Tacoma Community College Top Questions

If I could give my high school self any advice, it would be to learn how to cope with stress sooner and to understand that nothing in life is black and white. I would let myself know that everybody was right when they said I'd regret not staying in college, but that I still don't blame myself for taking a little longer to know myself and find out what I really wanted out of school and life. I would press that it is important to develop better study habits, but equally as important to follow and nurture curiosity. Most of all, don't give up.

If I could go back in time I would tell myself, "Even though you've been through the worst in ife don't give up. Don't let your past interferre with your future. College is a huge step for you so you need to go with your head cleared and focused on the prize. Don't procrastinate on assignments you are given; complete them all as soon as possible. Think smarter not harder. There will be plenty of writing assignments so take advantage of the writing centers even though you think you know everything about writing you still need that additional input from someone else's perspective. Oh, and always remember to smile and think positive because you have come a long way and overcame many hardships."

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to take more duel credit classes in high school. These courses would provide me with extra college credit and make the overall cost of college cheaper for me. If I took enough of them, it would make it so I would have not had to overload on the course I was taking freshmen year in order to graduate in four years. This reduced my collage GPA and wore out my mental abilities. If I could have taken enough duel credit courses, I may have been able to take a year off my college and begin pursuing my dream of working as an aerospace engineer earlier. On a lighter note, I would also tell myself to date more women in high school because the vast majority of women at Tacoma Community College are not very attractive to me.

I would give myself the advice to stay focused. I did not do as well as i cou;d have my last 2 years of high school because of all the personal problems i had going on. If i had the chance i would let myself know that in the end those problems will become minute. School needs to be the main focus in my life until i have a career going.

If I could go back and talk to my high school senior self, there would be a lot of criticism. One of the first things I would tell myself is to search and apply for scholarships. When I was in high school, I spent some time looking for scholarships, but not much. The ones that I did find, I never set aside time to apply to them. I would also tell myself to limit the amount of time I spend with my friends. With how much time I spent with my friends, I could have applied for many scholarships and possibly won at least a few of them to help me pay for my college expenses. Finally, I would tell myself to study more often and ask questions in class if I find myself struggling with key concepts. If I had done all of these, then my first year of college would have ran much more smoothly.

Don't wait! Whatever you do, don't let the prospect of a paycheck get between you and furthering your education. If you dive into the workplace and "take some time" to figure out what you are going to do, you'll find it much harder to come back to school. Complete your education while you're still in the mindset of being a student, no matter how quickly you want to transition to becoming an independant adult. It can be a struggle sometimes, being a student. It is different from working a job. You don't get to clock on to work, clock off and not have to worry about your job til the next day. Being a student, commiting to it, requires your attention most of your waking hours, and even some of your unconscious hours. Stressful, yes, but it can also be very rewarding. Keep your eyes on the prize, look to the stars and remember that you can help to do great things for this world and the people on it.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would let myself know that no matter how hard things get, in school and out, never give up and don't take any "breaks". After my first year of college I went through some family troubles and let my emotions get the best of me. I decided to take a break from school and that was one of the worst decisions I have yet to make. I am now starting to turn my life around and I am getting myself back on track, but I am still suffering the consequences from this previous decision. I would also let myself know that no matter what, everything will be okay and everything will happen how it's supposed to. HAKUNA MATATA.

Always do something to further yourself everyday whether it is just reading a book for 5 minutes, studying, researching your career, working out or something. Never have a day where you do nothing to better yourself your job is to grow and be the best possible version of yourself and the best way to accomplish this is to work at it every day. School studies first, then work, then social life but make sure you have enough time for social things otherwise you will get burnt out. Remember family will always be there but do not take that for granted, never throw friends by the wayside. Read often and a variety, read things you wouldn't normally be interested in always broaden your horizons. Talk to everyone even if it is just a simple hello talk to everyone you will never know what you missed out on by not talking to someone, people are full of advice and you just have to find it. Most importantly enjoy this time it only happens once, but remember always try your hardest you are never going to think you tried too hard for something, just you didn't do enough.

Apply for all the scholarships you can before going off to college and don't give up on your dream to become an anthropologist. More importantly attend every class you sign up for do not skip any of them, it will pay off in the end. Hang in there.

Growing up in a low-income based family, I had absolutely no clue what Financial Aid was, or even if it existed. I spent most of my teenage years working full-time, trying to help support the family, and myself. I didn't force upon myself to strive for the Honor Roll as I had done through Junior High, as my thoughts were etched in stone that I would "never make it to college because we don't have the money for it, and my family is more important than going to college", and only the geniuses and jocks get scholarships. If I knew then what I know now, not only would I have continued to work hard on my academics, but I would have delved into extensive research to find any scholarship I could qualify for. I wouldn't take back any of my life experiences, but I think if I had the opportunity to receive a college education 25 years ago, it most likely would have enhanced the person that I am today: stronger, confident, and mentally successful.