The Sage Colleges Top Questions

As amazing as it would be to be able to change my life going all the way back to senior year of high school, I wouldn't want to change anything. I cannot imagine where my own advice could have gotten me. However, I am going to school to become a high school guidance counselor and will one day be able to help people much like the high school senior version of myself. The most important and yet least life altering thing I would tell myself and will tell future students is that young people are allowed and need to make mistakes. It is best to make mistakes while they are still young. I would also say that mistakes are very necessary for personal growth. I am currently in a great place in my life and would not risk telling myself anything else that could drastically change the course of my life.

I would tell myself what I tell many high school students now, what you do, or do not do, while in high school is more important than you can comprehend right now. I was focused on having fun I never fully understood the S.A.T. or studied for it. I would tell myself to look for scholarships, and not to ignore the topic simply because I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. These past choices have made it so that I do not really know what it is like to have the full college "transition" because I could not afford it. I do not know what living on campus is like or how it is to make that "transition." I could only hope that my high school self would listen to my college self so that maybe I could have these experiences. Truely, there is no going back, so I have dedicated myself to my education and to moving forward. One day I might work in a school and be able to tell the equivilant of my own high school self this very same advice, allowing them to succeed to their full academic potential.

I would tell myself to ask questions and ask for help when needed. To not stand idlely and watch life and new opportunies pass me by. I would let myself know that I was and am now smart and intelligence and capable. Most of all of this can be summarized as: I needed to be more proactive in my own future. The fear of the transition from highschool to college had me paralyzed for a long time. I felt ill prepared and confused and lost. Looking back I realise I didn't need to be more prepared by others, I just needed to have more confidence in myself. At my core I always had what was needed to transition smoothly from high school to college and had I only recognized that it was there, overshadowed with self-doubt and anxiety, I would have blossomed and realised my true potential so much sooner than I ultimately did.

Save your money and financial aid, go to community college first, explore your options and then transfer to a 4 year school.

I had to drop out of school 10 years ago due to a illness. Since I have been back I have applied myself to my studies and am learning the skills I need to be successful in college. It has been a great experience. This time around, I am in school because I want to learn and to become an asset to the world. I have met some very nice people and my teachers have been very helpful. I am so excited to be back in college. I hope that I can continue and get my bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education.

Russell Sage shaped who I am today. My professors cared for me and took the time to invest in my future. I learned how to think, read, write and speak critically. I learned about issues that mattered to me and how to actively engage with my world. My education prepared me for the rest of my life with the necessary skills to succeed (and despite the poor economy, I do have a great job!). I also developed friendships that will last a lifetime. The bonds that I have with my classmates are amazing and were only developed because of the environment that Russell Sage created. I am, without a doubt, the person I am today because of Russell Sage College. Attending this amazing institution gave me the courage to become a woman of influence, break the glass ceiling and live phenomenally. I am ever so grateful for every person who gave their time, energy, passion and knowledge so that I could have the experience I did.

I have learned that education should be vauled, and shared with everyone. However, not everyone is able to attend college or an alternative education after high school and those of us that can and do should use our knowledge to share with the rest of our community. Without education our next generation will not be able to advance and more forward as a people. My college experience has been eye opening to many different walks of life and idea thoughts that without i may have never known were all around me. Its given me the urge to continue to further my education for as long as I can afford it.

I would go back and tell myself to start off at my local community college. It is so difficult to know exactly what you want to do and after changing my major I wish I would've originally gone to an institution lower in cost before accumulating debt and student loans for a program I am no longer in. I would tell myself that no matter how smart you are you can still obtain a 4 year degree after completing a 2 year degree program. I would also tell myself that it's ok to stay in and study for although you may have missed a party, missing an exam is a much bigger price. I would tell myself to trust yourself and actually do the homework no matter how much you think you know the material. Overall though I would stress the importance of using all your resources such as labs on campus, professor office hours, and online resources in the student library. I would tell myself to sleep more, eat better, and procrastinate less. I would make myself promise to not doubt or fear asking a question some may think to be dumb. Smile, laugh, live, and LEARN!!!!

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, the main advice that I would give myself is to study and to make sure that you have an effective studying technique in order to do well in class. When I was in high school I never had to study in order to pass my classes but now that I am in college I find it difficult to do just that. Even though I studied hard my first semester for every test and quiz and studied out of the books my grades were still not what I wanted them to be. I realized that I needed to have an effective studying technique that would make me retain the information because in high school I never learned how to study. I now make flash cards or highlight the most important things to study and focus less on the whole chapter but I am still trying nto figure out a better studying technique. Studying is so important in college so I wish I had known that in high school.

Janna, No matter what is going on in your life and how much you feel like giving up it's more than important to keep going it's essential I was able to make it to college and its a whole new world. Struggling with academics is not easy but you will find the techniques that will work for you and you will gain an amazing support system. I never imagined I would end up at Russell Sage college being that I was at two other colleges but the one thing I would tell you from experience is that if there is a college that you have an interest in then go. No matter how many people tell you not to. do it. it changed my life. and what your passionate about major in it. if people tell you not to. do it. I feel like I wasted my time in other classrooms before this but I would not change it for the world. If there is something that you are not passionate about from friends to work to self image change it. Most importanly always challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone. It is very fufilling :)