Texas State University Top Questions

In terms of saving money I would have told myself to start out at a community college to save money, or maybe actually have made myself save all the money I made through out high school instead of wasting it on useless things. Other than that, I am pleased with my choices and where I ended up. Money is my only regret now.

I would tell myself to get prepared way sooner than i did. Start all the paper work, finalcal aide perparations, gathering dorm room supplies alot sooner. I would tell myself not to be nervous or afraid of the life i'm about to start, that everything was ging to work out. Also that the distractions from school work are often and hard to ignore, but to focus and leave all the fun for the weekends. As a senior i was nervous that the classes were going to be hard and the work overwhelming. I would tell myself that it was managable and not to worry. That the friends i was going to make would play vital roles in my success. Lastly i would tell myself not to lose faith and to always trust your gut feelings, to have fun and be there for your friends when they need it.

Taylor, I know that it seems like everyone is telling you to apply for scholarships lately, but don?t put it off until the last minute. Start applying for them early on, and apply for as many as you can! Don?t wait until the spring when you?ll be stressed about prom because trust me, you'll regret it. I know you love hanging out with your friends, but spend time with your family too! They love you and are going to be sad to see you go, even if they keep fighting over what they want to do with your bedroom once you leave. Take advantage of every opportunity life presents you with, and live your life to the fullest. You love to talk about how lame high school is and how you can?t wait for college, but savor every moment of it. Even if you don?t think so now, you will miss parts of high school in the future. Oh, and go with your instincts when you?re looking at colleges- you?re going to love Texas State! Sincerely, Your older-and-wiser self PS: You get to keep your bedroom. For now, at least.

Next month you?ll be moving out and starting college here are a few things you may want to know. When you move to the dorm bring as few things as possible-there is not much space. Be open-minded about the pot luck roommate. I know she?s a sophomore but maybe you can learn from her. Always go to class. First of all you?re paying for it, second of all if you skip music theory you will be so behind and Liz Lee is not the best teacher so nobody in there will be able to catch you up. In the social aspect of things, try not to hole yourself up in the stinky dorm room. Put yourself out there a little bit-people will like you, you?re a cool girl! Don?t think that just because you?re not into drinking people won?t be into you. I know it will be hard because you don?t have the marching band like in high school but you have classes and people are very friendly. No matter what happens it?s going to be a great experience, I can promise you that.

I would tell my high school senior self to take more dual credit classes and/or AP classes. In college, classes are EXPENSIVE. In high school, dual credit classes are offered for free and AP testing is a lot more inexpensive than taking the actual class at the university. Plus, those things would save you a lot of time in college. In some cases, you could even graduate early. Another big thing I would tell myself is to apply for tons of scholarships and/or grants. There is free money out there for everything; from academics to height. This would avoid you from taking out loans and begin paying after you graduate. With college, come exams. Attempt to work in those study habits early in high school because in college, professors tend to make the exams to where you cannot "cram" the information. One last thing I would tell my high school senior self is to keep an open mind when coming to college. There will be all sorts of different people from very different backgrounds. You may not agree on what they said or do, but you should accept it and attempt not to change it.

If I had the ability to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school student I would advise myself to learn time management skills. In high school there are teachers, coaches, and parents there to get you up for school, send you off to your next class, and make sure you are a practice on time. In college, that is not the case. It is completely up to us to get ourselves up for class and to arrive on time. In high school, internet access was limited which means there was not as much availability to get on facebook, twitter, and etc. In college there are no restrictions to what we access and when we do so. I wish I would have practiced better time management skills in high school so they would be instilled in me today.

My freshman year of college I had no idea what to expect. I took 17 hours of school, was on the volleyball team for Temple College and I was stressed out. I had no idea how to cook, stay organized, focus in scool, be a good teamate and keepy my sanity all at the same time. I wish I knew then what I know now. If I could go back in time to talk to myself when I was a high school senior I would have mentally, emotionally and physically prepared myself for making that transition. I would have gave myself encouragement and told myself to study more and party less. I would have told myself not to give up on Algebra. I would have taught myself how to cook, stay organized and learn good study habbits. I would tell myself that practice makes perfect, dont cheat, stay tough and keep your head up. But when I really think about it, making that transition without any preperation is the true college experience. No freshmen knows what to expect and thats what makes the whole experience magical. Its hard, its fun, its stressful, its emotional, its the time of your life.

If I knew now what I knew then I would have done the best I could in high school. I always kept good grades but I could have done better and applied to colleges right out of high school. I would have done well like I am now just started ten years earlier. Instead of being an online student like I am now I would have gone to college and stayed on campus and would have already graduated and have a job that I truely apprecite.

Studying is a nightmare! Whether it is for a test or an assignment you are going to have to study no matter what. You spend hours looking at a text book reading the same chapter over and over until you can see it in your head. We both know that we hate to study, but in order to survive in this university you are going to need to study. It is not like high school where you read every other paragraph and remember terms; you need to know the material and how it relates to the world. Don?t worry you get use to the intense studying habits and even start to like it. You are going to have fun doing the one thing you hate.

If I could give my high school self advice, I would tell myself not to be so self-conscious and be more outgoing. Being more open and outgoing are the most valuable traits that would've helped me the most in my first semester of college. As a result of not being an open and outgoing person, I have very few friends at Texas State. I would tell myself to go out and get a job and act like a responsible adult by taking care of my own problems. I would also advise myself to not go home so much to make the transition easier. Missing my family and my old friends doesn't help the feeling of overall loneliness. I would tell myself to study harder and take advantage of every opportunity. College has too much to offer to let it all just pass me by and i would be sure to not let my high school self make the same mistakes again.

Don't be afraid of not knowing what you want to do, but on the same token, expose yourself your freshman year of college to different classes so that you can decide where you want to focus your studies. Look in to scholarships and seek aid. Having a target will help you go through college more quickly and efficiently. Look for books outside of school. This means that you'll save some money by buying books on ebay, or renting them. Look for internships early, in order to give you experience with what you think you want to do. Have faith in yourself and you will do well.

Dear Self, Please do yourself a favor and graduate from high school. I , the older you, have needed to go through the back door to acheive my goals in life. Now you, the younger I, are a graduate student and you have hopes to continue on to your PHD. If only you would have thought of that twenty years ago. Yes, I understand that high school sucks! However, if you could have just held on for a few more classes, I know that you would have had better opportunities extended to you. In other words, girl, you need to stick it out, as all things in life shall pass; just as the future becomes the present and the present becomes the past. College offers new awareness of the world and presents choices, which affect the rest of your life. Make wise of them for they will build you or break you. Forgive your DQs (dumb questions) for they lead to knowledge. Take one step at the time. And above all else...Believe in Yourself. Love always, me (you)

I would tell myself to relax, and never be ashamed of who i am. I am a beautiful, outgoing, and smart driven individual who will accomplish great things in life. Life is about making mistakes, and learning from them, and you should always rememeber to live each day to it's fullest, because you never know when this day will be your last day? Cassie Smith, you are a vibrant person, and should never be shy you're freshman year; just let loose and let everyone know who you are, because they will love you for everything that you are. Always remember to study has long as you can for each exam, you are smart woman, and it won't be the end of the world if you are tired the next day from studying all night, just know it will be worth it to see an A on that exam. I leave you with this final piece of advice, "study hard, but have fun, and take in every moment, laugh, and struggle; these college days will make up who you are later down the road. You're beautiful and never let that smile turn into a frown."

I would just tell myself to enjoy life in the now. Don't wait for the future for happiness and don't look at the past for happiness. Be open and meet new people. Learn to accept people as they are, for their quirks and all.

If there was something I could make clear to myself as a high school senior it would be this. Don?t worry about what everyone else is doing. They will end up where they are suppose to, you need to focus on you. Seeing all my friends get accepted and getting ready to attend major universities from other states and other countries made me uneasy. I felt like maybe I wasn?t as good as them because I was staying close to home. I would inform my younger self that it?s ok; you?ll end up where you are meant to. Work hard to get yourself to your next level and not to stay on par with your class mates. If you go to school in Texas that?s fine, if you even go to school in San Antonio that?s fine. So long that?s your making your grades and you?re happy that?s all that counts.

First of all you need to make sure that you are going to the college that you really wanted to, you first choice, if its at all possible. Dont let parents, a boyfriend, friends, or anybody else convince you that to stay closer to home. It can be a waste of time, and take even longer for you to get to the college that you really need to be attending. When your at the right place you can feel it, and you see the path stretching out in front of you. Instead of seeing all the turns you have to make, you see a straight path leading to your career and your future. It may not be easy, but all the stress and hardships will be something necessary and worthwhile to your future.

As a college student now, I have realized how ignorant I was about college life as a student in high school. If I could go back and talk to myself a long time ago I would have three things to say. I'd tell myself to research way in advance, find scholarships, and take more advanced courses in high school (AP courses). Researching each college and visiting them is the best way to make the right choice . If you choose wisely, you won't have or want to transfer. If you choose a school and decide to transfer most high school students wouldn't know that not all credits transfer school to school. It could be a waste of your time and money. Scholarships may take time but are worth every minute. Interest on loans build up more than you think! The more advanced courses you take in high school, the more prepared you are for college. Hard work does indeed pay off!

I would go back and take the hardest courses I possibly could. The classes would of been a nice wake up call of what to expect in college. I could of seen many different fields and decided which one I truly wanted to major in rather then waiting to find out in college like I did. I would also inform myself to ask for as much advice as I possibly could from teachers or anyone who could help me. I was the type who never asked questions so now I look back on that and I do not see how I did it because I ask whenever I do need clarification. I would also inform myself on learning to take notes better and how to write the absolute best papers. I would also inform myself to prioritize things on my mind accordingly. School would of been first over girls or even my job. I have learned more in the 3 years I have been in college then I did in my 13 years of education leading up to college. I see how competitive it is and I am always up there to be the best.

I am the typical overwhelmed college freshman at Texas State University who walked into my first college class clueless to actually how difficult it would be. During my very first semester, I quickly became stressed with homework, tests, and managing my time. I feel that if I would have been introduced to these complications before I had started college, this past semester would be alot easier. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a senior, I would tell myself to prepare as much as I possible could for the upcoming change in my life called college. I'd tell myself to focus more on things such as time management and learning how to study "the college way." I believe that if more students focused more on college preparation before entering college, statistics would show a great change. The percentage of students getting into colleges would increase and the percentage of student dropping out of college would decrease. I believe any college freshmen, who went through the same complications that I did, would agree. College preparation should become a greater focus for high school seniors, for our benefit.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a 17 year old high schooler, I would seriously sit down with myself and ask myself what do I want out of life and create a roadmap of how to attain those things. I had a lot going for me in high school. I took all the right classes and was in all the right clubs but didn?t take advantage of all that was out there. I would?ve made myself take my AP tests no matter what score I think I would?ve gotten and taken CLEP tests if I didn?t score well on the AP exam. I would?ve applied for scholarships and requested more loan money. I would counsel myself on credit cards and consequences of their use and learned about proper debt management. I would tell myself that a part-time job is not more important than school. I would tell myself that my studies come first and to NEVER take a full-time job no matter how much I?m struggling financially. I would also make sure that my academic area of study has real job opportunities after graduation.