State University of New York at New Paltz Top Questions

To myself years ago, You are about to experience an amazing place. Do not be scared or nervous at all. You are going to push yourself through academics and sports while making life-long friends. This is an entirely new place with new people; let the things that happened in high school go. That is the past and we can now make a new future. While you are here do not take things for granted. Sitting here four years later makes me miss those tough freshman introductions and late nights with multiple papers. It goes so much faster than you think it will. Go through everything with wide open eyes and an open heart. This is will the start of your adult life and it is going to be a really fun time. Take your studies seriously but also have fun with the people around you. Also, try to branch out a little more passed your comfort zone. Meet more people and talk to more of your classmates. I may have missed some amazing people during my time at New Paltz and if I could do it again I would try to befriend more people. Have fun love. Best, Emily

The advice I would give myself is to relax and stop worrying. I was never the shy type, but coming to college was my first real experience of being away from home. I would also want to tell myself that every little problem that arises is not the end of the world no matter how much it might feel like that is the case every time sonthing goes wrong. It's alright to be nervous or afraid, but it is not alright to let negative emotions like those prevent you from doing things.

Join a club that wouldn't normally interest you! You're sure to find plenty of clubs that you'll enjoy so try to attend a general interest meeting for one that's out of your comfort zone. You'll have plenty of oppurtunities to meet people that are similar to you, now's the time to meet people unlike yourself. You want to meet people that are going to challenge your opinons, not just agree with them.

I would tell myself not to give up. I've gone through six different majors, and each time it has felt like everything was falling apart and I would never graduate. But these changes have led me to where am I today, and I couldn't be happier. I would tell myself not to let the opinions of others sway my decisions, hether that be my decision on my major, a minor, or the school I chose to attend. In the almost three years since I graduated from high school, I have learned a lot about myself and what I'm capable of, and that wouldn't have happened had I not experienced the stress of transferring, switching between departments twice in one semester, juggling school, a job, and commuting 90 minutes each day. College is scary to a high school senior, so I wish someone had been there to tell me it's going to be alright. Your decision then may affect your immediate future, but it won't change the fate of the world. If you know where you want to be someday, you'll find a way to get there. That's all that really matters.

Dear Dana, I know that right now, college is the one thing that is almost always on your mind, yet is the last thing you want to think about. You know that you need the experience and that it will be a great one, yet you are afraid of the change. You wonder how you will ever become the college freshman girl who will be moving all of her stuff into her new dorm on move-in day. Trust me when I say that she is every bit as a part of you now as she will be then. You will be her from now, to graduation day, to move-in day, to the first day of classes, and every day after. Believe that you will be ready, because you already are. Like many stages of your life, college will not be your "best" years, nor your worst. I have learned that college is truely what you make of it. I know that you have the courage and the capability to make it exactly what you need it to be. After all, I should know! Love Always, The Self You Will Become

In my senior year of high school, my group of friends experienced much drama that led to a schism. It was by no means pleasant, and I often felt alone that year. If I could go back in time (and not create a paradox), I would tell myself that my true friends would stay with me, not only through the schism, but through our journeys to college as well. So what if I lost a couple of friends? I made stronger ones in return. Really, it is quality that counts, not quantity. Although I might not believe my future self, I know that I would take note that I made it out of the situation as a better person who is not alone. At the least, I would be amused by the apparition.

My first year of college was dreadful. My best friend/roommate dropped out a few weeks in, and I could not make other friends from New Paltz. My new roommate and I didn't get along, and I eventually got a single room, which isolated me even further. There were many times when I wanted to go home and give up in my pursuit of higher education. If I could go back in time and tell my high school self to approach the situation differently, I would not hesitate to take the opportunity. My advice would have been to branch out and try and make friends, attend events, go to the gym, spend more time outside, and join clubs during the beginning of my first semester. I would have warned not to rely on my high school friend as my only confidante. I do not regret getting the single room, although it was lonely, but it would have been more ideal if I instead had a roommate with whom I got along. If I received this advice, I undoubtedly would have had a happier start in college. I am ecstatic I have started to enjoy myself in my second year.

The best advice I could give my high school self is to go to college immediately upon graduation. Do not get married the following month like I did. I would also tell myself to be sure and take ACT test as soon as possible while all of the newly learned information is still fresh.

Some advice I would give to my high school self since being in college would be to relax more and learn to appreciate what you have back at home more than before. Being away at college is very different from being at home; you have to share a room and bathroom with others and are miles away from friends and family. I should not have stressed out as much in high school as I did. I worked hard in high school, which paid off with my grades and credits, but I definitely missed out on truly enjoying high school, especially the last two years. When going away to college, things are very different. One is in a place that is unfarmiliar at first and in a situation very different from any other. High school me should have spent more time with family and friends actually living life and experiencing what it has to offer. Another thing would be to appreciate having a kitchen opposed to a dining hall that is a ten minute walk away and serves food that may or may not be edible. Overall, relax and enjoy what you can before you have to worry about student loans.

"I'm telling you," I emphasized, "it is better to work hard in high school-- take the long road, the road not taken." The younger me tried to argue by reasoning, "But college is college and as long as I graduate high school, I'll find myself in the same place in the end." I sighed, realizing I could not persuade my younger self, understanding that stuborness is what held me back. I stared at my younger self for a moment, and before she could continue arguing, I cut her off, "Your life will change more than you can comprehend. A year is more time than you know. Don't waste your time, you're smarter than that." She couldn't help but roll her eyes as her stuborness swelled within, causing blindness to my wisdom. Even as a golden opportunity was given to change my past, it became apparent that only hindsight vision is 20/20.

If I could go back in time to give myself advise as a high school senior, I would begin by emphasizing how important it is to put in as much effort as I can. Studying becomes a necessary procedure for college classes. In high school, I often would walk in to take an exam without studying or even looking at my notes. I learned quickly that I could not get away with this practice in college. I would also tell myself to reread every writing assignment I hand in. Professors appreciate a well-organized and comprehensive essay. They take grammar, structure, and effort into consideration when grading writing assignments. Between studying and proofreading, my grades in college increased dramatically, and I felt more pride in what I was turning in. If I were to give myself advise early, I would have said to start working harder as a senior, so the work load would not come as a huge shock. College tests your knowledge as well as your skills and effort; therefore, it is important to work your hardest.

Start the application process as soon as possible so that you can have as many options available to you as possible, definitely do not leave it to the last minute, because college can be fun and new friends can be made. Make sure to look at both the upsides and downsides of each school.

If i could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior i would adivice myself to not waste any time on playing video game ansd start doing real reasearch paper instead of copying and pasting stuff from the internet. I think it would make my life whole a lot better if my past me knew more about the work amount the college courses have such as reading books and writinf orginal work etc. I would also tell past me about being serious about math and science as these two are pretty hard subject if you dont complelte the basic classes in high school.

I know what you're thinking: college is scary, you aren't ready to be an adult, this transition is going to be so hard and how are you going to meet anyone? Stop. Take a deep breath. You will be alright. In fact, you will be amazing. The transition you make from high school to college will take a lot people you thought were close friends out of your life. It may hurt, probably for a while, but it will be okay. You're going to meet people in orientation that will be friends that are more loyal and compassionate than anyone you knew in high school. You are going to make friends that you will have not only through your college years, but the rest of your life. It will be hard, and there will be challenges, but you will persevere. Stop worrying that you haven't done enough and that you aren't ready. You've done more than enough and you will continue to do more. You may not feel ready but you can handle it. You will always be able to handle it. Have faith in yourself and the universe. You will be happy.

I would have started looking into colleges earlier, instead of only looking my senior year.

For blossoming adolescents, senior year is the pinnacle of stress. During the final fragments of childhood, young adults are pressured to make pivotal life decisions. Suddenly, we must rummage through our minds in search of a degree that is not only obtainable, but profitable. Such pressure is burdening; with the weight of the world on our shoulders, we’re left to decipher a future that’s still years away. My senior year was spent obsessing about the future instead of enjoying high school’s finale. I allowed myself to become consumed with worry and, in doing so, missed out on experiences I can never get back. Though it is pivotal to plan ahead, you shouldn’t never your anxieties paralyze you. I would assure my senior self that even the greatest obstacles are resolvable and success stems from challenge. We don’t know where life will take us, so instead of dreading things to come, we should be living in the moment. If we’re not making the best of our present days, how can we expect to illuminate the future? Live for today, dream of tomorrow, but don’t let the unknown overwhelm you.

Not to procrastinate Apply for more scholarships cherish every moment you have

Don't worry about someone else's opinion! I used to spend far too much time thinking about others' perceptions of me. Just this year, I realized that they do not matter. I'm not paying for a reputation, I'm paying for my education. I am investing in my future, which is not dependent on what the guy I almost tripped and fell onto thinks of me. You are not an opinion, or perception, or thought. You are a human being with hopes and dreams. You are a hard-working student who deserves respect. If other people can't see that, then they are missing out! People's opinions come from what you project, so if you are confident about who you are and what you are doing, then it will be acknowledged. Besides, they are usually so engrossed in their own problems that you are the last thing on their mind. And if they are judging you, they are too small-minded to be worth your valuable time.

My first advice is take nothing for granted. Complete and apply for as many scholarships as you can. Do not get discouraged. Another important advice would be to stay ontop of deadlines. Important deadlines are reports, projuects, scholarship, REGISTRATION!!!! College is nothing compared to high school. School work load is more intense. Plus most likely you have to worry about jobs to. College can be very intimadeting, but ask for help feel overwhelmed talk to your advisor, teachers. They can help you!!!! ( they will understand). My last advice is all work and no play is no fun!!!!! take time

In knowing what I now know I would sit down with my "high school self" and tell him to take a deep breathe. It's going to be a long road. At times hard and sometimes oddly easy. Just keep doing what your'e doing. Don't give in, don't give up and certainly remember where you came from. There is a lot that you are going to do. Then my "high school self" would ask: "Am I going to do ok?" To that I'll respond: "Not to worry, you've havent come this far to fall of the earth, you will be fine." Then my "high school self" will get a glimpse of hope in his young naive eye and ask: "Well, is it going to be really hard?" To that, my present "college graduate self" will reply: "My friend, you are not doing this because it is easy, you are doing this because it is difficult. JFK said that." And finally, my "high school self" will say: "Yeah, I knew that."