George Mason University Top Questions

Knowing what I know now about college life, I would advise myself as a college senior to think ahead more. I didn't apply to very many schools, and I only applied for a few scholarships-- and now, in college, I find myself wishing that I had fully considered my options and taken advantage of every opportunity. The best advice is simple: Be prepared.

I would advise myself to think about my future major and career as soon as possible. You may think you have a lot of time to decide, but guess what time passes by too quickly to count.

college life is real. It isnt about having fun, its about building a life career by learning and educating yourself. Teachers work hard to teach us and we should work hard to set an example for our next generation. As senior, I'm step ahead to graduate and I'm more focused than ever. Studying over materials after class helps understand what you just learned more clearly. college life is fun, not as bad as it seems. You can study and have fun at the same time. You can do things on your own time, you're more independent and focused.

In order to be successful you need two things; some time and desire. With this you will be able to get exceptional grades. You will want to study and learn everything there is to know about every subject. Knowing what field you want will keep you focused and not switch from major to major, and take unrequired classes. Here are a few pointers i picked up durring my years in college. some you already know but all are important. College is just like highschool but getting an A is more important than just passing the class. Your GPA will be more important and its the driving force into getting into graduate school. Doing some research in your junior year is important. Knowing how to have fun and relax is as important as not procrastinating for an exam.

Experiencing a situation is the best way to learn how to handle it the next time you are presented with it again. With that being said, there are so many things I would tell my high school senior self when preparing for college. First off, is that college is not like high school and allows you to have more free time. Balancing my schedule was difficult in the beginning, but with planning and focusing on my goals, I developed useful time management skills. I would also suggest to get involved with more than one extra cirricular activity that will force you to step out of your comfort zone. We all have interest and passions, but being in a new environment will reveal new interests that you never knew you had. Hard work, dedication, participate in volunteer activities, building relationships with professors, and meeting people of diversity are all key actions to ensure a prosperous and enjoyable time of one's life. College is for enjoyment, developing oneself, and determining major and career that you are passionate about, therefore make the most out of it and do not stress.

If I could go back in time and give myself some college advice, I woul tell myself to apply for college. Do not take a break after high school because it will become more difficult to find your way back to education. It becomes a very rough road without proper schooling under your belt. College may be a scary place and you may think that college is only for those that have money but there are many ways to get assistance. College is actually easier for a bright mind like yours.

I would tell myself to relax more and have more fun. Sometimes I feel like I get too caught up in the academic side of college and forgot the other parts. It feels like I'm just learning now to get more involved and my college career is almost over. I wish I had realized this sooner.

This may not seem critically important to most people, but one piece of advice I would give my high school self is to not enter college in a long-distance relationship. There are so many aspects of college life that I separated myself from in order to please my boyfriend and make sure I kept our relationship strong. In high school, I pretty much knew everyone by name. I was the student body president by my senior year and involved in numerous activities. In short: I was comfortable with my environment and comfortable with myself. Unfortunately, things changed when I got to college. Since I went to a considerably larger school than my Catholic high school, I knew close to no one. Instead of remedying the situation by going out and meeting a lot of people, I kept to myself a good amount of the time and just talked to my boyfriend on the phone or through text messages. I started to only focus on what made him happy and neglected my own personal needs. This made me hate my school because I cried so much, when really the dissatisfaction came from within me, not the school itself.

I can try to write this essay in 200 words or less but I can honestly say that it wouldn't be done to the best of my ability. I initially wrote it before I completed the survey and before I knew that there was a word limit and I am proud of what I have written because it's the truth. Cutting out all the other parts and just leaving it with 200 measily words would make it incomplete. I've worked hard on this as have other applicants and put so much time and effort and depth into this essay so I hope that you'll take a chance and read it. I didn't know any other way to post it except through my tumblr so I ask that you just take the time to still consider my entry. http://amiramiraonthewall.tumblr.com/post/28458862370/what-i-would-tell-my-high-school-self

Being from a family of 7, I wasn't able to attend college right out of high school. Instead I took a full time job to be able to pay for a truck in order to be able to attend college out of town. Now that i've paid off my truck, I am finally able to attend college and be an example for my younger siblings and teach that an education is most important. If I could turn back time to high school, I would tell myself to follow the Dave Ramsey course that we took in one of our economics class. That would of helped me pay off my truck so much faster and would of been able to attend college alot faster. Also, having to take my ACT or SAT in high school would of been alot easier for me and taking duel credit classes would of helped. I will be attending Victoria College in the Fall of 2012 for LVN, and eventually turning towards RN.