Green River College Top Questions

Heather- I know that you are eager to get out on your own and experience life after high school, and that your plan after graduation is to "take a year off" from school, get a temporary part-time job at the mall, and move out of Mom and Dad's house. Let me tell you now that your "year off" will turn into a seven-year study in what NOT to do after high school, and that job at the mall will quickly become a career in retail management that will do nothing but make you question your faith in humanity. Forget about the year off, forget about Cammeron (he's going to dump you in a couple of months anyway), and enroll at TCC. The longer you wait to start, the harder it will be. Also, don't get married- it won't end well.

If I could back and give myself three words of advice during my senior year in high school, it would be; value your education. As a high school senior, I could not wait to finish school. I never fully appreciated the significance of education for myself and most of all, my future. For me, college taught me that importance. High school is a general eduaction, in some classrooms, it seemed as if hours were wasted. To me, college is a better use of the educational system. College provides more specefic training for each career path and future goals, as well as a better use of time (less busy work and sitting around). If I could go back to the beginning of junior year, I would have chosen to do a program called "Running Start". This program allows juniors and seniors that meet the requirements to attend community college free of tuition in placement of regular high school courses. I really wish I would have done this, to not only get a head start free of charge, but so I could actually learn the importance of education earlier on.

If I were able to hop in a DeLorean and visit myself in high school, I would tell my past self several things. First and foremost, I would tell myself not to procrastinate. There are many opportunities and deadlines I have missed because I put them off until the last minute. Secondly, I would tell myself to apply for more scholarships. Having to work while attending college has a serious impact on the amount of time I have available to study, the amount of time I can dedicate to extracurricular activities such as Engineering Club, and of course, time to sleep. Speaking of which, I would tell myself to get more sleep. Staying up late trying to finish assignments (that I procrastinated on) results in a sloppy assignment, and makes it very difficult to concentrate in class the next day. I would tell myself to go to bed early, wake up early, and work on assignments a day or two in advance in the morning, when my brain is actually able to function. Finally, I would tell myself to not get discouraged. Although class work can sometimes be overwhelming, a good education is worth the time and effort.

Making the transition from high schoo life to college life is very challenging. Knowing what I know now as a college student I would make some adjustments in my preparations to transition from high school to college . Academically I would have enrolled and taken as much honor role courses as possible . The running start program is one program that I should have taken advantage of because it would have helped me to reduce the number of years that I will have to spend in my undergraduate program. One of the key challenges I faced transitioning from high school to college life is having to make most of my decisions. College life demand being focused on the challenges of getting your work done to achieve the set goal without being told when to do it Knowing what I know now it is important to talk and meet with your college advisors and ask them questions about what college life is like and what is expected of you before school starts. I come from a low middle income family so the financial challenge I am going through now is tremendous but I am determined to graduate from college with your help.

Take the time to look into schools before your senior year. Then, you will have the time to tour all the schools you want before having to make a last minute descision. Use your senior year to do overnight stays at you top choice schools. This lets you get a feel for dorm life and what the students tend to be like. Read online reviews and sit in on a class. Then take a few months, take another tour, apply, and have tons of time to make your decision.