William Paterson University of New Jersey Top Questions

In high school, they diminish students that end up attending community college, whether it is because of financial reasons or lack of required GPA and SAT scores to attend a four year college. If I could go back to the crying high school senior (that was me), devastated because her family couldn’t afford the school of her dreams and had to go to community college. I would tell her “chin up” because you’re about to enter a fantastic experience. Community college will provide you with a solid academic foundation without putting you in a large amount of debt. Work hard in it, so that when you do attend a four year college, you have an impeccable transcript. Apply early for financial aid and scholarships to have your academic year secured. Learn everything possible in each subject because it’s good to be a well-rounded, knowledgeable individual. But above all trust in God because He will get you throughout anything if you honor Him. College is a wonderful place to become a great member of society, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Everyone says that college will be the best years of your life, but what they don't tell you is it is completely different from high school. At the age of 18 I would consider myself pretty responsible, but I had no clue just how tough college would be. Senior year was just a year ago, but if I could go back in time to that year I would tell myself everything I didn't know entering college. I would tell myself that college is completely on you. If you fail, that's on you. It's your money, and it's best not to waste something like that. I also wish I applied myself more in high school because college would probably be that much easier. All in all, I think I would tell my high school senior self that I am going to be just fine in college and to try my hardest.

I would tell myself that everything happens for a reason. That there is always a good thing that we can find in the bad that happens around us. Whatever that looks like, if we find it, it can make our lives easier and will allow us to grow and mature in a way to understand and view the world in a better perspective. Complaining and being in a negative attitude is easy to do, but if we really strive to find that positive aspect in life from the negative things around us, we can really grow up with a personality that will shape us into better people. Not only will we become "better" people, we will also grow up to really enjoy our lives. How can you enjoy anything when you are always complaining. You can't. You have to find the good in the bad and grow from them. Learn to live a joyful and thankful life and in return, God will Bless us with things that we couldn't have even imagined.

As a college student, I would advice to actually do everything possible to pass my AP classes. They would have given me credits equivalent to a whole semester that I wouldn't have to take. I would say to try my best to aim for a higher GPA and higher SAT scores because I could have qualified for an on-campus housing scholarship. I would also advice to apply for the most amount of scholarships possible because then I wouldn't be having to pay money out of my pocket to pay for school and textbooks. This would have to be all the advice I would give myself if I could go back in time.

To go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would have actually been a lot harder on myself. I would tell myself to take college seriously. Always make time for things and never wait last minute, which is a mistake I have made a few times as a college student. I would tell myself to always find that happy medium, and if something is not working out, do not force it. If there is a class that you need to drop, DROP IT!!!!!! I would tell myself to reach out to the professors because although they give you the grade, you earn it.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself, even though going to community college my not be the ideal social setting, going to comminity college will allow you to finish college in a timely and an economical manor.

If I could go back in time to my high school self . I would telll myself to get a job and save money. To start taking life seriously and study hard . I would say self you need to read more , read any and everything. To join clubs ,get more active in my community, to go to town meeting and meet people to network with. do not worry because you will find your way.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would get myself in eating healthy and exercising more. My problem with college is I eat too much junk food and don't exercise enough but if I eat healthier in high school and wasn't so lazy, I feel I would have an easier time in college when it came to eating and going to the gym. In addition, if I was more active in high school, walking around campus now would be easier because I'd have more endruance. I would also tell myself to listen to my teacher's advice about college because in most cases, they were correct.

Advice that I would give myself is to be myself and continue on and work as hard as I did in highschool. I would make sure I know what I want to do with my life and work hard to accomplish that. I would tell myseld to keep my head high and try my best. I would also tell myself that nothing is easy in life because without the hard work and effort it would mean as much. I wouldnt feel that all my hard work paid off. If nothing was hard it wouldnt be rewarding. I would tell myself to stive to be the best I can be.

If I could only say one word to my high school self, I wouldn't have to explain any further. Procrastination. I have had a major problem with procrastination since high school started, and it's managed to impact my college life as well. If I knew how badly things were going to get as far as tuition costs and finding enough money to pay for college goes, I would have gotten on with finding scholarships and other means of earning money a lot sooner. I tend to put off so many things, and I'd warn myself not to do the exact same thing with college. I've regretted what I've done (or haven't done, rather), and I really wish I could go back and change it all now. In applying for this scholarship, I'm hoping that I can kind of help teach myself that procrastination shouldn't be an option when it comes to school matters. Now that I'm more independent when it comes to education, I see how important getting things in on time is.

If I were able to talk to myself as high school senior I'd encourage myself to stay focused. College is time consuming. It's difficult to do just about everything at school. I'd probably prefer to be single rather than stay with my high school sweetheart who often wasted my time when I could be studying or in the gym or anything productive for that matter. I would get a 2nd job during the summer leading into my freshman year. College is so expensive, and even after you pay for tution room and board you still have books to purchase. I would tell myself to enjoy my summer leading into school as best as possible. My childish days were ending quick and my life will never be the same. I was turning into the adult I would be for the rest of my life. I would tell myself to take the SAT one more time and try not to overwork myself into injury that I suffered from track and field. Overall I wouldn't change too much but the transition from High School to College is monumental, and I'd make sure I was ready. Thank You

I honestly would not give myself any different advice because I did what I wanted to do. I attended a high school my senior year that was a college transition high school. They allowed the students to take college courses in place of regular high school courses. It allowed me to become accustomed to how college courses work and what the professors expect from their students. I learned how different the environment was from a regular high school setting. It helped me a lot preparing for the semesters that I had classes after my graduation. If I didn't go to this high school my senior year, I would have gone into college after graduation cold turkey, not knowing what to expect and may have done worse than I would have if I didn't go to the college transition high school.

As a college student looking back at my senior year of high school, I do not see where any advice is needed. I came into college well-prepared and I think I did it on the best possible route. In my eleventh grade year, I dual-enrolled at a local college and took two classes a semester. By my last semester of twelfth grade, I was up to three classes a semester with half of my AA degree done on top of doing my high school classes, dance practice, a part-time job, church, and jumping at all scholarship opportunities. While a lot of students went into college with almost no money, I got a scholarship that paid for my classes to finish my AA degree so I only needed to worry about money for my remaining four years of college. While a lot of students have been failing out of their classes because of the shock of the course load and exposure to alcohol and drugs, I have been excelling with four classes a semester, alcohol and drug free. I am proud to say that I did it right as a high school senior.

Honestly, I do not have many regrets about transitioning into college. I believe that I have lived my life the best I can. I was pregnant when I began my college career. So while I may have missed out on the typical activities a college student may engage in, I took a different path and have been blessed with a beautiful family. That said, I would probably go back to high school and tell myself: "Stick with it and you will thrive. When you feel overwhelmed, keep your eye on the fact that one day you will be doing what you love, which is teaching students with disabilities. But at the same time, these are memorable years of your life. Don't get discouraged that your college career will take a long time. Rather, enjoy the journey that you're on and take in the moments you appreciate by making the best of your college years and the relationships you're forming."

To be more socialble, get more involved in extracirricular activities

Parties, spending time with friends while you are still all together, and making those times you cannot help but smile to as you look back on them would be a typical senior year for most. Senior year is the best time of some peoples lives, for me it was exasperating. Remembering senior year, I regret saying no to class get togethers, or seasonal dances because friends are what help end your high school career and help you to make that transition. I continuously felt behind on applications, or my grades were slipping and I would not be accepted into college resulting in a, "no, to those invites. My expectations for college were higher than most, thanks to every high school teachers exaggerations. After my semester in college I have found that studying and homework is mandatory as I expected, but nothing I cannot handle and recieve a good grade on. If I could talk to myself as a senior, I would tell myself to slow down, take a break from academics and kick back, say yes to a few of those events, and above all, have fun. High school only happens once, and I wish I would have realized that.

The advice I would give myself as a college senior is to be devoted to your studies and still be involved in activities you like. Also, do not give in to peer pressure and be yourself. I would tell myself to express myself in my own way and not be afraid to be different and to not go along with what everyone else is doing. Also, I would tell myself that since I am planning on being a college athlete, stay focused on your team when you are on the field, and stay even more foused when you are in the classroom. This is very important to me. Finally, I would tell myself to stay determined in accomplishing my goal of becoming a successful Art Teacher and to never give up.

Listen to your stepmom go for speech pathology! ANd don't ever ever let your 4.0 gpa drop!

From the vast knowledge to different cultures being exposed to me, WIlliam Paterson University is deffinitly different than high school. The classes are a lot more challenging such as Biology, but the difference that is highlighted is the communication withing the student and the professor. In highschool it was mainly facts being taught rather than being able to express what I felt about the subject. In college, being able to express my opinion gives me a better understanding why it isn't what I think or why it should be what I think. College gives me that chance to show my feelings toward a subject and to also better understand it. For example, in Social Problems, the professor discussed the box we have on applications for ethnicity. The class was so intrigued by that question and asked does that category best describe me. People even suggested to fill in the "other" section and writing in human instead. This subject was interesting because of the fact we got to express our own opinion on the subject and also ask questions that were further explained rather than the results from high school. That is the experience I have gotten from college.

I am a single mother who was born with one arm. I have wanted to better myself by getting a better education than just high school. I have made great friends here through the groups that I regularly attend and feel I will have thosefriends for life. I feel that there is so much negativity in the world and by getting my teaching certificate I strive to share my patience and kindness with the students that may not have such a positive outlook on life because of certain economic and family situation. I know I am just one women but by going to school I have seen that many individuals together can have a large effect on the way communities and states are run. These students that are getting jobs and going out in the world start out getting an education, and the quality of that education is determined by many factors, such as campus life. Ultimatelty, you have the choice of what you want to get out of your education. I feel that if you try hard and focus on your goals to succeed than you can acheive anything.