Texas Woman’s University Top Questions

Because I did not finish college as soon as I was finished with high school, I would tell myself how much easier, how important college was to finish back then. I married my high school sweetheart and he finished college and got a very good job right out of college. He was transferred to several different states early in our marriage. I was able to take classes off and on at differet times, but college was put on hold many times. The longest time was when I was able to stay home and be a full time mother to my girls. Then about 4 years ago I was able to take a job at my daughter's elementary school. I so enjoy teaching there, my only problem is because I don't have a degree I can only be hired as a paraprofessional. I tutor kindergarten thru 5th grade during the day when they need extra help in all subjects. I love this job, but would like to do more, so I am persuing a Bachelors in General Studies and then a Masters in Teaching. College would've been so much easier had I finished college right after high school.

If I could really go back in time and talk to myself as a senior in high school, I would tell myself to actually save my money that I was getting at work instead of spending it on new clothes and shoes. I took money for granted and spent it every chance I got because I knew that I'd done well in high school and that I would get a good scholarship, but things did not work out the way I thought. Although I had the oppurtunity to go to any college that I wanted to in Texas, I really had no money to go. I actually depended on the graduation money that I received because I stopped working, which was not much. So I would honestly go back in time and SAVE, SAVE, SAVE my money because right now I am depending on loans and some family, which I also would consider a loan. I took things for granted and I should not have, but now I see. I will SAVE!

Dear Abby, Here are some tips you need to follow for college in order to survive. Sleep is vital! Even though the hours in school can seem less, sleep is very important. Don't drink sodas or caffeinated drinks! You are now independent. You have to contact your professors and make decisions your parents can't make for you. Make as many friends as possible. It's nice being surrounded by people who enjoy your presence. Don't let a load of work stress you out! Take one thing at a time. Remember, working out is your remedy! Don't buy easy mac, you'll get tired of it quickly! And, above all, have faith. Know that the Lord is always with you no matter what. Best of luck, Abby (from the future)

Life isn?t easy as I thought it would be; parents won?t and can?t be there to provide for everything because of their own financial situations. Because of this, work has become my priority, resulting in me putting school off for a while. Be prepared before graduating because if you don?t do research you will get stuck getting in debt with loans and losing the chance of a great career. For the choices I have made after graduating has cost me the chance of becoming a firefighter sooner. My lack of money has been the cause of all these hardships. Use my struggle for a better future as an example of what not to do. Don?t make the same mistake of becoming me.

When I graduated from high school, I went to a community college. I thought, "ya know, I'll save my parents money and it won't be near as intense as a university would be." I was also working at the time, and after I finished my first semester I thought I should take some time off. One of my worst mistakes. It took me three and a half years to get back to college. If I could go back now and talk to my self as a high school senior, I would say, "take this seriously! Please stick with it! It is worth it! By the time you're twenty two, you'll be graduating with a degree! You could be a teacher and not have to worry about a crappy job anymore! You might even stay and get your graduate degree! The possibilities are endless, Samantha! You have to work hard and study hard! And when you get that first A, it just makes you want to work harder! You can do it, Samantha! Just stick with it!"

As a first generation student, I feel that the majority of decisions that I was making were questionable, and that wisdom and advice from an experienced student could have really help. Weather it was financial or adacemics, the need for further explination or acknowledgement would have prevented me from make certain consequences avoidable. The different ways of communicating a concern or a complaint with a roommate would have also made my living environment a tad more comfortable. The environment of your living quarts could really affect the amount of productive studying is recieved and just how affective one is in their resident hall. Lastly I think that having a social involvement in school has made a great exoerience my first semester and I would advize myself to become more involved in different organizations on and off campus. Whatever the importance was in the advice that i would give myself as a high school senior, I can not imagine not experiencing this first hand and taking away this in the process.

The advice I would give my "high school senior self" would be; forget the boys, apply for more scholarships, and that the course work is not at all like high school work, you actually have to study to do well. My last piece of advice would be to spend more time with and ask my father everything I ever wanted to know about him because soon he would be gone.

As a high school senior you should make a list of potential Universities you would like to go to and research the school and narrow the list down to the best match to your needs. Apply for Scholarships and Grants to help with the expensive Tuition and books that the University require. Volunteer as much as possible because this will look fabulous on your Application because it shows that you are helpful and dedicated to make a change for the better. Teachers are more than happy to write a word of recommendation for you, but it is up to you to request the letter. These are a few tips to make College life easier and prepare for the major change in your life.

Nicole from high school, I think it is important that I tell you that you really are not prepared for what it is really like. As much as teachers try to explain it, it is just a leap of faith and learning process that you really have to experience for yourself. I would tell you that you will be a little lazier and sometimes a little out of the loop on what is going on around you because suddenly the world has become so big, but you're going to do great. You are going to love college and the way it will change your life, I promise. Don't ever regret not going to that school up north, TWU is the best place you could have ever gone to. I promise.

I would of took some college courses in the summer or while I was in high school and be more social. Also, being involved in extracurricular activites and know that I should study more.

If I was able to speak to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to get ready to broaden your mind and develop into a more intellectual person in hyper-speed. I would also say it is important to start thinking critically now to avoid getting sucked into tasks that aren't productive (like Facebook apps). Decide what is important in your life, set goals to push your dreams to the max, and act on those goals to get them accomplished. With proper organization and planning college should be a breeze. Don't procrastinate, stay on top of work, school, and keeping up with your chores. And, if you seem to notice your slipping of track, don't get depressed and mope around, just start catching up at that point in time so you don't have to pull any all-nighters to stay in good standing. Last, but not least, don't forget to have fun, make friends, and take time out for yourself as a reward for how good you've been.

Looking back we can always find room for improvement. As a Senior I would have appreciated someone telling me to get involved in school activities and be more social. I can see now where that would have helped me on many levels. As a student, it's very easy to become engulfed with the responsibilities of juggling work and school. However, making time for activities would have led towards more friendships that would have provided a strong support when I was away from my family. Activities give you something to look forward to and reward yourself for. Plus, always opening yourself up to creating new friends helps you practice skills that you will need later for networking. Social networking helps build friendships and careers. Social networking is also rewarding on the flip side: When you are able to help others in their career, it creates an even stronger bond of friendship and respect. It is so easy to put aside things that will make you happy in order to achieve something greater. However, looking back I realized that making time for those things that make you happy are actually the building blocks that help you achieve even more.

As a high school student, I was never very involved. Looking back, I regret not having utilized all the opportunities that were available to me at the time. If I could give myself advice as a high school senior, I would tell myself to get involved with my community, church, and school in order to make my college applications look better--along with my current resume. I should have participated in Key Club and more community service activities. Not only would I have been making myself more appealing to colleges, I would have been helping out my community. Secondly, I would tell myself is to apply for every scholarship that I was qualified for. There was (and still is) so much free money out there that I did not have a chance to receive, since I never tried. The last thing I would tell myself is to have more fun. I was so focused on my academics that I seemed to have lost myself in the process. My college experience has taught me to try my very best--without sweating the small stuff. Life will go on; therefore, I should live it to the fullest, as happy as possible.

This is a fun question because I guess I am considered an older student and it is fun to think about "what if's". I would definitely tell myself to stick with it. As I graduated high school and received a small scholarship, I chose a school and moved into the dorms. I tried to have a "normal" college life. Unfortunately I did not finish and luckily ended up in the military. After 4 exciting years in the military and a family later, I have found myself back in school. I do not regret any decisions I have made. The military changed my life in a good way, however I would not wish this particular route on everyone. I use this story to my children as a life lesson, although I took an alternate path and eventually ended up where I wanted to be, it was not the best or easiest path. So the advice I would give myself is that life may seem hard right out of high school, but there is so much more to gain by going directly to college and sticking with it. There will always be challenges in life, so take them in stride.

The advice I would give myself is make sure to take AP classes and makes sure to have a high GPA so when college starts I would be prepared and be ready for college courses. Another advice I would give myself is to play soccer and run cross-country the sports I love and have a chance to play in college and apply for sports scholarships. To be able to use my resources in high school, like the counselors I would have been prepared by applying for scholarships early and get enought money for tuition, fees, and housing. Going back to high school as a senior would be great because I would know how college life is and would takes many classes to prepare myself and pass the course.

If I could go back in time when I was a senior in high school and give myself advice before entering college I would have advised to take some classes that were dual credit. Doing so would have made it so that I would have had college credit and could have completed most of my pre-requisites prior to college. It would shorten the time I would have to spend in college and would cut down the expenses. I would have knocked out two birds with one stone. Saving prior to college would have also helped because I entered college handling a load of finances; there was always something unexpecting that needed to be paid for that I didn't have the money for. Unfortunately I still struggle financially so preparation for all the expenses and figuring out a way to cut them down is key.

College is a completely different experience than High School, and even though that's what you're looking for be careful on how different you want it to be. Don't let the first week of classes intimidate you. Yes, it is alot of work and alot to worry about, but you work hard enough and are dedicated enough to do what you are asked to do. Things can get pretty caotic with volleyball, just make a schedule and the time to do what needs to get done. Don't be afraid to say what you want to say. If you're accepting of others they will most likely be accepting of you. Never Give Up!!!! Do the best you can. It's ok to set your expectations high, but it's ok to be satisfied with your work, as long as you know you did the best you could. Make the effort to get involved, it's all for the best and you'll enjoy it. It is ok to party not everyday, but hey you need a social life. Just don't make the wrond decisions when you do Party! Don't Be Scared Be excited!

Knowing what I know now I would tell myself to work harder and to appreciate school. I graduated from Marcus High School in 2006. I then attended a junior college where I slacked off and later dropped out. I am now 22 years old and I have a beautiful two month old baby girl. Since I blew off school and did not appreciate it enough to work hard at my education I am suffering the consiquences. I never thought that I would be patiently waiting to go to college. I want to give my little girl a good life and I cannot do so without a college education. I truely wish that I had another chance to go back in time because I would love every minute of school. I would appreciate that I was in school and that I was working hard so I could provide myself with a better life.

I think the most advice I could give myself is to be extremely open and outgoing so that I can make new friends who are like me. It has been a slight struggle for me to find friends who are interested in the same things that I am, and I do not believe that I am that extremely unique. I have made a few close friends but there are not so many things that we have in common which is no problem at all until I want to go mountain biking or kayaking. So, it is important to find events and activities that cater to your specific interests and try to make as many friends as possible there. It may not be extremely important to make sure to go to the same school as all of your friends, but it may be helpful for the transition but if it does not work out, it is not the biggest problem in the world. Making new friends is always great and there is a large amount of people to find a friend in. Also, it is important to go out and have fun from time to time, but school should be first.

Self, you know that you are leaving from under your parents' roof, and it is going to be different. Please make sure you balance your social life with your schoolwork. Do not date unless you are friends with the guy, and you know him well enough to trust him. Do not be persuaded by flattering words or physical appearance. Look for someone who respects you fully as a person before he respects you as a girlfriend. Get involved with clubs and organizations that are associated with your major and your academic interests. Start out the semester with studying a lot; don't get so far behind that you have nothing on which to fall back. Do not go out partying until you have your time management under control. Remember: studying and good grades are priority. Pray continually; go to a Bible study once a week, and get involved with the people there. They can be such a great help to you, especially if you need prayer or emotional support during the tough times. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.