Community College of Allegheny County Top Questions

Realize what kind of learning you like. For me, at least, the kind determined the topic. I’m bad at doing problem sets, I don’t like exams, and I feel no personal obligation to, or connection with, my professor or teaching fellow when I’m in large classes—and therefore don’t do my work. So I take small, writing-heavy classes. The sooner you realize that this is how you and I work, the better.

I would tell my high school self that school is expensive. I was suppose to attend Virginia Commonwealth University for Visual Arts and Art education. At the last weeks of summer my father became sick and went into emergency surgery. Because of the tightness of money, and because my parents were in the process of a nasty divorce (and still are), I had to stay in my home town and work as well take care of my father for the months after his surgery. If I could go back to my senior year I would make sure I could save enough money, more than I did, so I could afford the Universities I was accepted to, instead of having to live at home and go to community college. It has been especially difficult because I grew up in a virbally abusive household and having to stay around the people who have caused me pain is distracting and depressing. I know I will overcome this, some how I will get out of my situation and make it to the universities I have always dreamed of attending.

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school self, I would go back and tell myself not to waste as much time as I did on searching for the colleges that include my intended major. I would tell myself just go to CCAC and get my Associates degree, then choose a great four year college to get the rest of my education. CCAC has teachers that are not quite at the high school level but aren't at the four year college level either, which makes it an easier transition. Also, the transition into the "real world" is easier because there are lots of people of various ages and backgrounds who are there to learn. There are so many services offered at the college to help the students understand and succeed in their education. Also, I applied very late and lost out on some scholarship opportunities. I would go back and tell myself to apply early so I wouldn't have missed out on anything.

I wish someone had told me my senior year would pass in the blink of an eye. I would have taken the time to soak it all in. Some of the best moments, both in and out of school, were had in those nine months. I would have spent more time laughing so hard I cried with friends who now live all around the country. I would have stayed out past curfew and broken some rules with those same people. I would have tried to be home for more of Mom’s home cooked meals, because let’s face it, cafeteria food isn’t anything to write home about. But most importantly, I would have lived life a little less cautiously. Once you leave the comfort of high school, the real world awaits. The world of bills and 40 hour work weeks, of never getting enough sleep or enough time to spend with those same people who helped you pass that algebra class. This is the advice that I would have wanted to hear.

The advice I would give myself if I had the opportunity to go back in time: Don’t stay in a relationship with someone who disrespects you, who doesn’t allow you to follow your dreams or give you encouragement with your goals in life. Don’t allow anyone to bully you, stand up for yourself. Also, don’t allow yourself to bully yourself. You can be your hardest critic but you should love who you are. Embrace the real you and find out what you truly love and want to become instead of listening to what others want from you. Don’t believe others when they say that you can’t accomplish something. Allow those words to push you toward your goal! Turn the negative comments into positive ones and use that as fuel to your fire! Focus on proving those people wrong! And despite how you feel at this moment, time really does fly by, years pass and you wonder where the time went. Enjoy the rest of your high school days and live it up as much as you can!

Wishing that I could go back, the advice I would give myself is that NOBODY, ABSOLUTELY NOBODY, IS WORTH COMPLETE UNHAPPINESS! I would have told myself to do what my heart wanted to. I would tried so hard to convince myself that everything is possible if you put your mind to it. I would have let myself know that I would be so much happy going to school where I really wanted to. Learning knew things, meeting new people, seeing new places, and having great college experiences is what I would have told myself is what I really needed. I would have told myself that even with thousands of dollars in loans, at the end I would be happy and would not look back and always wonder what if! I would tell myself to do what I love to make me happy and no one else!

Learning to manage my money and pay my loans off in a timely manner has taught me that money does not just grow on trees (mom and dad) and that taking care of myself is important so that I will not be sick and miss work or school, ending up short on cash to pay loans. I am managing my time much better and am able to accomplish all that is important to me. I am enjoying the fact that school means a better job and/or more pay as I learn more. Learning has a purpose now, not just to get past the next test but to better myself in the work place and be able to speak intelligently to others.

I would tell myself to figure out the college of your choice based on what you want. You can listen to the advice of family members and friends, but ultimately it is your decision and you can't go to a certain school for anyone else. When I was a senior I had a boyfriend that was a year younger and would be staying around here for another year, parents and grandparents who all wanted me to go to the University of Pittsburgh, and a best friend that had her mind set that we were rooming together at Penn State. It was all so overwhelming and I couldn't take the pressure. In the end I ended up making the decision to go to the community college around here because I didn't know what I wanted to do for myself. Being there the past two years and looking to transfer I have come across this problem again but I know now that I have to choose what I want and not let everyone else in my life confuse me.

I would tell myself to have studied more, because knowing is so much better than not knowing. All in all, I made high honor roll in high school but was not worried about it as much as I should have been. I would have told myself to have taken more science classes and to really appreciate my biology teacher more. Appreciate Mr. Shiver more, even if you think he's too strict now he will prove to be beneficial in the long run, and boy was he ever! Take your time figuring out life, you've got time to understand yourself and what you what to do the rest of your life, there's no rush. Also, don't worry about what others want you to do, worry about what you want to do. It's your life, not theirs. Live life, your life, the way you think it should be lived.

I would tell myself not to stress as much about high school work as I did. After attending a semester in college, I realized that high school wasnt as hard as it seemed to be. I also didn't realize that i had far less to worry about in high school.

I would tell myself that college is more relaxed but that i need to learn how to study. You get no where if you dont study.

Initially, I chose Duquesne University for the wrong reasons. I ended up not returning and am attending CCAC for a semester. If I could go back and give myself any advice, it would be to prioritize what means the most to me in a school and go off of that. I had only toured 5 schools my senior year, and I regret it now. I had not even thought about going far away or considering a bigger school. I wish I could have told myself to not be so narrow minded with schools and to really get a feel for more diverse campuses. That way I could have been able to have a wider selection of which school would be right for me based on what was the most important factor.

Use all my time constructively by managing my time as it relates to my courses,take advantage of all study time for example, if I am riding a bus and it takes fifthteen to twenty minutes to get to school, take advantage of the time it takes to get to school or have a good tape recorder and record what the instructor is teaching in class and listen to it during breaks, if I am doing okay in certain classes that do not take up the majority of my time, do those assignments first, then focus on the more challeging assignments. Be prepared at all times for instance, having all the neccessary school supplies pens, pads etc. etc. sit in the front of the class and ask questions, even if you I give the wrong answer, the instructor may be giving out points for just participation, either way I will get the right answer from the instructor or another school mate and that's one way I can learn.

I graduated form a De LaSalle highschool in cincinnati Ohio. I was involved in Kairos retreat leadership, Lancer leadership, the truck full of love cannned food drive, sports, and community service. As I look back at myself procrastinating about what I wanted to do with my life post graduation I realized that these handouts I was expecting were not going to come. I would tell myself to be proactive in finding out what I wanted from an education instead of what I wanted from a social standpoint. The social things will some with the education ,but that is not the most important part. I would tell myself that if you see something that you want, go out and get it, put in the leg work necessary to achieve what you want. Be patient when reaching for your goals, because you may find out it takes more work than you initially thought but the end result makes it all worth it. Enjoy the time you have in school because it all changes when in college. Determination and self motivation are the things that will help you through college. Most of all do not take yourself too seriously. Life is too short

If i were able to go back in time, i would have done things a thousand times different. So many people cannot wait to leave High School, they think it's the worst place ever to be. Well i'd do anything to go back. I took college as a joke, and it showed in my first semester grades. If i could start it all over and tell myself how to prepare it would be, handeling my social life while handeling my school life. Working a part time job can be good, but also you lose that extra study time you should be using. I was doing so many other things other than working on my school life. One major thing i would stress to myself would be, "school will help you in the long run by getting a job and supporting you for the rest of your life, and your social needs...well, there will always be time for that."

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a senior in high school, knowing what I know about college life I would give the following advice. First, I would apply to three schools that I'm interested in, instead of just one. Second, based on if I was accepted and the cost of the schools I would apply to the local community college instead. Attending a community college allows you as a student to be able to maintain a consistent job, as well as low tuiton costs. You'll be able to save tons of money that you will be able to use later for tranfering to other schools. Finally, make sure you apply for financial aid, including your fafsa form and grants. There are also many different scholarships out there that are just for your major, interests, and hobbies. College life is awesome you meet many new people, and become friens with vitually everyone and you don't want to miss out on the opportunity of going to college and being around it's environment.

The advise I would give myself is don't give up on your dream. I put off going back to school for about 30 years. Although the classes are interesting and I enjoy my classes, keeping up with the workload sometimes is very stressful. I do regret not doing this sooner. I should have continued on my path instead of giving up the dream.

Going back I would have taken more of my spare time to start practicing and studying ahead of time for my degree. It was hard catching up to my college class mates. I would have subscribed to lynda and bought the adobe sweet so that I could have more practice under my belt!

Don't pick a school based on what a college student should like. Really take a look at your lifestyle up to this point and assess what you're really like. Have you done well in smaller classes or big ones? Do you go to parties a lot? Can you still do well in class if you party a lot? And so on.

To be honest I would tell myself not too wait. Alot is going to happen in the next three years of your life and the best thing for you to do is to just do it. Stop trying to prove to everyone you can do everything on your own. They believed in you all along. Go to school. Be somebody. Do it on your own or with the help of you family. Either way it will ultimately make you happier. Putting off that first semester is gonna cause a series of events that you won't be able to change and your going to lose alot. You'll grow from it but in all honesty going back to school will be your best bet.

There are a few things that I would advise myself to do. The very first thing I would tell 'me' to do is to take the SAT/ACT. That alone has been a great hinderance to my college process. I would also tell myself to apply to schools, any school that I desire to go to. I know that there are ways to pay for school, and doors would open for me to go where I wanted. The doors have opened for me in my life so far. I would also tell myself to think about what I really want to do in my life. It would have been a great help to ask myself the question, "What do I want to be when I grow up, and what am I good at?" Then, I would tell myself to go ask someone for help in accomplishing the application process. I didn't know the path to get to college and I think that helped me put it off so long. Talk to someone who knows, and if the person you ask doesn't know, keep asking until you find someone who does.

If I could go back in time and talk to my self as a high school senior I would give myself a few words of advice as prepration for the transition from highschool to college. The fist thing would be, (1)MOTIVATE YOURSELF BECAUSE IT'S YOUR GRADE AND YOUR FUTURE. (2) COLLEGE PROFESSORS ARE NOT AS LENIANT AS HIGHSCHOOL TEACHERS SO TURN YOUR WORK IN ON TIME. (3) IT MAY BE CHALLENGING BUT IT WILL PAY OFF IN THE FUTURE. (4) IT'S TIRING TO WORK FULL-TIME AND GO TO SCHOOL. (5) AND LASTLY LOOK FOR SCHOLARSHIPS YOU WILL OWE LESS MONEY IN THE FUTURE!!!!!!