Saint Johns River State College Top Questions

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

dustin

I would tell my self to try harder in high school and make good grades because when life hits you its not a joke. Getting into a good college and not getting a full time job was the best thing for me and thats what I should have done. I went to work and did a few classes at a community college. I should have experianced a university with my freinds. I do not regret what I have done with my life , I would have just did it a tad bit differant if I had a choice.

Gabrielle

If I had the chance to talk to myself as a high schol senior, I would tell myself that it is okay to start small and work my way up. I do not have to automatically apply for universities and pick a major right away, I can start taking classes at a community college to start figuring out what subject I would want to major in. When I was a senior in high school, I still had no idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. My parents tried to pressure me to apply to universities right away and start picking a major, but my relatives told me that I could easily start at a community college. Community colleges have a plethora of classes that help with figuring out what to major in such as business, health sciences, science, English and literature, education, social sciences, and art, so I would be able to experience the different fields and make my choice easier. Community college also prepared me to have a flexible schedule with different classes on different days, so I could balance my school life with my social life.

Charles

Don't ever give up. There is light at the end of the tunnel and we all have our place in the world. Knowing that you want to help people is the first step. Going to school is the second step. The greatest enemy and ally that you will meet is yourself. You are an inspiration to others. Be strong for everyone and lead an example. Good luck! Get ready for the ride of a lifetime.

Amber

If I could have a conversation with my 16 year old self, sit down, I'd convince her to stay strong. I'd hold her hand and walk her through the darkness, until she came out a victor in the light. If I could tell her what I know now, she'd be glad. She would know and be reassured firmly that everything was going to be alright. That life and God gave her a second chance, even when the walls caved and solitude crept in. I believe if she knew the outcome, she'd genuinely be happy. for such a young age, she was devoured by hell. She overcame pride, strapping on the boots of bravery, overcoming abuse and homelessness. this girl thought there was no end, that the suffocation would continue. But her spirit never backed down, filling her with life. The advice I would finally give is to face the darkness, to dare to hope, even if all she wanted to do was escape, elope. I'd tell her you'd evolved.

Ashleigh

What would I tell myself if I could go back in time when I was a high school senior to make my transition easier? I think the most important thing I have learned is that I would tell me to not party so much and devote twice as much time to getting my college life and paperwork together. Going from a high school setting to a college setting requires much more time than I thought it would. In high school, you are at the top of the chain, then you have to start at the botton of the chain for the next portion of your life. Too many of us spent most of our senior year parting, having fun, and other persuits. I would tell myself to get a grip of myself because this is not the end of a great time, it is the beginning of an even greater time.

Martha

In 1968 I graduated from High School and entered college but after only two weeks on campus, like many children of the 60’s, I succumbed to the lure of the whole Peace and Love Generation thing and left for California. For the next 40 years I busied myself with life, always intending to go back to school someday. I marched with King, attended Peace Rallies, lived in a Commune, made a lot of money, saw my name in print as a writer for an underground, and became active in the Women and Pagan Rights movements; not necessarily in that order.I began classes and on December 14th received my first grades in over 40 years on 2 classes – a perfect 4.0. Two days later I received an email saying grades (or rather non grades) had been received from Judson and my perfect 4.0 was now a 1.71 which put me in academic failure so I guess my advice would be finish what you started or at least officially withdraw if you're not going to stick it out

lorna

I would tell myself don't breakup Shawn Hamilton he truely is the love of your life. He would be married by know with alot lf kids and you would be truely happy in every way.

Shaneka

prepare and be focused. Be confident in my career choice locate different things that could help me understand what I am getting into. I would tell myself to not focus on the boys and the streets, strive for the top not just settle for the small parts of education. Utilize my after school programs such as, tutoring or study hall. Ask questions reguarding the cost to go to college, Straight A's or other awards could help me pay for college. Internships, having a great go gett em attitude. Be ambitious and ready to face new challenges, remain open minded even when doors have been shut. Surround yourself around people who wants things such as yourself, Positive thinking, positive enviroments, great energy, commitment, being prompt. These are all things that I discovered later in life if I had half the brain that I have today I probably would be in my career working and being stable on my own.

Dawn

Take the time to learn everything that is given to you and find more to learn. Listen to the people who want to teach you and help you. Pray to GOD all the time and be more involved in your church, faith and school. Always, Always help others give trible and more back to people. Education is very, very important. Most important find a career you will love and be at peace with!!

Karen

I suppose i would start by telling myself, "Don't wait, go to college now!" Having a family can wait. Education is everything.

Trenecia

The advice i would give myself is to stay focus on your goals. Don't let anyone distract you, or discourage you, tell you that you can't do it , because you can do it. You are a smart bright young lady and you can do anything, and succeed at anything that you put your mind to.

Maria

My advice to myself would be to stay close to home and go to school locally. That life experiences will happen whether you live at home or go far away. I would tell that young girl to stay focused. Distractions come in many forms and that she does not have to be the person to try to fix everything. I would tell that girl that in order to succeed you have to persevere. That minimizing the down times and maximizing the up times are all possible not just in sports but also in academics. I would tell her that being well read is not enough, you must have a diploma; that a diploma will confirm that you have the skills to receive, process, and reconfigure information, as well as commit to a program from start to finish. I would tell her people do not have x ray vision and that completing school is not only going to show the outside world what she is capable of, but it will be an opportunity to be an example for her (future)son, so that he could see from her life the struggles of being degree-less and the benefits of having one.

rachael

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a highschool senior, I would advise myself to focus harder during ,.my first semester of college. I graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA, top 10percent of my class, and plenty of Advance Placement, Duel Enrollment, and honbors classes under my belt. With already having taken classes at St. Johns River State College and everything else I had accomplished, I figured I had nothing to worry about when I enrolled in classes. I took four required core classes that are usually in the schedules of college sophmores, and my Grade Point Average suffered. After my first semester I was left with a 3.0 GPA. I knew then I needed to devote my time more direcctly to my studies and that is what I did my secong semster. Now my GPA is up to a 3.25, and I plan on continuing this improvement. But If I could have gone back to myself before I started college, I would have warned myself to start devoting myself to my studies in the beginning.

Danielle

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school self, I would have a lot of advice to give. For one I would remind myself to live my own life and not let a man I thought I was going to marry control me and keep me from going to my dream school. Another thing I would tell myself would be to take as many dual enrollment classes as I possibly could so I wouldn’t have to worry about money as much and in turn gradate high school with more than 25 credit hours. Finally, I would remind myself to take it easy and not be to critical of my actions, mistakes happen, it’s human nature, and no matter what, there’s always room for improvement, and even if I fail, there’s always a chance to fix it and come out on top.

DONNA

What I have recieved from my college education is the self-confidence to face head-on all adversities. With my ASN/RN degree I have learned that life is precious, and that every day should be lived as your last. I have learned that every adversity is simply another chance to, do it again better than the last. I have learned while practicing as an RN that it's not the amount of words you say to somebody, but rather, the quality of those words along with the quality and quanity of your actions with others that make all the difference in somebody's life, including my own. All these lessons were learned while attending SJRCC and after practicing as an RN, because of SJRCC 's wonderful smal,l individualized Nursing program......Thank-you SJRCC...

Jason

I would tell myself to go with my first instinct to pursue a bachelors degree majoring in business administration. I would tell myself to dump your girlfriend she is a waste of your time. I would have told myself to quit my Kentucky fried Chicken job and dual enrolled full-time at Saint Johns River Community College. I would also advise myself to continue to live with my mother, to not waste my money on useless stuff, and to buy a good car that won't break every five days. I would tell myself to be obiedient, to be thankful for what i had, and to believe in myself. I would tell myself to just focus on school work and apply for as many scholarships as possible. Scholarships are free money to help people to go to school; who says no to free money?Obviously, i did and it costed me a lot of money i could have saved. That was my biggest mistake to not have applied for any scholarships.

Elizabeth

A college education is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Wait on marriage and kids until you have at least a four year degree. Even if you decide to change careers later, you will already have a lot of your schooling already done. You gain so much more from going to school than just the degree. You also learn about life, where your strengths are and how to make your weaknesses stronger. You may make new friends that may become friends for life, and you may meet teachers you will treasure for life as well. College is so much more than an education in a chosen major, it is an education in life. Just do it.

erica

Erica, hows it going? Well I'm Erica from the future.. I have SO much to tell you about, but I only get less than 200 words so I will just tell you a little something about your college life. You do amazing! So don't worry, you make straight A's; until your run into macroeconomics, but thats just a small bump in your road. You will get into the nursing program on your first try. Your first semester will be a tough one and your going to run into people that are not the nicest of the bunch. They will try to hurt your and break you down and ruin your future but be strong and remember how smart and succesful you are and that where ever you go people will try to bring you down because they have allowed themselves to be brought down. So keep your head up, shoulders back, and a smile on that pretty face because you will change lives, give others hope, and make our mom so proud. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, RUN to it when you get the chance! AND stay away from your next boyfriend.

Joel

If i could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior i would tell myself to keep your eyes in your books and off the girls. I feel if i would've been in my books more i could have got straight A's and got a scholsrship to college.

Madline

Well I have a unique perspective of senior year. I began dual enrollment at SJRCC as a junior in high shool, of which i was homeschooled. When I was a senior all my classes were college courses. I didn't really have an opportunity to know anything else besides that college enivironment since I didn't get to experience the typical public high school environment. My senior year i still went through some awkward transitions: growing up, finally becoming an "adult" (as if turning 18 makes me more grown-up somehow) and beginning to make mature, life-changing decisions about my future. If I could go back and give myself some kind of advice at the beginning of senior year it would have been this, "Ignore your severe case of 'senoritis'. Have fun but don't forget to take this seriously. What you do right now in these momets will affect your future goals, educations plans, and career."

Colleen

You about to embark on a life changing experience. Here's the break down of college life with the help of the clever Dr.Seuss. Stage One: You arrive to your new location. You suddenly make all your own decisions and while this can be overwhelming, remember, "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose." Use what you know to make your choices. Stage Two: Everything is so different. You are surrounded by kids just as eager, excited, and scared as you. Dr. Seuss tells us, "From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere." Of course, everything is so interesting and new. But, be careful because he also says, "If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good." Have fun, but make good choices about how you decide to have fun and the company you decide to keep. Stage Three: You find out why you're here. To find you. To discover life, and it's meaning to you. "Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you."

Elizabeth

If I could go back in time to talk to my highschool self, I know exactly what I would say. There's actually not much about my college experience so far that I would want different. I would tell myself not to worry and stress out about getting my degree. I worked hard to make it happen, and everything worked out. Now, granted, not everything happened as planned,nothing ever does, but it turned out even better!

Cindy

I know as a sixteen year old you are not worried about your future. But try to think, what kind of job will you be able to enjoy if you only have a high school diploma or a G.E.D and how will that job to be able to support you. I hope you realize that you can't depend on your parents always being their for you. Yes it is difficult having to deal with your peers in class and everybody wanting you to go out; however, you are still young and you have your twenty's to look forward to. Try to just get your education out of the way and the rest will fall into order for you. Just think how much you will enjoy going out and having your own car to ride in and your own place to come home to. No more living by mom and dads rules. You made it !

Ashley

College life is a lot harder than I expected. It's not that the work is harder but it's the fact that your on your own and you have no one there to hold your hand. You have to be determined and set your own schedule to make sure you make the grades you need. I never thought it would be so hard to go to school and play softball. But work hard and stay focused. No one can take your degree away but you have to earn it.

Marlon

Talking to myself as a high senior I would advise myself to take my senior year more seriously than I did. Even though I made A's and B's I still would goof off. College is no place to play around but to get serious about your education and staying focus by all means necessary. I would also tell myself to prepare better and develop good study habits. Meaning found things out about the college I'm about to attend, take a tour of campaus, and get familiar with some of staff like your counselor. also, get into a habit where you have a certain amount of time to study for each subject. Once you start your first day make the best of everything, take every oppurtunity to acheeve your goals, and don't forget to make everlasting friends to share your college life moments with.

Marlon

I would advise myself to prep better for college as far as taking college classes (dual enroll) and study my material from front to back making sure I know and understand whatever it is I need to know.

Michael

I would decide to transfer to Palatka High School so that I could attend high school classes within walking distance of the college. That way, I could have taken free dual enrollment classes at the Palatka campus of Saint Johns River Community College. I also would have sought college prep courses at PHS to better prepare me for college. I have been overwhelmed with the reading I have to do as part of my college courses, and some college prep courses that PHS had that Interlachen High School (my high school) did not have may have better prepared me for college reading.

Sapphire

Dear Senior, There is no need to stress out or over burden yourself. Everything might feel like its coming to fast, applying for scholarships and looking into schools. But don't breakdown if it feels like too much, you have more time than you think. Life is going to come in small steps at the end of this year and that overwhelming feeling consuming you will disappear. You'll even think how silly it was to get so worked up. So just enjoy this last year of high school! You will discover yourself in due time, but now just relax.

Marie

If I could talk to myself as a high school senior, I would give myself the following advice. First, I would tell myself not to take out student loans. I think if I had worked and paid for my loans up front, I would have been much more responsible to attend class and really make the grades count. Secondly, I would tell myself that a little bit of discipline now is worth a lot of regret later. Doing the hard things up front and playing after it is all done is much more satisfying than playing first and regretting not giving my best later. Finally, I would tell myself to research and do some internal searching to really discover what it is that I want to do. Just going to college to go without a plan is not the greatest idea and many times a waste of money and time.

Kailee

As a high school senior at North Marion High School, I was in love. If i could go back in time, I would change my answer when he asked me to go out with him. In the relatioship with high school boyfriend, I was not allowed to hang out with my friends, not allowed to attend any out of state college; however, he broke up with me at the end of my senior year so he could attend college in Kentucky while I was left behind. My advice that I could give myself would be not to let any man control my own life, and you only live the college life once, so live it up.