California State University-Long Beach Top Questions

Looking back on high school and what I thought to be important during those years has really proven to be insignificant. The majority of my years had been focused on social networking, the latest gossip of the senior year class, and who was going to ask me to the next formal event. If I could take the knowledge that I have attained from being in college, and give it to my former self, I would do everything in my power to make sure I were aware of how important AP classes are. If I had realized the importance of these AP classes, I could have accelerated at a much faster pace. Also, I would have done more extra curricular activities that would have built up my experience in the field of study I want to continue in. Lastly, I would have wanted to know the importance of happiness, especially considering that money can’t buy it. I wish I knew that I could have done anything I set my mind to without letting money be the deciding factor.

There are 2 big peices of advice that I would give myself about college life and making the transition from a high school senior to a college freshman. 1) Just because you were able to get by in high school with minimal amounts of study, that is not the case in college. You need to develop your study skills and take classes and lectures seriously. Learn to work in cooperative study groups and put forth your best effort for every class, including your GE classes. The hardwork and effort will pay off. 2) Get involved and stay involved. The more you put into your college experience the more you will get out of it. Join a fraternity (guys) or sorority (girls). If the Greek system is not for you, join a club or campus organization. This gives you the opportunity to meet many different types of people and expand your social groups. College is not just about getting your education, it is about learning who you are and who you want to be and the best way to to that is to get involved and stay involved. It keeps you motivated to do your best.

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school self about college I would tell myself not to worry about trying to pick a major right away. I would tell myself to take some time to get acclimated to college and take some courses before making a decision. Then give it a fair bit of thought about what I want to do with my life and then decide on the major that is right for me. This way I can eliminate the chance of having to switch majors which would put me behind a bit and end up costing me more because it will take longer to graduate. So that would be the advice I would give to my high school self if I could go back in time.

If I could go back in time the advice i would give myself would be to start saving money and learn how to drive as soon as possible. Also to learn the class material, not just memorize things for the tests. i would tell myself to learn how to manage my time to get the most out of it. i would remind myself to not worry about the transition, i have always been used to going to new places, i moved a lot when i was little. I would reassure myself that college is not that hard if you really try, professors are there to help you and they want you to let them know if you need help.

If I was able to talk to myself with the knowledge I have now to my high school senior self I would tell myself to treasure the time I have with my family. I would have applied for more scholarships knowing now how expensive everything is in college. If it's not tuition it's the books. Living on my own is not easy. I wish I had learned how to cook with my parents when I was at home. I definitely would have taken more time to start getting better with my time management. I would also have told myself to learn how to take better yet efficient notes. Note taking is a crucial part of college and if you do not take notes adequately it will screw you over when it comes time to studying for the tests.

If I could go back and talk to myself I would be sure to tell myself to stay in school and not drop out like I did. I would be sure to push the issue that it is alot easier to get an education while you are young and do not have a family. I have done everything in reverse order. I dropped out of school and had children. Later I realized that a college education is a must in order to provide a better future for my family. I have a daughter that will be attending college next year and I have been sure to make her understand the importance of an education. With lots of praise and devotion I have managed to raise my daughter to appreciate her education. She has carried a 4.0 GPA all through school. She has watched me struggle to go to school and raise a family. I appreciate my education more as an adult that I did as a child. I plan to continue my education until I receive my RN license.

I wish I had the opportunity to to speak with my high school self. Then again, I would not change anything that got me to this point in my life. For I have enjoyed every minute, even the hard times. Regardless, I would like to give high-school Chris a few pointers. This is what I would say to him: First, do not be intimidated by life. No matter what happens, you have the skills necessary to perservere. Therefore go out and take on some challenges. You will make it. Secondly, enjoy learning. Instead of sitting in class wishing you were out of class, enjoy the lecture. It may not seem valuable, but knowledge and retaining knowledge is the most rewarding. Ignorance is not bliss, insight and knowledge is bliss. Finally, take time to appreciate the people around you. Vey quickly your friends, classmates, faculty, even family will leave your side. This is the natural way of things, people move on. Their absence will be missed, therefore take time to value their presence, and do not be afraid to tell them. This is the best advice I can give you Chris. Take care of yourself now. Bye-bye.

Dear Sam, Please start going to the gym. There is a great chance that if you start working out now as oppose to a couple of years from now you will get a scholarship to a DIvison 1 school instead of a Divison 3 school for hockey. Sam you are smart enough, and if you dont believe that you know you have the patience to go talk to your teachers to get help after school. They will love it and they will respect you and want to help you out. Seek as much help as you need and more than enough will come back to you. Get out more, join every club or sport you can and believe me there is plenty of time to still party with friends, but I bet you will be having so much fun in other sports and clubs you will have a million new friends. Lastly, do not worry about your family and finances. There is something much greater than you that is in control. You have the control to do great, but you have to put in the effort and believe me it will be well worth it and only success will follow.

If I had this great opportunity to go back in time and talk to myself as a senior in high school, one of the advices I would give myself would be to ask all the questions I have. It's very important to have all your doubts answered before you take your education to the next level. The second advice would be to get to know people and interact as much as possible since studies had shown that the more a person communicates, the chances of being succesful are greater. My last advice would be to enjoy every second being a college student because unfortunately many students do not receive this wonderful opportunity to make their dreams come true.

If i could go back to High School being a senior i would have told myself that you dont have to stress so much about not knowing what you want to do in life. I would have deffinatley applied for more scholarships. Now realizing how everything is so expensive, it wasnt just our teachers telling us that to get on our nerves. The most important thing i would have preached the whole conversation that im having with my self is YOU CAN ONLY BE SUCCSSEFUL IF YOU ACCEPT CHANGE. Once i heard that it just opened my eyes to take oppurtunities, a million kids applying for the same scholarship? do it anyway. Thats what i would have told myself.