Washtenaw Community College Top Questions

If I could go back in time and give myself some advice on transitioning to college, I would tell myself many things. The first bit of information I would drill into my high school head is that nothing in life is easy. I would make sure that I know that getting into college is harder than most would assume. I'd be sure that I applied to schools sooner, did better in high school, applied for more scholarships, didn't waste time and took everything more seriously. A lot of students think that college is just going to jump on board with us but it isn't. If you expect something out of life then you have to go after it, chase it, work for it. Nothing will be handed to you. I never wanted to be stuck in a financial bind unable to attend college for another year but it happened because I didn't do the work. I'd want to avoid that. And these are all the things I wish I could go back in time and tell my high school self. Having that advice would have really made a difference.

I would defiently encourage myself to continue on with an education! Even if you have to work, raise children, move to different states, etc., but to stay focused on learning and expanding on my education. There are so many areas that would have been advantagious to learn that would have enriched my life . Even if for the health of my brain , physiologically, to continue with stretching and growing in knowledge., and self-esteem that comes from being successful. Also to better myself with this gift of life that I have been given, to use it to help other people. , and to encourage them to better themselves. and to enjoy learning.

Transistion was the hardest part of moving up to college due to miscommunication and errors in paperwork; especially at the tender age of sixteen. I was younger than everyone else and had that to add to my nerves. Luckily everyone involved was kind and a great help. If given the chance to give myself advice it would have to be: relax. Transistioning is not the end of the world if it does not go smoothly, it only gives you a chance to see the world differently and for what it realy is: not easy. I would also have to tell myself that there are many people willing to help with the process: highschool teachers and counsilors as well as the college advisors, and that I am not alone; there are thousands of other students going through the same thing. Unfortunatlely because it is a community college my lifestyle will not change too much, but there are events and a lot of clubs to participate in. College is not as hard and complicated as some people make it seem, it is just best to do your best and learn how to adapt to the new school and the world.

I would tell myself, if I could give my high school self advice, to just buckle down on all my schoolwork. You only get out of college what work you put in. I would also tell myself to just go straight to a four year university. I spent the last two years of my college career in a community college. I have saved some money on classes compared to a four year university, but I have also spent a lot of money on classes that i did not need for my transfer to a university. If you just put in that little bit of extra effort into class that you wouldn't normally, you will learn more and be even more successful than you were before.

The advice I would give myself, seeing as I have already experienced college is to go away to school. Since I stayed home and went to a community college I saved a lot of money, but at the same time I did not get to experience life the way that other students have. Since all of my friends went away to school, I feel lonelier because I am at home and do not have my friends surrounding me. If I knew that all of my friends decided to go away I would have joined them. Yes I love my family and they are number one in my life but friends are right up there too. I am happy that I stayed home and saved money but I am not as happy as I could have been. The advice I would give myself if I could go back in time would have been to go away to college but never forget my true self.

If i could go back in time and give myself advice, I would tell myself to be more relaxed going into college because it's not really as difficult and rough as it may seem. If you get your work done and pay attention and go to class, it will be a piece of cake. I would tell myself to be more open-minded of things at the beginning because you don't know most of the people at college and you deffinitely don't know their background.

I'd honestly tell myself to wait to go to school. I know myself when I was 18, and the girl I was at 18 would have been going to school to keep mom and dad happy, and not because she truthfully wanted to be there. Outside of that, the biggest piece of advice I'd give myself is "Structure, structure, structure!" I am, and have always been, a horrible procrastinator. "I'll do it later!" is always my motto. In high school, you can talk your way out of that alot. In college, the teachers don't care that you wanted to go out to eat, or that Dog The Bounty Hunter was on, or that your son was up sick the night before the big boffo test they handed out. You have the homework and get the points, or you don't and you don't. It's as simple as that. Even now, I sometimes struggle - you must set out a required time to work on your work that you *know* is going to be free and clear (I use the days my son goes to preschool), and you must sit down and do the work.

My advice would be to take all different kinds of classes because then a idea will be created of what is liked. As college approches for senior, by taking different classes will be able to take the basics and classes they know they will like. By doing this, money will not be wasted in college to find out it was not what you thought it was.

If I went back to high school as a senior, I would focus more on mathematics and I would stay after school to study. When I was in high school, not many of us paid attention to life after highschool. Post graduation, the things I found out about college life and decisions I had to make, I wish if I had prepared myself earlier to learn more about college, and how to better understand it. My senior year would have been the perfect time to prepare for college and making the changes needed to make ahead of time. After all, no regrets because when I came to this country from Somalia, I was 13 years old, never been to school, and didn't speak any English at all! All the time I spent in high school was basically to learn the Enlgish language. I believe I've come so far to believe in myself and strive harder in order to excell. Most of my siblings left school because of the redicule and humiliation they've encountered in school, but I've decided to focus on my goal to become an FBI agent and help combat terrorism and children traffickers.

Don't procrastinate!!!!! My senior year of high school I wasn't planning on going to college at all, I still applied to some universities, but I wasn't planning on acting on any of the acceptance letters that I got. Then last minute I decided to just try out a community college and see what I thought. I wasn't sure what I wanted to major in, but for some reason I decided on elementary education. So instead of taking all of my basic courses, I dove right in and started with education classes....bad move!! Well needless to say after a semester of that, I decided I didn't want to major in that anymore. So, that's one semester down the drain. Then I switched to communications and public relations, I took my first communitcation course and hated it. So, I dropped my classes half way through the semester....another bad move!! I finally got discouraged and gave up. So, here I am now, 24 years old and back in school working on finally getting that college degree!