Brigham Young University-Hawaii Top Questions

Having had a great deal of college experience, if I could go back to High School and give myself advice it would be to Save, Save, Save! Academically I was a diligent student and tried very hard. However, I feel that I could have been much better at getting part-time jobs and working to put money into a college fund so that I was more secure starting off. I would also give myself advice about getting involved. In my first year of college I was very focused on making new friends and doing new things rather than getting involved with school clubs or activities. Now that I know the importance of gaining new experiences and serving, I would advice all high schools students to do more extracurricular activities. The more experiences you have, the more talents and tools you have for the future.

study as much as you can. ask questions if you don't understand it. it is not matter of being in class, it is about understanding. Don't give up if you don't understand. Take your time to grasp what you are learning. Don't you ever compare yourself to others. You are you and you do the best and you can be the one only you can be. Learn to listen to others and what they have to say, there are so many things you can learn from others. Even those you think you never thought you would. Don't procrastinate the work you were asked to do. Learn everyday. don't get caught up those things don't matter the most. Enjoy the school life with balancing your time and take a rest if you need to.

Dear HIgh School self, The one thing that you need to do differently is to take AP/ honors classes. If you take these college credit classes, they will be applyed, amd you won't have to take them later! If you dont do this, then you will have zero credits going into college (which is what happened to me). Also, read more this summer! If you read consistently, you wil be better prepared for all of the reading that you will have to do in college!

Make sure that you know your financial situation. Have a clear goal about what you need to do to prepare and get a good job. Think ahead.

If I were to go back in time I would tell myself to pick the school that is right for you. Don't go to a school based on what your family desires for you. Pick the school that is best for your desires and passions in life. Do what will make you happy with your future. Don't let anyone else's idea for your future hold you back from what will make you happy.

Dear Me, First off, don't sweat it. College classes aren't nearly as tough as you are making them out to be. You will have to continue to work hard but it's nothing you can't handle, so stop freaking out. Second, start saving your money now! I know a year or two away seems like forever but it goes by fast and your money even faster. So start practicing good spending and saving habits now. It'll pay off, literally! And laslty, just remeber that you are pretty dang awesome the way you are and don't need to change for anything or anybody. Don't get me wrong, you will end up changing and growing. But never lower your standards. Best of luck to you! I have faith in you! You can do it! Love, Your Future Wiser Self

I will say to myself: Find a passion early, develop it and use the time in college to maximize the passion. It will be too late to find out a passion if you come to college without knowing what you want to study.

If I could go back with the knowledge that I have now, I would try harder to earn more scholarship money and save up more before I get to school. Having financial aid helps very much with the stresses of beginning college. When I stress about money, I have a harder time focusing on my school work and I am simply less happy than when I feel financially secure. Once I know that my finances are taken care of and I will be okay paying for school, rent, food and everything that I need, I do a lot better with school and studying. I would also get more into the habit of buying only what I need in order to save up more money. College textbooks are pretty expensive for things that you will not be keeping very long, so having some extra money saved up definitely does not hurt at all.

I would tell myself that building good study habits is the best thing I could do before going to college. I would tell myself to never put studying off and start saving earlier in life. I wish I could have learned budgeting better and not spent my money that I earned in high school. I didn't understand how expensive it was to move out of the house. If I had realized this before my senior year I wouldn't be stressing over each semester. Also, building study habits early in life will help once you enter college. It is harder than high school and you will need to study in order to pass your classes. It will only get harder. Lastly, the most important thing I would tell myself is don't give up. At times it will seem like you can't get through the day; but once you realize why you are in school you will understand that it is all worth it. It will be the best thing that happened to you.

If I had the opportunity to advise myself as a high school senior, I would advise myself to start planning my college career earlier. It is important to start planning soon as possible which include things like: choosing a school, SAT/ACT scores, and applying for Scholarships. The first thing I would do is choose a school. Most people will advise that you choose a major first but, like myself this can be very confusing and cause you to lose valuable time if you are indecisive about what you want to do. The second thing is to taking SAT/ACT test seriously so I could meet admissions requirements to get accepted into a school of my choice. I missed the opportunity to attend a particular University because of my SAT/ACT scores. I feel attending a University or College of my choice would have resulted in better grades and me becoming more involved in campus organizations. The final thing I would advise is applying for scholarships. The cost of college is becoming more and more expensive every year. There are many scholarships that go unclaimed every year, which can be used to help offset the increasing cost of college.

Don't be afraid. I went from feeling on top of the world my senior year in high school to the bottom of the pecking order in my freshman year. That's what I thought at least. I know now that that self-doubt and fear was self inflicted. As my freshman year started I was afraid to put myself out there and be friends with everyone around me. I was too afraid of being rejected, being different. What I quickly learned is that everyone is either in the same boat or knows what it feels like to start a new phase of their lives. It is never easy, but knowing that everyone is just as scared as you or has felt the same way at some point in their lives, makes it a whole lot easier to be yourself and have the confidence needed to make the most of your college experience. If I was face to face with my senior self I would tell that boy to continue with courage and not to fear. I would assure him that everything works out. I would most importantly tell him to be confident in who he is as a person.

To my "past self". Looking back I have seen that success in studies comes when we make the decision to succeed. I believe that when you want to learn, you stop seeing your work load as a road block, and more as an opportunity to advance. School is a preparation for the future in career, social life, family life, and many other aspects, so when we are optimistic and motivated we can gain a lot more than an experience in passing tests and turning in homework assignments. When our motivations are firmly rooted in strong values and beliefs that we can excel, become great students, and improve the world we channel those beliefs into our studies and actually begin learning. I feel that when I decided to begin loving learning, it became something so much more. Yes, you need time to experiment and try everything and find out what is good and what works; but this process is much more beneficial when we have the mentality to do good in the world and make the most out of our studies. I know that anything is possible if I am willing and determined to put forth the work.

I would tell myself to really try hard to get good grades. I would say that school is a big privilege and not many people get the opportunity to receive a good education. Think of the things you are kearnigna s knowledge and not as a burden that you have to go through. Take homework assignments and an opportunity to learn and aquire new knowledge. The assignments you dread can actually be very rewarding and enjoyable if you just go about doing them with a different attitude. Remember what the prophet said. This world will in large measure pay you what it thinks you are worth. Your worth is often decided by how much education you have. I would tell myself these things and also to just have fun and treasure the times you have in school. One day you will be working a job and supporting a family. Take advantage of the time you have to be around your peers, learning and growing together. It only comes once in a lifetime.

If i could go back in time to high school as a senior the advice i would give myself in transitioning to college life would be to know what you want to do in life and then do it by studying and experimenting with it.

The advice I would give myself is to never judge and only love. To learn to serve those around you. A huge struggle I had my first year was the transition of being away from my family. It was through service deeds where I came to know people and become close to them. They became a part of my family as well. Soon enough I was making life long friendships, and because of those friendships my life changed. I would encouraged myself to forget about myself and my stresses, worries, studies, and help someone else with theirs. I would tell myself to NOT WAIT. It took me several months to grasp this concept. Once I did, my entire experience changed. My heart was opened.

Dear Senior Madison, Well if I could tell you anything now I know that your senior year was the hardest, try harder take those AP classes more seriously, yes they help you get into college, Check out the apartment your going to be spending alot of time in dont just think well this is home away from home, and your roomates are going to drive you nuts, choose carefuly! Getting lost that is just part of the expirence, we all get lost in college the first year. SAVE your money I know the shoes are cute but living off of peanutbutter is not the greatest. Learn to love exersise people are not kidding when they call it the freshman 15 the weight gain is not just somthing your mom tells you. Live in the moment and enjoy everything because you will wish that things were easier,enjoy the times that your pearents will help you because being an adult is hard.

I would tell myself to learn how i learn best. Everyone has to find a way to learn that tailors to their own personal needs. For example, i learn best by studying in a quite place for no more than two hours. Then i take a 15 minute brake. When i do this, i learn the material so much better and i can recall it on tests. So my advice is to learn how to learn. Try different methods until you find the best one that fits you. Also i would encourage you to set goals and have vision for the future. Its hard to go where you want to go if you dont have a goal to get there.

1. Even though some teachers don't take attendance, you should go to every class, even when it's boring. 2. Make a lot of friends, not only with locals, because you will have more sources of help in your academic help. 3. Talk to your professor when you are having a difficult time. I didn't do that for my first 2 years of school. Now that I do it, it helps a lot with the class. It also assures them that you care about your grade. 4. Take breaks during long study periods. I found that it wasted time because you study for a long time and tend to forget a lot you studied. 5. Volunteer at events when they ask for some. It helped me make righteous friends.

If I could go back in time and give advice to my former self about college, its ins and outs, the leading advice I would give him is not to get distracted. Often times we crave the social aspect of college and the academic aspect gets neglected. I would explain to him balance is very important- it is important to make new friends, enjoy your freedoms with them, and have fun. But college is not all fun and games either. I would advise him to say "no" to some invites, "yes" to study times on Saturdays, and to do the homework. I would tell him to focus on his studies and stay true to his life goals by doing the work required to get there. Not only would I warn him about the dangers to much partying brings, but also sit down with him and reconfirm his life goals. I would tell him if what he really wants is to be a Physics professor- much like a father to son. Although it is important to warn him of the consequences his future actions would bring, it is also improtant to note that I'm doing well anyway!

To younger me, Hey there young Nelson, its me older Nelson. I have been contemplating long about what things you could do to help me out. Its not a lot and they're easy to accomplish if you harness your attention and energy. Having just recently discovered my own potential and determination I can tell that if you had started to develop your talents and knowledge with greater importance I would be much more successful. However, since I am having to do this now I am limited in my progress. Please focus more on being constantly anxioussly engaged in a good work no matter what it may be. Ask yourself if what you are doing will uplift and inspire you to become better. If you do this then we will be a lot happier in the future. Another way we will be guaranteed greater success and happiness is by you learning to control and discipline yourself. You will find that the gap between dreams and realities is only bridged by discipline. So my young self, I implore you to focus and ignore the insignificant distractions around you, and start inspiring yourself and myself.

Don't go into the military right out of high school....Get a college education first so you can further advance with rank when you enlist....I wish I could truly turn back the clock on my life.

Looking back from where I am in my life now, I would tell my high school self to never give up. No matter how rough your life may seem, there is always something better around the next corner. College and life on your own may seem impossible and sometimes it feels like the weight will crush you but these times, with all their struggles, will be the best times of your life. I would also tell myself to have more confidence. You will never know what you can truly become until you stop hiding behind your lack of self-esteem. That underneath is limitless in what you can accomplish. Have faith in yourself and never look back!

As a high school senior I was caught up between working full-time, playing and being an All-Region volleyball player, going to school, and trying to balance a social life. If I could go back in time, I would tell my 18 year old self to kiss my dad, hug my mom, and save money. I would tell myself to enjoy the simplicity of being home.a I have come to the conclusion that not everyone was raised my amazing parents like mine. When I was in high school my dad and I were constantly at each other’s throats arguing over this rule and that. Now, I appreciate him for teaching me to be an independent, hardworking young woman. My mom also made sure to teach me patience, which is something I am eternally grateful for. Money was so easy to come by in high school as I wasn’t paying for tuition, rent and food. If I could go back in time I would put myself on a budget and try to save as much as possible. Money would be a lot better to have now, than carelessly buying things I didn’t need in high school.

Don't be scared to have different interests. Have an open mind and work hard. It's also okay to change your mind for something you are passionate about. Even if you'll only be passionate about it for a week. Work hard and good things will come your way.

During my senior year in high school, I was dealing with something most seven-teen years olds don't usually deal with. I lost my mother in a car accident early in the year, and I was more than devistated. Not only did I loose my mom, but I also lost my home and became homeless. I was offered places to stay here and there so I was able to continue school and graduate. During school though, I had no desire for a future. If I were to go back in time, I'd tell myself to not give up, that this hard time will pass and my future is bright if I'd just look up and be happy to be alive. I'd tell myself to pick myself up and keep going. I'd let myself know that things will get better and to not give up just because I'm sad at this temperary moment. I'd tell my self that it will always hurt, but it will get easier so what I should do is work hard and make my life better now instead of later.

Don't wait so long to go to college. It's worth it to go as soon as possible. Also, don't ever slack on any assignement. Everything that you do will help you in the future. College is the best decision that you will make in your life, and you need to do well. Do all you can to get into college right after high school.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to enjoy the time that I have with my friends from home, but branch out and make friends with everyone. The hardest transition I had to make when leaving high school and coming to college was seeing my social group dissolve. I had done everything in high school with the same group of people and since we all went to different schools, I had to start at square one in making friends again. It's been good for me to realize that everyone has potential to be a great friend when you give them a chance. I wish I would have reached out more to others in high school.

I would tell myself to never give up on yourself and always pursue your dreams. Remember to always have an opened mind and be willing to learn and take advice from others. Never be afraid to stand up for what is right. Reach out to everyone and let people know you are there to help and make their lives better. Always look for opportunities to serve and make the world a better place. Set goals for yourself that will help you grow and be a better person, and let nobody take you from those goals. If there is a will there is a way, be who you want to be. Make friends with everyone, because you could have a great impact on them and vice versa. Study and learn as much as you can. Learn how to read fast and comprehend what you read. Take a speed reading class. Make your grades and education a priority for your future. Think about the future and how your actions will affect what lies ahead of you. Allow others to reach out and help you, never deny help from someone else. Love everyone, even those who seem not to deserve it!

If I were to give one advice to my previous self, I would tell myself to be focused. Right now, I am having a difficult decision deciding what career path to take. If I were to tell myself to focus, I would hope that I would make a more concerted effort to discover the things that I love the most. I would often follow idle pursuits and not be super focused, but part of my goals for this year is to be more focused: to spend more time reading, writing, friendships, and pursuing business ideas, and spending less time on facebook, youtube, or other internet time-wasters.

College life is the best time I have ever had. I believe this time is the perfect time to progress and reach your goals. There should be not fear for going to college, if you do your best. I am sure you will succeed. It does not matter what your grades are, If you are doing your best, there is not reason to be dissapointed for your effort. Organized yourself. College helps you to prioritize activies. Remember after the duty is the pleasure. Put first what matter most such as Study and work after that you will have time to have fun and relax. College life is the critical point to form your professional personality, do your best and you will have good results.

I graduated a year early, so I have a lot of advice for myself. First of all I would question myself about leaving home, the family, and living on your own. It is a big step, and because I have been living on my own for a while and at the age of 17, leaving home had a huge impact on my life. If I still decided to graduate early, I would tell myself to prepare more for living on your own. Having to do everything for yourself is very different from home if your parents always did a lot for you. On top of upholding your life you have school, and homework. So I would have just told myself to really think about what I was getting into, leaving home, and living on my own. Another aspect would be money, getting a job to pay for your education is vital. One other thing I would tell myself is to treasure your high school education. Don't just goof off in high school, becasue it really reflects in you college efforts and work.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself that I really need to focus on school. The world is a tough place, and although college isn't all that difficult to get into, it is very expensive. Yes, you can apply for financial aid and student loans, but how will you pay those loans back when the time comes? It is better, in the long run, to have scholarships to pay for college, or at least help with most of the tuition. In order to obtain scholarships, it's going to take a lot of hard work. No matter how tough it is and how many you are not chosen for, don't ever give up! You will be offered a music scholarship by the band instructor at the university you have been accepted to. In order to get this, all you have to do is attend his tutoring sessions for some fine tuning in your clarinet playing. Please do not let this wonderful oppurtinity slip away from you. I will be 29 years old soon, and I have wasted so much time. I have successfully earned a degree, but still have a long way to go.

Make sure you have all materials you think you will need and more. Take tons of notes and study a little every night. Make sure you go to every class and if not try and get someone to record the lecture for you and if not a classmate see if the teacher will record it for you. (give her/him a voice recorder to do this with) Don't assume any class is an easy class and make sure you take a college succes skills class it will help out majorly. Don't be afraid to try something new and never think you can't do it, because you always can. Just give it your best and make sure you study and you will do great.

I would not change my major million times because it wasted my time, money, and energy. Being determined is very important. College life is the most memoriable time beacuse you are trying to live independly and trying to make own decisions so it will be really good basic experience in your future life. More over being risky and making mistakes without making trouble can be a good experience. learn as much as you can, do not chase for good grades, chase for good knowledge which will worth more than anything. Make friends, they are the ons who will change the world in the future. be active to the events and activities which will help you develop your leadeship skill. do all the homework you will never regret. finally it is very simple have fun while you empower yourself.

I would give myself advice of the importance of major. As i came here to BYUH, my dream career field was Hospitality and Tourism management. But as I was taking General Education classes, I started to worry about the realities facts, such as income, occupation, social classes, and things like that. That lead me change my major to Accounting which i can make lots of money in the future. It was totally not related to my interest, or dreams. As I started to take major classes, i struggled a lot. My life was full of stress and i became negative in every field. I didnt have a desire to put my effort on my academic life. I just wated to run away from where i am. As i went through hard times, i had appointment with my advisors, and finally decided to change my major, back to HTM, even though i was a little behind. After that moment, i saw hope and light in my life, and started to work hard on everything i did. I was tired phisically, but i was happy because i was doing what i dreamed about. i saw the importance of choosing major.

Do not take whatever take whatever i have for granted. College is much more difficult than high school, therefore when i enter college, educational goals are to be set and should find a way possible to achieve it. Saving is a very important thing for college because it helps in many ways because of the numerous textbooks and things that are required in university. The last advice would be, never to procrastinate because it will be a habit if i keep doing it, university life does not tolerate or have time for slackers, therefore i should keep up and not fall behind in order to survive or succeed in college.

Had I the opportunity to communicated with my earlier self I would first tell myself how I managed to communicate back in time, so that I could re-create it and make lots of money and gain wisdom from all those that have gone before me. Other than that, I think that the most important thing to comunicate is that you have to develop a love for learning. No one should go to college because they feel like the need to in order to compete in the world, although this certainly is the case. You should go to college because of the joy that comes from increased knowledge and understanding. If you learn to love to learn, then you will do much better through your studies simple becuase you want to. One other piece of advise I have is to do homework for yourself, not for your teachers. A simple change in the view of why you do home work will make all those hours much more rewarding and productive. If you are doing home work for your teachers then you will simply fill the requirement. If you do homework for yourself you will learn.

If I were to go back in time and talk to the high school senior me I would tell myself to always put studying first, and then have fun. There is always time to have fun and hang out with friends after you get your work done. I would also tell myself to get things done early, that way all the stress of having not done a ten page research paper due the next is not there. I would also tell myself to stop, take a deep breath, and relax. Most of the stress that comes from college is all in your head. Yes, getting all of your homework done is important, but don’t take it so seriously. Be sure to have fun and enjoy the college experience instead of stressing over every single project that is given to me.

If I could give my highschool self advice about making the transition into college, the first thing I would say is DO MORE READING. It's not necessarily the daily written work load that is overwhelming, but rather the huge amounts of tough reading that are required. I didn't get enough practice with this kind of reading in high school, which made it difficult for me my freshman year to become really engaged in my classes. I would also suggest to high school kids in general to attend lots of overnight, summer camps (sports, recreation, etc.), especially without a group of familiar friends. It is good practice for entering the foreign social scene of college--going out of your comfort zone and meeting new people. This is the best part of college!

Looking back as a senior in high school I would have told myself to sadve money. I didn't start saving money till after high school, but I wish I would have started sooner. I always had a job in high school but I just was always spedning it on things I didn't really need. I knew that I was always going to go to college but I guess I never realized how much college cost, but it's a lesson that I learned and now I always make sure I have some money in savings. I also wish that I would have taken for college classes in high school. My high school offered some college courses at my school and I took a few, but I wish I would have taken more credits so that I could get my associates sooner.

Sacrifice. I would teach myself all about the techniques of sacrifice and how I could potentially use the practice to my benefit. As a younger college student I didn't fully appreciate the concept of sacrifice, or giving up one thing with the hopes of receiving something else. I thought I knew, but truly I did not. I needed to be educated about the benefits of sacrificing time on the weekends and investing greater amounts of energy into assignments that I previously assumed were simpler than they really were. In actuality I wasted too much time enjoying myself, my friends, and my surroundings when I could have been storing up benefits to reap later on. The idea of sacrificing time and energy to assignments and study is very unappealing to younger students. When coupled with the assurance that yes, one will still have some allotted recreational time, and additionally given the ultimate profits of a scholarship-earning GPA and graduation with a degree, the concept of sacrifice is easier to swallow. College isn't all work and no play, but neither is it vice versa. College is sacrifice, and sacrifice is balance. That is my advice to self, thank you.

The transition is pretty easy and extremely fun and a much better lifestyle, but don't be distracted by the scenery of the school. Be very engaged in the social activities they offer here at the school and don't be afraid to intorduce yourself to everyone. You will absolutely love it, so have no regrets. Keep to what you know and remember who you are. Keep up your studies and don't ever slack.

After having completed three years of college, that while I was studying something I liked, not really fascinated me, so I decided to change course. So I would advise you to think about my priorities, find what really excites me carefully, once set my priorities began to direct me to what I wanted for my future. Having already been through this, I would take some time to explore different fields, so I could find something to cover my expectations as a human being, taking in mind that my career would be for life. Is very important to be focused, when you get to college, new challenges with which we must deal, although they are difficult, we must not overlook that every situation helps you grow as a person and professional. University helps to mature, and aprepararte to the professional field. I would say focus on priorities and have the desire to outdo itself is the most important. My personal advice is to follow the path that leads to real you. That will lead to success.

I would tell myself to enjoy the small things. A lot of times, we get too caught up in what is going on that we overlook small, important events that happen everyday. Right now is an amazing time for me to learn, grow, and make lots of new friends. When I first got here, I overlooked so much and missed out on a lot of great learning opportunities. I would tell myself to live life one day at a time, working towards goals. Goal-setting is such an important skill in life and it takes time to refine this skill. I love to set goals now, but I wish I would have had more experience setting goals when I was younger.

Some major advice I would give myself would definitely be apply for more scholarships. I never really knew about them until it was too late to apply

Do not stress out about your appearance, how others perceive you, or your social life. Hold on to the friendships that are worth fighting for. Try to build as many positive relationships as you can. Do not hold back for fear of rejection or humility. Be bold and take risks. Try to experience as much diversity as possible. Join more clubs, try out for sports, volunteer more time to community service projects. Do not be afraid to communicate with your teachers and ask for recommendations. Use all the resources you can to be prepared for the ACT/SAT and to apply to colleges and for financial aid and student loans. Savor every moment of being a child one last time without responsibility and prepare to have the time your life.

If I was able to discuss with my past-self I would tell me, first of all, that everything was going to be just fine. I would also let myself know that it's ok that I don't know what to do yet, but I would have to visit with counselors often within my first year of college. I would need to discuss with them my interests, and basic ideas of where I thought I should be. The last thing I would tell my younger self would be, don't procrastinate. All procrastinating will do is stress you out, it will make it hard for you to fully enjoy all the things you will experience in college.

Enjoy all the spare ,omey and time you have living at home in college you will have a lot more financial resposibility!

If I were able to go back in time to give myself advice about college, I would tell myself to study, study, study. I would remind myself that you will be paying for these classes and you should take them serious. There will be very little time to play. I also would tell myself that in order to be successful you have to work hard, nothing comes easy in life. I would let myself know that my attendance is very important .

If I could go back and talk to myself as a senior in high school I would tell myself to not stress so much. I was so concerned about which college was right and what major to choose but I found out that it's ok to change your major and you are able to switch schools. I would tell myself to explore more options and find out what I really love then pursue it.