University of the Incarnate Word Top Questions

My advice to myself would be...Highschool is a daycare compared to College. You have teachers to ask you why you didnt turn in your work and parents to make sure you made it to school everyday. College is about independance and learning to become an adult. Forget about the parties and doing what everyone else does. Stay focused and strive to do your best. Ask plenty of questions and get to know your professors and college staff. Don't wait until the last minute to apply for scholarships and grants. College is very exspensive and every penny counts. Just because it is your senior year dont get lazy and breeze through your last year. Volunteer as much as possible and stay active in different clubs. Strongly consider what you would like your Major to be. Most important NEVER GIVE UP. Always believe in yourself even when no one else will.

The main piece of advice I would give myself would be to stay on campus for as long as possible. I utilized the dorm life experience for a year and a half. If I could go back, I would stay all 4 years. Living on my own makes me see that the rumor of cheaper living off campus is not true. It requires you to pay numerous side bills, not to mention gas. While on campus, dorm cost are often covered by financial aid. So to all the future students I will say this, enjoy the college experience of dorm life for as long as you can. Being an adult paying your own living expenses is something worth waiting for.

Today and every day that follows, be sure and take time to cultivate relationships with your classmates and professors. You will find that the network of people you create through these relationships is invaluable to you as a man and student. Make sure to pray to God and give thanks for the struggles you will face throughout your college experience. It is important that you attend church services as well. An education is effective when coupled with a good heart and soul. I know there will be times when workloads seem to pile high, but know that on the other side of that workload is the pride that comes from achieving what so few in your family have. Your education is a key to opportunities beyond your wildest imagination. Never compromise those opportunities for temporary foolish gain. Embrace the people that will help you become a productive member of society and never let go of them. Understand that criticism may sting temporarily but the lasting benefits of receiving wise criticism are immeasurable. Always smile and greet people with that smile. Keep a great attitude about change because change is inevitable. Develop a passion for people and working hard.

You are about to be catapulted into reality and it will take years to realize what just happened. Remember that much of what happens this year “matters” and yet has absolutely no barring on your fate. You are destined for great experience if you make it happen. You have all the tools to find yourself and your purpose. You already know all the secrets of the universe. Now you get to live it. Do not let our social frame mold you; you are too good for that. Reconnect with nature: ocean and forest. Read! Read! Read! You will always be able to express yourself with music. Don’t pursue it academically. You have other interests; explore for a while. Find what makes you happy and cultivate it. Surround yourself with positive people and you will see happiness in action. You will know love. You will see how society has truly been formed. While much attention is now focused on you conforming in some way to that mold, you will find a way to work with, instead of against. Question consciousness! And don’t waste your time being unhappy. You are responsible for your happiness! No excuses!

The advice I would give my high school self, would be to stop being lazy and try as hard as you can to be the best. What ever you learn will only help you in the long run.

I would tell my high school senior self to not worry about money, that there are alot of options avaliable and that it's not easy but You'll get through it. I'd tell myself to prepare yourself mentally more for the obstacles of life because those events will shake you but won't break you. Remember to be adventerous as you always are, and not to do anything that your heart doesn't desire. Also to take full advantage of the people that make themselves available for your learning.

I would advise to myself to start thinking about what you want in life before the time gets you caught because college life is a way different experience than when you are in high school. this is when you know ehich direction you want to take and where important decisions are made. Usually in high school you can postpone things to later on. Colleg eis take it or leave it. College it's a real life experience in which you decide what your future is going to look like 5 or 6 years ahead of you. If you want to become part of those hard-working people who are open to learn something new everyday for a better future, you have to make the decision of being a great studnt everyday at high school and just continuing to doing it so college. Jobs oportunities are always there but that does not mean that every body is willing to take it or deserve it. It's the one who perserves more than just got it.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to take school more seriously and finish my high school career strong. In high school I would make pretty good grades, mostly B’s and some A’s, all without trying too hard. There were times in the year where I would “study” for some important tests but I never really gave it my all. It’s not that I didn’t care about my grades because I would get upset if I got a “C” on a test but I think it was my lack of studying skills and not realizing how much excellent grades would pay off in the future. Now that I am in college, I learned how to study for tests and I try my best to get A’s, which so far I’ve been working hard enough to do that. I recently realized that if I worked hard enough I really could achieve anything I set my mind to and that is something I wish I could have gone back in time and told myself in high school.

As the old saying goes, "hindsight is 20/20". As I look back on the transition I made between high school and college I see that had I known then what I know now, life may have been much easier. As a senior in high school I knew I wanted to go to college. However, I didn’t know where I wanted to go, or what I wanted to do. My problem was that I did not plan as I should have. If I had seventeen year-old me sitting here, I would tell him that it is imperative that he applies for scholarships, and applies early. At the time, I just assumed that I always had enough time to prepare myself for going to college. Even though people warned me about waiting too long, I did not take their advice as I should have. Today, I would tell my past-self that there is no more time for waiting. I would explain to him that the time to take action is now, and that applying for these scholarships could save him an immense amount of stress. If I had listened to this advice, life would be much easier.

If I could go back in time and tell my high school self two things, they would be, "Seriously, get a job," and "It's all worth it, so stop failing." When I was in school, I was miserable. My first school was full of terrible teachers whose best advice when I was failing everything was, "You can always come back." My second school was great, except I was going through the darkest days of my depression and nothing would go right. Now, I look back at my grades and how my GPA was decimated and it's crushing. Now, I have to make up for it with how great my art portfolio is. As for getting a job, I have a grandmother with cancer, parents who are scraping by on each paycheck, and a soulcrushing need to go to art school. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get a job to help pay for it all. I love my family and I want to help them the best I can. Paying for groceries and what I need myself is just what I need. I hated high school but these two things would have made my time much easier.