One thing I’ve learned at Albany, is how much room I have left to grow, so it’s all too easy to look back at high school and pick out things that I could have done better. I know that I hardly ever engaged my teachers outside of class which is something I kind of regret. The thought actually never occurred to me, probably because I was preoccupied with schoolwork and other concerns. In retrospect though, I think that they probably could have offered some insight to questions I had about what to pursue and how to go about that. Many of the teachers I had the privilege of learning from had travelled interesting paths to arrive at being teachers, and I’m sure there was much I could have learned from them.

There are some other things I would have liked to be different too. I think it would have beneficial for me in college if I was in the habit of reading more, and I definitely could have built up that habit on the commute instead of always listening to music. It would have probably been good to get a handle on my habit of procrastinating. I also know that I could have been more motivated, but I cut myself some slack because high school is exhausting and it’s unfair to ask too much. I guess the biggest thing I would have liked for myself back then is actually the same thing I want for myself right now:  to have continued to keep trying to grow and bring out my maximum effort. 

If I could go back in time and change anything about my high school years, it would be my level of confidence. I wouldn’t care so much about what people thought of me. I found myself being very self-conscious at times and considering other’s opinions about me more than my own. I wanted to be popular, which led me to not be true to myself, and trying to alter how I look and act for people to like me.

I also got easily caught up in high school drama by listening to rumors and gossip. If I could do anything differently it would be to put all of that energy into my schoolwork and less in trying to keep up with what others were doing and saying around me. I would have been myself the whole time and not what pleased everyone. I would’ve had more confidence in myself no matter how other people felt about me. I learned a lot from my experiences in high school and they made me who I am today.

             

Looking back at my high school career, it was one of the best times I’ve ever had. I loved mostly all of it but there are a few things that I would do differently. For starters, I would put more time and effort into my studies and get better grades. Although my grades were nowhere near bad, it just seems that I did not work up to my full potential. I loved basketball but the amount of time and dedication I put into it, I should have been putting into my homework and classes. The next most important thing I would change is all the times I missed school and skipped class. I felt because high school was so easy, I didn’t actually need to go. It’s not true, I missed so much information. It made school a lot harder and the classes I had 80’s in could have been 90’s and the classes I had 90’s in could have been 100’s.

If I could do it over, I would take advantage of full opportunities I had. Teachers were always there to help, there were no office hours, school was always open and you always had something to do whether it was study hall or not. And most importantly all the fun you could have while doing it. Working hard didn’t really take time away from your social life as college does, you still have plenty of time to be social, play basketball, get your work done and have good grades. 

Looking back at my high school years I remember being very quiet, many times overlooked and overpowered.  For a while, after I left high school, I felt like I wasted my high school years being shy, and missing out on so many friends and opportunities.  Now as all my peers are getting older and taking our place in society, we are also seeing the results of the actions we made while in high school.  

Looking back at my high school years , I don't think I would change much about it. I had a good high school experience. I was open to many ideas and tried to be the most well-rounded student I could be. I joined many extracurriculars; volleyball, tennis, Girls Inc., cooking club, etc. I talked to everybody that was around me, even all the teachers knew me and loved me. 

But, if I could change something, it would probably be my studying habits. I was a really good student but it wasn't because I studied. It was all out of luck. I always just winged it- tests, regents, etc. This "luck" streak didn't accompany me to college. I realized that here I had to study, I had to work hard and that my grades weren't just going to be great automatically. If I had began studying from high school, I wouldn't have too much of a struggle in studying in college.

I'm just six months out of high school, so all the memories are fresh. I think the most regrettable thing that I did was during my last year of high school. I was in an AP Calculus class and I didn't want to be there so I didn't try my hardest. I was upset that I was in a class that I didn't need to be in and it showed in my grades. I think I wasted my own time and my teacher's time because a student who really wanted to be there could have taken my place and did what they had to do. 

I think back to the whole year and I wish that I tried harder and paid attention in the math class because it could had helped me in the future. I now see that the class was essential, even though it wasn't required. I know I could have spent a lot more time reading the textbook and getting help from classmates who knew what they were doing, but I just sat around and didn't use my potential. I learned from that experience that I need to put my energy in everything I do because a lot could come in handy in the future. I will never waste my time or anyone else's time ever again. 


Janay Campbell

Honestly, looking back at my high school years, I would change the courses I took. I would have taken more advanced placement and challenging courses. I wish my school would have offered much more advanced placement courses. I know I didn’t reach my full potential in high school. But, I am making an effort to reach my full potential in college.

I would have done a lot of things differently in high school. If I can go back, I would be even more on top of my studies and school work. I would have networked and made more connections and made the most of the opportunities I had. 

If I were in high school again, I would take advantage of the help that was offered. There were many offices in my high school that provided help with college applications, SAT prep, tutoring, and volunteer work. I never took advantage of that it because I thought it would be easier to do everything on my own. I did my college applications on my own time and studied for my exams on my own time. 

I realized I made it much more difficult on myself because if I would have gone to these offices, I would have saved time on these processes as well as received help with my college essays and my SAT prep. My advice would be to definitely value those people who are there to help you so that you can make it easier on yourself as well as build relationships with those people who are offering the help because it will benefit you in the long run.

If I could rewind back to my high school years, I would have spoken up more for myself. Growing up I was always that shy girl in the back of the class who never liked to raise her hand. Even in high school with my whole group of friends, I always tended to take on the shy role among my confident friends. I feel like I lost out on a lot of friendships and experiences because I stayed to myself and I wasn’t involved much in high school because of that fear. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I started branching out of my shell. Coming to college, I promised myself that I would speak up more and get involved, despite my fear. It’s hard to believe that the girl standing here now was once shy but in the end every flower blossoms. Some later than others.

As I tell my little sister, who is currently a Sophomore in High School, do what makes you happy. Now let me elaborate on what I mean by that. Part of being a student requires us to attend classes, do our homework, study for tests and quizzes, and then, do it all over again. That is our job as a student, which we must complete and excel at. However, not everything is set in stone. There are many extracurricular activities that you can get involved in, at school or outside of school.

High school should be a time to discover your passion, and if you already have one, then dive into it. Get involved. Discover new things by joining clubs or branching out. Always work hard. That's what I would change. I would have became well rounded early on so that I had discovered my passions and followed it throughout college. 

Proceeding forward with a sense of purpose and determination makes it easier to enjoy your college experience as well. You avoid the stressors of uncertainty about your major, minor, and the ultimate question: What do I want to do with my life.

=]

I am not ashamed of my high school career and I have no regrets, but if I knew what I know now, I would have changed a few things. The first thing I would have changed is my work ethic. I was a procrastinator and I was lazy. I never studied, but I fortunately passed with pretty good grades. If I put the amount of effort I put into my work now into the work I did when I was in high school I could’ve probably been valedictorian.

You have a hard decision to make as a teenager in high school. Being with your friends and having fun all the time may seem appealing at the moment, but remember that school is an investment for your future. 

High school is such an important time in a young person’s life.  It’s during this stage where you truly start to grow up as you are no longer looked at as a child, but a young adult, taking steps towards a better future.  I really enjoyed my time in high school, however, looking back on my high school years, there are a few things I would definitely do differently.  First off, I would have joined more clubs and participated in more extracurricular activities.  High school is a once in a life time experience, and the four years fly by.  It is very important to enjoy this time, and meet new people.  

 Looking back at high school now, all I can think is that I came a tremendously long way! I honestly do miss high school a lot. Those were the good days. Classes were easier, the homework workload was nothing as crazy compared to college,  you had more free time and less stress. Being in college now though made me realize if I could go back, I would change certain things. 

Being only a sophomore at the University at Albany, I am have only been out of high school for a year and a half. With that said, my high school years are still fresh in my mind. Reflecting back on my high school years, I have come to one conclusion: I was extremely immature. You may believe that the only reason why I am saying this is because I am older and more mature, which may actually be true. Regardless of my reasoning though, the fact still remains that my mindset during my high school years was not of one prepared to enter adulthood.

Looking back at my high school years, I wished that I put more effort into my schoolwork. Especially during my freshman and sophomore years, I knew that I was capable of achieving and maintaining Honor Roll status (85+ GPA) without putting in much effort. I slacked off and only did enough to obtain the 85 average. The only time that I truly put full effort in school was around Regents exams because I felt that Regents exams were the only thing that was important enough to study for. While my lack of work ethic did not prevent me for achieving my goal of being an Honor Roll student, I developed some poor study habits which affected me during my junior and senior years, as well as in college. Thankfully, I was able to fight through these habits to excel as I began taking SAT Prep classes, AP classes, and college courses. Another negative impact of slacking off in my early years of high school is that it kept me from attaining a higher GPA and making myself a much more competitive college applicant my senior year. Don’t get me wrong, attending the University at Albany is one of the best decisions I have made in my life but I probably would have had more options of schools to attend if I worked harder throughout my high school career.

I loved high school. Experiences that endured during my high school years are what made me the person I am today. But that does not mean that I was not incredibly immature during high school. Kevin Durant said it best when he said “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.”

 Looking back on my high school years, there isn't a whole lot that I would want to change.  I did well in school, got into the college I wanted, and had (and for that matter still have) a really great group of friends.  However, one thing that I would have done differently is put more commitment into my athletics.  I was a very solid athlete, but I feel that if I had applied myself more outside of practice that I would have been able to elevate myself even more.