Southern Polytechnic State University Top Questions

Don't fall behind and know what you want from it. To many kids waste a lot of time because they retake classes because they just don't know what they need or want to do. A big one would also be to go to class. Don't get lazy and sleep in.

If I was talking to my high school self I would tell her to remember to save her money for school. I spent majority of what I made at my job, leaving me not a lot to help my parents with college. I would also tell her to start applying for scholarships, and to work on applying to more colleges. I would remind her to do her FAFSA on time so she could get into NC State. So basically, I would just remind her that she needs to stop being lazy about college, so she wouldn't have to rush to be admitted into a community college, and to rush to apply for scholarships so she can go to a 4-year university.

If I could go back in time as a high school senior, the advice I would give myself would be to focus on studying more. Another important advice I would give myself would be to prepare myself for college life, knowing how to balance life and studies and adjusting well to the transition to life in college. I would recommend to the younger high school student a stronger focus on sports (Basket-Ball) in order to become a student-athlete. But the most important advice would definitely consist of working harder to get the highest grades possible because they strongly affect all your college applications.

Learn everything you can because what you get out of it will prepare you for the future.

My first piece of advice is to get some sleep. You wil not be able to meet all of your expectations on three or four hours of sleep. Also, don't count on napping in class; high school teachers didn't like it and college professors despise it. As for what professors hate the most, that would definitely be late work, so don't procastinate. You might as well start now, because it was pretty jarring how every single syllabi I recieved had "no late work accepted" in bold and italics. That was the scary stuff, now for the good parts. Make as many friends as you can once you get here. Get out and enjoy the campus you're paying for. Finally, remember that the sad grumble at the bad and the happy smile at the good.

I would tell myself not to worry about what other people might think. My main advice would be for me to get involved with my college sooner than I had because it creates many more opportunities and relationships that would not occur otherwise.

If I could go back in time and advise my senior self about college life and the making the transition from high school to college I would have many pieces of advice for myself. I would tell myself to get out and meet more people; if you have more friends in a class, studying for that class becomes easier and much more enjoyable. Getting involved in campus activities from the beginning is another incredibly important tip. The more involved in your school's activities and campus' events, the more enjoyable school becomes. Sitting around and playing video games all day may seem like fun, but it will get old, and you are not gaining anything. Event involvement is also a great item to add to your ever important resume. The last piece of advice I would give my senior self: take advantage of services provided by your school. If you are feeling stressed, go talk to the counselors, or if you need help with some work, go talk to the professor or a tutor. These services are all available free of charge. I would tell myself to enjoy college, and make sure to gain everything possible from the experience.

Do what you can to earn more money. College is expensive. Also, practice better time management skills.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that college is a great experience. I would tell myself to keep trying my hardest in high school, and make sure I study. Procrastination is one of the worst things I can do to myself, so make sure to avoid it. I would look myself in the eyes and tell myself not to worry. Don't worry about relationships, or getting a job, or even about the stress of homework and making new friends. All of that will work itself out, as long as I keep up with my homework and relax when I can. I would tell myself that even though I know I will be taking the same courses in college as I was in high school, to still try my hardest and make sure I pay attention to every lecture. I would tell myself to start applying to colleges early, as opposed to waiting until the month before graduation from high school and simply hoping I get accepted in time. Most important of all, I would tell myself to balance work and play, and get prepared.

The advice I would give to myself as a 17 year old senior would be to love myself more, not to take my mother for granted and start at the local community college for my education. I’d tell myself that I am too emotionally attached to animals and that being a veterinarian would not be a good idea. I would talk myself into pursing nursing. I would tell myself that due to my high tolerance for the sight of blood – not to mention my love of horror movies – that nursing would benefit my lifestyle and sentiment. I would convince my younger self to utilize my research skills and go on a treasure hunt for scholarships. School is expensive and it’s cheaper to get someone else to pay for it. The most important thing I would tell my high school senior self is to stay focused on school, enjoy the simple life living with mom and most importantly do everything school related early; early registration, buy books early, tour school to find classes early, pay for school early and do homework early. If you’re early you’re on time; if you’re on time you’re late.