Palm Beach State College Top Questions

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

Jeni

If I could have only had the opportunity to actually have done this! The most important advice I would give myself would be to maintain my GPA. I have had to learn the hard way, twenty years later, how important one's GPA is. Because I did not take college seriously when I was 20 years old, and allowed my GPA to suffer, I am having to work extremely hard now to try and repair the damage that was done. I would emphasize to myself that my college transcript is a document that will stay with me for the rest of my life, and to take good care of it in case I need to ever use it again to further my education.

Willie

Knowing what I know now about college could have made a big impact on my life if i would have known it back then. The year 2005 is when i graduated from highschool and things have changed over these couple years since I've been to college. First thing that i would tell myself is to apply for as many scholarships that I can. When i was in high school i didnt fill out not one application for scholarship. I will also tell myself to keep my grades up the last year of high school as well, that can make a difference. Secoudly, i would tell myself to stay focus, to be encouraged and not discouraged. To go hard and be the best you can be dispite of what people say. To follow my dreams with my head held high. I have been through alot my senior and the begin of college and i have managed to be stronge and motivated. I would advise my self to be prepared for any humps that may lie ahead because they do come. To be wise and to determined. To my cognitive, Im on the right track to acquire my goal. Thank You.

courtney

If i could go back in time and give my self advise as a high school senior i would tell my self not to blow off the SAT's. I would say froget going to the community college and trying to save the money and just go to a university. You dont save as much as you think you will be by going to a community college and its not really worth the time when they may not have what you want to major in.

Daniel

If I could go back in time I would tell myself that you should pay more atention in english class so you don't have to take remedial coruses. Also to learn better study habits. To go to all of your classes and to do all of your homework. Work a little harder now so you get a scholorship and don't have to pay for your entire college education out of your pocket. That is what I would tell myself if I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior.

Lauren

What I accomplish now will determine how my future will look. My long-term aspirations and plans are what drive me to work hard and do my very best. I know that I need to be strong, determined, and focused in order to accomplish all my goals. Planning is vital, especially when dealing with my education. Planning and researching my educational path will help me create a ?map? that will lead me to my career in Hospitality and Management, a dynamic and rewarding field that I am determined to enter, hopefully with your help! I was diagnosed with heart disease called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. This is an electrical abnormality. Even though I had to revise my normal activities, I am determined to finish my Bachelors degree in Hospitality and Management. I will be considered a junior next year and plan to attend Florida International University. Making a plan, committing to your decision, and working as hard as possible are the keys to success. I was taught at an early age to never quite anything and I don?t intend to start now no matter the hurdles that may come my way.

Amanda

Stay focused! Don't let your other peers influence you. Concentrate on your grades and studies more and stop worrying about what other people think of you. You'd be surprised as to who your "real" friends are once you graduate. No one matters but yourself and the life you set forth for yourself.

meaghan

There are so many things i would change about my life in highschool, if i could go back in time. Highschool is supposed to be fun and a time to make friends, or so i thought. I was wrong. You need to focus on the future everyday and see if what you are doing now will help you achieve your goals. I would work so much harder in school, from ninth grade to twelth. I was a bit of a procrastinater. Everyone told me, oh you need to think about college now its so close, senior year willl be over before you know it and so on and so fourth. This is SO true. I needed to focus on college and my studies since ninth grade, especially since school did not come the easiest to me. Right now i wish i could get into some prestigde university, but i can't because i didn't focus as much as i should have. Procratination is not allowed and everything needs to be done early. Highschool only last for four years yet it contributes so much to the rest of our lives. We have many more years to come, be prepared now.

Chantal

Chantal, pease take my advice. First of material things are not the most important thing in life. This christmas you do NOThave to spent all of the money you've saved this year on Christmas gifts. Instead, save it for college. Your family and friends will understand. When you work save every last dime, there is nothing you can buy that is worth more then your education. Later in life, you will have alot of anxiety for paying the cost of college if you dont start saving now. Also, keep trying to learn. I know it's easy to slack senior year, because youre teachers let you get away with murder. Consider your future, you need to continue studying it will make the transition to college easier. Math and Critical thinking are skills that can be lost so always push yourself in school. Apply for many more scholorships. Unfortunatly as you turn 18 youll have to move out. If you have the grants you need youll be able to live near campus and not with your boyfriend. Never settle Chantal, every day brings a challange and your education is the only thing that will save you in the end.

Marisel

The advice i would give myself as a high school senior would have to be. Not being scared of going to the extreme. for example taking harder classes and challenging myself. Being involved in student activities or becoming my class president. I was always afriad of going the extreme because, im a student that doesnt like to fail or lose. Now i see how college life is and its so challenging and its new to me. I could of challenged myself my high school years and already be prepared for college. That would be my advice to myself .

Dorothy

I will say to myself: wake up , look around,the world is out there waiting for you. Look all the effort your familly have done for you. Friends, relationships, even family can be gone in seconds but your faith and what you learn is always going to be there. First learn to love yourself and then you will know that you are made to learn everything else in life is extra. Don' wait to plan because now is the time to change, don' do it to make people proud, do it knowing that what you can bring to the world is unique. Can't be changed can't be forgotten.

Katie

If I could go back in time I would tell my high school senior self to make a plan and see it through. I entered college without a direction which has left me on a wayward path. Although every class I have completed and every program I have attempted has left me with invaluable knowledge and countless positive experiences, I regret that I have yet to use these skills in the workforce. I would tell my past self to prepare in advance and listen to my heart in order to persevere and meet my goals against all odds. You never know if you will like something unless you try it. I'am now 24 years old and on my way to a degree in Envirnomental Science. However, If I had known what I wanted to do sooner, I would already be working in my dream career. I have missed out on so much of life's opportunities by being indecisive and unsure of myself. If you want something, go for it.

Kewina

Based on what i know now, I would tell myself to pay attention to the various opportunities that are offered to students as a Senior in high school. I would tell myself to apply for as many colleges, scholarships and/or grants as possible and have some sort of direction about the degree I wish to pursue. I would also say that it is very important to continue my education immediately after graduating high school so that I will not lose what I learned in high school and all the years prior. It is duly more important to know about the colleges that I wish to attend rather they are local or not. One thing that is very important is to save and expect the unexpected. I moved out of my moms house because I had to but if I could do it all over again, I would suggest to move in with another family member or a friend so that i would be able to work either part time or full time but also focus totally on my studies. High school is fun but college is the real world. Be prepared and keep your eyes open.

Amber

Dear 18 year old Amber, The economy is never a sure thing. In a couple years its going to plummet and leave the job market empty and unpromising. Searching for a decent paying job will be nearly impossible and very very frustrating. The people that will be succeeding will be your peers who have finished their degrees and have well paying jobs. Do you want to be left behind and feel insignifigant and too old for your position when you are almost 25? It is so important to finish school and do your best. Being as you are an only child with no family except mom and dad it is crucial that you build a successful, stable and solid future to support yourself when they are gone. You have seen them struggle and you know they cant support you so you if you need to come home! You need to do your part so you can support them when they get too old. I know studying and alll that work can be so tedious but I also know education excites you and it is the only key to a brighter future. Please finish your education! Love 25 year old Amber

Lukas

If I had a chance to go back in time when I was a senior in high school, I would tell myself not to worry, because everything is going to be okay. At first, when I wanted to go to college, I thought it was going to be hard, maybe even been looked at in a wary way because I wanted to become a professional pilot and the program at the college was just starting out. Now that I'm in the Aeronautical Technology Program, everyone I know is in the program and they are like a family to me. I can finally talk to someone about aviation without having to feel like the person I'm talking to doesn't have a single clue about what I just said. The professors are amazing, they give me any type of help I need, and the counselors are even better then I imagined. Life at my college isn't hard, nor is it something I had to have doubt about, because it is not just my career I am going after, but it's my future.

christina

dont think college is like high school cause it is way more important and you have to be focused and determined to get where u wanna go.

Deirdre

If i could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior i would definatly tell myself to become involved on campus. I spent my first semester of college at Florida Atlantic University, and i thought that it was important to find a job during my spare time so i could have money to go out on the weekends and visit old friends from high school. I wish i had become involved around campus, joined more clubs, or joined student government. College only lasts four years, and i advise every incoming freshman to make the most of it. Be outgoing, and you will meet lots of fun, new and interesting people, most of who will influence you for the rest of your life. College is where you are meant to discover who you are, and there is no better way to do that then to try new things and meet new people.

Jaclyn

I would tell myself that I need to be strong for the next few months because I will go through a deep period of depression. Although I currently go to a community college instead of to the university I had dreamed on, I will find three great friends that would help bright my dark days and that I my relationship with my best friends from high school will grow stronger, despite the distance. I also realized where I belong and I really want in life. I realized that I should have gone to by dream college; that I should have applied to as many scholarships I could, so I could afford to go. If I would have, I would have saved myself from the depression that I suffered through due to the feeling of being isolated in a city where I knew no one, didn't feel at home in, and problems with my father that put a bigger strain on a relationship I was hoping would grow stronger by moving in with him, but unfortunately didn't and got worse. I could have saved myself many sleepless nights filled with sorrow. That's my advice to my past self.

Alysia

I would warn myself to be more aware of what moving to a University takes, and tell myself of the hardships I encountered trying to live on my own, and go to a University, paying for everything myself, before I had to move back home and go to a Community College. All of the troubles struggled even while making the transition back home to the Community College were difficult. I made a quick decision to move on my own away from home, and try to make it, and that choice made a lot of impact on my life. The changes have made my life now a lot more difficult, and I know now that if I had chosen to stay home, and attend the Community College, my life would be headed in a much clearer path.

Barbara

If i could go back in time to when i used to be a high Senoir i would eventually tell myself to be more responsible,more mature,focus more in school especially to keep up my grades,involve in many extracurricular activities as i can because college is not that easy. I would encourage myself to be more responsible for several reasons: for example, in high school your time is structured by others however in college you manage your own time. In high school you can count on parents and teachers to remind you of your responsibilities and to guide you in setting priorities,howevr in college you must balance your responsibilities and set priorities. You will face moral and ethical decisions you havenever faced before. Secondly, if in high school you have good grades and participate in extracurricular activities you have a greater chance of getting money(sholarships,grants) to pay for your college education,so you don't hae to worry about it later. High school is mandatory and usually free, but college is voluntary and it is expensive.

Ashlynn

I don't necisarily think that i would want to go back in time. Although i've been through a lot of hardships my first few years of college, all of my challanges have taught me something new in the end. If I did go back in time however there are things i wish i knew before. I really slacked off my senior year, thinking that school wasn't very important as it was almost over. I didnt make it into the school i wanted to go to nor did I have the grades to get any scholarships. I'm paying for my mistakes now as I took my slacker mindset into my freshman year of college. My grades were poor costing me my credits and money. I've learned that in this day and age college is something you have to do to eventually get on in the real world. You need to learn how to focus yourself and do your best because every choice you make will effect your future for the good and the bad.

Patricia

I would tell myself to study harder in order to get excellent grades to recieve more scholarships. I would have also said to get more invovled in extracurricular activities such as volunteering.

Miguel

Knowledge is the most valuable thing you can have in life, worth more than money, and is the only thing no one can take away from you. They can take away your house, your car, even your job, but nobody can take your knowledge away from you. Education will open your mind to the world and how to make it better from any field you want to be. Learn what you really like no what you thinks is going to fill your pockets with money, that will keep you motivated and excited about your career.

Connie

Some advice I would give myself would be study more, work harder. When I was in high school I was more worried about boys and partying as Ive gone to college Ive realized there is alot more than that in life. As long as Ive been in PBCC Ive been working full time to pay for school and if I could tell myself to work harder in school and work to get a scholorship, so I dont have to work so hard to pay for my tuition. In college you have to study unlike high school it wasnt that big of a deal, now in college its a big deal if you dont study the teachers aren't going to go over it before the test. So, if I could go back in time I would definitely tell myself would be to study more and work harder.

Garry

Wow. I would take my first two years very serious, because it is basic high school fundamentals forget about getting a full-time Job, because it hurts so hard working full-time and hurry up to rush in and out of class. Join more a clubs with a great concept. I'll stop by my counselor more often, because I took lots of classes that I did not even have to, build more rapport with a high school teacher to remind me what I am doing right or wrong. I would stop eating out and dining. Even tough in Florida it is very important to have a car I would moving to a campus house to stay away from paying rent, car payments, insurrance. I would wear the team spirit T-shirts only, instead of buying expensive clothes and shoes. I'll wait after my AA to get a job. I'll learn more about credits cards and loans like never before, after a while all of these things hunt you for the rest of life. No credits repair road for me forget about the clubbing things. I'll ask my teachers more advice about every things under the sun

Lynn

I would tell myself to make sure I have a job and save up as much money as possible. Also, once you enter college try and figure out a major. If you don't know then go to the career center to help you find out what might be good for you. Try and take classes that will be useful for your major once you enter a university. I would tell them to apply for FAFSA and try to get as many grants and scholarships as possible. Sometimes you have extra money left over from your grants and scholarships which you should save so you can take classes during the summer. Take as many classes as possible because taking four classes a semester won't get your AA in two years like you think. The most important thing is never get dicouraged or give up. Stay focused and try to finish your AA as soon as possible because once you get to a University you get to take classes your more interested in. Saving money anyway you can will be worth it because it's expensive to live on your own. Be involved in your school and have fun!

Viktor

Set goals. Organize yourself by the hour with a daily planner. Don't waste time/units. Seek what you want to do early. Get involved in as many internships as possible - early. Social life isn't as important as school. Don't get a girlfriend until after college. Join a fraternity or other organization.

Keven

Learn to study

Fernando

I would go and tell myself that the transition will not be as intimidating as it may seem. Though many people will tell you that college is a whole other story from every other school you've attended, it really isn't. Just keep doing as you've always been doing and continue to work hard and pursue what you value the most as a future. And also be sure to apply for plenty of scholarships as paying for classes is not cheap at all.

Jenni

If I could go back and talk to myself senior year of high school I would say, Jenni please listen to the story I am about to share with you. Imagine that you start college and do not know what to do with your life. You enter college to take the courses that all undergrads take. You change your major a few different times only to end up never finishing and spending the next fifteen years as a server in a couple different restaurants. You make good money, but you are not fullfilled and find yourself at 35 years old, married with two young boys. Your oldest son 8, says to you one day, "When I grow up I want to do what you do mommy". Yikes, you respond with a very stern, "No you don't"! You then find yourself going to the local community college to sign up as quickly as possible, to finish what you started. Things in your future will be brighter if you finish college then go on to nuture your career. Your family life will only benefit, and your children will be so proud to have a mommy that is a college graduate!

Ashley

I would tell myself not to expect miracles, but also not to postpone my own dreams due to the numerous life crisises I was going to face. I would make sure that my high school self knew to immediately seek employment and begin saving for College rather than getting caught up in the numerous deaths of my family and allowing myself to become depressed and hopeless. I would tell myself to be more responsible with my money because it would give me a greater chance of being comfortable later on, while at college. I would also drive home the fact that no matter what, I would accomplish my dreams, regardless of the hardships I have faced and will face as a result of my economic status and upbringing.