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.