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I would let myself do the same thing that I have done since I graduated high school. I would have prepared myself more for my transfer to USF and let myself live off campus since that is the only thing that I misunderstood when I transferred colleges. I also would of made sure to get my A.A. in criminal justice.

Nicole, take the tough classes that only geniuses take in your senior high school year. Do not slack off - at least not too much. It would be best if you took at least two tough courses along with your exit courses so that when you take them in college, it will just be review and you will not have to worry about paying for a tutor - or staying up all night with a blurry page under your face. I do believe that it is good to take senior year easy and not pile a load of work on your shoulders because you will have more work than you can imagine from the start of your freshman year, and it will only increase if you want to succeed, but you will regret not taking classes that prepare you for college. Do not fret! If you develop efficient time management skills and fast learning skills now, you will be able to quickly adapt to college and will learn to enjoy all the hard work. It is refreshingly satisfying to hand in a top quality project and see the reward of your hard work come in the form of a 4.0 GPA.

Since I did not attend college directly from high school and went as an older adult this question does not directly apply to me. I was not prepared to attend college directly out of high school as I did not possess the maturity necessary for the task. It has been the experiences that I have had in life that have given me the maturity necessary to not only suceed in college but to excel. For this reason, I would not wish to give myself advice any at that age as life is sometimes about trial and error. I cannot think of anything that I could say that the adults around me at that time were not already saying. I simply needed to explore possibilities on my own to finally come to the point that I am at in my life at this moment. Life itself is a learning experience and what I have learned through direct experience is as valuable in shaping who I am today as anything I have learned, or will learn, in the classroom.

Go to college right after high school and earn a degree. The lure of earning money at an early age is very tempting to young students so much so that many would forgo getting college education. However, in this current times, most employers hire those with collge degree than those without. Your sacrifices for going through four years in college will actually pay better and provide job security. Additionally, it is more difficult to get through college later in life when one have more responsibilities such as work, family, and the like.

At first, I was pretty nervous about making the transition but I knew a few people from highshcool that were going to the same college as me so that helped a lot. Also, I think the fact that I had visited the college beforehand made me more comfortable with my surroundings. When you get to the right college you'll know if its the one for you; it just feels right. Regarding college life, don't worry so much about trying to be perfect. College is the time of your life to experiment and really put yourself into everthing you can. You want to make yourself as well-rounded as possible while ofcourse, still getting to class and doing well academically. Obviously, you are going to college for a reason and you want to be successful but do remember that it is important to balance your time and have some fun. Be open to new things; people, places, everthing. Take advantage of every single thing available to you. College has been an extremely influential part of my life and I have created some of the best memories and experienced some truly pivotal moments. Don't take this opportunity for granted.

You would think that I could come up with a profound bit of advice that would somehow be life altering or at least academically stimulating. Alas, I regret to inform you, being strictly facetious when I say regret, that I was greatly relieved to find that my high school had truly prepared me for the academic challenges of college life. Other than a few adjustments involving time management, I assimilated into the large masses of students with little or no trouble. I will, however, give advice on the single most devastating issue faced by this college freshman. PARKING. My first mistake was assuming that I could find a parking place within a reasonable 15 to 20 minute time period. My second and most critical error was the car itself, a Hummer H2, A VERY BAD MOVE. If, by some miracle, I did happen to find a parking place, it didn't fit. There was also the danger of running over the ever present "late student" who would come darting out between cars in a desperate attempt to make it to class on time. In conclusion, my best advice would be, forget the cool wheels and macho image. Get a moped!

My experiences with life after high school has been very much realistic of what a life without an education is like. Understanding that success is earned and takes dedication, it also requires planning. My set back as a college student in the past was not able to decide what i really wanted to do with my life. If I could go back in time a talk to myself about college, I would say that your future is truly in your hands and no individual but yourself can make the best of every oppurtunity that comes your way. Sacrifice every chance you have of succeeding and take the time to study even the most simple tasks. Knowledge is power but it takes applied efforts to make it work. Life is a challenge within itself but, allowing yourelf to obtain skills that can surpass minimum expectations is worth the time spent for an education. The road you take will have challenges that may seem insurmountable. keep your eye on the prize and you will reach your goal. It is better to continue to work on something that is great for your life than to do nothing at all.

As an advisor to myself as a Senior in High School, I would tell myself to weigh the pros and cons. Determine what aspects I am specifically looking for in the college and rate them highest to lowest then decide what each of my college choices have in those areas and determine which school has the most of what I want. As far as apply to colleges, or figuring out which ones apply to, do some research. FInd out what area of town they are in, the distance from your house, etc. Apply to as many colleges as you wish. do not limit yourself to only the ones that you think you will get accepted to, you never know what will happen. Once you have been accepted to a few places, then is the time to check back with your list and decide which one best fits you!

I would reinterate to myself how important it is to take college seriously form day 1. I would point out how expensive the cost of college is and would use that as motivation to get through it as quickly as possible. Also I would make it a goal to decide what to major in before I graduate high school, so I would not be wasted any time not knowing what I want to major in. And last but not least I would teach myself to prioritize your activities and put school first, everything else second.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would have a lot of tips for myself. To make the transition easier I would say to visit the campus several times so as to be more familiar with it if you live close enough, that is. Make sure to get to know your roommate because you?re going to have to live with them all year. Also know that even though you may have less work for your classes that?s not always a good thing. If you only have a few assignments or tests that means you have to do really well on all of them to get a good grade in the class so make sure to study. You can?t afford to slack off in any class at any time. But even though studying is so important make sure you allow yourself some time for fun stuff so that you enjoy the college experience and don?t burn out. Oh and make the decision of which school to attend for yourself not anyone else because you?re the one who has to go there.