Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City Top Questions

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

Dylan

Dear Dylan, Make sure that you chose a university that YOU want to attend and not just go somewhere that your friends go. Everyone will make new friends while attending college, and everyone will tend to split. High school friends are great to come home and see, but you will enjoy college more if you go somewhere no high school friends are going. Make sure you attend classes every day for that it is harder to catch up from a misse day than high school was. Make sure you complete all the assignments for that professors do not give as many assignments.

Heather

I know everyone has told you this before, they will continue telling it to you no matter how old you get or where you go, but I think you will take it from me when I say it: chill out. I know you stress easily and you don't think you are good enough but, really, you are the only person who allows that stress to rule her life. Soon, you will learn that you are going to be okay. The world is not going to fall in, your parents are not always going to be right, and people genuinely do care about how you are doing instead of what you are doing. Do me one huge favor: sit down, have a cup of tea, and do nothing but exist for a few minutes. Watch Doctor Who and Sherlock, go places, do not let what people say upset you, find out about studying in London-- just do it with the knowledge that everything is going to be okay. You have not failed. Stop thinking that you are failing and live.

emily

IF i could go back into time i would tell myself longview is not the school for you. i would tell myself i would love going to a university so much more. i would say try and apply, thay know longview is free and at the time is the only way to attened school but scholarships could help you if you just apply. i have found a school i love and cant wait to attened but i just need to find a way to pay for it.

Carrie

I have attended 6 different colleges, I would describe myself as a transfer student. I take classes here and there as needed and as best fit in my schedule. With my experiences for new college students I recommend community colleges before universities. College towns are fun but the distraction really is more than some students can take. Being goal driven and knowing what you want and when you want to get it makes the distractions easier to ignore. Colleges should focus on introducing students to career based courses early on, giving students an idea of what they will actually be using a class for is the best help you can give a student. This focus will keep students from wasting time and money on major changes and even career changes after college. You can take a math class, but its nothing like being an accountant. You can take geology course, but is nothing like be at the base of an active volcanoe or researching global climate change.

Renee

When I was a high school senior, I was snotty and stupid and I thought that college was going to be so easy. I was so ready to get out and move on with my life and get away from the teachers at my high school that thought they knew everything. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself that I don't know everything. There is a lot left in life to learn. Also I would have tried to help myself realize that I need to be more productive. Hopefully a little pep-talk from myself as a much more mature adult (haha) would put some sence into the childish brain I had. Looking back thought, I really doubt any of this advice would have mattered, because so many people told me these things and I decided not to listen. I thought I knew more than what they were trying to tell me. I have learned these things first hand and I still have to coach myself to get the results I'm looking for, and I still have a lot of growing up to do.

Jessica

If i could go back in time and talk to myslef as a high school senior and give myself advice i would say apply for every scholarship that i could, don't blow off classes and assingment especially in math because they do mean something and that they will come in handy in college. I would say to myself to just relax and have fun with friends because you will find out who your real friends are through trying times to come in your life and that no matter how hard things get that it will be okay and things will get better. Finally i would say hug your mom and tell her that you love her every single day beacuse she won't always be there and you will miss her like crazy every second of every minute of every single day.

Timothy

Responsibility is the key. The coursework does not get too much more difficult. However, having a lack of responsibility makes things at least 10x more complicated. The professors do not want to see their students fail and, in fact, want the exact opposite. They are one of the many tools available to help. In many cases they are akin to the card catalog of whatever subject you are studying. These "portals of information" can aid in the topic at hand as well as point students to the proper resources which are necessary to learn the material. Also, take the time to decide on a major. Your major course of study is not paramount in the first year or two. Those terms should be used to explore ideas that may not have initially been so obvious. Finally, it is essential to college success to learn how to create a schedule and STICK TO IT! This becomes the major difference between high school and college success.. A good, working schedule is a definite necessity.

Matthew

I actually graduated a year early and never had the experience of being a senior, but if I could go back in time to my junior year I would have advised myself to slow down and focus more on grades than just getting as many classes done as possible.

Maura

I would go back and tell myself to attend school everyday. I had a terrible attendance record my senior year and it caused extra stress. It got so bad that I almost didn't graduate. I honestly regret not going everyday. I am now in college and it is very important to attend every class. If a single class is missed, something important might be taught in that class. I would also tell myself to go out and have as much fun as possible. I missed so much school that my friends hardly ever saw me and my little bit of a social life went down to nothing. One of my best friends moved across country and I found out months after everybody else because I never went to school. I did not have nearly as much fun as I could have. These are just a few of my regrets that I wish I could take back and just a little of the advice I would give myself.

Rocio

Dear Rocio Stewart, High School Senior, I know its senior year and all you are focusing on is getting out of high school and moving on with your life, but you should be more focused on taking in and remembering everything you learn in your classes this year. You should also be wise about how you spend your money, like not wasting it on going to movies everyweekend, or on other things that you don't neccessarily need. Even though you know you're planning to go to Longview next year, and it is cheaper than other colleges, it doesn't mean its free. Apply for scholarships as soon as you can, and save the extra money you don't use for gas or neccesities for school next year. Trust me, you will need as much money as you can get to pay for school and books. I would also like to let you know that, even though you will know people from high school when you go to longview, be open to meeting new people and hearing new ideas. Also, stay focused on school and have a plan for the future, it will help! Sincerly, The Future Rocio

Jessica

I have actually wanted to do this, and the obvious realization that I could not was upsetting. The first piece of adivce would be to make myself take summer classes. Although the break is nice, taking classes in the summer keeps your mind sharp and helps you get to your goal faster. I would have had my Associate's Degree and be working on my Bachelor's Degree already. Stretching college course work out just makes things more difficult in the long run. The key is to get the work done quickly without overburdening yourself. When I first started school I did not realize that there was such a thing as eight week classes. Taking these types of classes can allow you to take four classes a semester while only focusing on two classes at a time. Stress is a part of life that we cannot avoid, especially as a working student. Another piece of advice would be to relax every once and awhile. Being a college student has been the best time of my life so far. The independence is exhillarting and the transition of a teenager into a young adult is an important time of one's life.

Britney

If I had the chance to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I wouldn't think twice about doing it. I would tell myself to go away for school. Being able to have the opportunity of having my first two years paid for at a Community College was a great benefit, but being home never gave me the opportunity to really experience college life and what it's like to be on your own and away from home. There are so many different things from joining campus groups to Greek life that I coud've been a part of right now if I had left after high school. I know it's not too late now but being at home really had me reevaulating what I wanted to do with my life and sometimes I was unsure. So if I could go back in time, I would tell myself to change my mind about staying home and leave; experience the world.

Jennifer

College is the next step before getting a job in the real world. As a senior in high school, you need to try to figure out what profession it is that you really want to do in life. Then, choose a school that has a good program in that area. Complete some job shadows as a senior to figure out what interests you and what you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life. Knowing what major you want to obtain going into college is a great advantage. The job market in your future is not going to be good, so choose a major that is going to always need jobs

Stefani

I would tell myself to buckle down and study to achieve great grades in high school. Most importantly enjoy high school and they friends and family around you. When you get to college study and don't be timid about getting involved with school activities. When you get to college, have fun, and make new friends! Make sure you get to know all your teachers, and sitting in the front always helps!