Pacific University Top Questions

Don't get caught up in what other people have to say about you. Just be yourself and once you're in college, no one will care becase either they will like you for you or choose not to associate themselves with you. Either one of those choices benefits you as a person. Mostly, just be content with yourself as a human being and know that you can do it. Know that you are able to shoot to the moon and back with everything that you do no matter if you are referring to school or sports. Lastly, don't get involved in past drama that is irrelevant. Stay focused on your studies and what makes you genuinely happy. That drama is not going to play into who you are as a person or who you will become so it is going to be most beneficial to you to simply ignore it and move on.

I know you fear all the things that could go wrong while you are “on your own” passing into adulthood. I know you are excited that you have “crossed the finish line”, in a sense, as you are about to graduate and move on from those many years spent in school. The truth is you will make mistakes, and some of the things you fear might actually happen. You shouldn’t be paralyzed by this fear but be ready to learn from it. And yes, you should be excited; celebrate with your friends and family for your great accomplishment, but realize that this is not the end of the line. You have crossed one finish line, but the next race is about to begin. The course of this race will take you to places you never thought you would go and meet people you will remember for the rest of your life. At times you will wish you didn’t have to grow up, but it is not a choice that you get to make. What you do get to decide is what kind of adult you will be. Good luck and know that you are never far from help.

People describe me as “quiet”. When I entered college, I met my first positive student leader role models, Resident Assistants (RAs), and aspired to become one of them. However, I thought it took a boisterous personality to be a leader. When I began thinking about being an RA, I turned to books for advice. Thus I discovered Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. As an Asian American, extroversion often seems excessively loud - sometimes even disrespectful. In freshman year, I got teased for being “antisocial” because I didn’t constantly hang out with friends the way most teenagers do. I was studious, enjoyed reading and playing music, volunteered and held a work-study job, and loved having cultural discussions with my roommate – that’s all I needed. Quiet taught me the difference between shyness and introversion, validated the way I felt about my social needs, and empowered me with the knowledge that I could be an excellent leader without sacrificing my personality. I wish I'd known this and gotten involved on campus sooner - I've met so many wonderful people since.

The advice I would give to myself as a High School Senior would be, first and foremost, to work harder, but also to work smarter. I have a tendency to want to be too perfect. Due to this, I tend to go into too much detail and run out of time as well as energy. In order to counter this, working smarter would be the best way to proceed, especially since one can only work hard to a certian point, while still remaining healthy. On the other hand, there are always more ways to work in a smart and efficient manner. That being said, nothing can replace hard work. Both the smart and hard compnents of working are crucial for success. All of this work would, of course, go to studying in school for classes, as well as for the Act and SAT. As important as grades are, my life as a human being is far more important, so I would also tell myself to always keep God first. He is the only true way to happiness and the only thing that can truly satisfy the human heart. Overall, I would tell these important things to my High School self.

The most important advice I would give myself to prepare for college life would be about living. Going to school since age 5, I already know how to manage academics. But, at home, my parents took care of everything else. I’d advise me to learn to take care of myself. I’d advise myself to be disciplined with housekeeping. Although I thought I knew how to clean everything, when I actually started to clean, I realized I wasn’t getting good results. I called home a lot to ask for housekeeping advice. I would also advise myself to learn to cook the foods I like to eat, and have never cooked. Being thousands of miles away from home, I missed the foods I ate with my family. My parents gave me a credit card, and just told me, “Don’t spend too much.” I was not taught the concept of income versus expenses. I knew the cost of tuition and boarding. But, I did not consider my parents’ income. I’d advise me to understand, manage and respect my financial situation. I’d advise myself to learn to do the things my parents did for me.

I would tell myself that there is so much time in life to enjoy yourself and play so use your time in college wisely. I would make it a point to myself that no ma

Hey! So the thing is, I’m you a year from now. Am I going to tell you which college to go to and what to say? No, you can figure that out just fine on your own. Am I going to tell you to keep your grades up? No, you’ve known that since junior year, and honestly that has never been a worry for us. What I am going to tell you is to apply for more scholarships. You don’t have any money put aside for college, you know that. Yet, you put scholarships off until the freshman year of college. College is not cheap my dear. Also, branch out more in college. Make more connections, join more clubs, and keep in touch with people. My next bit of advice is highly important. Are you listening? Bring a lot of note cards, and I mean a lot. They are wonderful for studying and great for keeping track of what needs to be done. If you failed to take my advice, there is still time to fix these mistakes. Just be aware of what needs to be done and work hard and you’ll be just fine.

Advice I would give myself is to not be scared and to believe in yourself that you can compete academically with others even though you received an education from Hawaii. So many people doubt student from Hawaii because of our low education scores and it effects us. I'm one of many who are in college to prove them wrong. I am prideful and wont let anyone take it away from me. I would also tell myself to get them study habits instilled in you because once your in college the library is your new home. Going from my school to a great University such as this was a shock at first, but slowly I figured it out. It's not the fact of wanting to succeed in the classroom, it's making right choices to succeed. With such great people around me I find myself among others focusing on school. One more thing I would tell myself is to never give up. There are times in classes when I feel dumb, and I beat myself up about it. There is so much help on campus from other students and teachers who want nothing but for you to be successful.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, the advice I would give myself is to use my time more wisely. Time management is important because it helps to stay on track with much school work and it also helps to stay on task. Before having any leisure time, finishing school work first is a first priority. The sooner you finish your school work, the sooner and longer time to have free time. All in all, enjoy high school, make new friends, and never doubt in yourself. Always do your best and strive for the highest.

I would tell my high school self to look at careers in physical therapy. I would still tell me to go to the local community college, but get the math and sciences done which I am lacking right now. I would tell myself to talk to a teacher at the high school about physical therapy because he is the local therapist for the area.