MARTI
Hey self. Now that I am traveling back through time to give you adivce listen up. Don't be in such a hurry to grow up. When you graduate highschool don't just rush out into the workforce, go to that big beautiful four year college you toured last semester. Don't limit your future thinking that you can't do it - you can do anything you apply yourself to. You have the rest of your life to work and make money, so take the next four years and enjoy the experience A LOT! Find a part time job to help absorb the cost, and don't borrow more than you need. Live frugal and make goals for yourself. Think about how you will spend your future, and go after your dreams. Make friends in college, and enjoy their company. Don't hurry to marry or have kids - there is time for that after college. Don't accept no for an answer. Make a plan for what you want out of life, and make the plan work. Your education is an investment in you, and you are worth it.
Joelle
If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that I am making the right choice by starting off with a community college. I would tell myself to calm down about my major. I am going to end up loving behavioral health studies. After I calmed myself down about making the right decisions, I would talk to myself about money. By choosing to attend a community college I saved a lot of money. Many of my friends will soon come to me to vent about their financial stuggles with student loans. My friends will be explaining to me that they will be in a great amount of debt for years and years. Although I will also be in debt, I will eventually realize that everybody who attends college builds up debt, and on the bright side, my debt could be a lot worse. Another big thing I would explain to my high school self, is that I should not let debt get in my way of continueing my education at a four year college. Nobody can take away, or put a price on eduation!
Kimberly
1.) Apply to scholarships before you hear back on applications, if you wait until after, it'll be too late and you will be stuck going somwhere you don't want to go.
2.) Apply everywhere you want, you'll never know where you'll get accepted.
2.) When the FASFA doesn't give you anything, call colleges and ask for more help.
3.) Look at your syllabus everyday, it'll save you stress when it's time for homework to be due.
4.) Keep your chin up when people put you down about how you're JUST going to a community college. You won't have debt and you have nothing to be ashamed of.
5.) Take that stupid accuplacer helper course, you wont have to pay for a remedial math class. More than that, study math in your free time, anything you don't understand, work to understand it.
6.) Last, but not least, if you want something, you have to go get it. Fight for it. Nobody is going to hand anything to you. You need to go thet that. You need to work for it. Never, ever give up on what you want.
Brianna
I graduated high school in Bedford, Nova Scotia, in 2000 and it was just expected that I would attend a university or college after high school. At the time, community colleges were seen as "less-than" so I went to a university and after four years, with a major in Political Science and minor in Psychology, I came out with zero idea of what I wanted to do as a career. Looking back, I now realize it was not wise to spend four years and all of that money not making any decisions for my future.
If I could talk to my high school self, I would recommend considering a community college or taking a year off to work or volunteer. It wasn't until after university, when I had my own apartment, had a job and paid bills that I truly had a concept of money! At that point I realized my current education topic was not sufficient for the job I needed to give me the life I wanted. At 32, I've gone back to school, attending a community college for graphic and web design. It's the best decision and wish I had made it sooner!
Hana
If I could go back in time I would tell myself to not lose focus my senior year and slack off. I would also make a point of telling myself about the many options in the healthcare field that I wasn't aware of back then. That way, I woudln't have waited so long in between graduating High School and attending my first year of college.
Angelica
If your ready for college do it. Take advantage of being successful and to better yourself for the future. The future is unpredictable, and you don't know what is under each stone that is overturned. Set goals for yourself, and follow each goal with pride. Raise your head high to say, "I can do this". Only you can be the one to make or break it.
Joanna
Graduating in 2007, and it only being 2009 seems a lot longer than two years. Having a lot of difficulties with my home life and peers, all I wanted to do was get away from everything. I would tell myself that is is not about running away from my problems, but to be realistic and to stay in state for school rather than leave due to my financial situation. I wanted to go to school in CA so bad, but realisticly I don't want to be paying school loans for the rest of my life. I figure I can always go on vacation there, right? After living away from home for two years and now being back, I am so happy about it. I get to be with my mom and three yonger sisters. Although home may not be the most peaceful place to be, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I just hope I could get some help so I could be the first to graduate college. I need to set a prime example for my sisters.