Baton Rouge Community College Top Questions

Dear Sarah, Do you remember what Mom said the first time you mentioned dreams of being a veterinarian? She reminded you that veterinarians are good with numbers and your first thought was the underwhelming score on your last math test. Over the course subsequent years, teachers would scrawl comments like, "Careless Mistakes" or "Did Not Follow Directions," across your assignments in bright red ink. You stopped trying because you trusted the opinions of those that validated your carefully cultivated negative self-image. Fortunately, you had an optimism that colored your perceptions into a less depressing and somehow more acceptable mantra. You told yourself, "People are either book smart or creative and eccentric." As a teenager, the idea that you could be smart yet also fun loving and creative seemed inconceivable. You didn't know that your passion for veterinary medicine would force you to face the most difficult academic challenges of your life. You didn't know that the hard work and incredible sacrifice would be enjoyable because you were put on this earth to be smart and creative, not to mention a fun loving, veterinarian. Next time a dream whispers, listen carefully and take the leap. Love, Sarah

If I could I would change my whole senior year. First I would take my advisor's advice and graduate early when I could. That would of helped me get a jump start on my college career, meaning that I would move out and head straight to Louisiana and attend BRCC establish residents and then head on to LSU. I would also tell myself not to listen to my father when I'm moving out. That made me question my judgement the first time which resulted me staying. I would tell myself to have a better study habbit than what I have now. I would also tell myself that social life is important, but isn't more important than my education like I thought it was at one point. Lastly I would make sure that I have better time managment and sleep as often as I can because in college there is no sleep.

If I could reach through time and grab my younger self I would implore, "Life can be so easy, only you make it hard". I would emphasize the importance of strong grades, and getting involved in helping the community. Although I love the college I'm at, I would let myself know that I could make it to a top ivy-league university and change the course of my life. I could change my socio-economic status, my ability to make larger contributions to society, and even remove the veil of a hidden world that only select individuals could ever be privy to; I could change everything. I would tell myself the simple truth that the transition is easy. It only requires a strong work ethic and active involvement. No matter where you go to college, the same rule applies: you just have to work hard.

If I could go back in time and give myself advice, this is what it would be: You do not need to procrastinate with your senior project and keep your focus on your school work and projects. Consider all of your options for college and do not just settle on the first one you research. You will make some valuable friends at Northwestern State University (NSU), but that college will leave you in debt, so dont worry about rushing into college right when you get out of high school. I would advise you to wait a semester or two before attending the college you choose. You need to take some time to get your license, a car, and possibly a job. Try not to get discouraged when you see your friends moving on with college because your chance wil come in time. Stay with what you want to do instead of what others will tell you what you should do, and try not to keep your focus on boys because they will only distract you. Ultimately, you need to do what you want to do. Stay with God and try not to follow the ways of this world.

The advice I would give myself or anyone else is do the work and make sure you remember every part of it all. Everything in high school is re-introduced in college at some point. I would also say learn to have better self-control. There are so many people going off on teachers because they simply do not want to learn or understand, but doing that interrupts the class. In college the teachers can randomly dismiss you and the whole class if they feel threated or that they can not teac. They are not going to stress theirselves any further than they have already. Also the self-control comes to place with fighting as well, in college you can get kicked out for fighting without a refund of your tuition and banned. One other thing that I would say is be careful about who you call your friends. People use people for money in college so they can get by but will not worry about the consequences that you may suffer from helping them. So be careful, responsible, and mindful about who you keep around and about what you do in college.

Enjoy the summer before moving. Spend time with your friends who may not be going to the same school as you. Once you do start don't get bent out of shape if you and a good friend go your seperate ways. People change and you will meet a lot of new people from completely different walks of like. Don't sweat the small things. When a paper or project is assigned don't wait until the last minute! It's not an easy catch up like it was in highschool and the professors really don't care. Don't get swamped with school. Take time to thoroughly enjoy your new life and experiance everything college life has to offer. Go to sporting events and whatever else the school might put on. There are always new people to meet and new things to experiance.

You can't navigate college alone. Advisors or Counselors are there for a reason and you should speak with them regularly to make sure that you are on track with your degree. Electives in college are not like in highschool where you can take just any course and it counts. In college, only approved electives for your course of study will count towards your degree. Anything outside of these parameters should be taken for personal gratification, understanding that in the college's eyes, they don't count.

I would made sure I knew the advantages of a college degree to making money now. It is important that you know how to weigh options in life. Don't just focus on the now, think about the future.

If I could back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, knowing what I know now about college life and making transition, the advice I would give myself would be to get ready to sudy hard, keep my grades up, participate in class and in school activities. I would also tell myself to get ready to be able to manage my time in school, home, or work so that my appointments or any type of things that decide to come up wouldn't interfere with the things I have named. I also say stay focused and motivate yourself to do your work and turn it in on time because all work counts and every grade makes a difference. Also I would tell myself to get use to the techniques that the professors use as a way of learning because not all teachers use the same techniques teaching students. And last of all the last advice I would give myself is to enjoy college life, don't take everything seriously because there is always a time to play, rest, have fun, and be serious un time dealing with the school and the work.

There are many things I would like to go back and tell myself about how to prepare for college, for example managing my time better or brushing up on my math. But the one and most important piece of advice I would give myself is to not doubt myself, and that I should major in what I want, and not to think I can?t accomplish it.

When entering college, take the time to research your school, make friends, and understand your classes. Managing your time is one of the most important aspects of succeeding in college.