Grays Harbor College Top Questions

What should every freshman at your school know before they start?

Corrine

I would tell myself not to be so shy and afraid. I had to wait many years to go back to school because I was too hesitant about where I should go next. I would have needed a lot of very specific information about what to expect and how to get financing in order to have the courage to go to college. Back then, we didn't have computers to use for research, and I didn't know who to ask to get the information I needed. I would probably have been too shy to ask them anyway. I would have had a different life if I had gone to college years ago but now I may be more able to handle the stresses of college. It's not easy, but it can be done and there really are people out there that will help you if you ask!

DeForest

The day you set foot on a college campus will be the first day of the rest of your life. I know that sounds cliched, but before you roll your eyes, hear me out. Right now, as we speak, you've probably already applied or will soon be applying to colleges. You've done so not because you want to spend your weekends cramming for finals, nor because you want to accumulate piles of debt, but because you have some dream that you're pursuing. Your dream might be becoming a doctor or a lawyer or you may just want a career that pays well,

Stephanie

Well the first and probably most obvious advice I would give myself is to not be such a procrastinator with everything. I would have also worried more about scholarships and how i was going to pay for college. Most importantly I would have warned myself not to be so careless with my money and to save it for things that I would need in the future.

Sarah

I would go back and tell myself not to worry about petty high school drama and to focus on my school work more than anything. I would tell myself that while I won't see many of my friends again, I should enjoy the time I still have with them and enjoy life in general instead of worrying about the coming change in my life.

Jessica

The most important suggestion I would make to myself as a high school senior would be to take college seriously. The habits you learn in high school and college regarding studying and quality will transfer to other areas in your life. I would tell myself that having the opportunity to obtain a college education should not be taken for granted. Join college social clubs to surround yourself with other students who have similar educational goals. Socializing should not overshadow the importance studying and getting good grades. Find a mentor at the college, a teacher you like or an advisor. Talk to that person when you are having struggles balancing life and school. Remember that college is only a small part of your adult life, a beginning. This beginning will help to define your the future success for the rest of your life.

Megan

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as high school senior the advice I would give myself about college life and making the transition is not to worry. That if I got scared about subjects or questions I didn?t have any clue about I should go to my high school counselor. I would also recommend going to the college counselor and talk with them. I would also tell them that every student at the college gets an advisor. I would recommend calling the college and finding out whom my advisor is and that they would have all the answers. On the subject of how to pay for college I would tell myself that there would be tons of scholarships and that I could also apply for Financial Aid.

Brittany

I would advise myselfs to take my time with my studies. I tried to push myself through math at an alarming rate and was not prepared to enter into the higher college math courses because I had not taken my time in some of the simplier classes. Along with this I would also push myself to find a true passion outside of school work so that I had something to keep me grounded when the stress of papers and tests come up. Having a passion besides getting the best grades in the class is probably the most important - I have found a passion in swimming since beginning college, but cannot take that passion anywhere becuase I did not find it early enough. School is important, but finding something that you love that can keep you grounded throughout the stress of school is (in my opinion) the most important advice I could give.

Siobhan

I have often thought, as many do, about the deadly three- coulda, woulda, shoulda. Of course I can point out all the little missteps that occured years ago along the way. Would I change them? Some yes, some no. As a high school senior, I was simply unable to live in the present. I thought I was quite good at living in the moment, often seizing the opportunity to bod with a friend or relax with a social event, musical performance, or a film screening. But what I didn't know and couldn't possibly was that nothing would ever be that easy again. Sure, there was the stress of graduating, planning for the future, due dates, senior duties. But there was nothing like paying bills, the monotony of a full time job, the underlying fear of losing that job and being unable to pay those bills. Most of all, there wasn't the vast desert of adult life. I had the world at my fingertips simply by not really being part of the world. I was young and free, making worries out of playtime. I would gently inform any senior that happiness is being a high school senior.

Patricia

If i could give advice to myself back when I was a high school senior, I would definately have to emphasize on how much hard work it takes to be a college student. Yes, high school involved some hard work and a lot of time spent on assignments, but college is on another level. Attendance is one of the most important aspects of college, as you gain so much more from an in person lecture than from borrowing another students notes. I would also tell myself to make sure that education is one of my top priorites, as it is going to help me begin my career.