Western Washington University Top Questions

The advice I would give my self as a high school senior is to, take advantage of all the opportunities afforded you. I know that I did a lot my senior year, in regards to applying for scholarships, and making sure I complete all my assignments on time. There's isn't a lot I would tell myself as a high school senior, I pretty did everything I could.

I would advise myself to get a job to make money so I wouldn’t have to ask. The money that I would've earned would have been saved for college. All the jokes that I’ve heard college students say about being broke, are not jokes and isn’t funny now that I’m experiencing it myself. Being a 1st generation college student from a low income family, I’m terrified to ask for money so I can buy my college textbooks or a graphing calculator, a necessity to my education. Coming from a high school with a graduating class of 75 students, I’d tell myself that the pool I’ve been swimming in for 4 years, won't prepare you for the sea that you’re about to be dumped into. I’d tell myself to practice communication skills, to avoid being awkward and shy. College will not be fun and exciting as I think it will be, if I’m alone in my dorm room because I’m too timid to socialize. I’d say that college is fun and even though it seems scary at the moment, it’s a chance to change your life.

Hello 17 Year Old Me, So now you’re a senior, it’s a great feeling isn’t? College is approaching which really scary, but to be honest it gets better. It certainly is different leaving home and being thrust into a completely new situation. But its also kind of fun, you get to meet lots of new people and you get to experience so many new things. You are going to get homesick; it’s going to happen, just accept it. The good news is that you will get past it, just stay busy. Staying busy in college is not hard at all, there is so much going on between classes, watching to home teams and all of the other various activities. The transition feels completely impossible at the beginning, but it gets easier. Call home, it helps to talk to your family. At first it makes it harder, but after a while there will be so much to tell them that the feeling of being alone starts to go away. Talk to people, make new friends, not just in your roommates but in class and on the bus too. You will do fine. Good Luck! -Your Future Self

I would tell myself to prepare financially and mentally for what lies ahead. I would advise myself to get a job over the summer and save as much money as possible to help out with the costs. I would also advise myself to get into the college mindset. Breezing through with no studying or tutoring will not work. I would also tell myself that it is okay to get help. Do not be afraid to ask for help when I need it. There is nothing wrong with it, and it does not make you stupid. Finally, I would tell myself to have fun. You don't have to be all about school. You need to make some time for you. Go out and enjoy yourself. Make friends with people from different backgrounds and join as many clubs as you can. Do not be afraid to branch out and do things on your own. You are strong and independent. You have been given an opportunity to better your education that many people are not given. Seize this opportunity. Work hard and enjoy yourself. This is a gift and it is time to enjoy this wonderful gift given to you.

If I could go back in time and give my "senior self" advice about college there are a few points I'd like to make. First of all, be more outgoing right away. In college, there is nothing to hide. Most students are just like you and are just excited to make friends and get through school. Second of all, write your goals down. Of course, you know what they are, but seeing is the first step in believing. If you see your long term goals everyday, studying becomes alot easier. And last, get more involved! College offers so many opportunies! Take advantage of them. Join a club, get involved in the extracurricular activites, and go to all the concerts and fun events the school offers. They are right there at your finger tips waiting for you to join, to meet new people, make new friends. Be excited about college because those years will truly be some of the best years of your life!

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior my biggest piece of advice would be to relax. I would tell myself to not be so anxious to get away from everything in high school and to enjoy it for what it is: an experience. An experience that should not be thrown away or ran away from. I would tell myself not to be so anxious to start over in college. It is good to feel like you still have a connection to your past. I would tell myself not to be so anxious and to slow down to really think my desicions and the path I am on through. That I should try to imagine where I want to be in five or ten years. I would tell myself to relax; I need to relax.

I would tell myself to relax and not worry so much about deciding where to go. I would suggest I take time to have fun with friends before they all take off to different parts of the country.

Having the opportunity to go back and talk to myself on my senior year of high school I would give myself a few tips before starting college. The thing I would have stressed to myself the most would be sign up for every scholarship that I could possibly find. College is so expensive and it is hard to pay for while studying and going to work at the same time. Another thing I would give advice on is don't worry if I was going to fit in or not. On the first day of school people were not really concerned with making friends. People were nice but they didn't care if you just graduated or if you were an elder person. They were there with the intentions of getting their degree. The last thing I would tell myself is take your Senior year serious. Just because colleges or universities quit looking at your grades your junior year that don't give you the opportunity to slack off on your studies. Prepair to be very organized for college. Everything you learned throughout your high school career will come back for you to remember.

Advice that I would give high school me is that college is not easy but the right place and people can make all the difference. It is going to take a while for you to find your nitch and don't be afraid of moving around. Deal with things as they come, don't worry about the little things! Live for the experiances.

If i could go back in time i would tell my high school senior self to take part in as many college credit earning opportunities as possible. If i had more college credits accrued then it would have saved me huge amounts of time and money, allowing me to finish my degree faster and have much less debt. Paying back debt will be the hardest thing to do after college so if i could have saved myself the money before I would be in a much better place.