Washington State University Top Questions

When thinking back to high school, there were many people who explained to me how life in college would be. Now knowing exactly what it is like and experiencing it for myself, I would have to go back in time and tell myself that I should ask questions more and be prepared to speak to the professors and teachers more because the more you speak to them, they will remeber your face and help your with your grade by raising. Another piece of advice is that college is expensive and keep applying for as many scholarships and grants as you can and fill out the Fedural Student Aid every year. As far as the tranistion with high school life to college life, I would say make sure you have the organizational skills that are needed and make right choices because that is whats going to seperate the successful college students from unsuccessful ones. Finally college is not as easy as you think, the harder you work and more that you put into your studies, the more you will learn and take from what the professors or student teachers teach you.

College is a big step into the real world. College is all about finding out what you are and what you want to do with your life. The hardest part about college is having to do everything on your own. In college there is no such thing as being done with homework. One must study hard to get good grades . For most people, college is difficult to get used to because there are different expectations. Knowing what I know now about college, I would say that success is an effect of perserverance, motivation, and failure. without these three things there is no success.

Success in college is found by going to class and doing the work. It is not like high school where more time is spent doing tedious assignments to track a students learning. A college student is free to succeed or fail and must take initiative to do well. I would advise myself to stay organized and tackle one assignment or test at one time. Also, look ahead at future assignments and schedule times or days to work on them to reduce the stress of having to complete several assignments due around the same time. Finally take advantage of outside activities, such as study groups and clubs, early and throughout college. These will not only help academically, but you will also make friendships that will help ease the stresses of classes and provide you with a much more fulfilling experience than just going to class.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior with my knowledge about college now I would say, first and foremost, to set challenging, yet attainable goals. In the transition from high school to college a person can change who they are. Someone who didn't do well in highschool can turn that around in college to be successful. There is no limit on the success that one can find with the opportunities that college provides. The atmosphere at college is much different than high school. At college, the students who are there want to be there and want to be successful and learn. I would also say that college is about taking personal repsonsibility and initiative in the your education, because you get out of it what you put in. In high school we might be able to pull off doing homework the night before its due, or skipping the textbook reading, but in college, there isn't any shortcut. The experience that people get from college is one that lasts a lifetime. The friends we make, the experiences we have , and the things we learn will change us forever.

Start and finish college as soon as possible.

I would tell my younger self to relax and enjoy my college years. I would also tell myself that even though the work looks hard, and it may be in the beginning, that I will get used to it and begin to enjoy it. College life is a unique and wonderful experience, while making responsible decisions, I would advise myself that having fun is still allowed. There are many things that I could advise myslef on but I think the most important thing to remember is that you are paying for an experience not just a class, so try to experience as much as you can.

Go to college right after leaving high school & decide early on what program to pursue!

I would tell myself to make sure that you have a strong freshman year. Academicially, try your best. You are starting off with easy classes so take advantage of that and get good grades. Having a high GPA freshman year will help a lot when you get into the upper level classes that are more difficult. Socially, make good friends. Your friends will be in charge of your happiness and keeping you sane during some tough times. Find people who will support you and encourage you to not only have fun, but also do well in school. Be open minded, you will be exposed to many new things this year and you shouldn't be too quick to judge. Try new things, you are starting fresh and have so many opportunities, take advantage of them. Join a club, you can meet people with similar interests as you and it is good to have friends in your major. Talk to your professors, they are real people and enjoy knowing their studets. It's okay to go out and party, but be smart about it. Stay with people you trust and know your limits. Live life with no regrets.

As a high school senior, I underestimated the time I would have to put into being successful in college. I opted to coast with the minimum requirements and to essentially take the year off. To go back in time and tell myself to do exactly the opposite would have to saved me a lot of time in snapping myself out of the sit-back-and-relax mindset. This mindset eventually accounted for a lot of late nights in which all of my work caught up to me. I would tell my high school senior self that it is okay to go outside my comfort zone full of my friends and family and to throw myself into an environment where I know no one or anything, because in reality, everyone else in that environment is in the exact same position and looking to make a friend as well. College is nothing to fear, and I wish my high school senior self could understand just how exciting it is to be on your own instead of fearing being on my own.

The advice that I would give myself would be to become more involved with extra curricular activities. Studying is important but getting to know new people in clubs can help you to become a better person, or it could even help you to make new study partners that will help you get better grades.

If I could go back and talk to myself my senior year of high school I would tell my self to save my money. I always thought that I would be fine financially in college, but entering my second year at Washington State University I discovered I was wrong. As the housing market fell dramatically my mother lost her job as a real estate appraiser. My parent's income was cut in half. We recently lost our home and were forced to turn to my grandmother for assistance. My parents try their best to provide for me while I'm at school becuase I have no time for a job. It's hard to come home and see how much they sacrafice for me. For this reason I wish I saved all the money I made in high school so that I could finance my own education, or at least part of it, so that life would be easier on my family.

When I was a senior in high school, I had no idea what to expect from college. I am a first generation college student and my parents didn't know how to help me either. When I first came to college, my experience was daunting. Now that I know a lot about college and the expectations, I would tell myself to visit the college campus and do a formal orientation. The most important thing has been networking and getting to know faculty and staff that will cheer you along the way. Especially as an African American student, it is important to be apart of the African American community since it is so small. I would also tell myself that hard work pays off.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to enjoy high school and not stress too much about the difference between high school and college. Many of my past teachers told us that college is much harder than high school, but now that I have been a student at Washington State University for four months, I would tell myself that that is simply not true. While the tests may be harder and count for more of the final grade, the actual work required is much easier than in high school. As a senior I was focused on getting into college and worrying about the transition. Should I get the opportunity to talk to my younger self I would advise her to work hard, improve her study skills for tests, but most of all not worry too much about it. College is a time to grow as a person and a student, take classes that you are truly interested in, and most of all learn about the world through both course work and life experiences.

If there is any information I think I would have benefitted from knowing going into the transition into college, I think it is how to best manage my time. Taking advantage of afternoons and weekends in the library is very helpful, and during my freshman year I spent a lot of this time at the fraternity hanging out with friends or watching TV. Had I been able to excel starting out, my GPA would be a lot better now. I would also tell myself to begin preparing early for the GRE and MCAT.

The biggest piece of advice I wish I could have given to myself: You are going to make mistakes, but learn from them, make the best of them, and move on because you will be a better person for it. I can honestly say my life would not be what it is today had I not found out for myself that life really does not care about the plans that you make and the missteps you take. My biggest jolt in college was realizing that my "plan" was no more because of choices I had made. I had to come up with a new one, and try my best to understand why the end of my path was simply the beginning of yet another long one. I know now those days were the perfect setup to what I now view as the perfect path for me, and it molded my character into that of someone more humble, more gracious, and more accepting of change and unexpected outcomes. I could save myself a lot of time and likely a lot of money with a quick glimpse into my own future, but the lessons learned are so much more valuable.

If I were able to go back to being a high school Senior I will tell my yourself a lot of things. I will tell myself to study harder on Tests that the teacher gives to me. I will tell my self the people I am hanging out with is not the right people I need to be associating with. I will tell myself I need to stay after school for all the tutoring sessions so I will be able to prepare myself for College.

Get involved! Being involved in college gives you great things to put on an application, give you great experiences, lets you meet new people, become connected, and ultimately much more attractive to potential employers. Being on the Crew team at WSU is one of the best experiences of my life and there's few things more rewarding. Trust me, getting involved is the way to go.

You're scared. Highschool is really difficult as it is. But relax and think about this: You're freshman year you already know you are going to be focusing on school and you won't have that Albertsons job. When you get to the college, plan ahead, stay on top of things, and talk to your proffessors. There is no reason for panicking as long as you are careful and work really hard! Other advice I can give you is do NOT worry about your social life when you're here. Sure, it's important you have friends for love and support when mom and dad can't be here, however, worrying about who likes who and who is talking bad about who is NOT IMPORTANT anymore. It will take over your mind when you should be focusing on your school work. When that's all done, that is when it is time to socialize. When it comes time to get back to school work, stop thinking about your friends or you will distract yourself. Study, work hard, and make time for fun! College is amazing and can be even better than highschool! (even if that seems impossible) ;)

First, I would sit myself down and tell myself to take a look around at everything I?ve done and appreciate the journey getting there. It was an amazing trip that caused me to grow considerably along the way. Second, I would tell myself to calmly look forward to the adventure that I?m about to go on. I needed someone to tell me that while college life is different, it?s not beyond what I?ve done in the past, just a little more intense. Lastly, I would tell myself to relax and live the life that set out in front of me, I deserve to be where I?m at and have worked hard to get there; I just need to enjoy the fruits of my labor and appreciate this new trip I?m on.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to be open to every option. I was so set on going to WSU. I followed my plan. I don't regret it but I do wish that I had explored more options and would have been more open to different ideas. I have learned to be a little more laid back and not worry about everything all of the time. I also wish I would have been more patient. I was so ready to leave home and get started with my life. Now I miss being home and what I had. I took it for granted. I wish I would have let myself enjoy that part of my life a little more.