University of Phoenix-Wisconsin Top Questions

Hey Sonya, Here's the deal. I know you don't want to go to college right now but you should. The longer you wait to go back the harder its going to be to get into the school routine and make it harder to concentrate on classes. Find a counsler that you can really talk to and isn't just going through the motions of their job and is willing to let you know what's best for you, even if you don't want to hear it! Don't worry about being the popular kid in class and keep the few friends you make close to you. This is going to be hard to hear, but its time you learn to really depend on yourself, that self reliance is what is going to get you furtherst in life! Oh, another thing......let life take its course. Don't worry about things you can't control.

Jenni, I could tell you not to go the criminal justice route, but looking back, all I see are some of the greatest experiences you'll ever have. You put your heart and soul into that degree, but your body couldn't keep up. You didn't know you'd be diagnosed with severe rheumatoid arthritis and your entire dream of being a detective would go down the drain. All that time and money? Don't consider it wasted. I know you will because I have many times, but please don't. If you would change anything, then you wouldn't be who you are today. You wouldn't have met some amazing people. You wouldn't have held that mind-blowingly successful supply drive for the troops in Iraq. You wouldn't have had some of the most eye-opening moments ever in the police academy. You wouldn't know how strong you truly are. You wouldn't be you. So even though you will be 25 and getting back into school for your business degree, I still wouldn't tell you to change a thing (except to have faith in yourself...and to work out!)

If I could return to my Senior-year of high school knowing what I know now; I would tell myself to start applying myself now and work hard to achieve success in education because without education you will be working a job which you do not like(my current job which is decent but a lot of manual labor and traveling). Moreover, the transition from high school to college will make you apprehensive at first but remember you are a bright kid and stick to your regement to achieve your goals and nothing but success will follow.

I would say that college isn't just an education process its an experience. Im only twenty and at a point I decided, I dont really want to go to a real university school, I jsut want to start working and have a career. But if I could go back now and talk to myself as a highschool student I would tell myself, college is necessary for individual growth. Not only do you truely find yourself out as a person, you understand your limits, you gain more responsibility. You gain independence, because alot of college people have to learn to survive without parents, without guidance. This is when you grow as a person. This is a major point in becoming an adult. I've talked to alot of older adults that feel as if they missed out on a learning experience, because you make life long friends and you truely find out who you are as a person. I would tell myself, college is essential to grow.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior knowing what I know now about college life I would say take the initiative and jump into it now. Although I was already employed at the time, I was not as focused on earning a degree as I was on earning a paycheck. I would tell myself that taking time to earn the degree then would allow me more earning power in the future. I would advise myself to look towards long term career satisfaction rather than the immediate gratification of earnings in the present. I would offer advice on building relationships that can last a lifetime rather than being an introvert. Finally I would tell myself to take more chances. The only way to truly grow is through experiences and that can only happen if chances are taken. All of these suggestions would have shaped me into a person whose life would have begun at 18 rather than waiting until I was 30 to begin living.

I went to a big time college out of high school. I didn't do so well. I think at the time I was burnt out on school. I would tell myself to take sometime off and travel. School would still be available there for me when I was ready. I went back to school a few years later , after my attempt at the big name school, at a technical school. I did much better. I think I was more ready for school. If I really wanted to still go to school out of high school, I would have told myself to consider a small school. I would have received the attention that was harder to obtain at the big school. I might have done much better. College life itself at the big school was great. I still have friends from there today. Big time schools are not for everyone and to consider the small schools too would be my piece of advice today.