California State University-Sacramento Top Questions

Taylor, I know you don't care about academics and think that you're not worth more than a C, but it is incredibly important for you to start paying attention and putting more effort into your school work. You can't just sit in class and get by with minimal effort after High School. College work will really sneak up on you if you're not on top of your game and decently organized. That being said- don't be too afraid to expirment with what you want in life. There are so many options available to you. Don't listen to any of the counselors, and make sure that you're really doing what you want to do. I promise you'll make mom proud.

Do not slack off and make as many friends within each class as you can. School is much easier if you have friends that not only make the class worth going to( especially if the class is a bit on the boring side) but are readily available to help you if it is needed. Doing work in groups is a lot more beneficial than doing work alone, especially if the class is difficult for you.

Listen up, high school me. I want you to hear me on this – high school is just a blip in your life. In fact, it’s not even a whole blip. It’s half a blip. It might not seem like it now but the day-to-day drama is so trivial. It’s only been two years since I graduated and I already can’t remember who was dating who or what the cool kids did on Friday night. So don’t sweat the small stuff. And don’t be ashamed of being a little nerdy. It’s what gets you into the college of your dreams, where being a nerd isn’t such a bad thing. The transition will be hard at first, but fear not! You’re not alone. Every freshman feels a little unsure of themselves and sometimes even terrified. It’s part of the process and we’re all in it together. Oh, and one more thing – when you take a year off to save up money for school, don’t chop off all your hair. We look absolutely ridiculous now.

I would tell myself to start earlier with school and to network more with professors and fellow students. I would tell myself to get more involved with volunteering. This would help with my graduate goals.

I would advise my high school self, to go straight into four-year College and be more confident and firm in my choice of the major. I would advise to enjoy the classes and take as much from them as possible. I would remind myself to be firm in my personal beliefs and let not anyone shake them. As a twenty-five-year-old I would remind my eighteen-year-old self that the possibilities are endless, but I should do what I enjoy doing, and to not be discouraged by difficulties that come at times. I would advise to persevere and keep doing the best job I am able of, but to still keep your priorities straight. I would advise to listen to my heart and not try to please my parents by taking what I would dread by the end of the semester. Follow my passion and work not for my grades, rather do the best I can, that way anything I’d do would always be the best work I can do. Enjoy these years and look cheerfully into the future.

CSUS has a strong emphasis on multicultrualism and diversity on campus. There are clubs that encourage students of different races, religions, and genders to interact and realize our similarities. Had I known that there was such a strong emphasis on this topic I would have volunteered in more culturally diverse settings sooner. While in my junior year of college I volunteered at a low-income diverse middle school. This allowed me to understand the structure of the Special Ed classroom from the perspective of the educator. I learned that the students benefit greatly from a college student that is willing to come to their classroom a few times a week and help them out with their coursework. The class that I volunteered for was included Caucasions, Asians, Latinos, African Americans, and Indian students. Students that are entering college should realize the benefit of helping students that are in need of academic assistance. Students that live in low-income neighborhoods may not be raised with the idea that college is possible for them, and they may not value their education. For college students to reach out to them would help them realize they can go to college too.

No matter the decisions you make and think are wrong, you will learn and grow from them. Do not be afraid to be challenged academically, socially, or finacially because you will be stronger as a person from those challenges. Choose what makes you happy and makes you smile. Love what you learn and where you live because you earned the place to be here and have worked hard for it. You will face some extremely challeging times, no doubt, but you will emerge as a strong, beautiful, intelligent person. Never give up and stay with it because you will fall in love with learning. Mosty importantly, be yourslef and do not let anyone define who you are because only you can make that judgement. Have fun, live it up, study hard, and work harder. The future is yours for the taking and you will be awesome!!! :)

I would tell my former self to stop being so anxious about everything and let go of any negativity that will come my way. College is a wonderfully stressful experiences as it is a part of life which means there will be a lot of situations that cause people to become distressed. I used to be the type of person to become overwhelmed with those situations but now I have learned to let go. I cannot control every aspect of my life or situations around me and the best way to live is to relax. I learned that when I went abroad to the UK for a year as apart of my education and when things did not go my way I adapted a British response to life; to let it happen- good or bad. I am now a much happier person for it. High school seniors, just relax and enjoy it because time truly does fly!

The advise i would give my self is to take life more serious and learning from my mistakes. As a high school student you dont think what's out there in college taking more of your time studying and reading. One of the ability is having the mentality of learning new things in class and paying attention to the teacher who is helping the students succeed. As a college student you are on your own, proffesors are aware of their students being responsible of their own work. The best thing i would of do as a high school student is work part time and save money for books and tuition fees. I look back thinking thats the best thing i could've done. Especially being a teen mom in high school it wasn't easy, the best thing i can do, is do community service for my community helping out.

My only advice is to never give up, regardless of the situation I am in.