Pierce College-Puyallup Top Questions

Dear Annie-Rose: High school will be tough, but not in any of the ways you expect. You will be pushed in your education, but more than that, you will grow exponentially. Your view of the world will change. Realize now that words are powerful. Most of the world uses them to destroy, to tear down – be different. Be better. Use your words intentionally and ever so carefully. Use them as a constructive force, to build up the people around you. Speak to them of their worth. Look them in the eye, smile at them. Everyone is fighting a war that you know nothing about. Everyone needs to know someone has their back. So tell them to call you anytime, and answer your phone when it goes off at 3 AM. Cry with your friend about her parents divorce. Go to the store with your sister to get gelato, just because. Grab coffee with that guy you met and talk about the enormity of life and what your dreams look like. Make sure everyone knows their views are valid. Practice being kind instead of right. Give hope to all. Love fully, love deeply. The world needs it desperately.

Don't ever let people tell you that you can't do something. At Pierce they make you feel like you can do anything.

Dear Self, Do no expect it to be all fun and games, hard work is a neccesity and your education should not be taken lightly. Its okay to hang out every now and then, but that shouldn't become top priority. Everything dad told you is absolutely RIGHT! His advice is for your own good, not to fuss or be a pain in the "you know what". To make the best of your experience is not to attend every party or be apart of the in crowd, and it is most certainly NOT about BOYS! You should be apart of a club or a group like SGA or try to pledge a sorority or even maybe do a couple of pageants. Do something that will make you stand out in a POSITIVE way and be mindful of the attention your receiving from the language your body and mind is speaking. Don't be THAT girl thats easily manipulated by drugs and alcohol. Don't be THAT "live" freshman chick. Be lowkey, and let them wonder. Sure you'll have some good days and some bad, but none the less just sit back relax and enjoy the ride!

I would tell myself to goof off less and do more schoolwork. Every single point on every single homework assignment matters to raise your GPA, and your GPA is the most important thing that colleges look at when reviewing the applications. But, the high school version of myself might ignore this advice so I would tell him to hang out with Andrew Amos more and Brittain Gibson less. Who you hang out with can have a huge effect on how well you do in school. I wish I had hung out with people who cared more about school as opposed to trying to hang out with the "cool kid" or the pretty girl. And one more piece of advice I would give myself is to work out. Its definitley worth it.

I now know what I want to study in college and only wish I could of told myself that I would of ended up realizing that my passion lies in nursing. I know with out a doubt in my heart that nursing is what I am meant to do. I do not regret the years between high school and college because the life lessons I have learned only make me a better person for the job I want to do in helping others. I would of also told myself to focus on the classes and spend more time studying. I was much younger then so that's why I think I felt lost and had less confidence in myself. Today, I find school empowering and if I could of felt that feeling back then I think I would have stuck with it. The fact that after high school I did not know what I wanted to do held me up and today I have no doubt what my career should be. I would have told myself to believe in yourself!

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, there would be a number of things I would say. I?d remind myself to get involved in extracurricular activities like clubs, volunteer work, and study groups. There are so many clubs on campus, and more are created each quarter. If anything, I would have promised to attend at least two meetings of each club; all have something valuable to learn. I would probably advocate for maintaining a part-time job throughout the year, as expenses add up quickly when attending college. Not only does a college job provide financial support, but it also builds necessary skills that can be used when being accepted into a college. My part-time job experience was fantastic, and I would certainly recommend a campus job to anyone. The last thing I would let myself know is to keep the fire going in high school friendships, but be open to make some more in college. There are so many great people to meet on campus, and I feel that the friendships I have made will last a very long time.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, there are a number of things I?d let myself know. First, I?d tell myself to save my money, I did a lot of frivolous spending throughout high school, when I could have been saving for college. Now that I?m looking into the cost for the prestigious colleges that have my intended major it seems impossible to come up with the money for tuition. As I have been employed since the beginning of my sophomore year, I enjoyed making my own money and having it to spend on whatever I wanted. If I had saved my money I would have had a better chance of attending a college I really wanted to. So, if the opportunity arose, I would tell myself to save for a brighter future.

"Alyce, as the more mature you, I suggest you at least try to apply to a University." Old me, "But I know I won't get in!" New me, "You never even tried. Your ambition to go to school and have a strong carreer is very low. You need to look at your future and decide what you really want. I know school has never been your thing, but looking back on the decision we made did not help us in the long run. I came here to give you the advice to look in your heart and choose a school that you think you will love." Old me, "I don't even think I want to go to school." New me, "School is what will open your future and bring in so many possibilities to make you a happy person. Trust me, you won't regret it. I am having such a good time but, I know I would be enjoying myself even more if we would have decided to choose a school that we really loved. Make an educated decision and choose your friends wisely. Good luck!"

If I could go back in time, and talk to myself as a High School Senior, about College life, I would give myself a lot of pointers. First of all, I would tell myself to brush up my Math and English skills so I could do better on the compass test, and not get stuck taking prerequisites to prerequisites. I would have told myself to not bite off more than I could chew. I would also have told myself to take College a little more seriously the first couple years, and to aim for straight A?s. One thing I know for certain that I would tell myself; is that one-day I would have a Son that would change my world, who would bring to my attention, the true importance of education. Tell myself, that he will inspire me to be strong. Finish educational goals, not only for the importance of bettering my future, but also for the importance of his future. For my son is the future, and is worth every second of opportunity. If I knew this as a High School Senior, I would have never wasted one second of education, my Son is worth every second.

If I could go back and give advice to my high school senior self it would be simple, to relax. I can clearly remember making the transition to my local community college and being completely overwhelmed by everything. Their was pressure on what classes to pick, what time, the cost of things, where I wanted to transfer and the list goes on and on. I was so nervous that if I made a simple mistake by taking the wrong class, that my future would be forever ruined. Now in my second year, I realize how much I over reacted to switching into college. I wish I could have been told that I could and would easily get through all of my classes without a problem. Stressing was not a helpful trait and that if I fully set my mind on school, I would be able to accomplish it with no problems.

I would tell myself to not give up. I gave up my senior year and didn't strive to achieve anything besides theatre awards and prestige, but looking back on everything (especially considering my time at Pierce) I realise that I am more than the theatre. I've got the writing bug, the political science bug, the reading bug, and so many other "bugs" (interests and hobbies) that I shouldn't have limited myself to one hole and broadened my horizons before it became just a little bit too late.

If I had a chance to give myself advice as being a high school senior, I would most likely tell myself that I should concentrate more on the outcome and the importance of my decisions rather than how much fun or pleasure I would have at the moment. I would remind myself that work comes first and playtime comes second, and that to never give up when things seem to be getting rough. My actions all have positives and negatives. What matters is where my choices take me, and even more so is that fact that what type of choices I make. I would make my choices with better precision, and with better judgment. I would finally tell myself that I would make sure I learned from my mistakes, and to never repeat them once again. It is true that some things can be unavoidable, but if I learn from each failure and mistake I make, I therefore become a better educated person, and can become a much more stronger and willful individual.

Focus! Your life is going to change, and nothing will ever be the same. There will always be circumstances that come up in your life. Do not let these things discourage you and try to detour you from your path to success. Create a priority list for yourself and post it on your mirror for you to see. Your first priority should be your studies. Second priority is volunteering and school involvement. Finally, your third priority is fun. Abraham Lincoln once said, "Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing."