Arizona State University-Polytechnic Top Questions

Try to figure out what degree you want before you go to college.

Learn to be patient, and ask for help when needed. While teachers will give lectures or do examples in class, only you know what you don't know, and only you can go out and find it. Whether it be from a teacher, another student, or some other resource. No one will just walk up to you and say, "Hey, here's this thing that you need". Learning how you learn is another key thing, not everyone retains information the same way, so figuring out the best way for you to take notes, or study, or even frame questions in class, will give you a big leg up. Being patient is the biggest piece of advice i could give myself. College is stressful, lots of deadlines, lots of pressure, it's important to take my time and not let myself get bogged down. The less i manage stress, the more it will take effect on my life.

The advice I would give myself when I was a high school senior wouldhave been to start doing scholarships at the beginning of the year. That would probably made me avoid the situation I have been put in now, with not being able to pay for school. I would also tell myself to not be afraid to get to know new people or try new things. If I had of stayed the same shy girl I wouldn't have joined Campus Ambassadors and became a Christian. That was the most amazing thing I could have ever done in my life, and I met great people. The last thing I would tell myself is not to change my morals for anyone even if they were my friends or even in a relationship. I should let peopleloveme for who I am and not who I can be.

I would tell my high school self that it is never too early to plan ahead. I would tell myself to go ahead and choose a college rather than waiting. I wish that I would have taken advantage of the dual-credit options at my high school and I would have been farther ahead in college by now. I would tell my high school self not to worry about what school your friends are going to; choose what is best for you. You will still be friends with people even though they aren't at the same school. I would tell myself to choose a major that you love and not to worry about what major would make you the most money. I just recently changed my major but I was reluctant to do so. I would tell my high school self not to worry about college. It's going to be the best time of your life! And last but not least, I would tell my high school self to get pumped about getting an education!

If I could do it all over again or advise myself about college when I was a teenager, I would tell myself to seek financial guidance and career counseling early on. I've learned everything the hard way by going through the experiences myself. I would tell my "young self" to go to a community college and take general courses there at a more affordable cost then transfer to a 4-year university. Prevent taking out loans if at all possible to avoid incuring debt. I would have also liked to explore many community service jobs to gain various experience to build skills and determine the right career path for me. I would have loved to have had a mentor in the career field of interest to job shadow or learn from. I wish I had the opportunity to have gone over seas to help the various orphanages and assist in the medical camps in the third world countries. Having these experiences and exposure to other worlds out there would probably make me a better clinician. But I am a firm believer that life happens just the way it is intended and now I know better.

I would tell myself to have a little more fun in high school, since college is so fast paced that you often have little time to stop and just relax.

DO NOT rush into college. That is what I would tell myself. So many young adults, where I grew up, felt the pressure to go immediately on to college. I believe that I was not ready for college and that I was not alone in that fact. I would have told myself to take a break from school. Get out and work, travel, grow, and mature a little more. College and the the money it takes to participate are no small matter. I went on to college and now have debt and nothing to show for it because I was not ready nor was I mature enough. To sum it up, college is important, but it is also important to make sure you are ready.

If I had the ability to go back and speak to myself as a high school senior (at seventeen years of age), I would definitely encourage myself to continue my education within the military. Since I focused solely on promotion within the military system, my education was not what it could have been had I maintained continuity. Time management is much more difficult as an adult student with a family, full-time career, and student responsibilities to juggle. I would also encourage myself to focus onthe bigger picture, meaning work toward the end goal and take advantage of opportunities that will lead in the right direction. In the end, the hard work will all be worthwhile.

Know exactly what I want in my life in a profession that I would love to be in and help people at the same time. Also, be sure what profession I am going to be in and take the requirements exactly for that profession, because a lot of students including myself took classes that I didn't even need, and I take my own personal experience to tell myself as a senior high school student to focus on really what I want and not jump from profession to profession. Before graduating from high school go to a college advisor and ask them anything that will help me decide better what course of life to follow. Start thinking now about my future, and start taking the requirements for the program I want to be in. Love what I do, which is nursing.

I never had the opportunity to be a high school senior. After being assaulted by a youth group leader I spent my senior year living on my own, disowned, raising his baby and working a menial job. If I could go back to that time and talk to myself I would tell her that times will change and that I should take financial aid and it will not make me a "welfare whore" like my mother told me it would. I would tell myself how amazing the opportunity to go to school is and that I should find a way to do it sooner no matter what. I would help explain the process to myself and I would let myself know how worth it will be in the end. Mostly I would let myself know that there was more to the world that that awful little town and all of the people who told me I was nothing and judged me and denied me opportunities without knowing anything about me and I would strongly urge myself to leave sooner. I'd also tell myself that my son has Autism to spare him the years of torture undiagnosed in public school.