Washington State University Top Questions

If I could go back and talk to myself my senior year of high school I would tell my self to save my money. I always thought that I would be fine financially in college, but entering my second year at Washington State University I discovered I was wrong. As the housing market fell dramatically my mother lost her job as a real estate appraiser. My parent's income was cut in half. We recently lost our home and were forced to turn to my grandmother for assistance. My parents try their best to provide for me while I'm at school becuase I have no time for a job. It's hard to come home and see how much they sacrafice for me. For this reason I wish I saved all the money I made in high school so that I could finance my own education, or at least part of it, so that life would be easier on my family.

When I was a senior in high school, I had no idea what to expect from college. I am a first generation college student and my parents didn't know how to help me either. When I first came to college, my experience was daunting. Now that I know a lot about college and the expectations, I would tell myself to visit the college campus and do a formal orientation. The most important thing has been networking and getting to know faculty and staff that will cheer you along the way. Especially as an African American student, it is important to be apart of the African American community since it is so small. I would also tell myself that hard work pays off.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to enjoy high school and not stress too much about the difference between high school and college. Many of my past teachers told us that college is much harder than high school, but now that I have been a student at Washington State University for four months, I would tell myself that that is simply not true. While the tests may be harder and count for more of the final grade, the actual work required is much easier than in high school. As a senior I was focused on getting into college and worrying about the transition. Should I get the opportunity to talk to my younger self I would advise her to work hard, improve her study skills for tests, but most of all not worry too much about it. College is a time to grow as a person and a student, take classes that you are truly interested in, and most of all learn about the world through both course work and life experiences.

If there is any information I think I would have benefitted from knowing going into the transition into college, I think it is how to best manage my time. Taking advantage of afternoons and weekends in the library is very helpful, and during my freshman year I spent a lot of this time at the fraternity hanging out with friends or watching TV. Had I been able to excel starting out, my GPA would be a lot better now. I would also tell myself to begin preparing early for the GRE and MCAT.

The biggest piece of advice I wish I could have given to myself: You are going to make mistakes, but learn from them, make the best of them, and move on because you will be a better person for it. I can honestly say my life would not be what it is today had I not found out for myself that life really does not care about the plans that you make and the missteps you take. My biggest jolt in college was realizing that my "plan" was no more because of choices I had made. I had to come up with a new one, and try my best to understand why the end of my path was simply the beginning of yet another long one. I know now those days were the perfect setup to what I now view as the perfect path for me, and it molded my character into that of someone more humble, more gracious, and more accepting of change and unexpected outcomes. I could save myself a lot of time and likely a lot of money with a quick glimpse into my own future, but the lessons learned are so much more valuable.

If I were able to go back to being a high school Senior I will tell my yourself a lot of things. I will tell myself to study harder on Tests that the teacher gives to me. I will tell my self the people I am hanging out with is not the right people I need to be associating with. I will tell myself I need to stay after school for all the tutoring sessions so I will be able to prepare myself for College.

Get involved! Being involved in college gives you great things to put on an application, give you great experiences, lets you meet new people, become connected, and ultimately much more attractive to potential employers. Being on the Crew team at WSU is one of the best experiences of my life and there's few things more rewarding. Trust me, getting involved is the way to go.

You're scared. Highschool is really difficult as it is. But relax and think about this: You're freshman year you already know you are going to be focusing on school and you won't have that Albertsons job. When you get to the college, plan ahead, stay on top of things, and talk to your proffessors. There is no reason for panicking as long as you are careful and work really hard! Other advice I can give you is do NOT worry about your social life when you're here. Sure, it's important you have friends for love and support when mom and dad can't be here, however, worrying about who likes who and who is talking bad about who is NOT IMPORTANT anymore. It will take over your mind when you should be focusing on your school work. When that's all done, that is when it is time to socialize. When it comes time to get back to school work, stop thinking about your friends or you will distract yourself. Study, work hard, and make time for fun! College is amazing and can be even better than highschool! (even if that seems impossible) ;)

First, I would sit myself down and tell myself to take a look around at everything I?ve done and appreciate the journey getting there. It was an amazing trip that caused me to grow considerably along the way. Second, I would tell myself to calmly look forward to the adventure that I?m about to go on. I needed someone to tell me that while college life is different, it?s not beyond what I?ve done in the past, just a little more intense. Lastly, I would tell myself to relax and live the life that set out in front of me, I deserve to be where I?m at and have worked hard to get there; I just need to enjoy the fruits of my labor and appreciate this new trip I?m on.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to be open to every option. I was so set on going to WSU. I followed my plan. I don't regret it but I do wish that I had explored more options and would have been more open to different ideas. I have learned to be a little more laid back and not worry about everything all of the time. I also wish I would have been more patient. I was so ready to leave home and get started with my life. Now I miss being home and what I had. I took it for granted. I wish I would have let myself enjoy that part of my life a little more.