University of Washington-Seattle Campus Top Questions

I have gotten from my college experience the knowledge of how to live on my own, while still having the security of being on campus. There is a lot of security and everyone want you to be kept safe so there are a lot of opportunities to use varrious campus resources. My independence level has imporoved greatly as well; I don't have my parents over my sholder constantly reminding me to do things, and I have to plan my time accordingly, and manage my money well. I've learned how to solve every-day problems on my own, and have learned the value of calling numbers, looking things up, and asking around to get the help I need. I have also been given an awesome opportunity to meet new people, make new friends, and gain the college experience. These are supposed to be some of the best years of our lives, and i plan to make it so.

I have gained so much from my college experience thus far. As an out of state student, I have found my place in a world that although similar to my hometown, has its own identity and values. A school should not speak for the student, the student should take the opportunities the school provides to foster their ideals and morals into what they want to pursue in life. The University of Washington has become a renowned school for it's medical and technological advancement, but even though I am not a science or mathematics major, I have learned to appreciate these achievements to my benefit on campus. The inclusivity of the school provides an ideal location to grow and to allow such changes that can impact society as a large outside of the Seattle campus and surroundign community. College is more than books and papers, one must experience the college life as it is essential to survive and succeed in the college setting.

College for me has been where I was really able to find my voice. I chose classes I was interested in and that stretched my thinking. I have made lifelong friends with interests that are similar to as well as different from my own. I have been introduced to some of the leading professionals in the field that I am interested in pursuing. I have been presented with new challenges and have been able to celebrate the succeses of others and myself. These are things I feel that one can really only get from a collegiate environment where there are so many different viewpoints, cultures, and opportunities to be exposed to. Collectively these things are incredibly valuable in expanding my understanding of a world outside of my own and teaching me how to interact with a diverse group of people. The most important thing that I have gained from my college experience though is a deeper understanding of myself.

I am only a freshman in college right now. But so far, it has been amazing. I love the college life. I have learned to be more independent and that I can not wait until last minute to do my homework! College is tough; it has given me a clear understanding of what is to come in the real world. I strive hard to do well in school. It has been valuable to attend because I know that it will get me far in life. Education is always very important in anything a person does. It will help me find the right career that I want to do for the rest of my life.

My college experience has given me much needed self-esteem. I have been in a bad marriage for the past seventeen years and during this time was a stay-at-home mom to four wonderful children. I am in the process of getting out of this marraige and going to college has really opened my eyes to all of the wonderful opportunities out there for me. I love to learn, I am like a sponge soaking up all the knowledge I can. I have met so many different, interesting and fun individuals in my classes. This has really been a blessing to me too. I want to continue my education and hopefully get a scholarship to help me succeed in this new goal I have made for myself and my kids.

My college experience hasn't been easy. I got married at the end of my first semester. Being out on our own, working, and me trying to go to school has made our lives a little more compicated than the average college student. We each had 2 jobs last year just to try and make ends meet and in doing so, FAFSA said we made too much for me to recieve any grants. I'm enrolled in a wonderful culinary program. I have never enjoyed heading to class this much until I started this degree. It's not the most expensive, but it's definitely not the cheapest. I've maxed out all my loans and am now trying to decide if I should take a semester off to pay bills. I know that by sticking with college and graduating I will get a better job, but I'm not sure how I can continue paying for college. It's a lot of pros and cons to consider and hopefully with help from scholorships, I will be able to persue my dream of being a chef.

Life time long friends and life values.

You don't really realize what your college exprience has offered you until you sit down and think back on the past. I realized that I have gained and grown a lot over the years. I entered college and approached tests with the same high school mentality, very lackluster and full of procrastination. I participated in many social events and felt that being accepted in social scenes was far more important than being successful in my studies and being more involved in the research opportunities. Over the years, I matured more and am far more responsible because of the mistakes that I have made. It is not fair to call my experiences as mistakes as I have only grown from them. During my sophmore year, I felt completely lost in what I wanted in the future and what I wanted to be. Talking with the new friends and taking classes that I was truly interested as well as sessions iwth advisors guided me to find my way and I now hope to become a wildlife veterinarian. I became more confident, independent, and aware of what is important.

At first I took my college education for granted at the University of Washington. I did not realize the potential person I could be in the future post graduation until my junior year. This University opened doors for me and showed me physically and mentally the person I could be by challenging me to look deeper and answer questions critically. Furthermore, it extended what I thought I could be career-wise; the course work included group work, pratical, and analytical which made me become more confident and versitile. Those two qualities I believe have made be prepared for my career and even more importantly life, life after college and the realm of academics that started in pre-school. Isn't that what college is suppose to do? The University of Washington was the best transition I could have ever imagined.

The most valuable thing I've gotten out of my college experience is a well rounded knowledge. At first, I thought the University of Washington had far too large of an emphasis on students taking general courses as a graduation requirement required. At times, I found myself being forced to take addiotional classes that didn't exactly tie into my intended major. Eventually I begin to develope an interest in some of these course. These interests serve to be an extremely valuable tool when it came down to narrowing my list of intended majors. I'm very grateful for having gone through this experience, and if not for it, I would have been blindly picking a future.

My college experience has been marked by engaging professors, new friends, interesting subject matter and a pronounced need to learn focus. The number of opportunities available is staggering and if one doesn't prioritize, it becomes difficult to stay afloat in classes. It's actually a pretty good thing because its forced me to learn pragmatism and make critical choices about how to balance my responsibilities to schoolwork and responsibilites to myself. A remarkably useful skill to possess. It's also been a really useful experience in that I really respect my professors and consider many of them to be authorities in their respective fields, so when I learn things I feel rather confident about them and their usefulness outside of the world of academia. I genuinely feel electrified by the environment... like it's crackling with new knowledge, information and innovation. My classmates are friendly and sociable and the faculty are keen to provide a good service, which is nice. It's also empowering to actually feel prepared to find and work a complicated job. I'm excited about my future and having a degree from the University of Washington-Seattle is a very big part of that.

I have gotten so much out of my college experience in just the year I've gone. I commute to school and live far from my campus so I'm not as involved as I would like to be, but I still look forward to going to my school. There are so many classes offered which is nice because it is really easy to choose the times I want to go to school and choose the classes I actually want to take. It's fun learning in my classes because I've been learning completely new things compared to being taught things I already know like I was in high school. I've been able to choose the most obscure subjects simply because they are available for me to choose and the things I have learned are things I never would have sought out to learn on my own.

I've improoved my professionalism and I've met a lot of people who are willing to help me and others to succeed in their carriers.

I have been atending Annerundal Community Collge for the Fall semester of 2010. So far out of my college experience I have met many new friends that are interested in the same area of study that I am. These new friends I will keep close to me for the rest of my life, from tarveling to a 4 year institute to pursuing our similar careers in Mairne Biology. I have also learned many new ways to study and take in all the new information I am learning. Not onlt is college nessesary to have in today's world but it is also very valuable in making a new life. Once a young adult has entered college nothing from high schoo matters, their plate has been swiped clean. College is so valuable to have in order to make a life worth living. Not everyone's dream is to been extremely rich but maybe just to be happy. Without college one will struggle through getting work and making a decent amout of money to support a famiy. College is also very valuable in making new friends ad expanding ones educational knowledge. Knoewledge will help anyone achieve dreams only imagained.

This is my second semester at HCCS and I have found such diversity there. I am learning more about myself, exploring my interests, and about other cultures as well. I have never interacted with Muslims, Quakers, or Hindus before and I learn so much from my classmates from all these different backgrounds and how much we have in common. It as also has provided an opportunity for them to get to know me, my culture and background. Being a part of such a diverse community that is college helps us in becoming more socially accepting and tolerable of diversity. For example, for me to be able to reach out to conservative Christians, and Muslims, as a gay male, and to get them to see the world through my lens and have their support means a lot. We will leave lasting impressions on each other that may shape decisions we will be making, and I want these impressions to be positive ones. Aside from an education that will aid in becoming successful, the effects we have on each other can help us in becoming a more unified community.

I found many opportunities in college to explore areas I had no idea I would be good at or that I would be interested in. I loved the challenge and broadening my horizons. I became a published poet, literary editor, events programmer, and poltical scientist in college and while my dreams of what I could achieve changed, college allowed me to pursue all sorts of new ideas and to grow as an individual.

I have gotten more than what I could wish for out of my college experience. I have met friends for life and learned facts from professors that will be useful when I go on Jeapordy one day! It has been be valuable to attend because I do not think I would have met such a wide variety of people if I were to continue living at home. I would have never truly been open about who I was, or have even figured out who I was. I have met some of the best and worst professors, but each of them has given me a look on how people are in the world. I was able to travel outside of the country because of the options that were provided by attending college, (and by doing so, I experienced even more cultures). I do not want to sound cliche, but the education I have gotten so far has prepared me for what the world will offer. Sometimes I know that there will be a struggle, and it is not always easy going, but every step is a learning process.

My college experience is nothing like the high school experience I was used to. In college, there is more independence. No one is there to make sure I get my work done; I would have to be more responsible and no procrastinating! My parents are no longer there to take care; I would have to take care of myself - that means, turning in my homeworks on time, cooking for myself, doing my own laundry, and anything I would have to do to maintain living. There is also a good experience in college. I got to meet new and interesting people. The college that I attend is quite diverse, so I will always learn something new about people and their culture. The college experience I have had is valuable because it is a step forward to what it is like living on your own - in the real world. Not only do I gain knowledge in my education, but also knowledge about myself and about the world. You'd be surprised in how much you gain in just one year of college.

My journey through college so far has lead me to be a person that questions the legitimacy of future choices. My entire life I have told myself that I will work hard to become a dentist, not knowing what exactly I wanted to do with my life in order to be content. I have found that in college you are able to view the many options available to yourself in order to make the choices that decide your future. My experiences so far in college have helped me to become more social and create groups of lasting friends that I will be able to turn to for advice. Without these lasting friends and options that I have found here at college, I wouldn't be able to say that I am content in learning assortments of every subject and not secluding myself to one field of study. I have gotten a life out of my college experience, and a way to branch out into this world knowing multiple things about various subjects that I can engage in conversation with others in.

College has allowed me to explore what things work for me in the world. In college you gain the freedom to start over without what people may have labled you in college and you get the chance to be who you want to make yourself. Also, unlike in high school, you are surrounded by individuals who are there for the same reasons as you, to deepen their knowledge and persue a degree while experiencing themselves and everything college has to offer. One of the best parts of college is the freedom you feel outside of your house in a new environment. This freedom, plus the fresh start gives unlimited possiblities for college to offer you. I feel that these are the best things my new friends and I have thus far obtained in our first year of college and I look forward to the coming years.

I am a current freshman at southern union state community college. Since I have been attending college, I have learned that the world is full of different types of people. There are those who take the world seriously and those who do not. Those who choose to do their work and help others are the ones I have I need to be around. Those who arrive to class thirty minutes late and walk by someone who has just dropped a book and do not bother to help that person are the ones I find myself resenting. My college experience has taught me to stand out as an individual who helps others and does not go along with the rest of the croud. It has been very valuable for me to attend college because with out attending I would not have been exposed to a part of the real world and I would not be the person I am today.

From my college experience at the University of Washington I have gotten to experience live my life more independently. This experience has taught me to work hard not only at my education but at also to work towards better myself for life after college. Attending college and being more independent has taught me that opportunities are not going to be given to me on a silver platter, but instead it is up to me to go out and get what I want. It has been so valuable to attend the University of Washington because I am placed in a large community with many opportunites for learning and growing.

Passion for flying has been at the forefront of my decision making process for over ten years. After high school, I was finally given an opportunity to quickly and cost-effectively gain flight time and earn the required ratings and licenses at the Community College of Beaver County. Much to my surprise, students in the Proffesional Pilot program leave the ground behind them within the first two weeks and begin an accelerated journey that takes them from the classroom to unheard of airports 250 miles away, and everywhere in between. Throughout the two-year ground school program I learned as much about what I wanted to do with my life as what I did NOT want to do. Prior to CCBC I thought a career in air traffic control would be a close silver medal to being a pilot, but sitting in on lectures and real traffic controlling, I know this is not the path for me. I'm certain that aviation will play a role in my future. By chiseling away at the aspects I don't like and polishing the ones that I do, I hope the result is a career I can enjoy and take pride in.

My college experience so far consists of Air Force ROTC and early morning Physical Training (PT), lots of math class pre-requisites for an Aeronautical Engineering Major, late nights, roommate clashes, and being away from home for about four weeks at a time. The reasons that these experiences are valuable are simple and yet, I have only just realized some of them, thanks to this short essay. ROTC has helped to discipline me, and allow my leadership abilities to grow. Early morning PT has strengthened my body and helped released stress. Math class has refined my math skills and has also pointed out and focused on my weak points. Late nights have taught me the importance of time management. Roommate clashes have impressed upon me the value in communicating with others. Finally, being on my own for the majority of 8-9 months has opened my eyes to the fact that, I am truly in control of my future and that I have to motivate myself in order to be successful. These experiences and their subsequent lessons learned are why it has been valuable to attend the University of Washington.

I have learned that, although I started playing music when I was twenty, a career in music is achievable. I have learned just how rewarding it is to pursue my passion, and I have learned discipline to attain my goals.

Take advantage. A complacent student reaps no rewards. The social network at college is great, but use this towards your future and not just to find great parties. The people you want to meet are those people in the academic department that you enjoy and hope to get degree from or work in. Join the department clubs, not only will you meet great people, it will give you the opportunity to meet staff and get experience in that field. As a biology major, going to biology club gave me hands on experience and allowed me to meet some research staff members for job opportunities. If you don't know what you like, take the first year of school to explore different classes. By sophmore year be ready to dive into a particular department or field. The scariest moment can happen when you graduate and realize that companies do not hire degrees, they hire experience. So take advantage and meet as many people in your school, and study hard.

Looking back seven years after completing my undergraduate education, I feel like I've used my degree as a stepping stone. Without it, I would have never come to the realization that the career I want to pursue requires a graduate education. I also feel that as an undergrad I received very useful lessons in communication, particularly problem resolution and dealing with all kinds of people. In my professional life, I've been able to use the skills I learned in a very effective way. My undergraduate degree helped me realize my potential and grow as an adult, and for that I am truly grateful.

Consumed by financial worries, I was walking briskly down University Way towards the bookstore. I passed by a homeless man begging for change. At once I was struck by the irony of my worries and embarrassed by my pride. I began to wonder what I was doing… getting a degree for myself? So I could buy a nice car someday, a house, and settle down? And then what? Suddenly my ambitions didn’t matter so much anymore. I offered to buy him a burrito, and his face lit up. Then we talked for a long time, listening and sharing stories. Brian loves jazz like I love classical music. He had been a talented musician, but a few big mistakes had cost him his career. Everyone has a story to tell. Attending college has been teaching me how to listen. The more I learn, the more I realize the minuteness of my perspective, and the importance of engaging in dialogue. If I build my future but loose a heart for others what have I really gained? College has taught me that education and compassion go hand in hand. Education can become a barrier of pride, or a bridge between people.

I have learned that employers look differently at those who have gone to college. It sets you apart from employees that are there just to collect a paycheck. It also identifies you a a person of character that is willing to make a commitment and follow through with it. I now have the benefit of a better standing where I work because I have made the commitment to actively pursue a degree.

My college experience thus far has furthered not only my knowledge education but also my life education. This past year at the University of washington has greatly expanded my academic knowledge in language and literature while I pursue a double-degree major in Spanish and English, but also the importance of applying this knowledge to life. I have taken a greater interest in the function of language in society and its different uses. I have learned to finish assignments early instead of procrastinating, a habit I had formed and kept since middle school. The work-college-life balance has taken on greater meaning, and taught me to make better use of my time. Through volunteer work, I gained understanding of the importance of diversity, the value of time, and the impact anyone can make simply by giving of themselves. I have learned that pride is both a flaw and a virtue - that pride in one's work is noble, but being too proud to ask for help is foolish. Most imporantly, I have learned that I am responsible for my future, that wisdom comes from seeking others' help, and that nothing is greater than those who love and support me.

It was almost four years ago that I left a small private high school to come to the 40,000 student-populated campus of the University of Washington. Before school started, I had already gone through recruitment and made friends with the 100 young women in my sorority chapter; I knew I had a secure network. Going to college is often the ultimate step of independence in a young person?s life, but it wasn?t until these last few months that I realized how much it has shown me the importance of friendship and interdependence. It?s with friends and people I care about that I have learned how to deal with people of all sorts of different personalities, encountered arguments where I?ve been forced to take a view on a matter, and worked as a team to accomplish a common goal. It?s probably impossible to sum up what I have gleaned from being in college, but if anything I have begun to learn how to be the person I want to be.

My parents encouraged college but it certainly wasn?t expected. For me though, college was never in question. It was my ultimate escape?both an opportunity to be in a more positive environment and the beginning of a career that would provide for my family. Being entirely responsible for paying for my own education made me more determined to get everything I could out of the experience. My college degree opened the door to a world of opportunities I honestly had only dreamt of. If as I was graduating from high school 14 years ago someone had told me I was going to work in advertising with some of the world?s most elite brands, be a Director with an advertising agency at 27, be a VP of a sports media startup at 29, live in San Francisco and get to travel the world, I simply wouldn?t have believed it. And that?s what education is to me ? it?s opportunity. It?s the opportunity to not have to live paycheck to paycheck, to have a career and not a job and to live out your passions and lead an impactful and purpose filled life.

In my experience at the University of Washington, I have developed myself and grown as an individual, as a student and as a citizen of the world. While here, I have been presented with hundreds of opportunities to discover my interests and develop passions that are shared and celebrated by others. Every curiosity has the potential to be explored and further understood, and I have ingenious minds encouraging me and guiding me in my process. Learning is a privilege but also a challenge I gladly accept, whether that?s in the classroom, through an on-campus organization, or from the diverse people I am surrounded by. As a student I have learned to be more open-minded, more culturally aware of the world I live in. The UW is filled with global-minded individuals who enjoy learning and value education on many levels, from reading texts to going into the world and gaining experience firsthand. My experience here and the knowledge I gain is both appreciated and celebrated by the amazing community I am a part of. If anything, I have been inspired to be my best and live to my fullest potential by working hard to achieve my dreams.

From my college experience I've learned how incredibly diverse people's ideas, beliefs, and perspectives on life can be. College is where you learn what makes you who you are. It's where you have the opportunity to learn about other people in ways you wouldn't ordinarily have the chance to experience.

My college experience thus far has been incredible. In addition to learning much about an assortment of subjects that interest me--such as astronomy, archaeology, and medieval literature--I have been provided the opportunity to learn more about myself. I have had to re-learn my time management skills, as I no longer have my parents nearby to help motivate me and to tell me when I might be taking on too much. I have many unprecedented opportunities to pursue my interests outside of the classroom via clubs, organizations, and intramural sports. I have also made a number of new friends, many of whom have shown me new perspectives on life and helped me to evaluate my own. I still am not entirely locked in to my major, and so the opportunity to take such a variety of classes has thus far helped me to whittle down my choices to those that are of particular interest to me. Overall, I feel a greater sense of independence and of my own personal identity for having lived in a college setting for two quarters. I only hope that these will become greater as I continue my pursuit of higher education.

Going to college has been an integral part of my becoming my own man on many levels. Through the academic rigor of working towards degrees in applied mathematics and engineering, I've learned the value of good study habits and overall work ethic which will be essential to success in the world. Leaving suburbia has opened my eyes to a wealth of culture and experiences and has given me a much broader view of the world and the people in it. In addition, being on my own has really grown my faith in God because of the ways He has provided for me, taught me, and grown me out of the faith I "inherited" from from family, and into a faith of my own. Without going to college and being challenged and refined on all levels of life, I wouldn't have the work ethic, knowledge, compassion for people, understanding of the world, and faith which is so important to me, that I have now. It's been a trying but invaluable experience.

The most important advice I think I would give myself would be to stay as involved as I was in high school. I can say I was pretty much involved in everything possible in high school from coursework to being in the Chess Club to being Volleyball Captain to being FBLA President to doing volunteer work to working part time to having a great social life. The list goes on but I listed a couple to show the variety. Since I came to college I got the feeling that the hard part was over, at least as far as extracurricular activities go. This was probably the one regret I have about my experience here so far. I'm in the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta, so that keeps me somewhat involved as far as community service and social life, but I have not gotten too involved in anything else other than Greek Life and club volleyball and once you stop it is really hard to get back into, especially since people know you haven't been involved! The leadership skills and recognition would be invaluable and I wish I would have stuck to my ways from high school!

Go visit the colleges you are accepted to. Think about not only the campus but the logistics, especially if it is far away. Think about not only the school and city you would be moving to, but also the culture of the campus. It does not really matter what school you go to, especially for undergrad. How much you will enjoy your experience will be based on your friendships. You should visualize yourself at that school are there clubs you would like to join? sports teams you would play on? is there a department you are interested in? The most telling sign is to go the the campus and visit, preferably stay a night or two with a friend. Lastly, take a deep breath, college is challengeing but incredibly fun no matter where you end up.

Going from high school to college is hard but manageable. One of the few things you should keep in mind is time management. You have to be able to manage your time between your friends, family, your boyfriend, and school work. It?s hard at first because everyone wants your attention, but keep in mind that everyone wants what?s best for you; to study hard and finish your education. So not spending time with them does not mean they?re going to hate you. Another thing to keep in mind is to develop your studying habits, develop new strategy on how to study efficiently or new skills to study for a big final. In college there is a lot of reading and information, so knowing what?s more important than trying to memorize every little bit and pieces of information would be a better fit. But also have fun, join clubs, socialize and networks with people. Also the freshman 15 exist, so try to stay fit and not eat so much while studying because sooner or later you might just gain 15 lbs at the end of a quarter.

The main piece of advice I have is to make an effort to reach out to meet people in every class because everyone else feels lost at first on such a big campus, and most people are eager to make friends if you talk to them. I have met some really interesting and amazingly smart people and gotten a job lead, by just starting up a conversation during a break in class. I lived in a dorm for my first quarter at UW, and I felt like it was not a good deal financially, and also was not as good of a way to meet people as it was advertised to be. My advice in this regard would be to save your money for tuition and live off campus. As a commuting student, I still feel like part of the community. Lastly, since they UW does not give out much financial aid to middle class students and tuition is constantly increasing, I would recommend applying for lots of outside scholarships in the senior year of high school, before you get to college and are too busy with school work to write a lot of scholarship essays.

Knowing what I currently know about college life and the transitions I made from high school, I have found numerous issues in which advice prior to college would have benefitted immensely. Throughout high school I was always a hard worker, but never really had to fully engage or apply myself in order to get a good grade or pass a class. This casual, easy-going attitude was given a quick reality check when I entered my first quarter of college. My number one piece of advice I wish I could have told my high school self would be to fully engage myself in my schoolwork and studying and to participate in a variety of extracurricular activites. I myself did not participate in high school sports, nor did I join ASB or any type of club. During my senior year though, I held a part-time job while going to my high school classes as well as earning community college credits. This offered me just a "taste" of what the real world is like - having to actually work for what you want and constantly being faced with a challenge in which you might not always see a straight-forward, undemanding resolution.

The advice I would give myself is that I should clearly understand what my field of interest is. I would inform myself of proper time management and to give more importance to understanding my field of study rather than playing sports and games. I?d recommend myself to study well in my advanced placement classes despite having a fair overall GPA. I would warn myself to take seriously the cost of college and living expenses and to find scholarships that I could easily apply for because I was awarded one ? attempting and earning a scholarship grant currently as a senior in college. I would inform myself ways to eliminate or prevent distractions. I also would warn myself to keep in touch with academic counselors to help myself understand the path to college and graduation requirements well in advance. I would direct myself to attempt to take part in extracurricular activities besides sports like club or school positions like class president. I would tell myself to go to my high school prom for the social experience. But mainly, I would advise myself to be more open-minded to networking with people in order to develop social skills.

You should be prepared. To be prepare having a C in the class, unlike always getting A in high school; to be prepare to stay up late just try to finish one thing, like one math problem, or writing a JAVA file. Don't under-estimated yourself, even though you have low SAT or ACT score, you still need to do your best to describe yourself in the personal statement that you are going to attach with your college application. You might get into Harvard, or Stanford, you never know. And I know you worried about money, and I know you have already applied as many scholarship as you can, however, you should not see it as a barrier to pursue your academic goal. Believe in yourself, you can achieve your dream if you move your first step and prepare.

College, essentially, involves the same general processes and situations as in high school. In reality, while the work load is obviously much more and the subjects you are studying are more difficult to understand, it's your attitude and motivation level that need to change with time. You've always been the type of person to get things done in a quick and productive manner, so why stop now? You might be intimidated by the huge campus, the throngs of people during passing time and in the classrooms, and those dreadful exams, but you know what? Those are all part of the experience of being a college student. You have to be able to assert who you are in this world, and it starts here. Sure--taking breaks and hanging out with your friends might not be the ways you spend your weekends, but at the end of it all, everything you've done up to this point is going to matter in the long run. When you see the fruits of your labor, you'll realize that nothing ever really changes--it's only people that change. Change is good, so be whoever you want to be.

I would tell myself to start working early on college applications. I would emphasize the importance of filling out the FAFSA. I was already in my second year of college through the Running Start program when I was a senior, which I feel was an excellent decision. I'd tell my past self to continue on looking forward, to always look for new possibilities and opportunities to advance myself. Going to college is a huge life event. Its a lot of hard work. I'd tell myself to put in as much time and effort as possible to do well in University classes. Community is a big part of college life. I'd suggest my high school senior self to look at clubs and associations to get involved in as soon as I could. Most of all, I'd tell myself to enjoy it all, and that going to college will be a wonderful and memorable part of my life.

I would tell myself that it is time that I begin to operate with a bigger picture in mind than my previous life that was a mere extension of my superficial and confusing high-school days. I would tell myself that I need to make sure that college, while being a joyful time of building lifelong memories and friendships, is not primarily for myself the end of a happy period of my life, but the means by which I can move toward another happy season of my life. I would tell myself to avoid both the extremes of spending too much time studying and spending too much time socializing. Those who fall into one of these two mistakes either deprive themselves of social and emotional connection with others (and, therefore, holistic- not just scholastic- growth) or end up trading their post-college aspirations for a short-lived good time, squandering all of their resources to meet that meaningless end. Finally, I would tell myself to examine thoroughly, and live out of fully, the deepest and most noble desires of my heart. Do not merely try to achieve an image, but do what brings you joy and serves others the most.

I would go to college right after I get out of high school!

My advise is to start at a community college to get the pre-requisites done for less money and smaller class sizes.

If I could go back in time and give myself advise about college, I would probably not stop at my senior year but return to my junior high years. I would advise myself to embrace learning and be passionate about trying to learn as much as I could. I look back and see that so much knowledge was offered to me and I feel that I could have absorbed so much more. The more knowledge that is discovered and absorbed, the easier life at a higher level of education will be. This said, I love my college life at the present moment and am thankful everyday that I have this opportunity. The world is an amazing place and I want to continue learning as much as I can. Thank you for the opportunity to express my thoughts.

As a high school senior, there is much I wanted to know about being in college. I wanted to know what the best classes to take were, how to make friends at college, and how to switch from high school life to college life. I now know a freshman should take introductory classes and complete general education requirements first because these types of classes give incoming college students a sense of what they will want to continue to study as an upperclassmen. Academics are an important aspect of college life; however, college students should not let themselves be completely overwhelmed by school work. They need to be sure to make time for themselves and time to spend with family and friends. A student who completely focuses on school work will eventually become exhausted and their grades will suffer as a result. The best advice I can give is to be you, by just being myself I was able make many friends which will last a life time, and it was this concept which enabled me to be a successful college student. This is not something I would only tell myself, but every other college-bound high school senior.