Stevenson University Top Questions

I would reconsider my financial state. I am a 5th year senior now and I am living out of my car and funding is limited at my school. It's almost impossible to go to another school because I would have to start over. I would have done more financial planning and chose a cheaper institution.

If I knew what I know now back in high school, I would have changed thing in my academics. I do not feel that I was well prepared for college. Not enough emphasis was given to the amount of work that college takes. In high school I did not feel challenged and at times, just whizzed through the work to get it done. I wish I had worked harder and set higher goals for myself. I feel that if I had worked harder, I would have found college so difficult. I am working harder that I have ever worked. I feel great when I get good grades because I believe that I am earning every grade that I am getting. Looking back I though high school was so hard and a drag, but in reality, high school was simple.

Hello seventeen year old John, you are about to start the most important semester of high school; junior year. This is where you need to start truly finding yourself, and what your interests are. You will start applying for colleges, financial aid, many scholarships, and possibly even making a decision on where you want to go, and what you want to study. What you need to know right now however is that you need to make sure you are passionate about what you want to study, and love what you do. Start trying out new things, join new clubs, explore new possibilities. You never know what you will end up liking, and the more diverse you are, the better you will look to colleges, and scholarship opportunities. Another tip I want to give you, is if you plan to go to community college first, make sure the credits you take will transfer to the university you plan to attend after community college, don’t waste money on credits that will not transfer. Good luck, and enjoy your last two years of high school, and keep working hard in college; it will pay off in the end.

Knowing what I know now I would tell my high school self to really think about what I wanted to do. Don't give up on yourself or your dream college just because of obstacles that can be avoided. Pay attention to the people you hang out with and the way you behave yourself because college is really a whole new level. People in high school are different from people in college. You need to be mentally prepared and emotionally prepared to be on your own and independent because thats how college is. Also make sure you have a calendar or a planner with you at all times. Professors change the date an assignment is due or when the next test is when they want to. Study for everything, even if you don't want to. College is not a place to mess up a lot. You need to get your head on straight and look forward to this experience.

If I were able to go back in time to give myself some advice before making the college transition, I would have told myself to search and apply for every scholarship offered to high school seniors since they're pretty easy to find over the internet. I would tell myself to do some more research on financial aid, loans, and grants because they will determine how I need to pay off my tuition bill. I would tell myself to focus on my SAT's a little more because it could be the deciding factor in how much scholarship money each school is willing to offer. I would've told myself to apply to more out-of-state colleges instead of looking for in-state colleges. The opportunity to move to another state would have been a great adventure and a great way to network with a wider group of people. I would said a couple of thing about studying abroad for a summer and being able to learn in another country while adatping to a different culture. Too bad the mystery of time travel hasn't been discovered yet but if it did, I would be set for college.

I would most definitely tell myself to "GO TO COLLEGE!" When I graduated high school in 1999, I didn't have the ambition or the drive to go to college and earn a degree. It took most of my 20s to realize that I need a good education to get a good job. One day in 2007, I decided to take an American Sign Language (ASL) class. That decision changed my life. I was encouraged by my instructor to go to an interpreting program for ASL. I did. I enrolled at a community college that had an interpreting program and started my journey. In the course of my time as a student, I also decided that I wanted my bachelors. It has not been easy to be an adult student, but I know it is worth it. 2013 Leigh Ann speaking to 1999 Leigh Ann: Leigh Ann, go to college and go now. Find what interests you, find your passion and enjoy education. These moments are precious and they quickly vanish. You will greatly benefit if you go get an education now. Plus, you will save yourself a lot of money! Most of all, you can do it!

The advice I would give to myself is to apply for scholarships. If I had applied for more scholarships then I did while I was a senior in high school, I wouldn't have been in the financial situation I am now. With the GPA I graduated with, I could have got alot more money than I did.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a senior in high school, there would be many things I would tell myself. First, I would make it clear that in order to receive most scholarships I must bring up my ACT score and therefore work harder at that. Second, I would tell myself that applying for every scholarship possible is important! You never know what you might be awarded! I would also tell myself that what I thought is studying is not even close. I always had over a 4.0 GPA, and I was always working hard for that high GPA. However, college is a different level of working hard! With those tips of helpfulness, I believe I could become a well rounded college student!

Looking back on the high school senior, version of myself, I would pursuade myself to take more AP courses. I would specifically tell myself to take AP Biology and AP Chemistry. I am a nursing major, and currently am enrolled in vigorous and extremely difficult science classes. Although I am managing in my entry level Biology and Chemistry classes, I believe if I would have challenged myself in high school to take more AP science courses, that the classes that I am enrolled in now would have came more easy to me. In high school I was an AP Statistics and well as an AP US History student. Both of the AP courses that I was enrolled in, in high school have made it so that the entry level statistics class and history class that I am in now, have been no trouble. Seeing that these AP courses payed off, I feel as if enrolling in the AP science courses in my high school would have done the same. I would have told the high school version of myself to take these courses so that they would have played a roll in the future of my college academics.

I would tell myself to keep an open mind. Be ready to meet new people, and no matter how they present themselves give every one a fair chance. Make sure to always put your work and studies above everything else, but still be able to have a good time with the friends you will make. There will always be endless amounts of food, so use portion control wisley. Since your on your own, and there is no one to tell you what to do, make sure you keep a neat room as much as you can. College is all about the experience, so take it for what its worth.