Solano Community College Top Questions

Straighten up and work hard towards a goal. Don't float along young man.

I would tell myself that I don't need to choose a major before I even start, regardless of what my parents might think, and when I DO choose a major, not to worry about what kind of job I think it will get me. Studying for a major my parents picked for me is a good way to guarantee to ensure I will do a poor job at it and stop caring about school. I'd also tell myself that even though my parents believe that without either an RN or MRS degree I'll be a jobless vagrant, it will be ok.

I would tell myself to make sure that I assess all of the possible options of what I am trying to take on and pursue. Not to dive in head first without reaping the consequences, or the weight of my actions. Finding a proper balance between your daily activities and homework can be a chore, but it must be done. Especially if you want to even have the chance to survive in college. I would tell myself to take more risks academically, and take full advanages of whatever resources that my school offered while I have the chance. I would panic less, and plan more. Leaving little room for anxiety, of course you'll be nervous, but suck it up, and don't let your fear stop you. Lastly, I would tell myself to take in all of the advice, but make sure that I am truly happy in the end, and realize that, despite everyone's words, I have to do what I believe is best for me. Not what others believe to be best for me.

As I look at myself four years ago, I am touched to see the same heart and curiosity that glows in my face today. I can see the enthusiasm to socialize. learn and ultimately enter a field that would lead me to richness. If I could speak with myself, even just for a moment, a would remind myself about the true purpose of college. I would start off by agreeing with my past self, college is a prime opportunity to build a personal network, to connect with peers and professors, and develop relationships that will prove exceptionally useful in the future. However, these networks are not the most important attribute of college; the true gem is the opportunity to enhance and broaden one?s mind. I truly believe that the human mind and heart are directly connected, and in order to properly and effectively develop the strength of the mind, one must realize the passions of the heart. College is the optimal chance to find what it is that gets your blood pumping, and what your mind craves to learn more about. This balance will ultimately lead to a richness that can not be bought by money.

If I can go back, I would have done at least three things: 1. Forced myself to think, and perhaps eve decide what I want to study in college. 2. Took classes that better prepared me for my college major. Because I did not do that, I am struggling and taking preparatory classes that I should have taken in high school, thus using precious college time and paying college fees. 3. Kept all my class materials and notes. I threw away most of my high school class lectures and notes. I wish I kept those and I wish I kept them in an organized fashion so I can go back to them quickly and easily. Those notes would have sparkled my memory and saved me the time that I now have to spend finding these materials and re-learning them.

I would tell myself that it is ok to be unsure. I would say "I know you think you have everything figured out right now but there is so much out there that you haven't even considered. You have worked so hard during high school to try to be perfect and you think that if you don't transfer to a 4-year university and finish your degree in 4 years that you are a failure. You aren't! Taking your time to figure out what you want to do is a great journey, and guess what, you're going to have fun! Enjoy your time and don't compare yourself to others. You can't go back in time so live in every moment and don't be so hard on yourself. You're going to look back one day and wish you would have taken more time to look at the scenery instead of rushing to the destination. Above all, do your best and enjoy yourself because it goes by way to fast!" Now that I've learned all of that I just have to take the words to heart and live them out now!

Go to college immediately after graduating from High School. Don't focus on one area that much, find what you love and what interests you. Something that you are willing to do for free. Do not take time off, stay enrolled in college until you have accomplished your goal. Take some General Ed classed first, get the feel of the transition from High School. Never take time off, money is important, but education is more important. Study various subjects, get the feel of things before you focus on one subject. As a young adult our minds tend to change often. Happiness is far more important than how much money you make. If you are not happy at your place of employment, everyone around you will be effected. Love, happiness, then money are the order of importance . Learn as much as possible, and retain as much as possible. Knowledge is power and cannot be taken from you.

If I could go back in time, and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would most likely tell myself to begin looking into and signing up for scholarships, grants and financial aid so that I could have more money for my first semester of college than I did, and because of how recently I've needed such things. I would also tell myself to devote more time to my studies, work and art so that I would be better prepared for college, its workload and the classes I would be taking. Finally, I would also advise myself to look into multiple art colleges and what their financial aid departments offer so that I would be fully prepared to transfer after recieving an Associate's Degree at my current college.

If the possibility presented itself to take a trip back into the past and talk to myself as a senior in High School, the stories I would tell myself and the advice I would give would be priceless. The most important thing I would explain to myself would be how imparative a higher education is to become an accomplished succesful adult. Without education you will go nowhere, life will be more stressful, and you will be subject to be steamroled by people getting over on you because you know no better. When you become educated, you become accomplished, you gain confidence as more doors of opportunity open to endless possibilities. Do not let anyone or anything intimidate you from acheiving your goals. It is okay to be scared and not know how to get started just jump in feet first and figure it out along the way and gain momentum, that is how you move onward and upward. Always work at making yourself better, you will never know your full potential or how far you can go untill you push yourself at full throttle.

"Get up, start preparing for college, and take it seriously." It seems like a simple and generic response, but do you know how many people could have benefited from hearing those words alone? While I was a junior in high school, it seems almost everyone was on my case about preparing for college, even though I myself wasn't too adamant on worrying about it until the time came. My uncle, my mother, my grandmother, even my girlfriend kept saying the same thing: "Have you applied for any scholarships yet?" Each and every time, garnered a response along the lines of "No, but I'll get around to it, don't worry". But it seems every time I would get around to applying for scholarships, I was deterred by the amount of forms I needed to fill; after all, birth and tax records aren't exactly something people normally keep immediately accessible. Now that I'm finally here, I'm broke and struggling to get by I need this opportunity in order to continue my education and be somebody. I've lived a smalltown life all my life and I want to move on. Please help me.