Southern Connecticut State University Top Questions

Although it make feel like the end of the world sometimes, it's not. Really, it isn't. The end of the sky, the wind sighing through the trees, the sky full of stars at night, the clean mountain air! None of it will ever really disappear. And neither will your old friends or your family. It make feel like the concrete jungle filled with steel trees strange creatures will suck the life out of you but don't let it get to you. The sun still rises in the morning and sets at night and you may feel like you want that sunset to be the last one you'll ever see but it gets better. Nothing ever ends for good and so neither should you. So, don't let everyone's words get to you. For all you know, you're just blowing things out of proportion. Just take the time to remember that even though it's hard, it gets better.

I want to tell you that I am proud of all your hard work. I am proud of all the preparation you did to get us here. Despite all the distractions and stressors going at this time you were able to pull it together and get ready to go to college. Let me just tell you that it will all be worth it. The stressful times, the hard work, the economic strain, and the things you had to give up to keep going! All worth it! Don't give up on your dream to succeed! Take it a step a time, a day at a time and things will turn out well. Next year will be full of new experiences and opportunities that will help build your wisdom and character! I'm counting on you!

If I were to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to take the summer before college to love myself and find out who I am through getting involved. I would do this because in my first semester at college, the transition from high school to college life was rough and by questioning myself it only became harder. When I joined the Programs Council, Inter-Residents Council and Hall Council on campus, I met many people that helped me on my path to obtaining a higher self esteem. I recieved the support that I needed through my new friends and when I felt that I could not go any farther, they seemed to motivate me to keep going. Then, I was able to develop my leadership skills that gave me the confidence I needed to become a happier person. If I had known that getting involved could help me so much, I would have done so sooner.

Stick it through, don't let anything or anyone derail your progress. Don't drop out or take a semester off because saving up the money to get back into college is harder than you think. If you're unsure as to what you want to major in, take a multitude of different classes within different disciplines. Some classes may sound tedious and boring, but they may unlock your secret passion for a particular subject/area of interest. Talk to people! Even if it's just to say "How's the weather?", engage people in conversation. Challenge yourself to look beyond your comfort zone. Don't diss an idea just because you've never thought about it or tried it or for any other reason (other than personal safety, of course!). Take a road trip once a year to a state you've never been. Try for one that totally opposite the one you're immersed in now. Try a new cuisine. Basically, don't stand in the corner waiting for life to hand you anything...work hard, play hard and look out for yourself. And call your momma more often.

Consider your options then develop a clear view of what I want to go to school for. Focus on your dream job and don't let anything get in the way. Find out EXACTLY what needs to be done in order to graduate, freshmen year. Stay focused, Freshmen year is the hardest. Remember that school comes first. By Sophmore year know whether or not you want to go to Graduate School and start preparing for that.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would not do it. The reason I know what I know about making the transition to college life is because of the mistakes I made while applying for school. However, I would love to share what I learned with any current high school students. Be realistic. I only applied to my top two schools. I was acccepted and given partial scholarship to my dream school, but by mid-August I couldn?t pay for it and had to take a semester off. Be Successful. In high school, I thought success meant a fancy college. Therefore, my semester off seemed like a failure. Now, success to me means doing everything I can to reach a goal, even if I don?t get it. So, working three jobs to go to state school in spring 2009 was a success. Be human. You are going to make mistakes, but you don?t have to regret them. I was miserable when I couldn?t go to school right away, but recognizing my humanity helped me to forgive myself and move forward. Finally, choose to be happy.

If I could go back in time and tell my high school senior self what I know now about college and the college life, I would definitely tell myself to live on campus the first year, and to not work as much as I did. I realize now in my second year how important studying and doing all of the assigned work is, and I do not feel like I understood the full importance of it in high school or my freshman year of college. I would make my high school self understand that I needed to study and work hard in every class even if I thought it would be easy, because every class makes a big impact in my GPA and in getting into the nursing program here.

If ever given the chance of returning to my high school self I would give the advice of never be afraid of trying something new and meeting new people. I feel as though after being in college for the last two years I am realizing that the people you meet and network with when you first start school are people who can help you to transition into the enviornment much more smoothly. I would tell myself to take advantage of every opportunity that is afforded to me whether it be community service, or going to the movies as they are all ways of opening doors to whatever may come as a chain event. I definitely feel as though transitioning would have been much smoother had I not went into the experience thinking that I would not live up to the standards I set for myself and I would tell myself to never show doubt in my own abilities because once I doubt myself I leave room for someone else to do the same. I would say that while success would be hard to acheive, that if it was't really what I wanted it would be easy to obtain.

If I could go back in time and tell my high school self about college, I would tell her to just relax. College isn't as tough as you think and as long as you are busy but make time to hang out with the new people you will meet, then you will be fine. Just relax, keep cool, and have fun.

If I could go back in time I wouldn't learn anything because is the mistakes I made that teach me how to live my life the right way. Knowing what I did wrong helped me to succeed in life because I learn what to do and how to do it and what not to do... But if that wasn't the case then I would like to advise my self to save money for college, work harder, focus on myself more than others and that I can do better when I think it's good.

College can be challenging. It is important to find a balance between studying and other activities. Most importantly however, it is important to make sure that you are doing what you want to be doing. If you can, take classes in a variety of areas your first semesters to explore other interests. Take a class that you think you will be good at but also one that might be challenging in a field you are interested in. Take care of yourself by eating well and getting sleep. Most importantly, have fun and remember that you are doing this for yourself. Do what you want to do while still keeping in mind the goals that you want to accomplish by getting your degree.

First of all, I would share the Gospel of Christ with my younger self. I hadn't heard the truth until I was a little older, and with such an enlightenment during senior year, I would have had God to help me with all of the decisions and transitions. With that said, I would advise the younger me in the area of finances and structure. I would encourage myself to take a year off of school before starting college in order to "clean up my act." This cleaning would consist of healthier lifestyle choices as well as a mental preparation period for the real world. "Apply to scholarships!" I would shout. "I cannot emphasize enough how much less stressful your life will be if you are financially free when you leave school." I would also iterate a very detailed outline to follow. "I've messed up kid, and here is how you can avoid a lot of heart ache and achieve great success: take these classes in this order with these teachers, get involved with these organizations and clubs from day one, and most importantly, go to every class, take good notes, study hard, and develop good time management skills."

If I could give myself any advice as a high school senior making the transition into college life it would definitely be to put school first and make sure you get your work done. In high school, many teachers will accept late papers and offer extra credit for a student to improve their grades, however, college professors give a deadline for a reason, and if that deadline is not met then it is the students fault. Getting your work done on time will simply make your life less stressful and give you more free time for extra curricular activities. Also, it is so important to make friends and become social at your college or university. College can become very stressful and it is so important to have friends who can help you relax and laugh a little, especially during finals week. This doesn't mean you have to become the captain of the football team or class president to fit in, but find a group of people who you can be happy and yourself with.

If I were to go back in time and give myself advice for the college transition, I would tell myself- rather, reassure myself- that I should stand firmly to my beliefs because I know I am strong both mentally and emotionally, and I would more or less warn myself of the possibility of attacks on my beliefs. Transition from the warm yet suffocating confines of high school life to the expanse and technicality of college is a big step that may attempt to break me as I stand. Overcoming this bridge from naive high school student to empowered and driven college student is acheiving in itself, something of the ubermensche Neitzche writes of. My opinions and personal experiences are the bridge, the solid ground on which I fight, that will carry me over to the independent and motivated college student I intend to be and am still fighting to acheive.

I would have went away for college, lived on campus, and participated in more school activities, clubs, sports, etc.

I am not sure that the college I am enrolled in offered online classes 9 years ago, but I definitely would have told myself that putting life on hold to raise children is a good idea but I could still have gone to college. I decided to wait until my kids were older and could understand, but now I realized that my life could have been so much better off if I had not waited. I am struggling to get through school financially because I am not working, so what would have been the difference if I went to school then or now? I would be financially stable now, and I would have liked that better than waiting.

If I were to go back in time and give myself some advice, the first thing I would tell myself is to RELAX! It is not so scary; entering the campus is intimidating, butthere are about 1000 other freshmen who are in the same position. There is nothing to be afraid of, there are many activities to get involved. The campus is very diverse so there are many opportunities for you, Southern is a wonderful school for opportunity. The main thing is to set your priorities. It is important to know that you must get your work done, then go out and have fun. It is easy to do if you put your mind to it and if you take your work seriously. College is a time for opportunity, take advantage of this. College is a time for you to grow as an individual, open your mind and learn as much as you can both academically and socially. It is important to find out who you are as a person; and it is extremely important not to follow others. Be yourself and you will succeed.

College is a time where you are able to find your true self, what your capable of and make decisions for yourself. Do not worry too much about trying to fit it because in college you will find people who are just like you with similar goals. With that, plan out your goals now and try to think about what you would like to do in the future; the possibilities are endless. If you cannot figure out what you want to be, don't rush! In college, you have supportive teachers who will help you discover the many things you can become. In addition, work hard in school it will all be worth it. The school work you do now with the papers and homework is alot i know, but it will prepare you for the details assignments and projects you will have in college. When I went to college I wanted more, I wanted to feel more accomplished and Im sure one day you'll want to feel that way too. In college, you find the responsibility you always wanted and your education is left up for you to discover. Futhermore, enjoy high school, ask questions, and be creative.

I would tell myself that first, there is nothing to be afraid of. College campuses are a friendly enviornment, the students and faculty work together and are more mature with each other, and you have been prepared for this work. College sounds overwhelming and difficult, but because you worked so hard during high school, you have prepared yourself to handle the classes and amounts of projects. You will also literally be on your own when making you schedule. No one tells you to go to class, you have to make yourlself. And your professors won't hunt you down to finish your work; that is your responsibilty. You will have to learn how to manage your time throughout the year, and learn how to tackle classes, and job, and a good social life. Universities offer many extra-curricular activites, so making new friends is very easy. Dorming also gives you a good and independent expierience, so go for it! If you're worried about tuition costs, Financial Aid is easy to obtain. So don't be picky with your schools, go explore!

When it is time for a parent to prepare a child for college, it is very important that the parent understands that their child will be attending a school for 4+ years, and regardless if they live on campus or not, they must respect that their child has their own personality, just as every college does, and which ever college they choose, know that its because they have researched it well enough to know it fits their every day lifestyle. Students should make sure that their financial aid is in place, since time are getting harder for everyone, the more financial help we as students can receive from grants, scholarships, and the governement, the better. Students should remain focused and know that there is always time for fun, but the most important thing for the next few years is a powerful education.