The University of Tampa Top Questions

I'd tell myself to always remember who is always there for me through stressful situations, which would be mainly just my family. Also to always remember no matter how hard things get, to never give up. Things will not always go the way I want it to go but I can still try harder for a better outcome. I would warn myself about how much stress college causes but at the same time it's a great experience with becoming mature and learning how to live on my own. I would deffinately tell myself to make more money before college because going to a University is not cheap at all. There are way too many bills to be paid and loans that I cannot afford. I'd tell myself to be prepared with debt and to not always rely on help from family. I'd also tell myself to not be shy and step outside my comfort zone. The only way to meet friends in an unfamiliar place is to start conversations and not be afraid to express yourself in your own way. If they don't appreciate you, move forward, don't linger on those that doubt you.

If I had somehow found myself face-to-face with my high school self I imagine I would appear out of a cloud of vapor and show myself a picture of my family during the time they still lived in Cuba. At the age of four my mother’s home was taken by Fidel Castro’s soldiers; my grandmother was forced flee Cuba in the hopes of finding a new life in America. My mother watched as my grandmother repeated her college education to become a teacher while my grandfather worked as a janitor at Scripps Clinic until a scientist taught him how to research the mitochondria within cancer cells and become a scientist himself. As a senior, I was petrified by the thought of leaving my home to attend a college across the nation. Upon beginning college I looked back at my family history and realized that if my grandmother had never left her home I would have never had the opportunity to leave mine in order to pursue my dreams. Since then I have lived my life with much more purpose. If I went back in time, I would tell myself to truly appreciate my privileged life.

I would tell myself that it's really not as easy as you think. You need to choose your friends wisely and learn to trust yourself. Try to pace yourself as the classes are not as simple as high school. Your 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} focus needs to be on your schoolwork, nothing else can help define your future. Remember that you are enrolled in college for you, not for anyone else. Don't be afraid to change your major a few times, change a few classes, explore your campus. The world is your oyster and college is a great place to begin to find yourself.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would give myself tons of advice. The first and most important in my opinion is to follow my heart. As cliche as that is, I've had a lot of experiences this past year that have taught me that I shouldn't have other individuals lead my life. If I had just done what made me happy instead of pleasing others, I would not be as regretful of some of the decisions I've made. The second piece of advice I would give myself is to not to worry so much about what others think of me and just be myself. I was so focused on trying to be "cool" and "fun", living on campus wasn't all that fun for me; especially since I wasn't being myself. Thirdly, I would tell myself not to be afraid to ask for help. It's okay to need help sometimes. Unfourtantely time travel has yet to be invented and I can't go back in time; but knowing what I know now, I'm positive that this upcoming semester will be a lot better.

"Wait, I didn't get cast in a show?" I would tell my senior self two things. One, be prepared if things don't turn out the way you plan; and two, be ready to accept change. Coming from my high school drama department where I was always the lead, I had somewhat of a big ego. I mean, I won the award for Best Lead Comedic Actor in all of Hillsborough County. So I assumed that when I went into college things would be the same way. I was knocked off that high horse pretty quickly when I was not cast in any of the three shows I auditioned for my first year. At first I thought this was terrible, but because I didn’t do shows at school, I was able to so many awesome things outside of UT. I did a show at the Straz Center for Performing Arts and got into their conservatory’s apprenticeship program! I also got hired at Busch Gardens for two performance opportunities! So though my first semester of college didn’t turn out the way I planned, I accepted the changes and turned the situation into something positive!

My advice would be to be more agressive in the planning of my education in regards to the courses I take making sure I am aware and knowledgable on how the course requirements work and if I am not satisfied with how a professor teaches that I should do what I need to do to change classes.

The advice I would give myself is work your hardest in your senior year. Go try and apply for those scholarships, get the best grades in the class, try to get free money anywhere so you can have the well deserved time spent to get into the dream job you always wanted was to become a pharmacist. College is just like high school but harder. There are lots of essays you have to complete, deadlines you can not miss and other things you need to know. You hold the key to make brighter future. Whatever road you take will leard you to your future so choose wisely because the road i took was not the best one nor the worst one but I would want you to take the best one and making something out of yourself.

Being a high school student, I would advice myself not to worrying about making friends or changing who I am to fit in. There willl be people who accept you for how you are and will be willing to be your friends. No matter what happens in college your education is always your first priority. I would also advice myself to take full advantage of the school's resources in orer to make myself a well-rounded individual to allow myself to succeed in the future.

I would tell myself to continue to be myself. Do not let others pressure you into doing something that you don't want to do. Being yourself not only makes you seem like a strong independent individual, but you are also comfortable enough with yourself to not let others change you. Also, studying is important. I would tell myself to continue with the great study skills that I had in high school. I would also tell myself that it's okay to have fun. Weekends are great for having down time and going out and enjoying yourself. When it comes to a school week, stay focused and do your work, because if you don't you will have homework on the weekends, and will not get the opportunity to have fun. Take every opportunity that interests you, and keep busy because it leads to a ton of great new friendships and experiences that normally would not happen if you don't reach out to people and other groups.

Why are you freaking out so much? These people are just as lost as you are, in fact they are even more lost. If you don't know what you want to do for the rest of your life, that's okay. Stop listening to horror stories from your so called older friends, we all have different experiences at college. Take a deep breath! For god's sake, stop planning ways to meet new friends; let it happen on it's own. Enjoy the rest of your time in High School, because as much as you hated it; you will miss it. Savor those moments with your family because you are growing up. This is a new chapter in your book, so stop trying to edit the previous ones to impress. They ALL have baggage of their own, so no need to worry about yours. Oh, and bring extra socks; those tend to disappear.