Western Washington University Top Questions

The best advice I could give myself in high school would be to get a job! I didn't take working in high school as seriously as I should have. It doesn't matter if you get into your dream school if you can't afford to pay the first quarter's tuition. Now I have to work part time while taking 17 credits, which I could have avoided if I had worked through high school when classes and exams were way less intense! My second piece of advice would be not to worry about the little things. What was a mini apocalypse in high school won't matter once you reach college. You don't have to have every step of your life planned out but remember your goals and don't stress over mistakes that won't affect them. My last piece of advice is not to take the relationships you have now for granted. Chances are you'll fall out of touch with a lot of your high school friends and you'll move out of your parent's house. Love it while it lasts--and appreciate not having to buy your own toilet paper!)

If I were to go back in time and talk to my high school self I would advise myself to make goals early and stick to them no matter the distractions that come up. My first few years of college I was very caught up in all of the fun and excitement happening all around me and being on my own for the first time. Without mom and dad there to tell me what to do, I made some decisions that I wish I could take back. Everything turned out in the end, I am graduating this year, but it has taken me longer than I had anticipated with more student loans than I'd like. This advice could go for any high school senior that is leaving home for the first time. Please make a goal and not get too distracted. College is exciting and fun, but it's not a vacation. You are there for a reason. Follow through and finish with your head held high.

Apply to as many schools as you see necessary, making the right option is key in deciding a college to attend. There is always the off-chance that you will not be accepted into the school you wanted and you will need a back up. Once accepted, pick the school that suits you. The town or city will set the mood of the school, if you like to go shopping and go out on the town then you can't pick a school in the middle of the wheat fields for obvious reasons. Once you're at the school you're at, you must be outgoing! As outgoing as you can be and then some, at times this means almost being fake. Initially, be nice to everyone, you don't have to keep all those relationships but a friendship rarely starts off on a rocky start so, love everybody, get involved and it will make the transition much easier. Once you have a comfortable setting, it is easier to focus academically as you have a support system through your group of friends and you're confident in yourself which makes your social and your academic life more successful.

I would really advise students to choose the college that is right for THEM. Not the school where their peers or going, or the school that their parents are pressuring them to attend, because ultimately you are the one attending the school and you are the one who has to live there for four years. You need to not only love the school, but the community and all the people that are around you. I was determined to attend another school because that is where my friends were going and where my parents really desired for me to go, but I had to make the decision that I knew it wasn't right for me and that I needed to go where I was going to be happy, and I'm glad I did. Also, once you are in school don't let all the opportunities (good and bad) overwhelm you! Focus on what you came for in the first place-your education, and everything else will fall into place with a little work. Have fun and definitely make the most of it because it's a once in a lifetime chance, and one that you will likely never forget!

Do not rush into your decision. when deciding on your future career follow your heart and not what you think your family always thinks is best.

Look for what you like, and don't let your decision be influenced by others opinions. Your college experience is what you make of it, and you want it to be somewhere where you will be able to enjoy yourself.

If I were to give advice to parents and/or students about finding the right college and making the most of the college experience, I'd advise them to gather all the information they can about the school's they're interested in and do it early, about two-years before the student will be attending. By doing this, you're ahead of the game and are able to have an organized plan for the student's college career. There are several different steps that are needed to be taken in order to gather all the appropriate information as well as submit what needs to be submitted in order to meet a deadline on time. College can be a crazy adventure and without organization and careful planning, students and parents can get discouraged and lose the motivation that they need to be successful in school.

Most of us are fully aware of the hard economic times these days. The cost of attending college is expensive, and still rising. In order to make the most out of your college experience, one will want to be efficient and thrifty with their finances. I personally suggest paying for college credit for the high school classes one may be taking in which offer college credit as an option. This way, one can avoid taking duplicates of similar classes he/she already took in high school, and then can take a larger variety of interesting classes in college, ones that may not have been offered in high school. Also, coming into college with credits already will help give one an edge over others competing for the same popular and general education classes during registration time. Having this edge ensures one will be able to take classes they are interested in and work towards getting done with college in a timely and cost efficient manner. I highly recommend paying for college credit in high school because it is generally cost effective, it saves time, and maximizes one's potential college experience.

To find the right college, I would first think about what you might want to do as a career. From there, lok at the schools that offer the program your interested in. But don't make your choice on just the programs. Tour the schools, see what environment fits you the student. You want to be comfortable with your surroundings to enhance your learning. The college experince goes hand in hand with the school choice. By making the right choice, your college experince will be amazing. You will meet many new friends, get involved with clubs and the school, and you will be comfotable with being yourself which makes going to school fun. If you are comfortable with your school pick, college will be the best time of your life.

While looking for the right college don't lose yourself in the process. Some people take so much time deciding what college to go to that they forget why they are going to college. And if your not sure why your going to college in the first place, find a college that feels right, you should feel like you belong there, not like you are trying to fit into a mold so that you can become accepted.