George Mason University Top Questions

Dear Morgan, Every day spent of your last year in highschool you will remember forever. You wait four years to hear your name called as you walk towards your diploma and towards your future. That moment will forever be bittersweet. In a sad way you will say goodbye to alot of friends, but know you will make even more. Morgan, the best advice I can give you right now is this: do not be scared. When you turned 18, you told your parents you were an adult and they nodded their heads in agreement. However, here is the truth, you will find out what it truly means to be an adult when you go to college. It is so exciting! But it also bears alot of responsibility. Another piece of advice I give to you is this: never forget where you came from, never forget who you are, and never forget the sacrifices made so that you can be the best possible you. Your opportunities in college are endless, trust me you are doing great things, things you did not know you were capabale of. It is really exciting! Enjoy the rest of your senior year! Love, Morgan

As a high school senior I was very nervous about if my college experience would be exactly like my high school experience (which would not be such a great thing in my case). Knowing what I know now makes me feel a lot better about my choice. If I could go back to my "senior self" and have a talk I'd say that the adjustment would not be nearly as hard as I think it is. I would talk about how in the college I'm going to you do not have to feel like you are going to be judged for being different. If that were the case, nobody at the university would be friends. I would let myself know that though I want to do very well academically it should not consume my entire life. Academics are only one part of the college experience. Everything else includes the life-long friendships, the bonding, the alma mater spirit, and even those days where you and your friends are just chilling in the residence halls. I would let myself know that mistakes are meant to be made and the important thing is to learn from them.

College isn't as easy as I assumed it was going to be 5 years ago as a high school senior. If I could go back and talk to myself, I would let me know that studying is a necessity. You can't go through college without cracking at least ONE book like you did in high school. Be social and get to know the people in your classes and dorms. They can really help you out in the long run and can turn out to be lifelong friends. Be flexible. Life throws cuveballs at you all the time and you probably won't be prepared for it. Don't stress yourself out. Everything will turn out fine. Pursue what you love. A career isn't worth it if it doesn't make you happy. Make the most of your time in college. When you're fresh out of undergrad, you'll realize how overrated adulthood really is. Enjoy it while you're there.

Dear self, You are getting ready to go to college and there are some things you need to know to be successful in college and make a smooth transition. Firstly, it is going to be hard. College is not high school. You can't do well by waiting to finish a big assignment the night before. Put your school priorities first and plan your time. This way you can still have fun! Get the big things out of the way first and you will be less stressed and able to relax with friends because you won't have to be worried about finishing a pivotal assignment at the last minute. Secondly, and most importantly, STOP worrying so much. If you work hard and focus, good things will follow. Relax. Don't worry so much what other people are thinking about you, because chances are people aren't judging you as much as you think they are. Everyone is in the same boat in college. You are all on level playing field. In fact, the peers around you will be your biggest support systems. So get to know them and learn from them. You'll do great.

Apply for scholarships as much as you can, there are very valuable. Also look for carrer oportunities to gain experience in the job. Try to get into a internship as early as possible to know what you are getting in and carefully learn about college life. Try to meet people from the college you are trying to enter to know what it is like.

Dear Me, Stop worrying about what Mom and Dad think. In the long run, they just want you to be happy and do well. They may be pushing for you to do certain things, but its more a guideline than a demand. Stop, and take a breath. Figure out what you want to do. It may be hard, because senior year of high school feels like they are still controlling you and all you want to be is free. Some say college is the time for figuring yourself out, but if go somewhere that you don't want to be, then figuring yourself out is going to be much harder than if you pick the place that you truly love and feel comfortable at. Success will follow your happiness. That isn't to say it will be easy, but you know you've ended up in the right place when the work load is a lot, but you don't mind. Wether it is because you know you are hanging out with your friends that night, or that your professor will be proud of you. Be happy, be true to yourself, and the rest will follow. Love, Me.

Try harder. That is the only advice I would need to give my to give myself. If I had tried harder I would have compeleted a lot more scholarship applications and might not be in debt trying to pay for college. I would have tried harder on my college applications so that I might be going to George Mason's honors college. If I had tried harder I would have gotten 5s on AP test which would have allowed me to reseive credit for unnecessary class in order to take the classes I would love to take, but instead am retaking classes I've already passed. By trying harder, I would have seen more opportunities Mason had to offer and would have gotten into clubs earlier, such as the running club or robotics club. By trying harder I would have an easier time today, but I have no regrets.

You are given a wonderful chance to reinvent yourself in a place where you cannot fail so shoot for the stars. In my final year of school I learned to late to take advantage of everything the school has to offer: I became a founding class President of a Fraternity, I have an interview to become a student senator, and I am also going to work on our academic journal next semester, and become a resident advisor. I would tell myself not to wait so long. It is a time to build your resume and start shooting for the moon because the worst that can happen is you end up among the stars. So, keep up with academics and get involved as soon as you can. Simply put, "live life".

I think the college life it's a wonderful experience apart of high shool senior. In the college we have to make many sacrifices to still our studies. Into college we learn thing ever we imagine and new things. If we want to keep and catch our goals we have to study more and work hard for this and left away our friend if nessesary.

You're living in the "Now" too much. College IS the tool for a future.