Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne Top Questions

"I don't care if you don't know what you want to do with your future, start your higher education NOW! Take the general education classes and experience college and experience life, you will like it."

The one thing I wish I would have known in high school is to not stress over it so much. I may not have been the greatest student in high school, but because of that I looked into joining the armed forces and ended up joining the ARMY National Guard, which has taught me so much more life skills than high school ever could have. Since joining my life has changed dramatically for the better, and overall I have become a much better person because of it. I now have certain disciplines I never had and organization in my life that is making college much easier than I had imagined.

I would tell myself to work harder at my final year of school and to apply to more outside scholarships. It would be easier to be in school and only in school now. I would also tell myself as a senior to apply to more schools and shop around. I think that if I compared schools a little more, I would be able to take the best offer, rather than stick with the safe option. I would tell myself that it is not a smooth transaction from high school to college if you do not have time for any school activities because of working and attending school. I would tell myself to enjoy my final year of high school and work hard to prepare for the next chapter in my book. It might not be a very easy road for me to continue on, but it will be worth the drive in the end.

Knowing what I know now I would have never quit college the first time because it is the hardest thing to get back into college. I would definately go back and redo everything. I would go to class and work my hardest on my school work. I would encourage all my friends to stay in and do there best. I am ready to get a degree and start a career and raise my child.

If only I'd known what I know now... Had I realized the numerical sum once you added the expenses of tuition, housing, books, office supplies, music equipment, winter apparel, groceries, doctor visits, medications, and even toilet paper, perhaps I would not have taken the value of money for granted when I was a high school senior. Perhaps I would have worked harder in school. Perhaps I would not have viewed my father as merely an ATM maching. Perhaps I would not have spent every work pay-check on movie tickets, concerts, clothing, and other non-essential items. Not only that, perhaps I would not have quit my job just because I wanted to be able to sleep in on the weekends. Had I been able to see into the future, to see the current $2.76 balance in my bank account and then ask my father for money only to have him reply "Actually, I was going to ask YOU for money..we might lose the house", I'd been more responsible and appreciative. I would have valued money, kept my job, saved up. I would have been smarter. I would have been better prepared.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself two things. First, figure out what you really want to pursue as a career. I thought I wanted to be a nurse, but in my second semester of my freshman year, I decided that I truly wanted to be an underwater archaeologist. Those are two very different majors and occupations. This also is very expensive to change last minute, especially when you have nursing classes that you have to drop for anthropology classes. Second, don' t procrastinate and actually study. I went from having a 3.0 GPA to a 1.75 GPA because I didn't take college serious. I goofed off and didn't attend class as I should have. You can lose scholarships and even get kicked out of college by doing that. I would strongly yell at my high school senior self to get myself in gear, because I'm not that special, there are other people who can do archaeology better than me IF I don't start taking what I want to pursue and how I will pursue it seriously.

If I could go back in time to my senior year of high school, there would be a lot of different choices I would make before going to college. Some of those choices would be to fill out more scholarships to get more money, work more over the summer so I would have money saved up, and study even more then I already did. I would fill out more scholarships because that way I wouldn't have to pay as much money towards school. College is very expensive and the more scholarships you fill out the better you'll be. I would also work more over the summer so I could have money saved up for living expenses. Food for a college apartment can get pretty costy. It would have been better if I would have saved more money for food. I also would have studied more then I did so I would be more prepared for college classes. All of these "should haves" are what are important to do before college.

Unfortunately I do not have much to say seeing as I am suffering from amnesia and have no clue what that person was like or the plans that person had made.

Wherever college takes you have an open mind. Don't be afraid to connect with your peers and advisors. You will need them to have a positive successful collegiate career and to open doors for you after graduation. Take all general education/graduation requirement classes first regardless if you know what your major is because you are spending your money so spend it wisely. Find resources outside of what the school will provide to attend school. Your education is your responsiblity so handle it cause no one else will. Lastly, take one semester at a time and enjoy what you will learn in and outside of the classroom. Everything is an experience.

I would tell myself to go with my first choice in picking a career. I would have said that " You will need medical in a few years, continue and follow your dreams." I would of them listened to my heart and maybe have been able to save my dad. My dad died 2 years after I graduated college. And now I am going back to follow what I should have started. Now I can't save my dad because he is in heaven, but I can keep other family members going strong with the information I will learn.