Highline College Top Questions

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

Joshua

Work harder! Don't go into college thinking you can do the bare minimum and pass. It's real buisness. Also, your high school didn't really prepare you for math.

Skye

If I could give myself advice I would say to myself “It may seem easier now but I promise it will get harder. Through life you were always trying to look for ways to challenge yourself and when you are not challenge you tend not to care about the class until you get challenged once again. I know slacking off seems so easy and I know you are smart enough to get everything done last minute. But trust me, it's not worth it. Going into college you're going to see that you want to do the same thing in high school. Don't do it. You will regret it in the long run. You have the power of knowledge and you are the first generation graduate of our family. Set the highest stepping stones for your younger siblings to follow not the lowest. So they can see that anything is possible because YOU made it possible.

sadiq

One of the significant lessons I may have learned from my schooling is time management. I wish I could have saved more time to focus on the additional resources and learning materials during my school attendance period. By focusing on the additional learning resources and material, we can enhance more life learning and education that guide my personal and professional life. By having more education we may find more job opportunities, more income and brighter life for my family that consequently enables me to contribute in improving our economy and create better sustainable life for our current and future generations.

Richelle

Dear 17 year old Richelle, I know right now you're thinking you're on top of the world because high school is ending. Also, I know you feel prepared to go to college in the Fall. But you're not ready. You are far from ready. High school was your safety net and it's not going to be there when you go to college. When you go to your college orientation, don't try to force yourself to make friends. Don't compare yourself to other student's accomplishments. This is where you get into trouble. Instead, go to the Advising Center to get some guidance because you're going to be all alone in college. You need emotional support most of all. When there are assignments you don't know how to do, get some help! Go to your professor's office hours and don't be scared to go! Also, stay organized and be aware of all the essay deadlines. See the end of the quarter in mind because it will come in a flash. Take care of yourself and find the motivation inside of you. You won't find it anywher else.

Dawn

Develope self-discipline for studying!! College moves at a MUCH faster pace than high school does, as far as the amount of information you are inundated with each week. In high school I rarely ever had to study or put any effort into my schoolwork, yet I was able to skate by with decent grades. This was great for my life in high school- but terrible for my academic record in college. Learning that self-discipline early on, even if it isn't needed at the time, will greatly benefit you when you hit college. If you don't nail down the ability to turn off all outside distractions for a few hours each day (socializing, work, television, partying) to focus on your schoolwork, you will spend the first year of school floundering, trying to balance everything and playing catch-up. Good study habits are the biggest key to your success in college.

Shelby

I would tell myself to apply myself better in school because now that I'm actually enjoying school and trying, I have made National Honor Society.

marianela

i will definitely will tell my self to really sit down with my mother and search for the right collage and apply for scholarships that would help me pay for collage. also to be very carefull when reading the applications.

Tina

When I was in high school, my mother was encouraging me to go to college and I didn't want to at the time, but unfortunately, I didn't have a choice. I did end up going to several community colleges, but not doing very well because my heart really wasn't in it. In looking back, I will not force my children to go to school if they don't want to. Priorities change over time and mind definetly did. It has been over 15 years now since I have been to school, and I have decided to go back and get my BA in Ealy Elementary Education. Due to my priorities and my focus I can honestly say, I am very excited about moving forward with a Teaching Degree and being a straight A student. I would tell myself not to go to school and waste my money, if I truely am not going to give it my all. I need to put 110{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} in school and making every class and every moment count.

Amanda

Most people would say I am the poster child for regrets; single mom, back in college at the age of 32, and just recently figuring out what to do with my life. Most people would say I couldn't answer your question in just 200 words. Well, I'm not most people. If I could go back to myself as a high school senior, I would give myself the biggest hug I could muster and simply say, "you are going to need this hug to get you through the next 14 years, but don't change anything because each and every experience has made you the person you are now, and that's something to be proud of". I don't have any regrets. I needed to go through life experiences to get to where I am today, and without them I wouldn't have a beautiful boy, a true sense of myself, and the courage to face future obstacles. Some people figure it out right out of high school, and some, such as myself, figure it out a little way down the road. I'm proud of myself and the road I took to get here.

Kui

If I could go back and counsel myself, I would advise the younger Kui, while still in High School, to study hard for the SAT?s, take as many college prep courses as possible, study reference material that educate potential college students on studying, note taking and time management, speak to a few different career and school advisors to help me design a college education plan, research potential colleges thoroughly, and secure adequate financial aid. Prior to starting my first college semester I would suggest to myself to take a tour of my chosen college in order to become familiar and comfortable with the grounds and the staff, take only twelve credits for the first semester so I don?t overstress myself, balance my classes academically for each semester, and also mix them up so I have a variety of courses and difficulty levels. By doing this it makes the semester much more interesting and I find it easier to retain the individual course material. The last bit of knowledge that I would pass on to myself would be to make good quality, like-minded friends, study hard, don?t give up, and to enjoy college life to its fullest.

My

Dear My, College is no longer like high school where you could joke and mess around without the consequences of failing big time in class. You don't get away with everything by smoothing excuses for missing homework with sweet words of flatteries to the professors. It's all about diligence and the ability to confront your laziness. Band is great is high school and FBLA is even more exciting, but by the time you get to College, clubs are no longer a place to involve only yourself and your enjoyment. It is a place to grow as a person and reaching out to better your society. I believe that you would go great if you heed these advice. I know i had a hard time coming to terms with changes of the life in college but so far, things are going well and it will only get better for me years from now. I have learn so much. Best of Luck, My Le

Alisa

The High School that i attended, really focused on getting each and every student ready for College. We were required to graduate with what they call the 13 Year Plan. While in high school i just thought that this was a way to keep us busy. I would tell myself now, that it's not. Doing the 13 year plan helped me prepare for the real world. One thing I was not ready for was all the self discipline needed to stay focused and on top of everything. I would tell my self to practice time managment. How to balance a job, school/study, and a social life. Going into college most students think it's going to be one big party, and for some it is, but for most it takes alot of responsibility and growing up. I didn't know that it would happen so fast, and i wish that i would have been more prepared for the responsibilities i was about to embark upon.

stanley

After enrolling at Highline community college, i discovered that college was quite different from life in high school. If i would take back the hand of time i would have a tale to tell myself about college life and transition i would need to make. In college, you'll meet a wide spectrum of students from different nationalities and cultures than in high school. I remember making friends with students from Mongolia (a country i have never had about). That means i will need to learn to understand and work with students coming from a culture that's different fom mine. In college, the student is expected to do much more by themself and the lecturer only guides you. This means the work load heaps on you and requires you to manage your time well and work as a group. This transition must occur quickly to ensure you stay current on your assignments and you maintain good grades.

Tracy

I would have applied myself more to studies then and created better habits going into college. I would have learned to focus better on tasks at hand, which would have made the transition to college so much easier.

John

If I could go back, knowing what I know now, I would encourage sticking with my first instincts of pursuing my education. I knew that I wanted to go, but resisted through the excuse of family needing me. I would tell myself that it's a mistake to assume that you take care of your family as an undereducated person, as they would do much better if you put yourself first. I would tell myself that two or four years isn't as long as it appears from the starting point, and is well worth the investment. Family can wait.

Brooke

dude! get it done while you're young. even though it's hard and school is kinda annoying it is ALL worth it once you finish. you really do set yourself up for the future!

Linda

It's okay that you you decide not to go straight to college, because giving yourself time to figure things out is just as great. Right out of high school are your experiemental years. Don't waste time and expenses at a University just to find out the major you intended on is no longer your passion. Myself for example, my mother lived a big portion of her life in Vietnam. She had minimum education over here in America. All she knew was that if I went to school, everything would be okay. But it wasn't the case. I felt like a prisoner in school. I hated school, so my grades weren't great (2.2). I had no idea where I was going and I was wasting large amounts of time and money. And 4 years later in college, I haven't completed anything. But through volunteer, out in the workfield, and people I encounter, I finally know what I want my career to be. Now I'm working extremely hard in school and my grades show for it (3.75). Therefore, my advice for you is to be patient with yourself and to do things for yourself.

Eileen

I wasn't very focused in high school and I was making bad decisions. I almost dropped out. Thankfully my parents wouldn't let me drop out and I completed high school. If I could go back in time and talk to myself, I would tell myself to stick it out and be patient through high school because college is completely different and much more fun. I would encourage myself to get better grades and not cut classes or hang out with the people I was hanging out with. I also did running start in 11th and 12th grade, so during that period, I would have told myself to be more assertive and use the time and resources I had to complete as much of my AA as possible. Now I am paying for my choices, but I am so thankful that I even have the opportunity to go to college and get a good education for my career! I learned from my mistakes.

Lisa

The advice that I would give myself is that it's okay to be unsure about what you want to do, but you still need to have a plan. Meet with a High School counselor or an advisor from a college you're thinking about, but make a plan with someone. It's important to get an idea of what stepping stones you'll need to take to get to a general goal, even if you don't know the specifics. The details will come later, when you become more and more sure about (or should I say you discover) what you want to do. It's okay to not have every answer right now as long as you're moving in a positive direction. It's important to meet with a counselor because they know the details about what classes you need to take, what grades you need to get and what the prerequisites to certain classes are. You don't need to stress yourself out about learning a new confusing system when you have someone who has mastered it and can tell you exactly what you should and shouldn't do.

Brian

stay in school and don't let out side life distract me