Arizona State University-Tempe Top Questions

I would tell myself that college is really what I make of it. I would advice myself to get involved as much as I can because it it good for networking opportunities. I would also tell myself to study a week beforehand so I can be prepared for tests instead of craming the night before. Lastly, I would really stress the fact that it is deeply important to stay organized throughout each semester.

The first thing I would tell myself is to get myself into gear and start applying to colleges early on, instead of waiting until last minute. Since I procrastinated until almost too late, my essays and personal statements were less than stellar. I know I could have done much better, given the time to write, edit, and re-write. I would also tell myself to apply myself harder in my classes, so that my GPA could have been higher. It was pretty high anyway, but I know that, had I studied harder and applied myself, I could have had a higher GPA. I would also tell myself to not let my friends effect me so much. I know I wasted a lot of time, energy, and stress on friends who were not really my friends.

Assuming that I had the chance to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would try to prepare myself for my up in coming college life. Little did I know how challenging the transition from high school to college really was. Not only would I have given myself the heads up that living on your own isn't as exciting all the time as i thought it would be, but I would have to stressed the importance of time management. Its not easy throwing 4 classes, a part-time job, and hours upon hours of studying into your quiet daily schedule. While in high school, I became the queen of procrastination, I learned quickly to break that habit. The main piece of advice I would give myself is stay on top of your assignments. Without parents and teachers holding your hand through your college education, it is sometimes too easy to push an assignment to the side, only to never look over them again. In college each grade counts tremendously and has the ability to make or break your grade. Time management is key to succeeding in the college world.

If I went back in time and could talk to myself as a high school senior, there are many things about college life and the transition from being a high school student living at home to being a college freshman living on my own in another state. I would like to tell myself that it is not as intimidating as I thought it would be. Back then, I thought that college was going to be so intimidating and scary but now that I have been here for a semester, it has been so much fun and it is has been such a great experience. It has been so interesting meeting so many different people and learning about them and their opinions on different subjects and ambitions in life. I have heard and been a part of so many interesting and fascinating conversations with many different people that I have met and learned so many different things because of these conversations. I thought that I would learn a lot from mainly my classes that I was going to take but I have learned so much from the people that I have met.

You thought high school was the best years of your life, wait for college. However, enjoy your summer to the fullest with the friends that you have, because once the summer is over, many will go their separate ways, and keeping in contact will become a difficult task. On the bright side, you may have lost contact with some friends, but you will meet so many unique people. Relationships with them will be fresh and fun and not full of past problems and drama. College is an amazing experience. The opportunities that you have are endless. The transition may be difficult in the beginning, but whose freshman year isn't? You may feel like you don't have a life, and at times you will have to sacrifice that. You may get tired and exhausted and not want to go out with friends, but go anyways. Live each day and night to the fullest, because once college and your studies are over, the real career and the real world begin.

Self, please, I know it's really hard to read the material before the lecture but it is very important for recieving the best grades. And self, relax for tests. The stress really is bad for good test taking. Please find on the residential life form that you can opt out of living on campus. The campus food is not good unless the parents are around. Find Paul Knauth and start working with him right away on reseearch. He will become your favorite professor and by your junior year you will regret not being able to start research with him earlier. Self, don't go looking for boyfriends. At this time in your life many are still stupid and you need to focus on school work anyway. You will have a LOT of fun in geology club! Enjoy it! Almost nothing can really ruin your college experience so enjoy it.

If I could converse with my past-self, I would make one thing perfectly clear. Highschool grades are as valuable as money. They are the platform for college scholarships, and key to resumes as well. I would make it perfectly clear that getting B's instead of A's in easy classes, such as drama or choir, would be a terrible decision. I would also encourage myself to form tighter friendships with my high-school class. Coming from a very small high-school graduationg class (25 people) and transitioning to a college with over 60,000 students, such close, nearly familial relationships have proved invaluable. Most importantly I would remind myself to remain close with my family. Like many high-schoolers, I embarked to college with the impression that I was starting a whole new life. This mindset implied that I was leaving behind my old family and starting a new one. In my experience this is not how college works, although it is the stereotype. In reality, you will form a myriad of new friendships and acquaintances, but in the end a college student will miss his/her family.

Keep your head high!

If I could go back in time I would tell my former self that I would do great in college. I would also tell myself not to worry about college and that it is not as scary as I thought. Even if the classes you choose are 300 or even 400 level courses, they are still manageable, you just have to give yourself time. I would also tell myself to try and finish as many assignments as soon as possible, instead of waiting till the last minute. However, overall I would not need to change much. Already I tend to finish all my homework on the day it is assigned and I try to study for my classes everyday.

I would tell myself to not worry so much about the grades, but instead to focus on learning. I became too obsessed with the grades I had my senior year, and I forgot the main thing is to learn the material. I lost most of my first semester stressing the memorization of facts instead of understanding the concepts and I regret that.