Florida State College at Jacksonville Top Questions

As a high school senior I could not wait to start my first day of college, little did I know how uninspiring that first day would be. Attending a community college turned state college was never my dream, and the thought of taking courses that were easier than my high school classes never crossed my mind. I spent my first term of college sitting in classes bored out of mind because in high school I didn't commit enough time and energy into passing my Advanced Placement (AP)courses. If I could go back to senior year of high school I would tell my younger self to study much more for the AP exams because had I passed them I would have received college credit for the course. Had I passed all of my AP exams in senior year I never would have spent the first term of my freshman year in college sitting in a classroom listening to lectures on material I knew backwards and forwards.

If I were able to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would have alot of advice to share. One thing I would say is have a greater scope for the future because it comes upon you so fast. Before you realize it, you're grown up and have to take care of yourself and you have so many resonsibilites. I would tell myself education so much more than just getting a better job and making more money in the future. Learning is somthing we need to do on an everyday basis and we need not only book smarts but street smarts to survive in our ever changing world. Education grows our integrity widens our minds and can lead us to a greater appreciation of all the things we are blessed with. I would tell myself to stop looking at higher education as an obstacle course I have to put up with and trudge though to have more money. Although it may seem thats all it is at times... I've found college to be much more of an enlightening and pleasureable experience now that my eyes have been opened to the world.

I would tell myself to stay the course no matter what horrors happen in your life. I would stress keeping a focused stare on the future and visualize my goals. I would remind myself the hurddles and hardships we had endured up until that point and made clear that to quit now would be to throw all of that away. I would impress upon my younger self that as good as these times are now, with a proper education they will a hundred times better in the future. (and for the record, there were a couple of times your website just went ahead and skipped forward without giving me a chance to answer some of the questions or pick certain options. not sure if that is a technical thing or not but I hope it doesn't disqualify me from the chance for this scholarship. If it does I hope that I would be given the chance to correct whatever was missed.)

Knowing what I know now I would change a bunch of things in high school. At my high school we had like 3 different counclers my senior year so no one was very helpful and no one told me what I needed to have to transfer to a university after attending a community college. I would go back and do some research on what I needed in order to transfer if I decided to. Another thing would be to take high school sersiously instead of just having fun. My senior year I never once studied but after attending college I had to learn real quick the different ways to study.

If i could go back to when i was in high school and give my myself future advice, I would tell myself that college is very serious. There is no room to procrastinate or play around. That one shouldnt expect a "parent figure", or somone to keep up with their responsibilities. The more you concentrate and get work accomplished the easier it can be, the less you focus the harder it may seem.

Be more prepared and not let anything distract me. I would tell myself that sometimes things happen in life that you can not control. People react to different things diffrentlys, and sometimes those reactions have nothing to do with you. You have to stop and take time for yourself, because if it seems no one else does, you have to. Know that sometimes people are taken out of your life for better, and others are placed in there for the better. Everything you have done up to now is an accomplishment. Now start trying to stick to your goals, and not only reach them but surpass them. Your family loves you and they look up to you. You have done much more then what was expected so stay on that same path. I'm proud that you have been so focused so keep it up and shake off the negativity. College will be much easier than you thought, but don't slack off. Unlike high school you won't always have chances to make up work, so do it right the first time.

Graduating from high school is one of the greatest moments in a students life up until that point. All thirteen years of hard work are finally paying off in a cap and gown ceremony, and although it is a wonderful time in anyones life it is also a time when the future is full of surprises. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition, I would tell myself to not rush through any of my classes, and to take selecting classes seriously. I would tell myself to not worry about going to community college and living at home because in the long run it will give me an advantage of being able to focus on school, save money, and declare a major, with much less financial and emotional burden that I might have if I were to move out and go to an out of state school, figuring it all out on my own. Overall, I would encourage myself to not be ashamed of the plans I was making at the time, and to instead, follow through with them confidently.

If i could go back in time and talk to myself as an high school senior. I would tell me to apply for alot of scholarships because college is very expensive, and i would tell myself to try as hard as possible to keep my grades up because thats what colleges look at to determine if you qualify to attend there college depending on there qualifications. I would tell myself to apply to different colleges because you never know if your going to change your mind or if your going to get denied the right to attend, so it's good to keep your options open just in case you don't get into the college that you are planning to attend. Finally i would tell myself as i start college i should stay focused at all times because it's very easy to get behind on school work, but it's hard to catch up because there is no make up work, so if you keep up with your work the first time around you won't have any problems getting through college at all.

The first advice I would give myself if I could go back in time would be to tell myself to work hard and pay more attention to my studies. In high school I didn't really pay much attention to my school work assuming that I would be able to get a good paying job out of high school. Now at the age of 23, married and with a child, I have found it hard to not only find a good paying job but also get a job period during this economic recession. I would tell myself that after only four short years I would have a degree and increase my chances of getting the job I really wanted, which is to be a police officer, and be able to provide better for my family.

We all wish at some point in our lifetime we could some how turn back time, go back to another time in our life. Whether to warn yourself of something to come or change something you regret. If I could do that very thing and go back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior there are several things I would tell myself. I would let my self know is that college is NOT high school. As a high school student, I had this vision of college being a lot like what you see in movies. I pictured college as an extension of high school. Boy, was I wrong! I would tell myself that college takes a whole lot of dedication. You really have to WANT to succeed to get through college, and I would tell myself it isn't easy. I would tell myself not to expect finanical help from anyone because in the end I am the one who has to make it through college. No one can do it for me. I would tell myself to stay in and not to take semesters off, it will hurt you in the end.