Elgin Community College Top Questions

Do what you want to do, and don't let anyone, including family, persuade you do pursue a major you do not want to do.

I would advise myself to graduate after my junior year of high school. High school had nothing else to offer me and I was wasting my time being there. Although AP classes are a good opportunity for some, it is wiser to take a course at a local college and have a cresdit that is garunteed and is far more likely to transfer to your four year university. Furthermore, high school does not do a good job of preparing students to attend college and it is because I have already attended a community college for two years that I wil be able to transition to a four year university much more easily than my peers.

I would tell myself to listen to my dad. As a high school senior, I was very upset with my father for making me attend Elgin Community College instead of attending one of the top four year universities that accepted me and were giving me academic scholarships. I should have listened to my dads reasoning as to why he wanted me to attend ECC first. In the end, he was correct. Going to ECC has been a helpful transition for myself and I also saved myself a lot of money by playing soccer here and joining Phi Theta Kappa. I would tell myself that my dad was only looking to help me succeed at my dream to become a lawyer.

I would tell myself not to give up. To stay strong and to take school seriously. I would tell myself that I could do anything I set my mind to.

I would tell myself to be a little more cautious on my bank account. School is expensive so I would tell myself to watch what I spend. I would also mention to be less of a procrastinater. College is way different from high school. More work and more homework and stricter deadlines. So, get it done sooner so you are not cramming last minute.

Learn as much as you can about internships. Get involved with clubs in high school so it is not such a shock in college. Speak to your teachers as much as possible, try to make them your references and try to get as much advice out of them as possible. Realize that in college you have to motivate yourself. Learn how to teach yourself material, and don't rely on the teacher to spoon-feed you difficult material. Try to work and go to school if possible. If you can do it, then you will be ready to work in college. If you can't do it, then you will know how to adapt so that you can do it in college. Build up your resume and work experience and try to learn a little bit about a lot of different subjects. Be open to new things, and make yourself try new things.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, there are many things I would say. I would start with how important friends are, and the influence they have on your attitude towards school. If I had known this, I would have put forth more of an effort to meet new people, instead of being scared to take a step. I would also tell myself about procrastination. Every semester I say that this time I'll work ahead, and this semester I'll stay on top of things. But every semester I forget to do the reading or find something more interesting to do. Perhaps the shock of seeing myself from the future would be enough to get me to understand the importance of staying on task. I could tell myself that the little extra time of rewriting notes or doing unassigned problems will make up for the minutes I lost of watching my favorite T.V. show when I ace the test and can ask insightful questions in class. There are many more things I would love to tell myself about school and what happens, but this would be enough to change it all.

If I could talk to myself as a High School Senior, I would advise myself not to wait to go to college. After I graduated High School I went straight into working. I started as a bagger at a grocery store and moved up to Deli Manager. It was a few years before I finally went back to college to get the degree that I have wanted since I was in fourth grade. I would tell myself to take pride in my future. I would remind myself that hard work and dedication is what preceeds a happy life. I would tell myself that your parents will be so proud of you, to be the first in our family to ever graduate college. There are many scholarships out there to help us get the degree that we want to have the job and the life that we want. I would urge myself not to wait. The life that you want is out there, just have the courage to go out and study hard to get it.

TALK TO THE COUNSELORS. Make sure you get a college course roadmap. This way, you know exactly what classes you will need to take and NO semesters or money will be wasted. KEEP UP WITH THE WORK. If the course load is too much at the time, ***make sure to drop the class within the first 10-weeks to prevent a failing grade**

When I was in high school, I never intended to go to college right after I graduated. I figured it was too difficult to get started, so I put off trying to find information about college. I was intimidated by the big campuses and the idea of entering a world where you are all of the sudden expected to be an adult. What I did not realize was that I did not have to look at college as one big leap. I could get through it with small steps. The first step I took the year after I graduated was to go to the counselor at my local community college, and ask questions. She helped me enroll in a few classes, showed me how to set up a payment plan, and gave me information about how to keep track of my credits. That small step led to others, and now I'm well on my way to earning my degree. If I could give my high school self one piece of advice, it would be to look at college not as a giant leap into an adult world, but as a small step towards the life I want to live.