University of Southern California Top Questions

If you want to continue on this road to future success, you need to stay focused. There will be a lot of parties that your friends will beg and plead with you to go to, and since it will be your first semester there, you will be tempted beyond belief to want to go instead of doing homework, but you need to resist that urge. You have no idea the regrets that will ensue if you do not make your studies your first priority, above making friends and having fun. There will be plenty of opportunities to have fun that will not compromise your work, so make sure to not always seek what's the most fun to do instead of what school work needs to be done. The work will be hard and you will get frustrated, but the reward of straight A's at the end of the semester will be worth all of it. Lastly, don't be discouraged by everyone else having fun without you so that you start to feel left out. Your true friends will be around to have fun with you when you have free time as well.

If my present self and my past self were sitting in a room next to each other I would first advise my high school senior self to, "visit each school that you have received acceptance letters from. It is very important to picture yourself living and attending school there. Make sure to not only look at the university itself but to also look around at the surrounding areas. You must visit the local shopping areas or hot spots where you will be socializing, running errands and associating with the local residents. If you cannot picture yourself living in a certain city or living amongst certain types of people, then it is not the right school for you." "Also, do not let your friends influence your decisions when it comes down to the final decision. They will try to peer pressure you in to schools that they got accepted into making them appear to be the better choice. However, it is not their opinions that matter but only yours. Make sure to always be independent and to have your own thoughts because ultimately it is your life and your future for the next four years, not your friends."

If i could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior i would tell myself to really concentrate on school work. As a senior im sure most people are persuaded to do things they wouldnt normally do. It is really important for students to know that playing around about your grades your senior can really affect what college you get into and also how much help you get to pay for college. I would tell myself to try hard as i possible can to get the HOPE scholarship because thats money you can get for just having good grades. I would tell myself to study alot more than i did. I also would tell myself dont be advised by other peopls behavior because you have to pay for the consequences of things you do not the other person.

I would go back and tell myself to simply relax. I created a lot of stress and pressure during my senior year; worrying about college applications, studying for finals, and preparing my financial aid. I missed out on some activities that could have really been entertaining for me, becuase I chose to go home all the time, constantly checking deadlines and filling out applications. Now that I am in the college enviornment, I have learned to take time just for myself. No books, homework, or deadlines ever cross my mind during this self-time. I probably could have avoided mental breakdowns if I simply stopped for just ten minutes, to free my mind of all stresses and obstacles. I now have a more free, uplifting state of mind that allows me to enjoy myself more. As a senior, I would tell myself that everything will get done on time. I have to trust myself that everything will fall into place, as long as I don't stress or worry, and create an organized schedule that always has time to relax.

The best thing to keep in mind when making the transition to college is to keep an open mind. College is a totally different animal from high school, and people shouldn?t expect it to work the same way. Classes may be a lot harder than you expect them to be, so be prepated to spend extra time studying. People are different and you never know who will make the best friends that you will keep for the rest of your lives. Try to make as many friends as you can at the beginning of the year, and eventually pick and choose who you really want to hang out with, but still keep in contact with everyone else. Explore classes in different departments to learn what you truly are interested in, rather than simply be on a one-way road to learn you were never really interested in it the first place. College is meant to be a learning experience, so experiment with different things, but don?t over do yourself. Don?t stick with something just because it is familiar with you, take risks, but just use common sense to keep yourself safe and on track.

Oh, Innocent Youth, you think you've got your life figured out. You're fresh from highschool and proud of accomplishing the despair of puberty. Your bright, cheery eyes foresee a concrete future that can't be compromised or lost. You are naive. Do not expect to know everything or try to take on more than you can actually handle. Multitasking in high school, procrastinating, and cheating, are not going to work here. You will be thrown upon your own skills and forced to find a morality that merits the self you will become. You will be lost so that you can develop your own adult mind and find it somewhere around graduation. Do not despair when life challenges you and the college experience becomes overwhelming in its surreality. College will expand your mind and set a burning fire in your spirit to travel and know the world with your own eyes. You'll learn that a new course does not defer your dreams but it enriches them. College will guide you toward your full potential and purpose. It will inspire you to break free from a pool of numbered identities and stand out--an individual who knows true freedom.

Sung to the music of "If I were a carpenter": - If I were a high school student, looking for a college; I'd think about book smarts and other kinds of knowledge. I'd learn about numbers and how to write essays; and I'd contemplate others ways to fill up my hours and days. There is so much communicating and so much networking; that helps you build a future and figure out working. You make new friends and move away from home; the theme paper you write will be called a tome. And don't forget those who helped get you there, your family, teachers and friends; they worked so hard and burned the candle at both ends. Using 20/20 hindsight it seems to me; means working as hard as you possible can, to be all you can be.

You need to work hard. You have to not let anyone tell you that you cant do it. With all the struggles that you have been through in your life like your dad leaving you do not let that stop you. You ae strong and I believe you can make it. You need to be more focused and motivated so you can succeed in college. James you are smart and very good in school. Take your time nd keep ypur priorities straight. You can do it!

As I wrote ?2010? on the corner of my MATH218 notes, I remember how a few years ago, I wondered what I would be doing when the world turns into a new decade. Worrying, most of the time, about how life would turn out for me. Is my SAT score high enough for me to get into my selected college? Will I make enough friends? Who will pay for college? If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to stop worrying too much, and focus on the present because the present, indeed, is just as important as the future. Looking back, I realized how all the worrying did nothing to who I am now, if not to detriment it. If only I knew to live my days purposefully, truly living instead of worrying too much. If only I knew to plunge into each day with a conviction that everything, indeed, is going to be fine. And even if things did not turn out quite well, I would know to run the race with courage and joy, instead of uselessly worrying about the finish line I dream of reaching because worrying would not get me there.

Everyone is going to have their own unique transition and experience in college. Personally, being from Southern California and going to a school close by home was not an ideal situation. I originally wanted to go away from home and explore a part of the world that I have never experienced before. I was scared that by going to USC, I would not grow as a person and miss out on something potentially bigger that I could've discovered elsewhere. However, after my first semester here, I was completely wrong and I realized that it was all about my attitude. If I was going to be at this school for the next four years of my life, I needed to have a more positive outlook on how I would spend my time here. That is exactly what I did, and I have discovered so many new opportunities, people, classes, professors, etc. that I know I probably would not have found anywhere else. After changing my attitude, I realized this was the perfect school for me after all. And that is probably the best advice I can give...you'll be happy wherever you are depending on your attitude towards it.

Arielle, you cry and you worry that you won't get into any college. Your grades are amazing and many schools will love you. Even though you wanted to get as far away from home as possible, you chose the closest school that you applied to and you know what, you love it. Being close to home is kinda nice and the environment is anything but surburban. In college you open up to many different types of people and learn as much off campus as you do on. The workload that you took on in school hinders your perfect social life, but guess what, you make it through coming out as a well rounded student who went out maybe more than you should have, but have grown because of it. Your final year of school you will find yourself jetsetting throughout Europe skyping the love of your life back in the States. GET EXCITED, the transisition to college is going to be one of the easiest things you have ever done, because USC is one of the greatest schools in the world.

Dear Gabriela, College will be one of the most exciting stages in your life. Although you are worried about leaving home, do not hesitate because living in the dorms will enrich your experience both academically and socially. You will always have somebody to help you on a seemingly impossible math problem and a good friend to confide in. When you begin your first semester, make sure you visit your professors during their office hours a couple of times during the course, so that they can get to know you. This will benefit your grades, help you network, and they will not hesitate to write you an excellent letter of recommendation when you need it. Classes in college are not hard if you manage your time correctly, and realize that unlike high school, everyone around you is there to learn because they chose to attend college and are paying for the best education. This will, help you put into perspective what is important, and make you realize that school needs to be a priority. However, make sure you make time for social events; because this will help you get back to your work with a clearer mindset. Best of luck! Gabriela

I would tell myself to stop dwelling on the future and enjoy the present more. During my first years of college I had trouble enjoying what was currently going on in my life and making the most of my experiences. I am more confident about my future now and should have been able to do this before. Thinking about the future is important but enjoying the present is the key to happiness. It is an important thing to consider when you are that close to your future and on the brink of change once in college.

It's a totally different world without the structure of high school. Time management becomes crucial, and you need to focus on making sure that you get the essentials done before tackling anything else. You will invariably bite off more than you can chew, but that is to be expected. Persevere when things seem bad, because even if you don't believe it you will make it through. You have much more freedom than you can realize, but this comes with a responsibility out of which blame rests solely on you. Look for the good people to be friends with. Even if you are not sure about something, but you know you want it, go for it, because you don't want to always wonder what if. Have fun, keep safe, be studious, and try to enjoy the smaller things. Also, watch out for the late night food runs - tempting as they may be you will regret eating immediately after you are done. Oh, and everyone talks to their parents, so don't feel like you are the only one or are being a wuss for doing it. Finally, hold on to what you know is right.

The advice I would give to the High-School-Senior me would definitely to stand up for myself and to have the confidence and ability to say NO to people when they're making me do something I don't want to. Along those same lines, I'd also tell myself to learn how to tell when someone is being manipulative by making me feel sorry for him/her, and to learn to not take anyone's B.S. that way. I would tell myself to not base relationships just on looks, because if you become someone's boyfriend before getting to know his personality, you're going to get in trouble. And related to that topic, I would tell myself to be more perceptive of my relationships with my boyfriends, and to be better able to tell when it needs to end, instead of letting it go on too long, because once again -- that just causes trouble. Also, I'd tell me that formatting your answers correctly is just as important as getting the answers right in college classses. Lord knows I've lost a few points that way.

As a high school student it is difficult to imagine yourself as an independent, mature adult with responsibilities. You live at home and and rely on your parents to supply you with food, shelter, cash, unconditional love, and support. Things are taken care of by your family so it leaves you to live in the moment. Without responsibilities that go beyond studying for tests and perhaps keeping your bedroom somewhat neat, there was no need to think about deadlines or finances. The best advice I would offer myself today is to have listened more carefully when my parents tried to convince me to focus on my studies more. I would definitely inform me that attention to details such as specific deadlines are extrememly important not only for school but in life. Procrastination is a very poor choice as people love to trample over procrastinators and leave them behind. While I've definitely taken on more personal responsibility as a student at USC, I am still haunted by some poor study choices made in high school that cost me to prove myself at a Jr. College with a 4.0 and scholarship opportunities. I have learned this lesson.

Looking back on it, I don't regret the choices I made transitioning from a high school student to a freshman in college. It was tough, but I would want to tell myself to have fun, but be more aware of the choices you make before you consider having fun. Think about why you are attending a university that costs over $50,000 to attend and consider the consequences. Make sure to do well but also go out there and try new things. Try to get involved and meet different people so that when time comes, you'll find your real friends like I have found today. I dont think there is anything I can tell myself that would have necessarily prevented me from making the mistakes I did freshman year, but it would have helped to know that the stories are true; once you get to college the style of teaching is different, the baby-ing is gone, and it is all about individuality. I would have told myself to realize that I am no longer a little girl entering college, but that I need to take steps on my own and also take accountability for all my actions.

Get more involved on campus. Even if you don't make friends for life it's better to have them on campus while you're in college than to just see them once a week when you go out dancing. Stay focused on figuring out what it is you want to do, and take more advantage of the resources USC offers like the career center.

I suppose I would say to be strong, be fearless, but at the same time be humble and dont stress.

Hey, Jade. Don't try to be someone you're not. Life is just going to get harder and you will have to make some very adult decisions on your own. Don't doubt yourself because you are a very smart and capable. It is going to be an adventure and a never-ending learning experience. Enjoy it! Play Hard! Study hard!