Scottsdale Community College Top Questions

The concept of time travel has always facinated mankind. The thought that one could travel back and fix the mistakes of another or themself to make a better timeline, really compells our imagination. For the notion of what I would tell myself if I went back in time to my senior year self; I suppose that is an excellent question. Perhaps I would start with explaining some of the differences and similarities between high school and college. In many ways college is very different from high school, while in some ways they are somewhat the same. College has a more "adult" environment where you are free to be yourself more than high school. But in both of them there is always going to be the same types of people; good people and the obnoxious people. If I gave my past self advice, I would tell him; to prepare for a more adult environment, start saving some money for college and other expenses like a car, and have fun with senior year because it is the last time you will be in high school. College and high school are both different worlds, so be sure to have fun with both.

The most important piece of advice I would tell myself is not to be afraid and fail. I would say chase your dreams and be fearless about it. I have learned over years that failure is just one step closer to success and to never let failure stop me. While we are in high school, we are always thinking about what our peers think about us and usually try to conform for acceptance. I would tell my high school self, now, forget all of that. Life is about making mistakes and learning and growing from those mistakes. Failure will happen but do not let that stop you. That is important in any aspect of life. I would say, take bold chances and highlight my individuality. It is our uniqueness that makes us special.

I would tell myself to not give up. I grew up with a learning disability and a broken home. I had no one tell me that college was an option for me. Everyone knew I was smart and inquisitive, but that wasn’t enough. In my mind, I knew that I was not going to college, so I didn’t try. I gave up and watched my class walk while I sat defeated and in tears. I finished highschool online begrudgingly knowing that I needed a high school diploma for most jobs. It took years to build the confidence in myself now, and I know how much a reassuring smile mixed with someone caring about me changed my life. If I could tell my highschool self that I don’t need to dig into myself so hard and that I could show my full potential by going to school, I would in an instant. I would add, that the hard work is worth it and it is important to be active in your own success always. I feel that there are kids that fall through the cracks who just need someone to show them that there is a way out.

Going back in time to myself as a high school senior, I think the best advice I could give myself is to have an open mind. Be willing to make friends with unusual people, be ready to take classes in new and unusual subjects, and accept the experience as it is. The time will pass regardless of how much I take from it, so keeping an open mind will teach me to learn a lot more each step of the way. Also, I would tell myself to take advantage of every opportunity that looks enticing. I know that often I choose to stop and wait a while before making a decision about something, but college goes by so quickly that I didn't have much time to wait. I found it is important to take bold steps and be willing to step out of my comfort zone in order to get the best experience. Stop waiting for someone else's approval, and just go for it.

I would give myself the advice of show up every day and to take every writing assignment to the writing center for a totur to check it so you have the best paper when turning it in to the teacher.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior the advice I would give myself is to apply to as many scholarships as I possible can. I have stated this because there are a lot of scholarship out there just waiting for students to apply. Unfortunately some scholarships are not rewarded to students simply because they are lazy or don't want to put any effort or time to work at something that will eventually help them pay for college. I thought that if I had a good GPA throughout high school was enough for scholarship opportunitys to find me without any effort on my part. I was wrong because in real life people must work hard to get something in return. This is why I would remind myself to never give up on the scholarship search because there is so much money out in the world just waiting for hard working students to receive what they deserve.

I would tell myself to enjoy my last year under my parents household and all the time that i got to spend with my mother and brother; also to start saving as much money as possible for college. In school try to get all straight "A's" and apply for grants and scholorships much sooner than i did. And finally, i would move to tucson instead of scottsdale and start establishing myself in tucson, rather then attempting to move in a year or so. Now i live on my own, go to a community college as a full time student, work 30 hours a week and live on my own right out of high school. I wish that i would of had more money to pay for college and told myself to enjoy my senior year and to really soak in all the time that i had with my family before i moved. Just to prepare more for college and continue to strive for the engineering degree no matter what.

Knowing the things I now know I would advise myself to not complain about how hard my English teacher was my senior year. Although it was difficult and I could never seem to get a grade which seemed satisfactory to me, I couldn't be any more thankful for that class. It was because that teacher expected so much out of her students and never let us slack off that I got an "A" in my English 101 class and find my 102 class to also be a breeze. I would also tell myself to be more outgoing at making friends outside of my own little clique because when you go to a school 200 miles away from home you have the option to be quiet and make very few friends, or to be outgoing and make a lot of new friends. And in college people don't care if you were a princess, brain, athlete, criminal, or basketcase in high school. So all the time spent to get into a specific clique is just time that could have been spent on far better things. College isn't about what you were then, it's about who you are now.

I would force myself to apply for scholarships instead of appling for financial aid. I would also talk myself out of attending Arizona State University. I would also tell myself to get more involved with organizations on campus because I left ASU after 5 years with a bachelor's degree and I don't have any fond memories or friends from those five years.

The first thing I would do is prepare and research. Next I would have been more involved in clubs and programs. The best advice I could give to myself would be to stick with my decisions no matter what anyone said about my career choice. The first two years are just milestones and once they are passed the experience is truly rewarding.