Arizona State University-Tempe Top Questions

Every person, at some point in their lives, will look back to their past and wish they could have done thing a little differently. I too have had such a thought, regarding college scholarships. During high school, I was an active participant in theatre; therefore, I had little free time outside of classwork and rehearsals. Our counselors encouraged our class to join scholarship websites and hunt for opportunities back when we were juniors and they reiterated this again during our senior year. Unfornately, I had the mentality of "I'll do it tomorrow, I've got plenty of time." Time can be fairly unkind to the procrastinator, as I experienced. It wasn't until this summer, before freshman year, that I finally began searching and applying to scholarships. Thankfully, there are many wonderful institutions and groups that provide scholarship opportunities but I ardently wish that I would have started the search earlier. Awards for the scholarships I have applied to are will be dispursed long after the start of my first semester. If I could go back, I would advise myself to start the application process much sooner to alleviate the pressure I am feeling now financially.

I would advise myself not to try to serve in the Air National Guard while going to school. I would advise myself to get out of my parent's house early and never come back. I would advise that I work serve in the military until I was 25 and live in an apartment near my future campus, thus avoiding school until I could get better financial aid.

I had made a promise to myself, to be able to actually give back to my community and have a career that challenged me, as well as kept me happy. As time went on life happened, so what kept me on top of thing was actually fear. They say fear is a great motivator! Which is true, but you don’t always want to be fearful of failure. Basically when you feel that you are becoming un-motivated and peers or family words don’t pick up that motivation then turn to the window! The window of opportunity, basically grab a box, put in all your hopes, goals, achievements, fears, everything else you want after high school. Then grab a paper, and paste it on the window or wall. If you give up now, then that thing you placed on your window of opportunity, it is gone. If you find that you keep just wasting away your opportunities, pretty soon that box is going to be empty. So, imagine that opportunity you let pass by, sure you may say hey I can live without it, but it’s the fact that you could have had it if you tried.

I would give myself the advice of remembering to be optimistic during busy times and conflicts because in doing so, life becomes comforting as there are people who are willing to give their supports, and problems can be solved. During my senior year, I had loads of projects and responsibilities as a daughter, sister, and student that had become quite overwhelming. Due to that, I do not think I was truly happy with my works and decisions. If I had discovered the advice I have today earlier, my senior year would have been satisfying and full of great memories.

Don't overload yourself with work your senior year. Enjoy every minute of it. If you have a chance, don't take a full schedule. Take only classes you need to graduate and also take your AP classes seriously but its okay to slack off here and there. Don't listen to what your teachers say about college. They went to college like, I don't know, 50 years ago. Once you're accepted into your college of your dream, party as hard as you can. Because, believe me, you will miss highschool.

Kelsey, I know that highschool has been hard for you and you have been through a lot in the past few years. School has always been a struggle for you and you never thought that you could make good grades or become anything important. Put all of that garbage in the trash! You are important and can make good grades. What your teachers, family and friends thought of you and told you is not true and you will see that is true when you start college. One thing though, ASU is a huge school and although there are a lot of clubs and acitivites and people, do not expect to make friends so easy. It is going to be a challenge, especially coming from a school with 14 graduating seniors. You need to get out there, explore and have fun. Try your hardest to always stay positive and keep your head up no matter how hard school gets. If you remember all of these things then you will be one sucessful young lady! -Your friend

I would advise myself to be more open minded. As a high school student transitioning to college, my main and only focus was to obtain good grades. As a college student, you are given the opportunity to do certain things such as join academic and social clubs, school community service projects and more that will be beneficial in a student's future. These oppotunities help build character and being more receptive to these opportunities would be the first adivce to give to myself. Time management would be the next piece of advice to give to myself. College is a journey that has many different avenues and adventures. Some if not most of them arent school related. Although I believe that it is imperative to enjoy college and have fun, it is more important to know when to be completely about business. Managing time wisely is the key to being a successful student. Although I feel like I have done well in college, if I could have the opportunity to tell my younger self to be more open minded and manage time wisely, I would have been more of a successful student.

If I were still a High School Senior there are many things I truly wish I knew transitioning. The three main things I think would have been most helpful would have been a tour of campus, understanding the variety of students on campus, and better understanding of student living. When I first got to campus and went through orientation I had no idea just how big it was, and once my parents left me with my room mate we were on our own! Campus was huge and it took 3 weeks for me to get the lay of the land. During my time in the dorms I met a lot of different people with various studying, sleeping, and general living habits. Its needless to say it was a rude awakening for me. I wish someone explained just how crazy close quarters living really is.

When you arrive at college, you will spend your first night of freedom alone in your dorm room. Moving to a new place can be difficult and lonely at times, but don't worry—you will make friends. But to do so, you must go outside your comfort zone. Go outside your comfort zone, but stay true to yourself. With no rules, you'll have the urge to get a bit “crazy.” By all means, try new things—college is the perfect time for new experiences. That being said, make sure to study the term “moderation” and learn it well. You'll have a quarter-life crisis over choosing the right major. I could tell you this hardly matters in the scheme of things and not to worry, but I know you will, anyways. Finally, you'll come across a friendly man saying you can help him win a Spring Break vacation if you buy a magazine subscription. Don't buy one. On second thought, buy one. Sure, you'll get ripped off. But you'll learn through experience—and that's what college life is about. If you can learn from your mistakes, you will do just fine.

Never slack off in high school thinking it won't affect you. When you think high school is tough just wait until college. Make sure you apply for tons of scholarships, because you never know which ones might give them out to every applicant. College can be very affordable if you work hard and put the time into scholarships. Scholarships don't magically come, every possible opportunity you need to take advantage of. If you want something so bad, you need to work at it. Take as many college credit courses and AP as you can to make the transition easier. College preparation classes are great and can really help you out.