Paradise Valley Community College Top Questions

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

Alexis

I would have told myself not to worry. I spent too much time unnecessarily stressing about my future.

Jacob

You should take exactly the same classes you are taking now. You should memarize all of the lines in and out for the Mr. SHA DOW concert You should go to the CSI event this year and work hard. You will thank me later. Apply for more PVCC scholarships and look up the app scholly...write that down. I know that you are going to prom with someone who you know. Have fun and only order the orderves or you will be stuffed. I know you want to buy that fancy laptop on eBay... do NOT DO THAT! The desktop is amazing though. Do not buy games in bulk on eBay use scholly more and eat those apples. Live like you are preparing for the appocalypse and want to eat healthy food for 6 months straight. Keep that credit score up and it will pay off alot. You have already heard this from mom plenty of times but you are her favorite son and clean your room. In the time you can play the apps you like you could have 3 amazing scholarship papers made and checked at the LSC. PVCC is fun. Be involved. Get more scholarships.

judith

Make sure to study and pass your classes, take your prerequired classes as soon as possible. Take the opportunity to get your nursing eduction by starting classes right away. Take a minimum of two classe per semester and three classes when you can. Tell Kevin you love him and tell Grace you love her that she should not get pregnant. Dont settle for less aim higher you are worth it. Love you and keep going.

Pamela

I would have save more money for college. Because it is a great thing to have an education. With the working world you have to have an education to be great at your job. An education allows you to advance in the job world.

Tony

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior. Knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition, what advice would I give myself? The advice that I would give myself would be, never give up. Never count on anyone else to make you succeed but yourself. You are your way, only you can make progress in your life and most importantly. Rome wasn't built in one day, meaning you cannot expect greatness without patience. In conclusion I would say try, try and try again and when you fail keep trying because no one will try for you.

Lyndsey

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would have told myself to appreciate every learning experience that is given to me. I would have told myself to study a little harder and start learning time management skills. I also would have told myself to go out and experience different careers and volunteer opportunities to find my passion and discover what I love and like and who I am as a student, leader, and person. I would have told myself to start saving money and try to practice saving money and spending it wisely. Overall, I transitioned very well, but the time management is something that I would have tried to learn and master before I came into college.

Austin

If I could go back to my senior year which wasn't very long ago, I wouldn't have stressed so much about the vocational aptitude tests that were given to us to determine our career of interests and the courses to take to further that occupation. Once I reached college and began studying what I thought were my goals, I realized that I might not like that occupation and therefore, my education should have been concerned with getting a good education and concentrating on good study habits. The first two years in college are still to early to decide on a career and should be devoted to getting a broad based general education which will have benefits no matter what my specific career choice will be.

Ruth

If I went back in time I would tell myself that it's okay to apply to a four year college in California. I would say stop wasting your time and do what you need to do to get into APU. You don't have to go to community college just because mom and dad want you to, they will get over it. Take your ACT's it's really going to matter. I would tell myself just not to hold back and accept the fact that you are graduating and high school is almost over.

Danika

As my feet reunite with this familiar pavement, I am reminded of the many memories I left here at high school. It's lunch break, and I know exactly where I'll be. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors mill around the campus, unknowing of their future. As I stride quickly towards the outdoor picnic table, I see her. A high school senior that isn't lucky enough to have a half day because she wanted to take one more year of Spanish. As I seat myself next to her, I realize how much she doesn't know, and how much I yearn to tell her. "Everyone is telling you it's okay to be undecided on your major, but I know you really want to figure it out. Go with what you love, Danika! Don't mold yourself into 'the counselor' or 'the doctor'. You are a passionate singer, and you love to write. Focus on that. You enjoy learning, so don't be down and out about going to a community college. You will get a great education there with professors that can and will change your life. Stop worrying about the future and just live the life you love."

Zachary

As a high-school-slacker and current college student, I have seen first-hand the opprotunities lost to me for my own sheer laziness. If I could go back in time a talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself about the importance of GREAT, not mediocre, grade point average. I would tell about my experiences, how I still wish that I spent more time studying and less time "goofing off". I would tell myself to not be in such a hurry to get out of class every day, to stop and ask questions if I have them. I would tell myself the importance of actually learning material, and how frustrating and difficult re-learning information that you should have already learned can be, especially in a largely self-teaching student environment. And, finally, and most importantly, that you only get one shot at high school, one shot that follows you for the rest of you academic career. And, while social events are important, one has to balance said events and one's school work, in order to be successful. Even if it seems inconvenient to 'hit the books' instead of study, study!

Kellie

As a high school senior i was not looking forward to college at all. All of my friends were going to big universities and I was stuck paying for my own education at a community college. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself that it will not be as bad as i think it will be. I would tell myself that community college is actually a great idea for freshmen college students, you save a ton of money and can always go visit your friends at the universities. You get the same quality education at half the price. You also meet so many interesting people and make a ton of new friends. The only thing you will be missing out on is all of the partying, but the truth is, you should be studying and paying attention to school, not the parties. So don't worry about going to a community college, you will have a lot of fun and it will be worth it in the end.

Andres

The advice that i would give myself if i could travel back in time would be great. I have learned so much in the transition into college that the information i would give myself would be emence. I would encourage myself to study as much as possible. Dont just give up because you dont think you can accomplish something. Be up front and ask for help when it is needed. I would not tell them the effects of the actions made, nor would i encourage any direction to take. Being able to sit down and discuss certain goals and how they could be achieved would be as far as i would go. "Dont let nothing stand in the way of your dreams", i would tell myself. "Always follow your heart, for your heart will not lead you astray".

Matthew

I would have told myself to focus less on fitting in, and to focus more on standing out academically. College life offers an array of opportunities for a young adult, some of which are distracting. I would have begged myself to refrain from the social encounters that would always exist, and to embrace the opportunity to further myself as a person through education. Additionally, I would have tried to motivate myself to brave the confusing and laborious waters of searching for scholarships. I had relied too much on my parents, and used the dread of time and effort as an excuse to remain financially codependent. I would warn myself that money runs out, unlike the value of an education. Finally, I would have told myself to never stop attending school until I was finished. I would have advised myself to embrace the idea of "not knowing", and to persevere amidst my doubt. I would have said, "Never give up, even if you think taking a semester off makes sense." In truth, nothing could have prepared me for college entirely. However, urging myself to be patient with my future, stay focused, and to find the money available could have been priceless.

Teresa

If I could go back and tell myself as a high school senior anything I would tell myself to take more general education classes the first year so I wouldn't have to worry about them later, I would also tell myself that college is a great deal more demanding than high school and to be prepared to work harder, that homework and getting good grades are worth the extra effort. Lastly, I would tell myself to apply for scholarships, I have missed out on so much possible assistance just because I didn't look for it. I would finally remind myself to always keep my eyes open for new possibilities and not be afraid to work hard to achieve my goals.

Kyle

I would tell myself to put a high priority on homework. At first I thought I could get by just doing well on tests, but in college homework is a major part of your studies. So when I dont do my homework I'm not able to pass a test. A second thing is that I would advise myself to plan projects better and get work done ahead of time. I tend to be a horrible procrastinator. But if I break a project into pieces and force myself to get them done, everything comes together in the end without having to rush and stay up all night finishing a paper.

Shea

I would go back and let myself know to settle down with the whole party scene. I was a little out of control at that point in my life and sure could have used some advise from someone who's been there before. Hopefully, my past self would listen, but odds are that stubborn party goer wouldn't listen. Really would be too bad for him, or shall I say me. He could have saved himself a lot of stress, time, and health; but no, even if I could have went back and warned him, he still would go and have to figure things out himself, or myself, just as I would have done. Why did I have to be so stubborn back then! If only I would have listened....

Devin

I wish I could go back in my highschool past and tell myself as a senior to stay focus on completing all the scholarships that are available for me and to take every opportunity that came my way. I also wish I could have prepared myself more thoroughly to retake my ACT or SATs in order to recieve potential scholarships and what not. Last but not least, I wish I could go back and tell myself to savor the moments of my senior year. Everyone has one memorable senior year and should make sure that these moments last forever.

Rae

Growing up in a generation raised by women, I was told I could do anything I set my mind to. Unfortunatly, nobody told me I had to work hard to get there! The first thing I would tell myself is, "Everything your mother ever said is true!" Also, everything that seemed important at that time, friends, boys, soical status, and partying have absolutely nothing to do with your life as an adult. Achieve your dreams, be true to yourself, accept responsibility for your actions, and enjoy! Life is not over at 21, in fact it is just begining! Don't waste time waiting for something to happen, go out and make it happen!

Brandon

First off, college really is not as bad as it seems. In fact i consider it "highschool version 2". There is no need to stress about the transition now. Since the college was close to the high school, I still would know a lot of people and not have to worry about being awkward. Scholarships are very important and every penny counts. Start applying as much as you can. Get as many letter of recommendations from all the teachers. Other than that, I was pretty confident in my self education wise. I knew what was expected. One last thing, try to break out of the habit of doodling on the notes. Overall just stay confident and positive.

Michelle

First I would tell myself to do more research on what I want as a career. Then I would tell myself to look into community colleges. I would lastly tell myself to look at dorms. The biggest mistake I made was rushing decisions. Although I enjoyed my time living with my friend, I was not ready for the responsibility. I also have changed majors since I first started college.

Melissa

"Melissa don't sweat the small stuff, everything will come to you in time... Live by this motto and know that all the heart ache will pass in time. You WILL find a special someone, you WILL have a beautiful child, but don't wish away today while you're waiting for tomorrow. Don't let your failures set you back. Learn and get-up and keep bettering yourself. You will meet many obstacles, many trials and tribulations. But, know you are worth more than you can yet imagine and that you will uncover your talents in time. Look into nursing school now, while you are young and have nothing holding you back. Look at yourself and know that you have survived a lot already and you will know true happiness someday. Just keep on loving yourself, improving your life, and the rest will come."

Gloria

If I were a senior in highschool again and knew the things I know now about college life, my life would be a little easier. Advice I would give to myself would be to take the time to research schools and decide on what type of career I want to pursue as soon as possible. Choosing a career is not all about money so I should only worry about what is going to make me happy in life. I would also tell myself to get help and advice from anyone I can. The resources are out there and it's my responsibility to use those resources. College can is a scary thing in the beginning but as long as you don't get caught up in the "party scene" then things will be alright. I would tell myself to choose my friends wisely and hang around people who are interested in things I am or else they can lead you in the wrong direction if you don't have the confidence to leave them and start fresh. Overall I would tell myself to think hard about where I want to go in life and to use all the help provided.

Marina

If I had a chance to go back to a time when I was in High School the advice that I would give to myself is to save as much money as I can and do NOT pass on the scolarship oppartunities. For instance, I have started so many scolarship applications but never finished them because I didn't think it was important and was just living in a moment. I would tell myself to study, study, study because in College there is NO busy work or extra credit that can help you out with you grades, in college it is all about the test scores. I would take some classes that would prepare me better for that. In College there is no more teacher or parents who make sure that you study and go to class it is all up to you. You got to learn to be more independant. I

Elyse

I would have told myself to go straight to a university instead of going to a community college. When I foirst started college I did not know that I was going to have my first year of college one hundred percent covered by financial student aid. I originally went to community college to save money, but if I would have realized that my financial problems were not anything to worry about then I would have gone to a university. A lot of my friends and family have told me how much they have learned and how much of a different experience the university and "dorm life" is from the experience of a community college. I would definitely advise myself to go to a university and live the "dorm life".