Greenfield Community College Top Questions

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

virginia

I would tell my high school self to go full speed ahead. There is no reason to be self conscious or intimidated. Learn because you want to learn not because you don't know what else to do. Weigh all the options and choose what will make you truely happy and excited. As someone who was a horrible test taker I decided to not take the SAT's and to then go to community college which would allow me to transfer without actually having a SAT score. This may have been a bad choice, I'm still not sure. It did give me real life experience. Which without that experience I doubt I would be where I am now. The best advice I could give is to know yourself and make decision that are true to you even if you have to make them alone. It can be really scary to be making a life changing choice by yourself but nobody knows you better then you.

Andrea

I would tell myself to work hard and not get discouraged by anyone or anything. College sets you up for your adult life in many ways, socially, intellectually, and financially. You need to pick a career that you not only enjoy but that will make you enough money to live the life you want. Also pick a career where you can grow and learn, you don't want to be bored in five years counting down until retirement.

Melissa

I did not make a conscious decision to delay college until I was older, but that is what ended up happening. I am glad I did not go to college while I was a teenager, as I feel that there is much I would not have had the perspective to appreciate, but I do wish that I didn't wait so long to begin. I was so intimidated by the idea of approaching the huge bureaucracy, and I did not have any help from friends or family that had already been through the registration process. I would definitely tell my younger self that it's really not so hard, and once you make the first step it is sort of like stepping into a river with a strong current, it just sort of carries you along to the next step and the one after that. I know it sounds like a cliche, but it is so true, all you have to do is take the first step and before you know it you will have already finished your first year of college.

Hannah

After having such a hard time with coming up with funding for my education, I would have started at a local community college and then moved onto a four year college. I had taken time off from college after my move from Utah to Massachusetts because I was not financially prepared for my new home I was renting, my new job and having enough money to continue college. I have been trying since then to do what I can to continue classes. From applying to grants and sholarships, to using tax money to go towards classes. I would have told myself that college and education is my top priority. That as long as I put my everything into school I will be able to finish and that planning ahead for school and saving a little each week would help me continue classes. "Balance is Key", which is somehting I have learned. Its hard to juggle a full time job, new marriage, new home and education, but can be done and is important. Never stop untill you are finished is the last advice I would give myself, even if it may seem really hard, it is the most important.

Samantha

If I could go back in time and talk to a much younger Samantha Anna Fabian, I would tell myself to be brave. I would tell myself to stop going along with the "in crowd" and take my last year seriously. I would remind myself that every single decision I am making at that moment in time, however minute it seems, can and WILL affect my life five, ten...even twenty years down the road. I would drill into my head the importance of putting my all into my schoolwork, because scholarships are important when I'm coming from a broken home with no money! I would tell myself that parties come and go, and that the BIGGEST high-school party of the year really isn't so big when I compare it to the rest of my life. I would say, "Samantha get your head out of the clouds, your transistion will be much easier if you pay attention and study. If you continue to work hard right until the end, you won't need to take a year off. Be smart and brave, you can do this if you work hard."

William

If I could go back in time I would tell my self to listen to my parents when they tell you not wait until the last minute to start your homework. I have found that my tendencies to procrastinate are what make it harder to do well. I would tell myself to get my work done as soon as it is assigned; that way I would do a better job and get a better grade for it. Also, I would tell myself that my education is more important than other activites. As a member of the local fire department I found myself spending more time there then working on homework. Therefore, the most important thing I would have told myself is to get the work done before you do anything else and it will work out better in the end.

Amy

In high school I got good grades and I was involed in clubs and activities. Scholasticly there is not really anything I would change about my high school career. I had my group of friends, which were great, but I was a pretty quiet person. I am a Christian and I feel that I could have been more open about my faith. I would encourage myself to not be afraid to talk about what you believe in, and to stand up for yourself. On a less personal level, and a more high school into college level, I would suggest to myself to fill out more scholarships. I would tell myself to start filling out scholarships earlier and more of them as well. I would also strongly encourage myself to get a job. I did not get a job until the summer I graduated from high school, and one of my greatest regrets is not getting one sooner. That summer was when I started getting the bills, although I still live with my parents; paying for gas, car insurence, going on a payment plan for college, as well as other miscellaneous expenses I did not have to think about until then.

Bridgitte

If i could go back and tell myself one thing about college, I would tell my highschool senior self that hard work does pay off. Because the harder you work the more the teachers will notice you and grade you based upon that. They truely apprieate the ones that work their hardest.

Kundai

I never made it to my senior year, because I dropped out. Eventually, after working at hard labor jobs trying to provide for my family, I realized that this type of work wasn't for me and I went back to school. I've been doing well in college and I don't regret starting late. I went back when I was mentally ready. The advice I would've gave myself then,is that you don't have to prove anything to nobody, but yourself. I felt a lot of pressure from family, friends, and teachers. I think that's what overwelmed me and led me to drop out. The expierence what I had in high school made me very fearful of college life.