Hagerstown Community College Top Questions

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

Erik

If I were to meet myself in the past. I would pull him aside from whatever group he was in, task he was doing, or wherever he was walking and I would tell him "Good job." "For what?" I would reply. "For being yourself. You have a good head on your shoulders. I know you have known this. People tell you this all the time but you simply shrug it off. I am telling you because I mean it, and I know." "What do you know?" I would reply. "I know that for all of your hard work and the stress that you put yourself through, sometimes on purpose, it is worth it. You did it. You made it to Liberty University. You set your mind to it and you did it. You were not afraid to step out into the world and you never became caught up in emotional woes." "Then why are you telling me this, if I made it all happen?" I questioned. "I want you to keep doing it. Keep making a distant goal and follow through. Keep enjoying the small things in life, and keep your friends on the same hand as you keep school."

Katrina

If I would give myself advise, it would be to work hard. Although you may get tired, the work that you put into our education is well worth it.

Katherine

The advice I would give my high school senior self would be to not procrastinate. Doing things at the last minute is very tempting and easy to achieve. Even though I maintained a high GPA and was a part of two honor societies imagine how much better I could have been if I had been writing and working to my full potential. By allowing myself time to actually work on the project and not rushing to throw it together at the last minute would have allowed a sense of pride at my grade, not a sense of relief. In college I can not get away with the short cuts I became adcustomed to in high school. When I do turn in an assignment now I give myself time to work on it, proof read, and rework everything because not only is it important to my grade, I want to be proud of everything I do. I wish that my high school self would have recognized the importance of not procrastinating earlier in my school experiances.

Sara

Dear Sara, Go to college. Go now. Do not pass go, do not look back. You have so much potential and you will be a great student! Sit in the front of the class and don't be afraid if you are the oldest one there. Make friends, not everyone is judging you. Figure out your passion early and follow it - even if it doesn't promise to make you a lot of money. It is better to be the best at what you love than average at what you can tolerate. Be yourself, listen more than you speak and enjoy every minute of it. You have the potential to be highly organized but you also have the potential to be a disorganized mess. The difference lies in an hour every Sunday spent planning your week. Be realistic, you are not Superwoman, but it is amazing what you can accomplish. Take advantage of every opportunity that you can. See plays, go to museums, study abroad and see the world. Try everything you want, but don't squander this glorious time.

Christian

If I had obtained the ability to go travel back through time and speak to myself as a high school senior, I'd tell myself three key things. First, to save my money because college books are very expensive and without the books, you will not pass the class. Second, that I should retake the ACT one more time before school was over so that I could possibly do better the second time around and possibly get credit for some of the general education classes in college. Lastly, I'd tell myself to work hard my first semester because the first term everyone has in college essentially makes or brakes people. Unfortunately, I do not possess this ability, and have to deal with the cards my life has dealt me., but great things can come out of past experiences.

Kyla

If I was able to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior prior to entering college I would take the opportunity to share the knowledge I now know about preparing for college. The biggest transition into college life is responsibility. A lot of responsibility comes along with being a college student because there are deadlines that must be met, and sometimes sacrificies must be made. For example, you may have been invited to a night out with your friends, but you also know that Monday you have a final paper due for one of your courses that you haven't completed. Instead of indulging in the night out with your friends you have to be responsible and understand your priorities, in this case the final paper due Monday comes first. Being independently responsible is one of the biggest transitions into college life, but once mastered your sure to be a great success!

Sandra

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself that you are better than you think you are. I would tell myself that I can do it and that it only takes a little bit of effort. College is a great place to realize how good you really are. The professors and other students are a great source of reassurance. College is something that you have to want and that the rewards are great. I would tell myself how important a college education is and how it is much easier to go to college right after high school instead of waiting until you are older. College should be a wonderful time in your life and that you should go and enjoy all the new friends you will make and the wonderful education that you will receive.

Javian

Assuming i could go back in time, i would tell my high school self to think more about his career, or what college he wants to go to. I would tell him this because transferring to another college is a long and heavy process. If he had just went to shippensburg university in the first place he would of known what to major in as soon as he got there. But i would also tell him to stay strong dont let the first year of college get to you, dont let your uncertainty take hold. I would tell him that he's going to be tempted by alot of things freshman year but when it come down to his sophmore year those decisions are goin to be the life changing ones. He will have to make alot of decisions from which classes he needs to which ones he doesnt and when he finds that out he can move on and finally answer does he want to major in international affairs or would he be happy majoring in agriculture.

Tiffany

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I think the best advice I could give myself would be to study! Just because you're a senior doesn't mean you get a break from schooling for 13 years. Now is the best time out of any to work your hardest and do the best that you can. When you start college, remember you are an adult now, you can enjoy yourself but still be responsible and remember the key to success is education. To excell, you have to work hard. Success doesn't come free.

Dawn

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would definately tell myself to go to college right away! I am almost 34 years old and just now able to go to college and get the degree I always dreamed of. It is definately alot harder to focus, remember and just learn in general now that I am older. I don't have all the advantages of being right out of high school as far as being able to get sports scholarships or anything like that. I now have a family to take care and college is second behind all of that. It is so much harder now. My advice would to take advantage of all you are offered as a high school senior and further your education any way you can. Struggling through life without a college degree is hard, and it is even harder to go back to get a college degree once you have a fmily that depends on you and lots of other responsiblilites. Go to college after high school so it can be your main focus and you can soar to the heights you dream of.

Cassandra

If I could go back and give myself advice as a high school senior I would tell myself to become more organized. First, I would tell myself to brainstorm about what generalized career feilds I am interested in and write them down. Second, I would go to the college's website and research what degrees they offer in my career feilds of interest. Third, I would consider the work load each degree required and narrow down my options to two or three degrees. Fourth, I would meet with an educational advisor at the college and talk about what careers are available after completing each degree program on my list. Fifth, based on my interests I would choose one final degree program and I would set a plan for completing it.