Savannah College of Art and Design Top Questions

The advice I would give myself would be to follow what you know you wanted to do in your heart. It is important not to be preoccupied with how much money you'll be making, but how your quality of life will be if you study what you really want to. I think you should do what I did and tear up the applications to schools that you knew were not where you should go.

If I had the chance to go back in time and talk to myself as a senior, I would pass on the wisdom of determination and patience. I would stongly reiterate the fact that you must remain diligent if you intend to succeed in this world. The real world can be not only cruel, but very giving to those who remain passionate about what drives them. If I truly had this opportunity, I would remind myself that music and teaching are the true joys in my life and that I must work harder to accomplish the goal of becoming a teacher. Your senior year is the stepping stone needed to grow into a caring, world-conscious, passionate adult. I would remember that these descisions are for MY future and no one elses. Senior year, for myself and most others, is the 365 days we have to decide, "What am I going to do with my life?" I would remind myself that I made that decision a long time ago, and that I should stick to it and whatever makes life worth living. I would tell myself to be happy.

I would have told myself to paymore attention in school. More than anything I would have stressed the importance of doing well academically, if only i had really appreciated how nescessary my high school grades were to my getting into a good school. I definitely would have told myself to save money too, because you never know when something might happen and in the end nothing is more reassuring than being able to rely on yourself, but the most important piece of advice I would give myself is just dont be afraid, I know its scary and new but just because something scares you doesn't mean you shouldn't do it.

Everything happens for a reason, right? I wouldn't want to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, because, if I did, I might change something that happens between now and then, disrupting the chain of event that has lead me to where I am now...28 and finally starting college. However, if I didn't care about disrupting the timeline that is my life, I would tell myself to clean up, get better grades, not mess around in school, and go to college! I would explain to myself that society demands that you have a degree to get anywhere in this lifetime, and you will earn more money for it as well. Of course, I know that my 17 year old self wouldn't listen, so unfortunately it would all be for nothing anyway. Bottom line, don't mess around with the fabic of time.

As I transport back to a time when I was a year younger, anxious, yet eager to meet college, I would tell myself "Don't worry. Believe and work harder." I have found that the transition from high school to college was not a big academic or emotional gap. What I was confident in, I achieved. In my first quater I earned a 4.0, and made new friends, the best start I could hope for. I wish, however, that I could back and tell myself to work harder. My younger self would most likely reply, "But I do work hard. I'm graduating as class Salutatorian, I'm an officer and member of several clubs, and I'm part of a dance company..." " And I would say, "Yes that does sound hard... but push where you haven't, earn more scholarships, research more about what you dream to do, not just what looks good." I have learned that I should have applied for more money opportunities because my grades would not guarentee anything, and that as long as I have confidence in myself I can achieve my goals.

The most important thing would be to save up money because art supplies are exspencive. Also, it wouldn't hurt to bring your own food because the cafateria food can mkae you feel really sick, and if you have more than four abssences in a class you fail, so you have to becarful what you eat before class. Invest in a mini vacum, because your roomate might not keep the room as clean as you would like. Bring your chair from hom. The stools are murder on your back. Don't worry about not makeing any friends. You'll find life-long friends in places you wouldn't expect. Be prepared for the work load and learn to manage your time so you won't have to pull any all nighters. There will be times when you feel like you are about to go mad and that everything is about to fall down and consume you, but you will get through them. If you fail, you can try again, so relax a little and remeber to have fun.

To start off, I would have to tell myself that slacking is one thing that you can not expect to be able to do. The time required for class is exponentially longer than that needed in a high school class. All nighters become a casual thing that happens to everybody, there's pretty much no avoiding it. I was worried about maing friends in college, so I would have to tell myself that everybody else is in the same situation, and are friendly and will actually strike up conversation with you, unlike in high school where there are so many cliques that maing friends can be hard. I never imagined that I would take naps during the day, so I would have to let myself know that naps become a natural part of life that everybody does on a daily basis. So to sum up, I would let myself know that going to college really helps you discover who you are as a person adn what you want in life. You learn mportant skills such as managing your time, effective communication and networking skills, and how to less loose and not worry so much about what others think of you.

Remember to stay focused about why you are in college. Sure, it's the first time you will have been away from home and you are going to feel like you need to spread your wings and experiment with some things, find out what you've been missing. Peer pressure will be appealing in most circumstances and you will find yourself thinking that you are having fun. Next thing you know you are getting behind in classes, skipping classes, grades slip and you don't really understand the gravity of your situation - that your future is in jeopardy because you are about to lose the scholarships that allow you to go to this awesome college. Pick your friends wisely and don't fool yourself into thinking that eventhough they might be doing illegal things and getting you involved with those things, that they will not turn on you in a heartbeat if they get caught. Remember you just met these people. They have not proved their friendship, loyalty or integrity to you in the very short time that you have known them. Remember where you came from, where you want to be and how you need to get there.

Listen, I would tell myself, it will be hard at first in college but it will get better. Things will change, you'll learn things and experience things you never would have dreamed of staying at home. You'll meet all kinds of people who will make you laugh and cry, who will support you when you feel like you can't finish a project. You'll feel like giving up at times but keep at it. Don't be afraid to ask for help, all your professors want you to succeed, it's why they are going to push you so hard, because they know you will be better for it. And in the end when all is said and done and you're sitting here contemplating your time spent in college, you can rest assured that you picked the college that was best for you, the one that would make you into the person you wanted to be.

Save your money now. College is tough and jobs are so hard to come by. Work hard until you can't stand it and then get up and work some more. No matter what anyone says or thinks of you, do not ever give up on your dreams. There will be times you want to quit, and times you wonder if you're better off doing something else, but never give up on those dreams. Make them a reality so one day you can look back and tell yourself you did a good job. Your parents and grandparents had a tough life. Learn from their example and don't make their mistakes. Make your own. Learn from your own mistakes and the mistakes of people around you so you can make your life everything it's meant to be. No matter how hard things get, never give up hope.