The University of Montana Top Questions

If I could talk to my high school self as a senior I would simply say "it's game time." While the excessive partying needs to stop and you should still go out and experience the world and have fun while you’re young. Enroll in a diverse amount of classes because you’ll change your mind about what you want to do many times but in your heart you know what you want to do. You should go and take risks because you have the innate ability to bounce back. This maybe the last year you have of “no responsibilities,” but that doesn't mean you don't have any. You have responsibilities to yourself to become something great. To reach that potential that you know you have. If you want to make an impact on the world there’s no better time to start than now, but you must focus and give it your all or you’ll never accomplish what you’ve dreamt of. If you never try, you’ll always fail. Go out there and try.

I would tell myself, you don't need to decide your career before you get to college. Take some classes to explore various fields before you decide. You're making a big investment in your future and you do not want to invest in something you don't want to do. Make a decision to go after your dream, no matter what the employment prospects are or how much you will make because in the end, what matters most is that you are happy with your work.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to worry less about sports and hanging out with friends and focus more on my grades and what the teachers were teaching me. As a regular teenager, all I was concerned about was hanging out with my boyfriend and friends and playing softball instead of taking the time to focus on my homework. I would tell myself that sports and friends especially boyfriends come into your life and they can leave just as quick, but your education is what is going to get you to where you are going in life and its going to get you a career. I would tell myself not to slack off in class and not just do the bare minimum to get the passing grade or memorize the correct answers for the homework and not remember the material the next time I needed it. I also would tell myself that I have to make time for homework because I might not have time the day before the assignment is due. Education is the key to the places you are going to go in life.

If I could go back and talk to my 18 year-old self, I would tell myself to never lose sight of who I am and what is important to me. It seems the older I've gotten, the harder its been to remember those two insights. Relationships, school, friends, work, and financial obligations often cloud our hearts and we lose sight of the reasons why we started down a path in the first place. My passion has always been in fine art, but there were several years when I strayed from doing what fills my heart to doing something that pays the bills. At the time, I was feeling pressure to find a secure job and pursue the "American Dream". Thankfully, I had some really great people in my life who encouraged me to follow my dreams and assured me that life would work itself out. Now, I get the chance to work on my Master's of Fine Arts and I've never been happier! My only regret is that I wish I would have known sooner just how important it is to always, no matter what, stay true to yourself.

If I could go back and tell myself anything it would be to stay at home, don’t go live with some guy you think is great. Stay at home and spend time with family and friends. If he’s the one he will be there when high school is over. Though friends move away and you can’t live with your family the rest of your life.

Start looking at colleges early. Take the time to look at them thoroughly. Visit campuses if necessary. Really look at all the places you might want to go and give them all a fair shot. Do not limit your choices and make sure you start looking early enough to give all of them a fair chance. Once you do pick a school, embrace it with fervor. Get involved as much as possible and really take the experience with open arms. Everybody is new to the college thing, so don't be embarrassed and don't let your inhibitions keep you from participating in everything that college has to offer. Enjoy your time because it will be gone sooner than you think!

I would tell myself to decide a range of things that i would possibly major in and look at school that have good programs for those things. Also i would tell myself to expand my college search and not be closed minded about any size or type of school and just to look at all my options. And also to apply for more scholarships.

Keep up the good work! Your grades are excellent. I know you love school but in order to go to college you need to be assertive with the counselors and your parents. Your parents don't know how to navigate the process of applying for college so take the reins and ask for help from outside sources. It has taken me years to work towards my degree. If I had obtained help applying for college during high school, I would have earned my BA and most likely myt Masters by this time in my life. Please, ask for assistance in getting into college. You want it badly and you will be successful, but don't listen to your parents who keep putting you off with your questions about how to do it. I wish I had been maturre enough to realize my parents weren't discouraging me, they just didn't know what to do and were too embarrassed to tell me this. Go pursue your degree now, before you start a family...it is so much easier and will help you and your future family by ensuring a better and longer successful career!

Knowing what I know now, there are a few pieces of information I feel that a younger me should know, both for his sake, and consequently, mine. First off I would inform him that college is a very real step, and with that step you get a metaphorical "foot in the door." This is not the time to dawdle, this is the time to act, because even those first few baby steps can set you on the path that will be the rest of your life. After stressing the importance, I would give him a more personal message, "Do your general education studies locally. It'll pay off, literally." By completing generals locally I saved thousands of dollars that now fund college in Missoula. I hated staying, but sacrifices were made. Compounding on this, I would give him the most important motto I've adapted, "Just Keep Swimming." Through everything he will be through, it's important he keep on doing his own thing, maintaining his sense of self-identity, and never giving up. Life will be miserable and difficult at times, but he should always keep going. I've made it this far once, he can do it again.

Be gentel on yourself. You've worked so hard these last four years and college will be hard for you. Go ahead and give yourself a break before starting this new adventure. You will see and do wonderful amazing things that will take you in a direction that you never thought you'd go in, so go with it and don't fight it. Don't believe anyone who tells you that your not smart enough, good enough or worthy enough. Because you are all those things and more. Your going to have to work harder then you ever thought you could but you'll do just fine. And remember, everything works out fine in the end if you put forth the effort, even if there's a little adversity and heartache in the mean time.