Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Top Questions

I would tell myself "you are the only person that controls your destiney". College life is hard, being 18 is hard. I think that it is okay to take time off after high school and to really think about what is important in your life and what you want out of it. Make a list of goals that I want to acheive in one year, five years, ten years and just make it happen. The future happens before you know it and the best thing to do is be prepared, educated and always willing and wanting to learn more. Life is short, live it to the fullest!

I would tell myself not to be so shelterd. And instead of reading books, handouts and pacakages. I would tell myself to pick the brains of college students so they could give me the REAL in's and out's of being a college student, and how to become successful during and after my college years

I think if I were back in high school, I would have made more of an effort to participate in extra-curricular activities and school organizations and to continue doing so in college. I was career-focused in high school and continue to be career-oriented in college but I feel I have some regrets about not participating in on-campus clubs and organizations. It is much easier for freshman to arrive on campus and feel comfortable enough with themselves to participate in social activities and participation high school group activities increases the chances of joining groups in college. Secondly, I wish I had made an effort in high school to end my procrastination habits in regards to projects and exams. Unfortunately, I am just learning, as a college senior, how important it is to keep up with readings, take good notes, and prepare a few nights before exams as well as to gradually work on projects and reports before their due dates. I feel these two factors would have greatly improved the early years of my college experience and academic performance.

My message to myself: You will never get anything you do not earn and it will always be harder than it sounds. Living in a different state, going to a far away school is something that you cannot comprehend yet. Something as simple as finding friends in a distant city is just as hard as taking an engineering test. In addition, you are going to fail at sooner or later. You won?t get all A?s and won?t be valedictorian; so make sure when you fall you have the right friends to put you back on your feet because your family is 800 miles away. Also, never spend a weekend doing nothing. You will never remember the days you stayed in your dorm watching television but you will always remember the days you stayed up until 4am working, knowing that the next day you will be doing the exact same thing. Furthermore, get out there. Atlanta has plenty to offer as well as Georgia Tech. Do not take a year and a half to get involved in clubs and student government. Your best friends will be the ones you meet in the clubs and competitions not parties.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself I would tell myself that the transition from high school to college is not that hard so long as you have the right mindset going to college. Make a study schedule and stick to it but be sure to put time in for fun because everyone needs some relaxation time. I would also tell myself to not get discouraged when classes get hard and you fail a test or aren't doing as well as you would like, because there are tons of resources in college available to you and using them will make you succeed. And finally make friends who are willing to work hard, but also can have some fun, because friends influence you more than you think. These friends will help you understand courses you don't understand and you can help them with courses you understand. College friendships are as much about having fun with friends as they are about helping each other out to help vanquish the tougher courses in college. Balance in college is probably the best way to have success.

One tip of advice I would say would be to do some extra research on companies or businesses that might peak my interest before I begin doing my college search. I would tell myself to find out what some of these places and maybe positions of interest require to work there. This could have helped me a little better in deciding a college to attend and even helped me begin thinking more about my future especially a career. The last tip and probably the most important tip would be to stay true to what you believe in and how you were brought up. Don't let other people make and decide who you are. You are whatever you want to be. It's okay to change if thats what you want to do and not someone else. Don't try to fit yourself to other people's wishes.

I would tell myself that at the end of it all, the grades aren't the most important thing, but what you get out of college. The experiences, the knowledge, the wisdom, the friends and many other things. However, even though grades aren't the most important thing, keep in mind that they are still very important. Grades don't measure how much you have learned, but gives a unit of measurement for others to evaluate. Things will be easier if you do well in school.

Take all the AP classes you can. It is awesome to come in and not have to worry about having to take core classes but instead being able to take special topics classes. I wish I could take so many more classes, I have to choose which Architecture elective classes I will take each semester, but I wish I could take them all.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a High School Senior, I would tell myself that school and getting a good education is very important. I would advise myself to keep up with my studies and stay away from parties and any other distractions that would keep me from achieving the goal of graduating. I would tell myself that doing construction for the rest of my life will be hard on my body and that there are less than professional personnel who would make my job and life miserable. I would advise myself to find a carreer that I would be happy in and a carreer that I felt passionate about . I would tell myself if you do something you're passionate about you will never work a day in your life. So self "find out what you are passionate about, stay motivated , keep up with your studies, then you will feel great about what you will achieve, yourself and everyone around you will respect you for your convictions."

The teachers in high school are easy compared to those in college. If you want to complain, go ahead, whine all you want to, make a fuss to your parents and teachers, because this is the last time they will listen or should for that matter. Professors care at Georgia Tech but still expect you to meet thier standard. It is up to you to succeed much more so after high school, no breaks, no easy grades, no extra credit. College is tough, great to have that freedom but it is not the cakewalk of high school. While you are in high school take the difficult courses and work hard at those. If you can test out that is great for you, do it. Apply for all the scholarships you can because after freshman year there are not that many to apply for. What you do in high school is the best way to get those scholarships. Remember to open yourself up to new experiences and new people. Plan on joining clubs and getting involved because that will make your life richer.