Western Oregon University Top Questions

If I could go back in time and talk to my past self then there would be two major things I would mention. The first being to take advantage of the AP classes available to reduce the number of credits you need to take in college. Even though the classes will be challenging, you are going to college for a reason. In addition once you get to college, those required classes you need to take freshman year will not only be completed, but you can also have yourself some extra cash by not paying for those classes. The other piece of advise I would give myself is to not take the easy way out. By this I mean actually studying for midterm and not just browsing over notes the night before. College isn't like high school where you can watch TV before a final exam and still pass the class. When midterms or finals week comes, there may be nights where you are up 24 hours getting ready for your final exam. If I could summarize what transactions need to be made, it would be to apply yourself to succeed in college like I did in high school.

Being the first one in a family of nine to go to college was challenging, but not impossible. I had to do everything on my own. For instance, I didn't know how to look for scholarships or universities. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would give myself two advices. First, I would tell myself to participate in higher club/organization positions. Such as, being in the student government club, president of varies different clubs that I was a member of, and be a part of more school activities. If was hard to do these activities because my parents thought it was a waist of time and they wouldn't give me permission to participate in them. The second advice I would give myself is, to take the risk in taking higher level classes. In my high school they offered college classes. For example, writing and history classes. Also, taking college classes they offered at the community college. If I knew I was going to assist college, I would of taking higher club positions and taking college credit classes. Thank you...

Having spent a year in a two year community college and earning my Associates Degree quickly so that I can move on to a four year univrsity a year early has made me realize that several of my priorities as a high school student were off base and inmature. If even this short year later I could go back and shake some sense and wisdom into my high school self, I would have several important bits of advice to share. First, as important as everything seems in high school--friends, clubs, sports--nothing is as important as focusing on meeting educational goals and thinking ahead to paying for a college education. Had I focused more on qualifying for and applying for scholarships and less on friends and activities I would be in a much better place financially to pursue my degree. Secondly, I would remind myself that all of the nonsense and drama going on around me is temporary and does not need my attention or involvement. I spent far to much time focusing on other's issues and attempting to affect other's lives and not nearly enough on my own. Thankfully the college me is all the wiser.

Some of the most fun times you will have in your life are when you enter college, but college is not easy and will require hard work. You are now responsible for writing college essays, studying for exams, and completing assignments. It is important to do your work on time and to never get behind in a course. Get to know your professors, they may be a great help when you need recommendation letters after graduation. But most importantly, do not stress the small things. Stressing will only make your time in college more difficult than it needs to be. It is important to enjoy your time, make friends, and do well in classes. College starts the rest of your life, so do your best but also have fun and enjoy your college career.

I wish I would have taken scholarship opportunities more seriously. Unfortunate circumstances in my househould has left me to support myself throughout my college experience. If I could go back in time, I would have forced myself to sit down and really look into the college I ended up choosing and sit down with the financial department and see what they could offer me. I was so concerned with getting accepted, and beating myself up for not re-taking the SAT or taking the ACT I wish I could go back and tell myself everything was going to end up okay, to stop stressing out so much and to relax and enjoy your senior year in high school because it's something you will never get back. Work hard in school, but also make time to have fun. You only get those four years of high school once. Don't limit yourself when applying for college, look outside your comfort zone for a new adventure.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, the advice I would give myself would be to start planning my days out. Plan out the times that I am doing homework and studying and the times that I can use to relax and see friends. I believe that a very important skill in college is time management. It is easy to get sidetracked and not complete things than need to be done. In high school I would tell myself to get into good study habits. It is easy to think that studying is easy or that it comes naturally, however I would tell myself that I need to figure out what way of studying works best for me. The last peice of advice that I would give myself is that I need to study and stay concentrated, but I also need to take breaks and have some fun as well. I would tell myself to utilize my time in high school and to really enjoy it, because things really do change once I am in college.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I woud tell myself to take scholarships seriously. It never crossed my mind to apply for scholarships because I was going to get my transfer degree at a community college before attending a four year college to complete my major. Because the community college was about half the price per term of the university I never even thought about applying for scholarships. Now that I am in the university I realize that I made a big mistake. Paying for school is becoming increasingly hard and if I had started off with a few scholarships it would make things a lot easier now.

Hey Maddie! This is your future self and I want you to know that you are so awesome and are going to have the best high school experience! Work hard at everything you do and push yourself to try new things! Some things will come really easy for you, and some will not, but that is okay! Work and train as hard as you can for the upcoming lacrosse seasons, I promise it will pay off. Study harder than ever; I know it is cliche to say, but grades are so important and you will not realize that until later on so I am telling you now! Join new clubs and try new things; build amazing relationships because these are the friends that you will have forever. Find your hidden talents and enjoy the ride, this experience only comes once so embrace it with open arms. You are alot stronger than you think and you will be able to overcome any challenges that come your way. Embrace your creativeness, weirdness, silliness, and have a great time because you deserve it! Remember who you are and do not change for anyone, always be you. Love, Your future self

There are a few things a would tell my high school self. One thing I would tell myself would be social and not afraid to make friends. I am a little shy so I was afraid to make friends, so I think that made the transition over to college a little harder for me. I would also tell myself that the transistion will be hard but you can get through it. It was hard but in the end going to college is worth not being with my family for a little bit, even if I miss them a lot. Finally I would tell my high school self to be open to anything. Open to trying new things and to be ready for my roommate because she won't treat you right. But most importantly to not try something because you didn't use to do it, so try something new.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to study harder, spend more time with family, and be more independent. I would tell myself to sudy because I learned that high school didn't prepare me for college, if I studied harder I would have learned more and maybe gotten prepared. I would say spend more time with my loved ones because thats who you miss the most in college. Yes, there are friends, but the people you depend on the most, your family, will always be there and you realize how homesick you are, even the little things make you miss home. I would finally tell myself to be more independent because in college no one will be there pushing you to do anything. If your room is messy or laundry needs to get done, you need to do it. If your grades slip, you need to worry; your mom or dad won't be there yelling at you. It also makes you realize that its expensive so youdon't want your grades to slip because there goes $300+. You need to study, be with family, and be independent before you stasrt college, in my mind.