afford to take the last two my senior year. Now I may be able to find it managable to figure out some type of funding for the certification, I am living in California and not NJ. I just feel as though I started something and didn't finish it. Maybe if I just sacrificed some more materialistic things, I would have been able to say I have that certification. As for how I conducted myself throughout high school I don't think I would change a thing. Every thing I went through was a lesson learned and really helped me grow as a person. By senior year I was extremely proud of who I was. Hence, why my senior portrait I portrayed Rosie the Riveter. Because I know i CAN be successful in my business career and I am determined to do so.

I would say just keep an open mind, and be nice to every person you meet. Its useless to judge people, and you never know when you might need a friend in a class, or a study partner, so its always good to treat everyone with kindness. college is a time for peple to express there indivisuality, and experiment, so just respect that and you will do great. I would also reccomend getting involved in a bigger school so you feel apart of something

Everyone talks about finding your passion. They say that that's where your dream career should be. But that's not always true. Growing up, the world has given you so many things to love and care about, and those things will never change for you. For me, that has always been cooking. But that doesn't mean I had to pursue a career in it. I was heartbroken when I realized I didn't want a career in the restaurant industry, did that mean I didn't have a dream? No, not at all. I realize now that what I want to do with myself, is find new knowledge for the world. Looking back senior year in high school, I was exceptionally good at literature and physics. I am now a major in astronomy, and I hope to get a Ph.D. in the field. I'm always going to love cooking. I already had what the world gave me, now I'm looking for what I can give to the world.

Hi High School Self, I hope that you are ready to come in to the "adult world". Be ready to be more independent, and start making your own decisions. Taking the trolley everyday will be hard, but it will help you mature and be grateful for so many things in life. Don't be scared about being the only girl in most of your Computer Science classes, think of that as being bonus points. Learn how to study, it is really not the same as it is in high school. Get involved, but not overloaded with commitments. Start saving up money, and don't get discouraged if you don't find a job right away. Always remember to follow your dreams, since you are by yourself and no one will be there to tell you what to do; find the right help and achieve them. Believe and Achieve. Love always Carla Sanchez

Don't care what others think about you in high school. When you get into the big world, all the little people you worried in high school were just a waste of your time, energy and emotions. I really wished I hadn't focused on the "popular" kids so much because I go to a much better school than the "popular" kids go to now.

I would be more involved in social actities earlier on, but would not change my chouce.

If I could go back in time I would tell myself to focus more, I was always a focused student but I could've been way more focused. I would tell myself to listen to my teachers when they tell me college is nothing like High School and I would've applied for more scholarships and 4-Year colleges. If I could go back in time I would've taken my senior year more seriously and tried harder to get a job so that I had the finances to pay for college because it's so expensive now. I would've worked harder in my sports so I coud try to get sports schoarships, and I would've tried harder to make honor roll; but at the end of it all, there isn't much I would change because I loved my senior year and I'am still successful today because of the person I was a year ago. Thank you.

I would give myself the advice to strive to do my absolute best. In high school I did not know what I wanted to do. Therefore, I slacked off a little bit in junior college. Once I chose my major and transferred I found out my major was highly competitive, and less than 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of people who apply to graduate school get into a program. I wish I could take back my years of community college and redo them. Once you lower your GPA, it is nearly impossible to raise it. Through my academic strife I have raised it to a 3.56, but it does not hold as strongly as I would like in my competitive field. If I could go back I would tell myself to put 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of myself towards achieving the highest possible grades I could.

If I were to go back in time and talk to myself, I would have told myself to have more confidence in the person I am becoming. Life after high school sometimes gives students an insight of what life and the real world actual is before entering college. Additionally, I wish I would have known how to prepare myself for hardships and disparities that everyone encounters at some point in their lives. I would also advise myself that not everyone is willing to be accepting to who you are as a person and there are some who do not associate themselves with people who are not similar as them by means of race, gender, ethnicity, and so forth. But now after my first semester experience from college, I have learned not to let anything withstand in my path of excellence and trust and believe that I will be prsosperous with ambition and determination to succeed. I have learned who I am as a person and how to prepare myself for any endeavors I may encoounter. As I transition and develop into a young educated adult, each and everyday I obtain meaningful knowledge that makes me a better and intelligent individual.