Santa Monica College Top Questions

I'd grab my shoulders, look myself in the eyes and tell myself, "Start caring about education. study for your classes, read books, be curious and make research. Don't be so self-conscious. Don't get discouraged so easily. Don't be so afraid. Don't worry about what other people are thinking if you answered wrong in class or if they think if it's stupid. No, you didn't make a spectacle of yourself when you made a mistake and no one is holding a microscope over you. Don't beat yourself up. Realize that nobody is perfect. It isn't such a cruel world out there. You need to get over yourself and start caring. This is for your future. You want to make money? Then care about being succesful in life. You'll want everything. It's not just college that's hard. It's after that too. It's the real world. The working world, the minimum paid job and you'll have a lot of bills. It won't be easy living alone. You will make it easier for yourself if you just care about your education.

Its important to understand as a high school senior that college is meant to be both a rewarding and challenging experience. Many students focus either too much socializating or studying their textbooks, but a true college experience is a balance of both. Throughout my college journey , I have had the most rewarding experineces in overcoming obstacles I feared I could never defeat. I would tell myself as well as other high school seniors not to start college with fear but with fire in their hearts. College is a time for one to challenge themselves and try new things in order to truly understand what they can do and who they want to be. College is about finding yourself and pushing yourself to make a difference in the world.

I would tell myself to have more extracurriculars. As corny and cliche as this sounds, it is undeniably true for me. I had the academic aspect of the college application, I had many APs and solid grades. But my outside of school activities were lacking, and I believe that's what led to all my rejection letters. In addition, I would tell myself to work harder, and to dedicate more time to studying in order to get my GPA above the 4.0 mark. Because college admissions is getting increasingly competitive, candidates need to be more and more amazing, and that was something I failed to achieve.

Latest trends and what's popular really doesn't matter at all in a decade from now. The cool kids aren't the popular ones, the cool kids are the ones with unique minds and ideas. They're the people you have lasting friendships with. You don't need drugs and alcohol to have a good time. You should enjoy your senior year, you shouldn't have to waste these couple years caring what other people think because they don't really care what happens to you. You have the rest of your life ahead of you, high school is just a tiny step. You want to know you made the right choices and have no regrets during that short fragment of your life.

"Education is the movement from darkness to lightness." That quote was from the great Allan Bloom. Being a senior in high school comes with new responsibilties for the big transition to college. Having fun at grad night for your hard work and of course graduation is high light of the year but, being focus and staying focus is the key to success. The obstacles you will face will be challenging but, the reward is much greater. During your senior year be as active as possible. This helps for th high demand of being active on campus, along with all the academic load. Also staying connected with your counselors is the most important part of having a sucessful college experience. Be true to yourself and your future career.

Dear Kevin Payumo of 2012, First off, try your best to stay away from being an independent student. Socialize more, study with people because you never have to be on your own. I made the mistake in my first year of college of not taking advantage of my resources. I always thought that I could do everything on my own and any problem I had I would eventually figure out. This was true but its unnecessary and I could have optimized my learning by learning with others. Secondly, I didn't know what I wanted to do as a career and didn't decide until summer of 2013. Try taking as many AP classes as possible so when you do decide, you will be ahead in college. Try your best to at least pass the classes and achieving 4s on AP tests. Truthfully, those objectives are not difficult and what made it seem hard is taking homework forgranted. In college, no one forces you to do homework, in fact, you never really get rewarded for doing it. However it's the only real practice you receive and might as well take advantage of it while benefits are at its peak.

Don't worry about where you go to college whether it is a community college or four year university! Everything will turn out for the best! You have to make the best of what you have in life and you have to focus on the present; not the past nor the future! Sometimes you may not understand why something unexpected and/or unwanted happens in your life, but trust me when I say it will all make sense in time. Don't choose a college based on prestige and money, but instead choose the college that speaks to your soul and to your heart. Go with your gut feeling because it's your life and where you will be for this new chapter in your life so choose what is right for you! Not was is right for your parents, friends, family, significant other, etc! Follow your heart, be smart, and follow your dreams until you succeed in touching the stars!

Really enjoy and appreciate your college years. I wish I had begun that way. Instead, I got too wrapped up in my future and what my next big move was going to be. So I decided to drop out of college and pursue other occupations. But that has been the biggest mistake of my life. Stay in school. A college education doesn't come easy, I know, but I know how worth it it must be knowing your path and your destination in this life with a college degree in hand. Don't walk around aimlessly, jumping from job to job, praying you find your way, like I did for over a year. Let college guide you in the right direction, and don't give up the end goal of one day obtaining a college degree.

Caitlin, you have a long life ahead of you. This is a temporary period in your life during which time you are not as mature as you will later be. I know it sounds fun to goof off and not take things seriously, but getting good grades and participating in extracurricular activities is really important at this stage of the game. Colleges look back on your high school period and want to see how dedicated you are to your education. There will always be time to have fun. Right now it is important to study hard. The hard work you put in now will definitely pay off in the future and you will be glad you did it. Listen to your parents. They have been through it already and only have your best intentions in mind. They know what they are talking about. Listen to your counselor. She is there to give you the right advice. That is her job. She is the pro at knowing what is best for you. Most of all, listen to yourself. You know when to trust your instincts.

Sherrie! Reality and adulthood are right around the corner so prepare yourself for what lies ahead. I know you want to go into teaching so don't procratinate in taking that journey. Take the leap! College life is what you make of it, so make it count. You will be responsible for your decisions so pay attention to your professors and do more than what is expected of you. I really want you to take this dream seriously because I believe in your ability to make a difference in the world. People will look up to you as a mentor because you have persevered against the odds and your students will learn from you because your lessons are from your heart. I know you're going to be the best at whatever you aim to do. Good luck!