Arizona State University-Tempe Top Questions

I would talk that high school senior into attending college right away. You can never go back and be a teenager or young 20something in college, even if you go to college later. Choose the major that most interests you and you like to learn. Do not look at what will "earn the most money". Be yourself, stay true to yourself and what you believe in. Professors and faculty, no matter how good, can be wrong so ask lots of questions. Work while in school, even if it's only a few hours a week, you will feel better about yourself and do better in school. It keeps your focus on responsibility, which is important in managing your time for homework, papers, projects, etc. You will also have a leg up when you graduate to those who have no work experience or references other than the required internship they fulfilled. Remember that you only have a few years in college, it will go by so fast. Once you're in the working world full time you will look back on this time and wish you would have paid attention and learned all of the interesting things your classes offer.

I would say make the best of my freshman year and make sure I come prepared for class every day. There were many instances in my first month or so at University that I was taken back by how much work I needed to complete. If I would have known that college really required much more studying and attention to detail I would have really focused more from the start. Overall I was able to recover after the transition and ended up with a 3.8 GPA for my Freshman year. Besides the academic aspect I would say make as many friends as possible the first few weeks of class as there are many opprotunities to create bonds that can last throughout college.

I would advise myself to take the risk of movin away from home. I did move away and it was the best thing I could have done. It is a hard transition going into college but it is worth it to move away and experience what it is like to be on your own. I would tell myself to not base my decision on where to go to college on anyone else. It is important to make the choice for yourself. I would also tell myself to get involved and make the most out of every opportunity that is presented.

As a High School senior, there are several pieces of advice that I would give myself to better prepare me for the college transition. I would encourage myself to be motivated, work hard, maintain impeccable integrity, and to have consistent excellence in everything I do. First, it is important to be motivated, because without continued interest and dedication to my studies, school would become boring, and my interest would be lost. In addition to being motivated, the next bit of advice I would give myself would be to work hard, and to always keep the end goal of success in sight. Next, the most important piece of advice that I could give to myself would be to maintain impeccable integrity and excellence in everything I do. Academic Dishonesty, though this was not an issue for me, is so rampant and such a common issue in education today, that it is imparative that not only I have high standards of integrity and excellence, but that I be an example to my fellow students and eexude all of these qualities.

If I were to go back and give advice to my high school self about starting college I would tell myself one thing I wish I would've known. I would say that whatever I was feeling whether it be excited, anxious, nervous, or sad, it's all completly normal. Starting college and moving out can make you feel like your suddenly thrown into adulthood and the responsibilities can be frightening. You may feel emotional the last few weeks before school and you're filled with questions like, "When I come back from school will home still feel like home?" or "Now that I'm moved out does that mean I'm all grown up?" (By the way home feels just as comforting as always and sleeping in your own bed is a luxury!) It's ok to be on a roller coaster going from feeling excited, then sad, then anxious, then back to excited again. Also you're not alone everyone else is feeling the same way even though it doesn't seem like it. Last of all I would tell myself to just relax because you're about to embark on the best four years of your life!

I wish someone had warned me about Ws on my transcript - I had no idea that they counted against you, and no one ever told me. To me, college is about exploring different courses and interests, and I hadn't realized I would be punished academically for this. I also wish I knew to take advantage of internships whenever available - you still get the credit, but with more hands-on experience and engagement in the field. Freshman year would also be the most important year in terms of building connections - leaving your door open and visiting others in their rooms with their doors open is an experience you just won't have again, and seems to be fairly unique to university. It's an opportunity to meet people and explore your community that I never took advantage of as a freshman.

College isn?t as difficult a transition as high school teachers tell you. They always say that professors won?t hold your hand or make exceptions for you, but most of the time that?s not true. Professors go out of their way to make themselves available for you. If you just make the effort to talk to them and form a relationship with the professors in your major?s department, you?d be astounded to find how many will make study guides if you ask, special study sessions for the class, and help you personally on any questions you have over the material. Take as many AP classes as you can during high school because it will save you a lot of money in the future. The cost of an AP class in high school is less expensive than just paying for the books you will need to take the same course in college. Also, join clubs, any club you can. They look great of future resumes, and even though they can be a pain to fit into your schedule, later in life it will help you in standing out against a group of students exactly like you.

Two years ago, I would have told anyone that I had the best friends in the world. I was convinced that nothing and no one would ever come between us. All four of us were in band and color guard together. We spent every minute of every day together doing the same things that we all loved. There was never any fighting and we held each other together like a crust holds an apple pie filling in. Somewhere in the spring, our friendship started to change. I had been accepted to Arizona State University, a school four hundred miles away from my home town in California. My friends started keeping things from me. When I would call to see if they wanted to hang out, they made excuses. They would make plans without me and when confronted, they only made more flimsy excuses. So if I could go back to my senior year, I would tell myself that I needed to grow up, take some responsibility, and realize I am much better off without them. I was scared and they kicked me to the curb. If they had been real friends, they would have supported my decision to move away.

Consider carefully what field you want to devote your time to. Do not pick a field for it's job potential if it is not something you are passionately interested in. You will have a chance to check out different possibilities so be open to opportunites. Make a schedule and stick to it. You won't have parents or teachers chasing after you. You must run all aspects of your life yourself. Realize that there will be more things to do than you could ever possibly get done. Pick what activities besides classes you want to be involved in and choose those and stick to them. Trying to do everything at once will wind you up partially doing everything and nothiing will have your full attention. Carry a good dictionary and your textbooks in your bookbag at all times. Read your text while waiting for the bus, laundry, waiters and boring dates. Remember that your prime purpose for being at college is to learn skills. The rest is parties. There is nothing wrong with being social but not at the expense of your classes and homework. Make a lot of friends and keep them for the rest of your life.

In high school, you try to set up an understanding about how to educate yourself effectively. Teachers in high school give you aid thoughout the senior year to help prepare you for the challenges that we have to overcome to become successful students. As a high school senior I did a decent amount of studying but I completed all my work to obtain a good GPA to get into a college of my choice comfortably. Even as a senior, getting ready to go into college, I knew that my study habits weren't perfect, but I was sure that with hard work I could cope with the stresses of college. When I got to college however, the classes were way different, making students act a lot more independent in this educational environment. At first I struggled with the mass note taking in big class rooms, but I developed good habits from practicing everyday in the new system of learning. If I went back to high school I would make sure that my study skills were more prepared so that I could better myself effectively and succeed to my expectations in college.