San Diego State University Top Questions

"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.