Montgomery College Top Questions

The very first advise I would give myself is that communcation is the most important thing during college life. After high school, there will not be anyone keeping an eye on you anymore and answering your quesiton when there is one. However, you will have to take your own time finding the right person to go to and discuss your quesiton to people around you, and do not hesitate from asking question.

I would tell the high school senior version of myself to realize how important it is to be able to afford college. In high school I did not apply to any scholarships, I was under a false presumption, that my family is struggling so I will recieve a great amount of financial aid; and that is not true. I would tell myself to spend more time thinking about funding your college career, rather than worrying more about where I would start your college career. High school seniors usually focus on enjoying senior year; it’s their last time to be with all their childhood friends and have fun. However, if I did worry more about scholarships and grants, I might’ve been in a different position currently. I would tell the high school me; have fun, enjoy your last year of high school, but please think about how you will pay for college, and how to make that easier for the future.

Hey it’s you from the future, here to give you some advice about making the transition into Montgomery Community College. First of all feel out all the clubs and activities that you like, but only chose at most two because your grades will suffer if you dedicate yourself to too many activates. Signing up for 8am classes is fine as long as they’re gen-ed classes because you’ll find yourself struggling to keep up with harder classes that early, you know how you are unfocused too early in the morning. That procrastination habit was cute in high school where you could just breeze past most of your assignments, but PLAN OUT EVERTHING AND READ AHEAD!!!!! Leave a half hour early before your first class just in cases there is unforeseen traffic. Most importantly, sign up for all your classes as early as possible to get the best possible schedule and professors. You are the only thing that can stop you from being successful in college, not your professors, not your parents, not other students, not your friends.

If I could go back to high school and be a senior again I would tell myself to actually take a few college courses at Montgomery College prior to my graduating high school. I would not have wasted my time taking honors courses in high school since in actuality they really did not benefit me in college. I would also tell myself not to work as many hours as I did being I missed a lot of my high school activities due to having to work so I could save for college. While my mates were enjoying senior year I was working many hours and did not get to fully enjoy my final high school experience. High school was great honestly but a do over would be even better.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself that it is not too late to prove that you can be successful no matter how difficult it may be. When I was a senior in high school, I was in the IB Program. The pressure of the program got to me and I gave up. I went from having over a 3.0 to having a solid 2.0. I felt like I was not prepared for the difficulty of the program, and as a result, I did not get into my first choice, Towson University. Now that I have some knowledge about college life and making the transition, I would also tell my former self that it is not too late to change your mindset and nothing is impossible; success is right around the corner for you.

High school is often said to be the "golden years" but it wasn't as golden as it could be for me. If I could go back in time, I would advise myself to do better and to ask for help. I spent months feeling sorry for myself because of my grades. If I had took high school more seriously, I would be exploring and growing elsewhere. I see high school students saying how much they hate living where they are. From my experience, the best way to get out of being somewhere you don't like is to either join the military or get schlolarships to attend the school of your dreams and avoid staying in one place. I look back at my high school life often now that I'm in college, wishing I had done better and had taken a certain class to avoid taking it in college. I even wish that I had sucked up my pride and asked for help when I needed it the most. I probably wouldn't be in the situation I am in now if I had done better and asked for help.

In hindsight, I am actually quite pleased that I prepared myself for the college life. Yes, it is challenging but college life is essentially about time management and balancing one's social life with their academic life. Being a varsity cheerleader, a captain of the gymnastics team, a member of the TRI-M music honors society, and a member ofthe SGA has aided me in becoming less dependent on my teachers constant reinforcements and reminders and instead being more independent and taking initiative. One thing I would tell myself as a high school senior would be that organization is key. Just being organized itself is extremely important to success. Although I did complete my work in high school efficiently I was not the most organized student because I relied on Edline, a community management system, for notifications. At montgomery college one's syllabus is essentially one's bible. It contains information from the very first assignment to finals. In my first week of college I misplaced my syllabus to my english course for three days and was unfortunately not prepared for the first homework assignment. Essentially,being organized leads to greater productivity and management.

If I could go back and talk to my high school self, I would tell her to apply for scholarships and focus on my grades a little bit more because that will impact everything in college. I would also explain that friendships are not meant to vex you so when starting college, it is alright to start new friendships with the people you meet on campus and cut ties with the people you may have knew in high school. It is for the best because you will need to work hard to be the best you can be to make yourself and your family proud. Also I would say to look into internships because those give a lot of experience in the field you are looking to get into.

I would tell my high school self to not only follow my heart with where I go but be wise. Know what is good in terms of your education because it has a major impact for your future. I would tell my high school self that no matter how long and how tiring it is to apply for as many scholarships and grants as possible so the stress for the cost of school will never be an issue. My high school self already had the focus and determination, but I definitely needed the drive to go persevere and succeed in all of my classes and maintain a high gpa. I would tell my high school self to have fun and never lose sit of who she is. I would end with telling my high school self that she has a major purpose in the world, but in order to pursue it my education must come first.

Dont party so much and study just a little bit more than you do now. College isn't handed to you and you have to earn it, its not the end of the world for sure, but if you study during the study time and play during the play time your gpa will be perfect. Good luck.