Portland State University Top Questions

Overall , the transition between high school and college was fairly smooth. I attended a community college during the final two years of my high school career and doing so definitely helped ease the transition. However, after I completed community college I moved into my own place in the city to attend PSU. This transition hit me hard since I had to leave my family behind for the first time and venture into the world alone. If there was one piece of advice that I could give to myself during my past few years of high school and community college, I would simple say "Breath". Getting through school as swiftly as possible is a great dream but doing it in a way that can overwhelm you is tough and can sometimes become exhausting. Just breath and remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel may feel excruciatingly long at the present, but you have the support system around you to make it out alive. So don't forget to take a moment for yourself and breath.

When you leave college, you will not be the same person who started. Be open to growth. Be open to new experiences. Stay true to your core, because that won't change, but college is a time to root yourself more fully into that core. Explore who you are by having that conversation you wouldn't have had, or going somewhere new. It's scary, classes can be hard, but you'll get through it. Ask for help from your friends, family, teachers- they are your support network and that is what they are there for. Allow yourself the space for mistakes. Most importantly though: grow in who you are, and who you want to become.

If I could travel backwards in time, there are two pieces of advice regarding the transition to college life that I would bestow upon my 18-year-old self. The first recommendation is to treat your coursework not as an end in itself, but rather as a means to unlocking future opportunities. Education does not end with the conferment of a degree. Approach your curricula with the goal of acquiring tools for lifelong learning, but not just passing exams and assignments. The multitudes of facts and figures are generally forgotten within months of completing any particular course. However, the tools acquired through the proper orientation towards such facts and figures can be preserved for life with practice and continual application. The second recommendation is to get involved in civic-oriented campus groups and clubs. Not only is this an avenue to help ameliorate pressing social problems, but also such circles of friends help to alleviate the stressors that inevitably accompany college life. However, master the balancing act of social and educational early in your academic pursuits!

The number one thing I would tell myself is that you are going to school to learn. Friends are important, but all you are doing is learning and trying to better yourself. I would also tell myself that procrastination is never smart and to stop putting things off when I don't understand them. Their is no shame or embarrassment in asking for help, in fact idiots are the people who don't ask for help, so get your butt up there and ask if you aren't sure about something. Other than that I would say to enjoy your years in school, because soon enough you'll be think about and applying to grad school, and who wants to think about that as a senior in high school?

I would tell myself to always stay true to the person I am. I have every opportunity in the world to create my own success, but the drive to find it comes from within and it must be chased with audacity and ambition. Making the transition to college can be difficult and sometimes there may be the feeling of loneliness, but the fact is no one is ever alone and everyone has been in the same shoes. It works, and the key to making it work is by being outgoing and involved, finding the key to my own success because no one else can do that for me. The only way I can find true happiness in the college life is to find my fit and find what makes me the person I want to be.

It wouldn't be easy for you to go to another country that people speak a complete different language and to study at college. However, you can do it with extraordinary hard work. Pleae be confident with yourself, and do what you really want to do right now. Gain new experiences, and polish your soul and learn about life. American college is a complete different environment from what you used to be. There are a lot of resources that are very helpful and necessary for you to be successful in collge life and career. Take your time and bear the frustration. Please be patient with yourself, and try to have fun with anything you need to do. Don't worry too much about your future, but always know what you are doing, only then you will find your right way. Your health is the most important thing when you are in a foreign country. Eat as well as you can. Exercise as much as you can. Believe in yourself, and enjoy your life in college.

I would advise my former self to apply herself better to her education, and to explore more subjects.

don't take a year off, fill out fafsa on time, get scholarships, and go to UC Santa Barbara

The advice I would give myself would be to take the required courses, such as math, science, and foreign languages first, before taking any of the fun classes just so they are done. It's not fun waiting until the very end to take the required classes, especially when you are so close to graduating, or wanting to move in a different direction, in but have to wait due to these required courses that were put off till the end. Also to enjoy school it?s an experience that only comes once in a while and to take advantage of what you can while still can.

Decide which career you want to pursue, research it thoroughly, and do what feels right.