Florida Atlantic University Top Questions

Do not expect so much from people and be prepared to have to do everything for yourself. When I left high school I thought I was going to meet mature people. But in reality everyone is just the same as they were in high school. Only difference was they spend three months enjoying themselves at the beach. You will love your roomates but once you live with them and see their true colors you won’t love them that much. Don’t pick classes just because your friends are in them, they won’t do the same for you. Learn to do things for yourself, to please you and no one else.

Begin picking out classes as soon as possible, list out all major courses that holds major interest and don't give up. Always be early and leave time for anything that you may need to do. Have all documents ready, Florida id ready and stay hopeful. Always find a teacher that is beneficial to you and always expect the unexpected. Check email before going to bed, when waking up, before going to class and after coming out of class. Also always have money on your student id just in case.

Be more proactive.

Grow up. I spent too much time thinking education wasn't very important. I spent a few years doing a degree I wasn't interested in and wasn't willing to spend the time studying. Eventually, the real world hit me and I realized that I needed to work hard if I wanted to do anything with myself. At 22, I started a physics degree and I currently have a 4.0 since switching fields and have won a few awards and intend to go to a very prestigious doctorate program. It would be wonderful to be able to convince myself to do what I should have at 18 instead of wasting four years of my life being immature.

If i could go back i would tell myself to keep pushing and to take college seriously. To strive to do my best at all times and to ask for help when i need it, do not feel embarrassed if i do need help sometimes. I would tell myself to embrace college life and to explore all my options considering college, scholarships, campus living, and life period. My best advice would be to take all the knowledge and use it to my advantage to really get involved and achieve nothing less than greatness.

If I was able to go back in time and speak to my younger self I would start by saying, stop being too afraid to try your best. One of the main aspects of college is to develop habits that will help you to become successful in life. This means that you have to be able to meet deadlines, speak clearly when you talking, and to also stop procrastinating. College is only as hard as you make it. When assignments come along you need to start on them immediately. If you do not and wait until the last minute you will find yourself struggling to complete assignments on time. Never be afraid to speak your mind because college is a place where you can present your own original ideas to your peers and in return you can make the stronger. Whenever you are speaking always think before you speak because everything that sounds great in your head may not sound as good when you say it. I would add on by saying before you speak take a deep breath and never rush your words. In conclusion, remember that it is your time to reach your fullest potential. START NOW!

I would encourage myself to stay more focused on school.

I would tell myself to start preparing what I wanted to do after college. I changed my major three times and I really regret going into college and not knowing what I wanted to do. So i would definitely tell myself to think about what I wanted to do before applying for college.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior it would be so very helpful. Especially now knowing about college life and the various transitions that take place. First off I would inform myself that 'you must take things more seriously', if anything college has taught me that I really am an adult. The decisions I make now count more than ever. Some more advice I would give my old self would be: to be more organizesd, eliminate negativity & use a day planner. When I see a successful person they follow those guidelines and essentially have it easier because their plan out their work. Lastly I would remind high school senior me, to 'believe in yourself'. Especially since the workload can be strenuous sometimes, it's important to not give up. As for the transition into adulthood that happens in college, I would tell the old me to take everything in stride because college can really be a fun experience!

I would tell myself to stay focused in the required classes because that is what floats your GPA. The core classes are where it gets really tough. I would tell myself to mix in my core classes with my regular required classes so I'm not overwhelmed with all science classes toward the end. Finally, I would mention Ratemyprofessor.com and tell myself to research the teacher and make sure he or she is a great teacher so I don't end up wasting my money and dropping the class.

As a college student now, looking back I would have given myself the time to successfully managed my school work better, and taken full advantage of more scholarship opportunities. Everyone feels like they could've done better, or more, but I feel if I had more support through my education prior to taking university level courses, I could have been better prepared mentally for the educational roller coaster I feel I have encountered. The journey thus far has been positive in every way, since it has all been baby steps and learning experiences that make me incredibly fortunate. I just wish I could've expected this path in the past, rather than not giving higher education my full attention and doubting myself.

I would give myself advice on how to deal with catty roommate drama. I would also tell myself how the studying habits I have will not help me out once I get to college. I also would say do not spend your money unwisely and to save up as much as possible because book cost are outrageous!

The advice I would have given myself as a highschool student is to constantly remind myself determination is the key to success in the real world. I would also pay far more attention to in subjects relative to my desired career which are Math and the Sciences. I would advise myself to take a SAT/ACT prep class to increase my test scores. I would have advised myself to engage in internships or pre-med opportunities that allows me to fully understand the career choice I decided to do. I would advised myself to stop procastinating and use my time wisely. I would advised myself to work hard at whatever my hands found to do, focus a lot more on my academic endeavors, read more, use time spent with friends and family wisely. I would advise myself to shadow a doctor and volunteer at the nearest hospital to gain clinical experience as well as obtain a part-time job relative to my career. I also would listen more to the advice given to me by my mother and the elders around regarding ceasing all opportunities granted to me most of all an education.

STUDY, STUDY, STUDY!!! One mistake I made in high school is not having a steady routine to do my school work and now that I am in college it has effected me significantly. If I could go back to high school I would start over as a freshmen and take school more seriously because now I am making up for it and it is a lot harder to fix my study habits now that I am faced with a lot of stressful sitautions.

First and formost I would tell my younger self not to be afraide of the transistion between High school and College, it's very smooth and that the money situation will work itself out. That your not the only one who's in the same boat and there has and there will be many like you; but to make sure to do your hardest in class to make sure you get the best shot you can to go to college and gain many scholarships. Another thing I would tell my younger self is that the classes and the subjects he'll be learning are some of the most enlightening subjects around as well as expanding his knowledge of the world around him. College is no where near as scarey as some would lead you to belive. Take it one step at a time and your life will become a amazing experince.

The most important aspect about making a life decision is ironically not often what the choice is, but rather how you go about doing it. If I had the ability to go back to my High School Senior self and say a few words, I would tell myself simply not to rush anything. Many HS students are eager to get out of their hometowns and move on to a huge university, but that isn't always the best decision for everyone. College Institutions are a business, as with anything else, so it is important to understand what YOU think is best for yourself. Always consider other options; such as getting an AA degree at a community college prior to a four year school. To be successfull, you don't have to go to some flashy private college with insane tuition, nor do you have to travel across the country to attend a distant state university. Success isn't measured by where you end up, but how you manage to get there. In addition, always remember to be a seeker. Seek out interest in everything you experience; in both school and life. You may be surprised in what you will find.

The advice that I would give to myself, if I were able to go back in time to high school, would to not be afraid or listen to the people around me about college. I was always told that only smart people would be able to make it through college. That was because college is very hard and too competitive. In high school I was never part of the top students. I was usually average to just below average. I was told that I would never really make it in college. Today I am 39 years old, a wife of 15 years, a mother of six children, and have been a full-time online student for one year with a 4.0 grade point average. I wish that I had not listened to the people around me and went to college years ago. Yes, it is hard work, but I could have accompolish a degree years ago. Plus, college would have been a bit easier at a younger age in life. If I could give myself some advice back in high school I would tell myself to have courage and not to listen to other people about college.

Well some advice I would give myself would be to take a year off from college. This is what I did after I graduated from my high school I decided to take a year off. I traveled back east to Washington DC and stayed with my aunt and uncle. I worked at a Preschool. Helped my aunt out around the house. I then decided to go to a Two year college and then transfer to a University to work on my Education degree. I learned so much from living in Washington DC and found that taking that year off has really helped me with my classes this term.

I would speak to the concept of time. As a senior I thought I had all the time in the world. Life events happen and sometimes our choices are diverted, squashed or postponed. It may be a death in the family, a marriage or divorce, financial difficulty, unexpected promotion, the arrival of children, geographical move, etc. You never know what life is going to throw at you. I would tell myself to take advantage of all educational opportunities and not to postpone things until some non-specific time such as "later" or "after I". Do it now. Do it right now.

I would advise myself to take advantage of more scholarship opportunities. Choose whatever school you feel is fit for you and not to chose by what others think.