Seattle Pacific University Top Questions

Looking back at my high school year, I would tell myself to work a little harder, which is a very typical answer I know, but it's the truth. I worked very hard my senior year, but I would tell myself to do more things for myself. My mom did a lot of things for me which I took for granted. If I could, I would tell my high school senior self to buckle down on those things instead of letting my mom do all of it. I would also tell myslef to enjoy high school. College can be a lot of fun and hard work, so enjoy high school while you're there. I would also tell myself to work harder over the summer and save more money.

I think that college is a huge life lesson that is a different path for everyone due to the many different factors of what our lives involve. Whether it is sports, religion, partying, weather, size of school, money, close to home, etc; everyone?s needs are different and I think that making sure you meet your needs is the best advice I can give. When picking a school, make a list of everything you are looking for it to offer you and don?t settle for less. Be picky and don?t let others influence your decision. If you want to have a good experience in college and not have to worry about transferring, then find a school that is everything you want and more. There are so many to choose from, so dig deep and find one that is just the right fit for you. I know that I personally found my niche and you will too!

Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie. What are you doing? You have really got to buckle down and apply yourself in high school if you want to make in this crazy world. You absolutely will regret waiting to go to college. The longer you wait the harder it is to go back. Look, I know you think you want to go ahead and get married, have a family, be a "domestic housewife" or whatever they call it. Don't get me wrong, your little girl turns out beautiful. She's so smart, but don't you want to be able to give her more? I mean, if you go ahead and do the college thing you can still live with your parents and let them pay your bills for a little longer. Trust me, you DO end up going to college, but waiting is your biggest regret you have in your life. So my advise to you, Stephanie, is just jump! Jump right into the college scene. Go for it! You're good at figuring out what's expected of you and how to survive anything. You got this. Don't wait.

It would be interesting to go back in time and discuss college life with my earlier self. For one, I would want to emphasize the importance of staying on task and making sure the main focus of school is to learn. There is obvious room for social activities and fun times, but the main reason for being there is to get a quality education in order to be hirable in the "real world." I would also support the notion of being involved with as many extra-curricular activities as possible because the rewards are endless. Not only do you get a chance to continually meet new people and gain more friends, you are doing something incredible for the school by staying involved.

If I could go back in time and give myself advice about college life and making the transition, I would tell myself to finish out two years at community college because it is SO much cheaper. Also, I would let myself know that I would end up at Seattle Pacific University so that I could make sure to take classes that would be earning credit at both schools. I would make sure that former me filled out more college scholarship applications. I am sure that there are more things I would have changed, like studying a whole lot harder for my AP tests so that I could get better than threes, making it possible to et more college credit. I wish I had planned everything better or had some guidance to figure out how to get through college without worrying about finances - and I thought I had. If I could have had advice from who I am and where I am now, I would have changed so much for the better, but unfortunately, that did not happen and I am trying to fix that now. I have made the transition, now I need the money.

Don't stress; everything will all work out in the end, even if it isn't what you had originally planned. Do more research about colleges; ask around about others experiences and take the time to visit and get to know a school. Prepare yourself for the transition to college. It isn't easy, but it IS the time of your life. Learn to time manage. You WILL be bombarded with a million activities and things to do everyday, but you have to learn to say no sometimes. Have fun. Enjoy the rest of high school beacuse time flies, but do look forward to college.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior there isn't too much I would say. I have an older sister who was already in college, so having her along with the staff at my high school I think I was well prepared. Although, I would tell myself that applying for financial aid and scholarships is extremely important, because paying for school is a challenge. I just figured it wasn't worth my time, but now I am realizing that any amount of money helps. I think it would have also been nice to know for sure that going to a smaller school like Seattle Pacific University was a great choice for me, or that I didn't need to stress about the work load because I am fully capable of handling it if I use my time wisely. Besides those couple things I would have nothing else to say. There is nothing I did last year in high school that I regret, because I had people who cared about me and looked out for me.

If I could go back in time and advise myself for the college years to come, I would tell myself three things. First, I would caution myself to not underestimate college. Upon starting my college career I quickly realized that college is not easy, nor is it meant to be. I underestimated the immensity of change that moving to college brings in ones life, the academic rigor of the classes, and especially the importance of organization and time management. Furthermore, college has stressed to me the importance of relationships. I would counsel myself to hold on tightly to the relationships that I truly value including friends, family, and my relationship with God. Amplified by the fact that I am approximately 330 miles away from home and constantly surrounded by countless distractions, it is a substantial amount of work to continue these relationships that have been so influential in my life. Lastly, I would stress how essential it is to enjoy the full college experience. Yes college is about an education, but it is also about discovering yourself, learning to look beyond the here and now, to broaden your sphere of influence, and change the world in which we live.

Life in college is an exciting journey. You are faced with the amazing sensations of success as well as the frightening feelings that you may fail. Learning to balance schoolwork with free time is key while attending college. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would give myself the advice to study hard your senior year. There are always opportunities on a college campus to have fun, and not do your homework or study. After living the college life, I realize that the transitions from living at home, to living on your own and being held accountable for your own study habits are huge. I should have concentrated more on figuring out what helps me to focus the best. This would have enabled me to not struggle with finding out what works during those first few weeks of school, and that would have saved a lot of frustration. I realize that college is more difficult than high school, and although I may not have had to study as much as I do now, it would have been beneficial to know what study habits are most successful for me.

College provides an academic fresh start. living in the dorms or living on your own allows for much distraction and with that novelty, excitement for the social aspects of college may begin to take over. Though those social relationships are so important, and will more then likely last a lifetime, dont forget there needs to be a balence. Understand that college is not like high school in really anyway. know that you probablly wont walk away with a 4.0, and reading for fun may become a past time (untill breaks that is.) Make sure you carefully think about where it is that you want to go and what truly fits your needs the best. Try not to be swayed by parents or friends, but really think for yourself. Eat in the cafeteria. Get to know the faculty and dont take for granted the oppertunity to learn from some of the best professionals in their feilds. Dont forget to take care of yourself, and do not fear change. This will be a turbulant experince, you will get knocked down, but you will leave so much stronger a person, and with a much clearer understanding of your vocation in this world.