Kalamazoo Valley Community College Top Questions

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

John

John, I know that you think that you have the next few years planned out because you are enlisted in the military, but it does not hurt to go to those workshops on financial aid and applying to colleges anyway. There are deadlines for just about everything, and various different processes you have to go through in order to to ensure that you can afford school and get into the one you want to get in to. Also, don't start to slack just because you're a part of the good old U.S.M.C. You are not a Marine yet, and even if you were your homework would still be important. As a senior in high school your grades are very important. This is your last chance to improve your GPA so that you can go to a good school. Take time every night and do your homework. Open a book and read it. Reading and writing a page a night will take ten minutes, if that, and you'll have your assignments done in less than a week.. Your teachers are there to help you. They don't get paid to fail you--use them!

Amy

I would tell myself that it is okay not to know what you want to do, but to still go to college to at least complete general education requirements and as much math as possible- while it is still fresh in my head! I would encourage myself to do job shadowing and find a job and/or volunteer in the medical field so I could figure out what career would best suit me. I would also assure myself it is okay to take a break from school, but strongly advise that it be short term, and to continue to go to school full time, rather than dragging out schooling by taking one class at a time. Most importantly, I would counsel against student loans and to pay for college by working and scholarships and to NEVER borrow money, not even have a credit card! Lastly, I would tell myself it is okay to fail, but to get back up and do it 100 times better, because YOU can!

Emily

If I were to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would probably say "Do not give up now. Just because the end is near does not mean it is not important." I believe that a vast majorty of seniors suffer from a coined term that is called "senioritis". What happens is that seniors just lose sight of the importance of their last year of high school and do not really push themselves like they normally would if they were in any other grade. What they do not realize is that your senior year gets you prepared for the upcoming transition into college. The transition between high school and college is one of the most significant transitions in a young person's life and should be treated as such. It is not something one should just blow off, or lose sight of. I believe that it is important for parents or guardians to be supportive and help their students not lose sight of what is to come. Seniors should realize that their last year is one of the most important years in their high school career regarding the transition to college.

Gabriel

If I could go back in time and give advice to the high school senior version of myself regarding the transition to college, I would tell myself to learn to take control. College is the first step into the real world. College students learn about more than academic subjects; they also learn about life as an adult. Prior to college, young people constantly have adults steering them towards their goals. However, once in college, students must keep themselves on the road to achievement. For the first time in their lives, college students need to get themselves out of bed and into the classroom with no aid from their parents. Students are held to higher standards in college and are accountable for assignment deadlines. Much as an employer has expectations, college instuctors do as well. Many college students must also live independently for the first time; therefore, they must work. Balancing work, school, and a social life is key to success in college. As adults, we all must balance responsibilites, and college life is excellent practice. Young people learn to take control of their adult lives during their college years. Learning control may be the most valuable lesson of all.

Erica

The advice I would give somebody else is to, do your best. Never give up, and work really hard in school, because you never know what could happen. Do not goof around or play around in high school, make sure you are doing your work,and you are doing your best. Give 100 percent in everything you do, and it will certainly pay off, and you will see results. I goofed around in high school and I was not able to do my best, but I can encourage someone else, and tell them to do their best, because I know the consequences of not doing your best. As long as you work hard in high school,and you are a good student it will pay off.

Kayla

I would tell myself to not be so nervous about starting college because it's not nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be. I would also suggest to myself about starting off at a university because I feel as though that would have been a better fit for me.

Jacquelynn

Jackie, please don't worry about who your friends are now, what you look like, or where the party is at this weekend. I know you think that you are smart enough and don't need to study to pass, but what you are doing now is all irrelevent. You are a bright girl and trust me your beliefs and values will change dramatically within the next few years. You will regret not taking the time to focus on yourself both academically and emotionally. Start thinking about the future now, take more college classes instead of partying. You need to start thinking about colleges, scholarships, and your future because you can't afford it on your own. Go back to the study habits we had when we were younger, it may be time consuming now but it will be better later. procrastination will only lead to long sleepless nights and a vague understanding of each class. Most importantly though, Jackie, please don't give up on your dreams, don't lose sight of who you are, or what you believe in, and always be confident in yourself. Remember this, "freedom is the ability to fly when never leaving the ground."

Michelle

I would tell myself to concentrate more on school, to work harder at band and learning my instrument and becoming the best possible i can be. I also would of told myself to take another math class to continue on and help prepare more for the future. I would of liked to look into more colleges, but knowing my GPA was so low it was difficult to get into a 4 year university. I would tell myself to continue with the community college idea to save money but also look into scholarships to help with costs my freshman year of college.

Elizabeth

I would tell myself many things, but a lot of those would be pointless. I think the most important things in life are those learned from your experiences. It's important to let yourself mess up once in a while, otherwise you have nothing to learn from. If you do everything perfect , you have nothing to improve upon and that makes life pretty boring. I was a terrible student in high school, in fact I was a class short at the end of my senior year and had to continue throughout the summer and didn't graduate on time with the rest of my class. While this was a huge mistake on my part, it's important to note that now, my education is the most important thing to me. I maintain a 4.0 GPA now, I was lucky if I had a 2.0 my senior year. I truly appreciate what I have now and value the things around me, if I could go back in time, I would encourage myself to at least graduate on time, but I would never take away the experiences that made me who I am today.

Stephanie

If I could go back, I would tell myself to work as hard as I could in school. I would tell myself that education is everything. Simple as that.

Katelyn

If I were able to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, with the knowledge of a college student there are so many different things I would tell myself. First, I would warn myself to be frugile with money. I would not have gone to a large university my freshman year! Instead, I would have saved money by attending a small community college. I would have influenced myself to try and compete for more scholarships, as it is hard to predict what the future economy might look like. Most importantly however, I would have advised myself not to lose who I am and don't make decisions about my future based on money. I feel that if I knew how important an education is I would not have taken my oppurtunities for granted. I feel extremely blessed that I am capable of learning, and was given an oppurtuinity and the chance to learn. Now all I am asking for is some assistance with financing. Thank you for your time.

Steven

Pay more attention in class you messed up in high school and now your in college trying to fix what you did wrong and catch up. All the fun and games weren't worth it in the long run.

Michelle

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would have a few things to say. To start with, I let a counselor convince me that I wasn't capable of learning algebra. It was through two awesome teachers at college that not only did I learn algebra but I aced it. So I would start off by telling myself not to let other people tell you what you are or aren't capable of. Also, when I was in high school, I went to cosmetology school because I didn't think I could do anything else. I didn't realize back then that if I would just apply myself a little I would've gotten some awesome grades. So the next thing I would tell myself back-in-the-day would be not to settle. Don't just do something because it's easy. Excellence is something a person has to work for and it's well worth it once you taste it. The last thing I would tell myself is don't quit on yourself. Life is hard enough with other people, you are worth it so go for it!

jesse

The first thing I would tell myself would be not to slack off at all on any of my classes and to take applying to college far more seriously than I did. Not to take a year off and blame others for the grades I got because I failed to care. I have not yet been to college, but I know what I need to do in college. So that I don?t make the same mistakes I made my senior year, like never showing up to class and just barely slipping through. I think the main thing I would tell myself would be to take it all more seriously; that every choice I make will affect my future in either a positive or negative way.

Alyssa

I would tell myself to be more focused on my studies and receive better grades. I would recommend that I learn better study and organization skills to achieve this. College courses are not very forgiving. Professors do not accept excuses. Grades are very important in college. Being organized is key to achieving successful results.

Melissa

The first thing I would tell myself is not to be so eager to get student loans, try getting scholarships, and if that doesn't work try getting help from the school. Don't be shy, start making new friends. College isn't about partying and having a good time. You are there to better yourself, and you can still have a good time while doing that. Take time and study and find any way you can to make the subject interesting to you, and try your best. Don't settle for just passing. Finally, I would have to tell myself to listen to your parents, it may sound like they don't know what they are talking about, but in most cases they do and they are just trying to help you.

Jamie

Apply to any school you want, even if the application fee is a lot of money. You can do anything you set your mind to, so dont hold back just because people tell you that you probably wont get in. You have to alteast try because you will never know what could really happen in the future.

Brianne

Pace yourself, don't think that you have to accomplish all your goals tomorrow! Take the time to set realistic goals and tackle them one at a time so you don't feel overwhelmed. Don't be afraid to put space between yourself and your friends if they're keeping you from doing your best work. And then do great work! If something seems to easy, try harder and push yourself, your imagination and creativity, don't settle for less than what you want.

Theresa

Well I would first like to say coming from a family of 7, I think starting off at a community college was very helpful with the money situation. I would advice myself to apply to a lot more colleges and to re take the ACT and even take the SAT's. I would also apply for as many scholarships as I could. I wish I would have also looked into more colleges that had my program of choice. I also wish I would have followed my dreams of going to a university, and not worry about my financial reasoning to not go.

Elizabeth

You have alot of new found freedoms do not take them over board.

Abby

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would have so much to say. I would tell myself that there are so many different boys in the world, not to just stick with the one. I would tell myself to STUDY STUDY STUDY!! It does pay off. I would tell myself to start saving money, that there might be a little fork in the road in the future making me need more money.