Washington State University Top Questions

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school student I would tell myself to get use to hours of homework every night. I would tell myself not to get a job and just focus on school during the semester. Next, I would tell myself to earn as much money as possible during the summers. I would tell myself to learn how to budged money, because college is amazingly expensive and the loans stack up. Finally, I would tell myself to relax and have fun because it?s all coming together just fine.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would say that making the choice for a school is all mine, and it shouldn't depend on anyone else but me. Where I choose will be my home and family for a lot of the year for the next few years, so its important that I choose where I want that to be. I wouldn't tell myself where to choose, but I'm pretty sure I would make the same decision. I would also tell myself that college isn't easy, but if you put in the effort, it's possible to do really well. If you don't try, you won't succeed.

It is said that the first year of college is the hardest year. As a first generation student the transition from high school to college, and adjusting to classes was difficult. If I had pushed myself from the beginning of the year to get pure A's and B's instead of trying to get my grades up after mid-terms, I probably woud have had a better GPA ( at least a 3.5 instead of a 3.1). If I were able to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself I can accomplish anything I set my mind to, and the first year of college doesn't have to be the hardest. I would tell myself to do homework as soon as possible because it actually does take longer than two hours per class to complete it. Also staying up all night the day before an exam studying is no help. It might of worked in high school, but it sure is not a good strategy for college. Keeping up with the readings is vital. Once you stay behind it's really hard to catch up.

I would tell myself to spend all your free time getting scholarships and grants as possible. That instead of taking the cheap and lazy way out and going to a community college like I did, I would urge myself to do what I had wanted from the beginning and go to Washington State University. I took ?no? for an answer and that?s not like me. Transferring here was the best decision I have ever made and I would do it all over again. The best times of most adults lives are the times they had during college.

The transition from high school to college was a difficult one. In retrospect there are pieces of advice I would have given myself as a high school senior. I would have told myself that, having a social life is important, the downtime is important in maintaining mental health. But if your social life includes alcohol or other substances, remember that they can do more harm to your person and your academics than good. Second, in college there is no ?behind? there is a projected path, but there is no penalty for admitting that as intelligent and stubborn as you are, it is just too much to handle. Admitting the necessity to change schedules and study habits and to ask for help, are not failures. They simply confirm that you are smart enough to know when your super powers stop, and the normal 19 year-old brain takes over. Ultimately, it will be a huge change, and large amounts of stress but success is achieved by slowing down, prioritizing, and maintaining personal happiness.

I did not anticipate how difficult the transition from high school to college would be. During high school, I was in the Honors program all four years and was involved in many clubs, groups and sports during this time. I thought that college would be no different than what I was handling in high school. For fall semester, I decided to take a challenging course load and ibecome involved on many other activities. However, I learned very quickly that I was being spread too thin, and not focusing enough on my classes. When I saw that I had received a 2.37 GPA for my first semester of college, I was devastated. I am not the type of student who is satisfied with just passing a class. Realizing that my whole outlook on college needed to change, I cut back on my extra activities and focused on my grades. Through my freshman year experience, I learned how important is it to stay in touch with one?s professors. I learned that if I want a good grade for a class, I must put extra effort into studying and be committed to understanding the information and participating within the classroom.

If I could go back and give myself any advice it would have been to keep up the good work in juggling 14 different activities, but to use all of my experience to apply somewhere else. The only thing that really keeps me at Washington State is that they are the only school in the state with a Wildlife Ecology Major and I can't afford out of state tuition. I would have told myself to apply for the WUE Scholarship and attend somewhere out of state to not only get out of Eastern Washington for once in my life, but to have a better college experience. The more scholarships I can aquire, the more likely it is I can transfer somewhere new and start over.

When submitting your college applications, make sure you fill them out completely and thoroughly. Complete as many applications as you can. The schools have deadlines and by the time you know what you truly want, it will most likely be past these deadlines and you can't go back in time. Keep your options open by applying everywhere and make visits to the campuses. You truly don't understand what it's like at a college until you are actually there experiencing it. Bring a friend and spend a weekend at your top choices. See what the environment is like outside of the academics. Talk to the people working and sitting in the cafes in town. Ask their opinion on the city and the lifestyle. They've been there and can tell you much more than a college pamphlet can.

To be able to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior would be incredible. There would be so many things I would want to tell myself in hope to make my transition to college life just a little bit smoother. I would first try and push myself to apply for more scholarships earlier on, in hope to help take off some of the financial and emotional stress I faced my senior year. Since I?m typically a shy and quiet person, I would encourage myself to be more open to new opportunities and friends instead of trying to hold onto the safe and familiar past. I would also let myself know that although college is greatly different than any other educational experience I?ve ever had, it?s nothing to get overly stressed about and to just take everything in stride.

As a college senior I had no idea what I wanted in life. Sure, I thought I did...just as I think I do now. As of now, I have great goals and aspirations however; one thing I have learned after spending a semester in college is that these things are always changing. There is no way to plan out your whole life no matter how old you are. Life is constantly changing and however prepared you are for your future something will always surprise you, catch you off guard; not that this is by any means bad. These surprising circumstances are what keep life interesting and fun. The process of deciding where to go to college is important, but worrying about the future too much is unnecessary because nothing ever turns out quite like it's planned, for good or bad. Embrace the present, enjoy your last days of high school (because no matter how much you hate it now you will miss it) and look forward to an exciting adventure that waits ahead of you. College is what you make it, go where you feel you will be the happiest and then make the most of every minute.