Southern Polytechnic State University Top Questions

Given the opportunity to talk to high school Emma, I would take that chance to calm her nerves. Senior year of high school I had almost zero experience of any kind; i felt extremely young, fragile and new to everything. I was a terrified, awkward little girl. Even these two years, or so, in community college have supplied me with immense growth and experience. I would tell young me to have no fear; that deep inside, there is inner strength and confidence marinating, just waiting for its chance to shine. Any new situation is/can be frightening, but step by step, anything is possible, and even easy, to do. It's just that intimidating first step, and once you've begun, you have the confidence and heart to do anything. You got this.

If I could go back to my Senior year of High School, I would tell myself a lot of things about college. First I would tell myself to apply for more scholarships because paying for college is not easy. Second, I would tell myself to follow my dreams and go to the University of Alabama no matter what my family wanted. I should not have settled for the easy way of college; I should have went straight to a 4 year university instead of a small community college. College is not scary like I thought it would be, instead it is actually very open and friendly. I have made a lot of new friends and i am glad i made the decision to go to college. It is really going to help me in the future when i apply for jobs.

Hello, young me. That is a nice beard you have there. Keep growing it out. Also, remember to actually study. I know high school was really easy for you, but college is a different ball game. I'm serious here, dude. You will make several C's and almost fail a class next year. You have to take it seriously. Also, you're going to suck at programming so you might as well go into Technical Communication now, because you're going to drop Computer Science like a bad habit. Also, bet lot's of money on the Packers. They'll win Super Bowl XLV.

I would've taken more AP credits and tried to test out of more classes, in order to give myself more leeway and flexibility when picking classes. I also would've developed my study habits more so I wasn't overwhelmed as a freshman. I started working sophomore year of college to support my studies, but getting a job in high school and beginning saving early would've proven beneficial. It also would've pushed time management which has proven key as I've transitioned to an upperclassmen.

I would recommend when coming straight out of high school, you should enroll in a community college as your first choice. I believe that the community college experience will set you up to succeed in your future plans. After being in a community college setting you will set yourself up to understand college life and be better perpared to choose further education in four year university. While also doing this process, as a student you can get the best education for half the price and at the end of the day you have recieved the same education that everyone starting out in a four year university recieved.

The best piece of advice that would've helped me, as a student finishing high school and trying to decide about my future (colleges, career choices, etc.) would've been to make sure I know myself first. I wasn't necessarily ready to start college right out of high school. I was a kid and believed that college was my only option so I went into it without knowing much about life or what I wanted to do with it and as a result kind of half-heartedly pushed through my first couple semesters of college with mediocre grades. I then took a year off to learn about myself and life and now am going into the college experience with a lot more passion and direction than I had before. I'm excited about my major and because I took the time to discover what I'm interested in and what I could spend the rest of my life doing. It would've been much easier to make some of the decisions I've made had I known that there's no rush, and if you need time to learn about yourself-take it!

Breathe. High School has its troubles with school work and every day drama. My advice is to take a step back. Take a weekend and enjoy it, coming back refreshed and focused. Focus on your school work and plan ahead so everything is finished including homework, projects, papers, applications, application essays, test scores, and scholorship applications. Don’t worry about the student drama as you’ll be parting from those people in no time, but try and enjoy the time you do have in high school by making lasting memories. Your teachers and school faculty are preparing you for your future, so thank the ones who are making it feel unbearable. It will make life easier later on. Focus on the task ahead, but do not kill yourself with stress. It will all work out in the end if you work your hardest.

If I could go back and tell myself something during my senior year of high school that would help me make the transition into college life, I would say to listen to my parents. My parents knew me better than I knew myself. They knew what struggles I would have being away from home. I would learn how to manage money better. However, they prepared me to be independent. I also would take more time learning how to study on my own.

Advice to my high school self I am a construction management senior at Southern Polytechnic State University and nothing more motivates me than to excel in school and ultimately get a good job. I have always admired programs like yours- Campus Discovery Scholarship-that grant students who have the desire but not the resources the opportunity to attain their goals and dreams. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would advice myself to focus in class, never procrastinate as I tend to procrastinate at times, participate in student life activities on campus and try as much as possible not to take student loans. Looking back now there was no way I could have avoided taking student loans because there was no other options for me. Nevertheless, I can still say that it is rewarding to know that I am following all the other advice I would have given myself because following them has gotten me to where I am now-academically sound. My career objective is to secure a position as a project manager after college completion and this program will equip me with the tools to attain my goal.

I wish that someone would have told me how important it is to be social. I isolated myself growing up and only had a few friends. When I got to the real world after I graduated, I found it hard to be comfortable at jobs and around groups of people in general. Having friends and even acquaintances, is crucial in more than just your personal life, but professional endeavors as well. At work, I learned fairly quickly that you had to be proficient at your trade, yes, but if you are lacking social outreach, people don’t reach back. I was passed up for a promotion because I was the quiet one in the shadows. I took the opposite approach and got letters of recommendation and I still keep in touch with my superiors! I also think it is important to find out, very early on, who you are as a person. Truly isolate your personal goals and aspirations and go after them! I waited 5 years to reach out and was lucky to have the opportunity. This may sound cheesy, but life is short, truly live it the way that YOU want to! It is YOUR life!