Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Top Questions

There are a lot of things I would tell myself if I went back in time: get a date for prom instead of tagging along with your best friend, don't take AP Spanish, don?t fall for that sophomore, etc. However, the most important thing would be stop listening to people when they start dictating how I should live my life. My parents thought I should be a pharmacist so I wasted my first year of college set on pharmacy instead of my dream career in wildlife science. Engineering majors said I was wasting my life for wanting to study something as 'useless' as wildlife science. Racist supremacist told me that I should go back to my country and work in a rice field. Homophobic bigots warned me that I'd burn in hell for my perverted tendencies for the same sex. I wasted so much time trying to fit into someone else's definition of life that I stopped living myself. It took me long enough to realize that I shouldn't be ashamed to stand by my colors and to risk everything to achieve my goals; my only regret was that I didn?t realize it sooner.

You're better than what you think you are. That would definitely be my biggest advice. I never really expected much from myself. I figured that I would be fine working at Walmart like my mom did. My parents always wanted the best for me and my siblings and gave us what they could. The day of my graduation I was as happy as I could possibly be, I was the first female to have ever graduated from my father's side of the family, a first generation Mexican-American, and the first person to attend college from both sides of my family. I procastinated too much and foscused my attention on temporary things. My advice to myself and current college student's would be to seriously think of where you would like to be in five years and do up to the impossible to get there. I always knew that I wanted to graduate from college with a degree in Social Services. I have one more year to go to accomplish my goal and I'm not even close. Keep focused, picture yourself in the career of your dreams, and make it happen! I dare you not to try!

If I could talk to myself as a high school senior, I'd tell myself to sit down and take some notes. Life at college moves at full speed, and while there isn't much of a curve to make such an adjustment, there are things that can be done to prevent oneself from falling behind. First and foremost, always attend every class. There's no better way to get the information you need that to get it straight from the source - the teachers. Make yourself known to each and every teacher, so that you become more than a face in the crowd. Teachers are more willing to help students that show the initative to seek such help in the first place. I would tell myself that there's no such thing as studying too much. There can be time to hang out with friends and have a life, but study everything you need to for class is just as important. Keeping tracks of things, whether using a calendar or a planner is very beneficial in staying on top of things. The most important thing I would tell myself is to just have fun. College should be an enjoyable experience.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to get focused early. In college there are a number of distractions that hit you within the first couple days of arriving. When there's a party going on three doors down and a rave happening in the quad outside your window, who's going to want to be sitting at a desk studying? I would tell myself that I came to college to be a student, first and foremost. Anything other than that comes second. You might not think it's the fun choice, or the right thing to do at the moment, but in the long run, when you're walking across that stage holding that diploma, you'll know it was the right choice.

College takes a lot more work and dedication than high school. It is important to learn what methods of studying work, whether it be writing notes, reading outloud, or any other method imagined. Books need to be read, and studying has to be consistent. Cramming and all-nighters just will not work. Parents are not going to be there to make sure homework or studying gets done. The responsibility is placed completely on the student. But college is not all about work. Getting involved and having fun are necessary parts of the college experience as well. There are tons of clubs to join and more than enough new people to meet. The friends from high school that were going to be there forever suddenly start to grow apart, and college friends quickly take their places. Honestly, with the right time management, everything a student wants to do can be done, including school work. It may be hard to adjust at first, being away from family and friends, but remember that everyone else is experiencing the same feelings the first few months, just trying to find his or her niche and make it through all those first semester classes unscathed.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior about going to college or furthering my education through other schools, I would say, "Linda, this is the most opportune time of your life! There is a whole world out there waiting for you to explore it. Going to college will be an experience you will never forget. Make new friends, study new subjects, try different activities. You might find something new that will interest you. Meet and greet your peers with a handshake and a smile. Show others that you are willing to do what it takes to make it happen. Challenge yourself to do the best that you can. You can excell at whatever you set your mind to do. While you are enjoying your new activities, you will be growing in body, mind and spirit. You will emerge a new person, ready to tackle the rest of your life, confident and eager to move forward. Don't let anything or anyone stand in your way. It is your life. Just do it!

I would encorage myself to take more advanced placement classes. I went into college with 13 credits that I earned from high school. If I had used the classes that were offered to me in high school to my advantage, I may have been able to enter college as a sophomore. Other than that I am pretty happy with the way everything turned out. I applied to five different colleges, with I think was the right decision. It gave me the choice to pick which college I wanted to go to after I was accepted to the ones I applied for. And, it also did not leave a doubt that I might have made it into that really hard college I wanted to go to. I knew whether or not I made it. That makes the choice I made seem perfect.

As a high school senior the only thing that was on my mind was graduation. I was just focused on spending time with my friends, because you never know when your going to see them again. If I could go back to give advice to my senior high school self, I would tell my self just to focus on school work a little more, and take a little more time studying for some tests. I'm going to admit that I got a case of the senioritis, I started to slack off towards the end of my senior year. So now that college is here I'm going to learn from that mistake and study hard and embrace the new friendships that come with college.

I still remember the anxiety I felt as I stepped into my dorm room for the first time back in August. I sat on my bed thinking how my parents were headed back home, four hours away, and there I was on an unfamiliar campus with thousands of new people. The first day of classes did not ease my nerves as I sat in a classroom of 500 students for the first time. Coming from a small community where I knew the same people my whole life, I was very apprehensive to make friends and succeed academically. Now, after completing my first semester at Virginia Tech, I would tell my old, intimidated self not to let nerves take away a great experience. College is much different than high school, but it is the place to discover unknown aspirations, challenge yourself to reach beyond your goals, and realize who you truly are. I should have let my eagerness to learn and my curiousity to become involved in my new Virginia Tech community overtake me. I did not have to be sure of who I was when I got to Virginia Tech, but rather embraced the experience of finding out.

I would go back and tell myself to be more outgoing in college. College life is not just about academics, I am gaining valuable life skills. I can make friends with many people who have similar interests as me and have fun as well as learn.