Riverside City College Top Questions

If I could go back to the year 2000, when I was a highschool senior, I would have to tell myself to go to college directly out of high school and pursue my career goal. I would tell the high school me to wait to get married and have children and attend college first. I would warn myself the struggles of raising four children alone and attending school. I however, would not have listened and would have still made the choices I made back then. I am grateful for the choices that I have made as a single mother that is attending college and I find it very rewarding. My children look up to me and get to see the hardships and struggles and it has in return given them the motivation to do well in school and hold on to their dreams.

If I were to go back and talk to myself, the dialogue would go somewhat like this: Hi 17 year old Joe, it's me, your future self. I know all you want to do is leave this wretched institution, but you need to focus more on your academic trajectory, and not trying to fit in. The "friends" you devote so much time to hanging out with won't exist in 5 years. I know your parents aren't guiding you in the right direction, but reach out to your teachers, volunteer at the hospital, and start networking. Place more emphasis on visualizing a long term goal and working towards it, rather than dreaming about the weekend. While it may seem your current financial situation is holding you back from attending a 4 year university like your peers, swallow your pride and look into attending the community college. Heck, if you cut half of the time you waste on myspace, and instead searched for scholarships online, your financial future woudn't seem so grim.

Considering that I am only an 11th grader, this question is a bit difficult for me to answer. You see, I'm fifteen and in my second year of college. I started college at age twelve after graduating from high school in October 2011. I was 12 and in the 8th grade. Specifically, I received my High School Certificate of Proficiency at that time. Then, even though I didn't have to, I still went on to ninth grade. Now, I'm attending high school classes during the day and college classes in the evenings. Therefore, since I cannot go back to "me" as a high school senior, the equivalent of that would be myself in 6th grade. (It should have been 7th but I had just skipped 7th and went straight to 8th.) So, if I could go back and talk to myself as a 6th grader, I would tell myself to actually read my school books. This would give me the practice of learning how to study, because college isn't about how smart you are anymore and having A's come easily. It's about how hard you study and work for a grade.

Stay the course; make up your own mind and don't be afraid of the decisions you make. You'll love the person you grow into because of the experiences you enjoy and endure, not despite them, and that person is someone worth growing into.

Dear Rachel, Go out and apply for more scholarships. It is possible to get to a four year university if you just work for it. Keep your grades up, and dont let senior-itis sest in. RCC is not where you want to go next year and be stuck. However, listen to God and His guidence for your life. He may want you to be somewhere you never expected. Sincerly, Your Future Self

If I would give my eighteen year old self advice, I would give some handy advice to myself. One thing that I would tell myself is to search all the schools in California to see what best interests you without giving up and settling on a community college. Nothing is wrong with community college, but at least try to apply to a university(s) of your interest to see if you got in or not. It's great to know if a university is actually looking forward to have you as a student! So go for it and explore the schools in California! Another thing that I would tell myself is that its okay to not know what you want to do in life. This question will always come back to you for your whole life, all you have to do is to keep doing what keeps you happy no matter what it is that you do. There will be times when you will slip and fall, but I want you to remember this: Do not stay on the floor, get back up. You just have to pick yourself back up. That's what I'll tell my past self.

Dear High-school Self,College is rough! You need to be mentally prepared for everything. The truth is, high-school teachers do not fully tell you the truth when they say that they are preparing you now for what you will see in college, because they never truly can. Every college experience is different. If I had the chance to do it all again, I would go to RCC and then transfer to Colorado State University as soon as I was truly ready. This would have saved us a lot of time and money. In order to do this though, we would have had to make sure to stay focused, focusing on school and working hard to save every penny that we could. The out-of-state experience is amazing and I am so glad that I had it, but it would have been much more rewarding had I been more experienced and prepared for it. Good luck, -Your College Self

Start saving money christian and start working as soon as possible . Hit the books hard and study well. Do'nt drink and go to parties waste of time . Focus on school , work , and on family. Days off from school and work spend time with your family. Buy books online to save money. Use all the school's free resources to your advantage. sleep early so you dont sleep in class. Pase yourself dont over whelm yourself with school and work. Plan for every step make backup plans for school. Due all assignments as soon as possible sooner finish less you worry about it. Study for test or ask instructor for study guide. Well good look chris stay focus later.

I wish I known the costs associated with college and most of all worring how i need to put it more hours working to pay for the the courses and text books. In high school, it’s pretty clear what classes you have to take to graduate without stress of the expenses. The material covered in college courses is more complex than that taught in high school classes, and it’s presented at a faster pace. I learned since the academic pressure is much greater in college and it very crucial that I had to take responsibility for my own learning because no one is going to be spoon fed. Learning to be prepared to manage my time between studying, exams and balancing classes schedule which means learning to choose course load that includes some challenging classes and others that are less intense. It okay to ask to request for help, no one well be looking for me. Now I know that is it okay to go through tough times because it makes you stronger and when times get tough, I understand that there is nothing wrong with me because that's just the reality of college. It worth it.

If i could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior i would tell my self to start applying for scholarships. i would also explain how your on your own when in college. i would tell myself that its time to step it up and no slacking off because times are hard and your parents wont have the money to pay your way to college. thats would be the advice i give my self.