George Mason University Top Questions

If could I go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior there are a few things I would give myself a heads up on. After deciding on the college of my choice and before the first day of classes, I would research and explore all the opportunities the college has to offer. There are many, many opportunities, events, grants, scholarships, jobs, and services available to all students, but very few take advantage of these privileges. Reserve a study room in advance on campus so that you have your own quiet area to do work when everyone is anxiously looking for their own space during a busy time. Look into the FREE workshops that can help broaden your horizons in field. Apply for grants and scholarships to save money on tuition. There are so many opportunities and services that each school has to offer for their students but rarely do students take advantage of these. At George Mason I am grateful that I have been able to take advantage of these opportunities.

If I could go back to my senior year of high school, the first words I would say to myself about college are, “Don’t be nervous.” I hate to admit it but I was pretty worried about living away from the small town, friends, and family I had lived with my entire life. I would advise myself to meet as many people as possible in order to create a network of friends on campus. With a variety of people to be around during college, the feeling of leaving all you know behind at home will quickly subside. Along the line of feeling at home while at college, I would advise to try all sorts of organizations and activities, particularly in the beginning of the first semester. Not only will they provide more opportunities to make new friends, but also to find your niche in an extra curricular activity that you can continue throughout your years at the university. Through following both these pieces of advice, I would be well on my way to truly making college a “Home Away From Home.”

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior about college I would give myself one piece of advice-plan. You have so much free time in college that you need to make a plan or else you can get side tracked and end up pulling the infamous collegiate caffeine fueled all nighters. By making a plan you avoid unnecessary stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation. It’s also important to plan time for studying and time for socializing. Socializing and meeting new people is an important part of the college experience but it’s important to remember academics come first. The last secret to having a plan is sticking to it. You can plan your day to the second but if you don’t stick to it your plan is useless. Like everything planning takes practice. There will be times when you don’t complete everything you planned but you can’t let those times discourage you. When it comes down to it college is what you make it out to be. Approach everything open minded and with a positive attitude and I promise college will be the time of your life.

As a high school senior, there's a lot of things going through your mind: what new adventures you'll experience as a college freshman, the freedom you're about to gain, the opportunity to recreate yourself. The most important things when it comes to the academics of college life are organization, time management, and study skills. You won't have someone telling you to do your homework or study. Procrastinating and not getting enough sleep at night are two huge mistakes most freshman make because it got them by in high school. You might have to give up some social activities every once in a while to make sure your grades stay up to par. You have to motivate yourself to want to do well. It's more difficult for some than others to get used to not having parents around for when you need something. You have to be able to balance your life between social time, study time, and you-time. Planning ahead and keeping your priorities straight are key.Although it may be challenging at first because you're all on your own for the first time, you can do it. Lastly, relax and be confident.

It has been 18 years since I was where you are now. Despite the challenges faced of getting a degree later in life, I wouldn’t suggest that you do it now. If you go to school right now, you will not study the right things will not have the business experience I gained from managing large volume specialty retail stores for 12 years. However, waiting until 31 to start taking classes is too long. In my late 20’s I knew that the career I had started at 18 wasn’t going to be enough and I needed to go back to school. This is when you should go. Now I am taking six classes a semester, while still maintaining a 4.0 GPA and finish my undergraduate degree as soon as possible. When I finish this, I will still need to spend another year in school to get my masters degree and have the credits to take the CPA exam. All of this has pushed back our plan for children. Had I started school a few years earlier, I wouldn’t feel as if I was racing to complete my degree before my biological clock stops ticking.

If I had to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to get ready for a wild ride, and not in a good way. I would reassure myself that I would do well academically, but would warn myself about some of the people I would meet. I would tell myself to be upfront with people about being shy, introverted, and an anxiety sufferer and to not let the teasing and bullying about these qualities to hurt me as much as they did.

College is filled with fun events. The first advice I would give to myself is about the dodgeball game between 700 vs. 700 Mason students randomly placed into teams. The first 10 seconds of the first round, I immediately got out on the first throw. I would tell myself to dodge to the right and to stand on the edges where the concentration of balls is minimum. Next I would guide myself around campus so that way I wouldn't be lost when I actually attended college. I once got lost for 3 hours; somehow I wandered to the opposite side of where I wanted to go. Finally, I would teach myself about my improved study tecgniques and time management skills. Over the summer, I tried to prepare for college by watching online Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and General Chemistry lectures from UC-Berkley. Knowing about my study skills beforehandwould give me time to assimilate them before the semester started. Overall, my transition was surprisingly smooth and I don't want to spoil too much for myself.

I would give my senior self several tips on how to make it through the transition of college. First, change the meal plan that I had originally chosen because it runs out in October and I should have chose the 175 flexible meal plan for college. Secondly, avoid taking the freshman transition class because it does not help in college at all. The teachers in college are not very supportive of your schedule, so it is very important to tell them exactly what is going on with your life in order for it to fit their schedule. Lastly, watch your belongings and keep your phone in your pocket, bag, or backpack because leaving it out in a friend's dorm will lose it. As long as you stick to this advice, you'll do fine for your transition into college.

Primarily I would tell myself that realizing my inner purpose would have an immense positive effect on my outer purpose in life. Acknowledging that Music composition and performance are parts of my outer purpose, I would tell myself I need to align with the joy that is already within me, and not to look for happiness brought out by new and desired material objects. I would probably be confused about this statement years ago because I was caught up in aimless content regarding the people in my life and how they would help or hurt my education and later successes. If I had this advice I would have probably handled certain situations with equal heart, but without as much emotional attachment. I would have been more accepting to the formlessness of the social organism that manifests into the college experience. I don't see any of my past experiences at school as negative or positive, I have just become aware of myself and the doubts I had surrounding those situations. I believe that with that advice I would have brought out far more positivity and my interactions and in-class experiences would have been less stressful and less concerning.

If I could go back in time to give myself some advice, I would tell myself that even though all the work we are given is time consuming, it is worth it in the end to put your best work forward. I would also tell myself to open up, be willing to try anything, be adventurous and make the best of everything because it will make the experience much more memorable. Opening yourself up to different cultures, other peoples perspectives, and etc. can give you a completely different outlook on life from what you had when you started. Getting an education at this level is phenomonal opportunity and gives you a chance to make a new you. I would also tell myself to dream big and perservere through any obstacles and give your all and that dream WILL come true. I would not only tell myself this, I would tell this to everyone and anyone looking for a little advice on the transition to college.