The University of Alabama Top Questions

There is tons of advice I would give myself. First off, I would tell myself to do better on the placement test, that way I wouldn’t have wasted time on unnecessary classes. All it did was take more time to complete an Associate’s Degree and waste my time. I would also tell myself to manage my money carefully. I shouldn’t t have wasted it on things I didn’t need and should have saved it for future expenses, like a university where it is more expensive. I would also tell myself that college is harder than high school and there will be more homework and tests will be much more complicated than in high school. It is also important to become more involved in clubs and activities while in college. Asking questions during lectures is also important and will help you better understand the material. There are many more things I would tell myself but I am limited. The most important is to try your best and you will go far in your college experience.

If I told myself that college was going to actually require study time, I would have laughed at my future self. Knowing myself, I would need something more than my future self telling me what I need to do. Instead of trying to convince myself to study, I would bring a copy of my transcripts from my first time through college, which was a 2.8 GPA average, and a copy of my recent college work which was a 4.0 GPA average. Now that I've got my past-self's attention I would go on to explain that all the fun things that will happen in college are not bad in themselves, but will have damaging effects on our academics if our time isn't managed well. I would also advise myself to not judge myself so harshly. People will not like us, but we shouldn't base the "who we are" on how we think other people think of us; you'll be much happier once you've learned this lesson. Then I would recap what I just said because I enjoy bullet points: time management, study hard, and love yourself.

I would like to tell you that you are a intelligent person, and you have the potential to do great things in life. However, your journey will not be as easy as the paths you have been on before now. Instead of stepping on pebbles, you will now climb up rocky hills and sometimes move mountains to get your destination. But as I have said before, you have great potential. I believe in you; however, I know you do not believe in yourself because you lack confidence. I know you can not just look in the mirror right after reading this letter and feel like the most confident person in the world. But I know if you can at least look in the mirror once a day, and tell yourself that you can complete the most difficult tasks, your confidence will begin to bloom like a daisy. You'll have more success, and you will take more risks. And the best part about confidence is that even when you fail, you know enough of your potential to rise back up to the next challenge. So put a smile on your face and hold your head up high. Be Confident!

I have often answered this same queston to my friends and family about this situation. The number one thing I would tell myself would be to take high school classes more seriously. I was never a bad student, but I only worked to make the grades I needed to keep from being grounded. Now, knowing how expensive college is, I would tell myself to work your tail off and earn a fully paid scholarship. Also, to not jump around from career to career but to focus on the path that I was truly passionate about so I would be more determined my first year of college, instead of going with the flow of being a college freshman. I would advise myself to visit more colleges, sit down and learn about what that University could offer before jumping into the University that was familiar. To myself: Take a chance and don't get distracted, keep your mind focused on your path and dont let anyone hold you back, because you will eventually get to where you are going, and it will be worth it.

It would be nice if we could go back in time and talk to oneself with the knowledge and experience of the present time; if this were possible so many people, including myself, could have avoided a lot of wasted time and grief going through college aimlessly. First of all, I would tell myself to go to the high school counselor to ask her what is required by the colleges; what courses and tests should I take to improve my academics and be more attractive to colleges. I would tell Andrea, me, to take more challenging courses, make good grades, focus on challenging courses.. I would tell myself to get advance placement courses to prepare myself better for college level work. I would advice myself to volunteered more in the community and would have gotten involved with groups that best match my interests, such as cancer research. I would study more and prepare myself for the standardize tests that are required for college admission. There's so much I would tell myself if I had the opportunity to go back in time; however, at this time I'm very happy with my choice of career.

Exclusively, I would tell myself to be exactly that, myself. A lot of my life I have been the person that everyone else has wanted me to be, and until college my mindset thought no differently. Earlier on in my life, during my high school experience, I should have learned to become less molded to society’s norms, and form my own category. High school has many classifications in its hierarchy, and I with my juvenile naivetés fell for it. Without my college friends, more mature mentality, and especially my college professors, I would have never learned what it feels like to absolutely be myself, and to let go of what others want, becoming exactly who I strive to be. Actions as well as choices play a major part in this, and I know now what it feels like to stray from the average and present who I truly am. If I would have conditioned this into myself earlier then I would have had more vivid goals, and my decision making processes would have become less difficult. This would have taught me that only I have the right answers, and that I cannot search for resolution in others beliefs.

I would tell myself no matter what, you need to apply for as many scholarships as you possibly can. Making those prepartions to pay for school and potentially having extra money in your pocket pays off in the long run. If you get enough money in scholarships, then will not have to take out loans. Along with that, you need to make sure you prepare yourself for graduate school as soon as you can, so you will not be scrambling to get everything ready to turn in. Once you prepare yourself, you will have plenty of time to have fun with your peers along with getting the good grades.

Being a high school senior can play a very important role for the career path you decide to take. If I could go back and speak to myself as a high school senior I would give many pointers. Not necessarily bad but just pointers that would actually allow me to really think of life for myself and think ahead. 10 things I wish someone would have told me: 1)commit myself to making lots of mistakes: take a chance, don;t hesitate and dont doubt yourself. 2)Explore new ideas/opportunities: Live to explore. 3)Make swift decisions and take action: knowledge is useless without actions. 4) Always be honest with yourself 5) Accept and embrace change; after all things happen for a reason. 6) Ask questions: inquiring gives you the ability to be adventurous and more knowledgeable. 7) Sit alone in silence for atleast ten minutes every day: hearing your thoughts can allow you to plan, reflect and dream. 8) Excel at what you do: Effort = Results. 9)Use your resources wisely: One day you will remember them. ......and lastly 10) Be who you were born to be: follow your heart; fulfill YOUR dreams and desires.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior knowing what I know now would be to apply for every scholarship that you can. What I realize know is that I didn’t apply for enough scholarships, which is causing me to scramble to find more to help offset the cost of Western Oregon University. I didn’t realize that since Western Oregon University is in Oregon and I live in Vancouver, Washington; which is bordered to Oregon, that I’m considered out of state. Every little bit of scholarship money helps so that you won’t have to take out as much loans to cover the offset of a Bachelor’s degree that you will get starting in the fall of 2013 for criminal justice.

The best advice I could give to an incoming freshman is that if you do not know exactly what career path you want to take it is ok! You have plenty of time to figure it out. I would suggest not declaring a major until you are fully committed to it in order to use your time most efficently and not end up taking a bunch of classes you do not need. Be bold and trust your instincts. College is a place where you can be whoever you want to be. Know who you are and persue your dreams with everything you've got! It will be the best four, or more if you can drag it out, years of your life!