CUNY Hunter College Top Questions

High School is nothing like college. I would tell myself "enjoy this last year of high school because college means hitting the books!!" However, getting out of high school isn't so bad. Spider-Man once said "with great powers, comes great responsibility" and the great power is being in college. College is about having freedom, making friends, going out and having fun and making memories, while at the same time you have to focus on school, maintain your GPA, work and keep up with assignments. College isn't like in high school where you can just "wing it". College is hard work to get good grades but the effort you will put in will all be worth it. There will be times when you cry and question why you are up til 3am reading organic chemistry, but getting an A will be a priceless reward. Just know that you are a strong person and you will get through the hard times and one day have a degree in what you desire. Undergraduate studies in college isn't forever, so enjoy every moment and embrace new experiences and people, and most important of all is SMILE.

You can prioritize well and that will come in handy but you tend to overestimate yourself; so I suggest that you take a step back on your first day, appreciate that you came this far, and realize that things will have to change. This is no longer high school. Teachers won't be on your back as much (they'll get paid whether you succeed or fail) so the onus is on you to succeed. The 4 years of high school were kids' play but don't get discouraged. Manage your time well and you'll excel. Don't underestimate the work! But then again this comes back to how you manage your time. If you manage it well, you won't have to be up all night to finish that paper or prep that homework.

If I could go back in time for sure I wouldn't hesitate to Continuo College.

I work around many high school students and I seem to always ask myself this question as well. The advice I would give is to appreciate the simple, easy, and somwhat naive attitude many high school seniors have. As a high school senior you ae allowed to make mistakes and have a safety net of teachers and parents to fix your mistake. However, once you step into college that blissful carefree attitude is out the window, now the real adult must come through. In college you might be older yet with age comes responsibility. Now instead of just enjoying the parties like in high school, you must work, attend school, and have responsibilities at home. I would advice to pace yourself, there will be moments were you might want to give up. However, like my mother instilled in me, you have to fight for your education because in the end no one can take away what you worked so hard to earn.

There is such a huge need to go to college right out of High School. Take your time.... Live life.... When you go to college, you are not going to know what you want to do. Socialising will be more important than learning. After you experience life a little bit, you will be ready to go back to school. Then you can focus on education. Imagine the difference your life willl have if you can experience it before you decide what you want to do for the rest of your life. The confidence of being able to take care of yourself and navigating the "real world" is a superior education in and of itself that will make college a truly enlightening experience. What a difference higher education will be when you actually educate yourself as opposed to just getting a degree, because that is what "you are supposed to do." When you do decide to go to college, your adjustment will be easy, because you will have had that year or two to realize the hardships and trials life can present you as an adult.

If I could go back in time I would advise myself to carry on as I want to but to never give up and never listen to when people say I could not accomplish something. I would advise myself to keep true to my dreams and goals and never give up on college or anything I set my heart and mind to. I would inform myself that no matter how tough things become and how people will treat me as a minority I am strong enough to over come anything and achieve the level of financial, spiritual, and social success I want. I would tell myself what I had to learn on my own as an adult that I was strong and I can do anything and that I have the ability to thrive under the harshest circumstances like something rare and exotic.

There are a lot of things I would love to tell my younger self to do as well as what not to do if ever I had the chance to go back in time. I can't begin to write the long list of regrets of my high school career or the amount of times I have thought about the ?What if question?. So if by some quantum miracle that the opportunity to have a conversation with my 12th grade self should ever presented it?s self. Knowing what I know now I would tell my self to apply to a College in State instead of being bull headed about going to my out of state dream school. To later realize that I would not receive enough financial assistance to attend the school without it costing me an arm and a leg. I would instil how important the decisions that I would make then would affect me in the future as well as educate my self on the benefits of going to a City College as and correct my misconceptions of life as a college undergrad.

The first thing I would tell myself is not to take time off between High School and College. They are not the same thing, and the time off in between only makes the transition harder. The second thing I would tell myself is to "stop whining" and buy the textbooks when I need them at the beginning of the semester. You really do need them! Third, I would tell myself to not waste time doing other things when I should be reading for a class. I got caught on a final that way- the professor did not incorporate anything from the homework readings into the class work until the final, and by that time I had stopped doing the readings because I thought I didn't need to. I almost didn't pass that final! Basically, the most important piece of advice you need when going to college is to do what you have to, when you have to, when the professor tells you to. Life is much simpler that way!

One of the most important piece of information I would give to my former high school senior self would be to pay more attention to time management. Similar to high school, college students are expected to accomplish of his or her assignments in a timely manner. However, unlike high school where the classrooms are smaller and teachers are obligated to remind his or her students of upcoming due dates, college students are left to "fend for themselves". Although this is not new information or advice, it is essential for high school seniors to acknowledge the importance of time management in addition to putting the concept into practice. By managing one's time at an early age, it helps high school students gain a better understanding of priorities and responsibilities. For example, within a period of one week, a student is assigned a research paper. In addition to that research paper, he or she was given a lot of homework from his or her other teachers. Because of this large amount of work, the student should manage his or her time to create a reasonable schedule that balances school work and one's personal life.

Having experienced a few years of undergraduate study at Hunter College in New York City has provided me with insight that is hard to come by elsewhere. If I could talk to a younger, less experienced me, I would make sure to tell myself that happiness is possible to attain, once you believe in the power that you have over yourself and your own perceptions of the world around you. The college I am currently attending was not my first choice school, and during freshman year, this became a bigger deal than I should have let it become. Making the transition to being waitlisted then later denied to my first choice school was difficult. Once I appreciated being able to attend a college that was affordable, within a city that I have lived in and loved all my life, I quickly made friends, and soon enough began to stay on campus long after my school day had ended. I took classes that interested me and joined a few student clubs, even coordinating my own study groups on campus. Influencing my own academic career has definitely helped to make me happier than I thought I could be freshman year.