California State University-San Marcos Top Questions

Having the opporunity to to go back in time and be able to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to challenge myself more in my class load because in college you can not get by the easy way. I learned that the hard way my first semester in college.

I would have encouraged the younger me to finish college while serving in the military since I tend to fit in better with the older graduate culture than I do with the younger undergraduate culture.

I would tell myself to make more of my own decisions when it comes to college instead of listening to my parents, friends, and family's wishes. I would tell myself that I shouldn't feel pressured to go to a certain college with my best friend instead of picking one out on my own because I am scared of making new friends. I would also tell myself to have a little more faith in my personality and trust that I can make new friends on my own. I would also probably tell myself to go to community college first instead of being obsessed with going away to a university right off the bat. Because I wasn't sure what I wanted to major in, I wish I would have gone to community college right away, then transferred to save money and take time to decide what I really wanted to do in life. Community college was one of the better experiences in my college career and I would tell myself not to be afraid that I would get stuck in the same place because of choosing to go to a local community college first.

If I had the opportunity to talk to myself as the na?ve high school senior I once was, I would probably remind myself of a number of important things I should have taken into consideration. Such as, studying for my ACTs and AP exams, passing one or more of my advance placement tests like US history or Enconmics would have helped me in the long-run by accumulating college credit to that particular class I took the exam in. I would also remind myself about how crucial it is to focus in high school in order to prepare me as a college student by not procrastinating, following deadlines, instructions, and rules.

If I were able to go back in time and give myself some advice, the first thing I would tell myself is to stay on top of things. In high school, especially as a senior, it is all about enjoying your senior year, in other words you can slack off and get away with it for the most part. Secondly, I would tell myself, "USE YOUR PLANNER. " College professors may give you a syllabus, but if you do not know the dates for assignments, forget it. And lastly, I wish I could have told myself never to settle for doing average, or just enough, but to do things to the best of my ability. School is not about how fast you can get an assignment done or how easy it was, but what you gained from it. Throughout high school I tried, but did not always give my best effort, and now I am going to my back up school rather than my dream school.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would definitely tell myself to take as many AP classes as possible. Being a junior in college now, I am really starting to notice how much easier it would have been if I had gotten more of my general classes out of the way while I was in high school. I would have also told myself to apply for college a lot sooner than I did. Because I went to an American school overseas since my father was in the military, our couselors had to deal with students from all over the U.S. This meant they could not notify every student about application dates and deadlines for each and every school so it was very difficult for me to find out how to do everything I needed to apply for schools in California. As much as I like my school now, I wish I had to opportunity to get information on UC's and apply for them and maybe have even a better college expeience.

Misconceptions. A high school senior's perception of college is full of them. In hindsight, I laugh to think of the idealistic expectations I had those few years ago. If I could go back in time and give advice to the kid I was when exiting high school, I would have a lot to say. More than anything though, I would want to slap myself and shout, "Wake up! On your toes! It gets tough now!" The common understanding among myself and my peers was that the college experience was all about freedom. Which it is. Freedom and responsibility. I had thought only about how convenient it would be to be able to cut class on a whim, choose whatever classes you like, and participate in any number of extra activities. I had neglected to consider that to do each would require discretion. You are expected to enroll in classes on your own, and take charge of duties like purchasing books and parking permits. The freedom to be absent proves to be more of a curse than a blessing. I would tell my past self, "You're just thinking of the freedoms. Consider the duties and responsibilities as well."

If I could give the pre-college me advice I would tell myself to be more outgoing in school from the very beginning, to get involved with groups that interested me in order to create close bonds with other students with similar interests. I have only recently gotten involved with my campus and wish I had started long ago. Also, I would tell myself to take advantage of school resources, such as the librarians who aid in research, and the writing and math center where peers are hired on as tutors. I would also recommend to myself to take the extra time before class to look over my work and the course material for the day, it is worth more than the little bit of sleep or socializing. With our current budget crisis I would tell myself to visit a counselor and get myself on track, because a full course load in the beginning will help you surely graduate on time even with the unit holds that are being placed, and the classes that are being cut, making them difficult to get into. But mostly I would say live it up, these will be the best years of your life.

I graduated high school almost three years ago. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would buy myself a cup of coffee and tell myself to sit back, open my ears, and enjoy the warm taste of caffine as I will have to learn to depend on it. My advice would be simple. This transition is not easy. Be prepared for change and maturity. Keep your head up and smile! There will be many situations that you will not be prepared for. But it will be OK. There are situations you will get in that will cause you great sadness, great joy, and great change. I will not tell you to what to avoid or what to point towards because without the rollercoaster of life, you can not learn. Everything falls into place gracefully. You will learn from the bad days and relish in the good days. You will learn to value every single penny and work hard for those dimes. Look forward to the people you will meet and the lessons they will teach you. Lead, learn, love, and laugh. Stay close to Mom and Dad. Stay innocent.

One major thing that I wouldo have told myself was to try harder, although it may seem cliche. Yes, I did well in high school and still had over a 4.0 average at the end of my senior year, but I feel that had I applied myself to a fuller extent I would have had a much more enriching high school experience. I also would have told myself the importance of budgeting my money, because now I am definitely learning more than ever how expensive it is to be a college student! I would have stopped myself from buying unnecessary items and instead saving my money for college expenses to help my parents pay for schooling. I also would have told myself to show more appreciation for my parents, because now more than ever I am realizing how many sacrifices they make for me so that I can attend a university and live a nice life.