Western Washington University Top Questions

I would tell myself that the transition isn't all bad, or even scary. I would tell myself to mentally prepare for a slew of icebreaker activites. I would also tell me to put myself out there more and solidify and reinvent my identity a bit more before the transition so that I may have started college with more of a clean slate.

If I could go back and talk to myself about college and making the transition, I would have to start out by saying to follow what you actually want to do in life and not listen to what other people will tell you to do. To make sure it is what you want to do, because college is hard work and it is totally different then high school. There are more responsibilities and the work load is so different then what you had in high school, also the grading scale is defiantly different then high school. With making the transition easier, I would have to say not to overload on to many classes to where there can be a lot of stress put on a person. Take some classes for example: take sociology by itself and not together with psychology.

Knowing what I know now about college life I would travel back in time to my senior self in high school and tell myself to start taking time out of my day to look at what I need to accomplish for all of my classes. I would tell myself to utilize this time to really see what I need to do, such as readings and responses, and taking another look at all the requirements for papers and projects. It is crucial that everything is checked and checked to make sure that everything is done. I would also go back and tell myself how important it is to set aside long chunks of time to read. There was nothing to prepare me for how much reading there really is in college, and how to take quick and effective notes while reading long amounts of text for multiple classes.

It is hard for me to consider this question because I would give anything to be able to go back and redue my choices as a high school senior about colleges. At that age, I really had no sense of college and how much it was going to impact my life. I thought that every university was pretty similar and that I would make take away the best experience because I was committed to loving life. Unfortunately, not every university is the same. If I had the opportunity to go back in time, first I would kick myself in the behind and then I would encourage my high school self to go and visit each university. To really look at the specific requirments and classes for each major so that I could make a more educated decision about where I wanted to study. Finally, I would take a close look at the students who attend there. Do they look like people I would hang out with? Are they doing things I enjoy? So much of college is not about the classes, but the ways in which you experiences in your environment and how it shapes you.

Meet different people and develop your communication skills. Help others more in a more impactful way. Always learn and grow everyday. Most importantly, get a lot of scholarships please... you really need them. Time is money, and so much time could have been used looking and applying for scholarships. Especially when you wish to sail smoothly through college graduation.

I would tell myself to prepare to make a lot of new friends, and hold on to the old ones if you can. Also, remember to bring a mini-fridge as you'll probably end up sick of the dining commons food VERY quickly. I would also say that remembering to visit family is a must, as living at the residence halls can get lonesome and make you feel homesick.

College life isn't that bad, you are actually going to enjoy it quite a bit. You are going to find that you have a large interest in sociology so start taking classes to move forward in that early on. Go ahead and take guitar with Elke in your first semester but don't mess around as much with your other classes. Be serious here. Take classes that help your future and help you to move on with your life as soon as possible because you have a big surprise coming your way. Strive as hard as you possibly can for good grades. This isn't high school anymore. Most of all, and I know this sounds hard with all of this on your plate, but find time to be with friends and family and do the things you love, because that alone will keep you ready to face any obsticles that come your way (and don't kid yourself because there's gonna be a lot). Appreciate Jolaine and be there for her because she is gonna be for you. Have an amazing summer because from here in, it's gonna be a wild ride. Good Luck!

If I could go back in time and speak to my high school senior self, I would like to tell myself that everything happens for a reason and not to fret so much about having a baby at a young age. That I am strong enough to do what I am doing and that Kenzie will be proud of me. I just need to continue with what I am doing, to do well not only for myself but also for my family. I would tell myself that I need to stay focused on my schoolwork and know that I am strong enough to get through all the hardships life can throw at me.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself that college is a lot harder than it looks and that I need to stay focused and try extremely hard. I need to put all of my effort into my studies. I would also tell myself to get out and make more friends. Along with studying I need to have time to hang out and relax to. I would tell myself to manage my time wisely.

Get involved and have fun. Learn to study more, you will need to. It honestly was not a very hard transition for me.