The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Top Questions

I moved from Chicago to Tennessee at age twelve. Not only was it a complete culture shock but they were well ahead of my educational level. Due to my inability to adjust properly I lost interest in school cheated my way through my education. So what would I say to myself? “Marcos, you did yourself a disservice cheating all those years. Not only will you have to learn new information but you will also be catching up. When you speak to adults you will feel dumb because you don’t know what they're saying, but don’t let that discourage you. There will be classes you may think are not important but they are. Give yourself the time to catch up and learn the new information and with time it will all come together and you will have the power to achieve all those dreams inside your mind. You are going to think you don’t need school but don’t do yourself another disservice and drop out or you’ll learn the lessons the hard way and find yourself back in school in your mid thirties after overcoming the hell of feeling like a complete loser.”

take summer school meet as many people as you can and dont be afraid you only have one life to live

In my Sophomore year at St. Cloud High School I had a 4.0. My last two years of High School I Dual Enrolled with Valencia Community College to knock out college while it was free. I got a couple C's and a programming class that I didn't have time for, and failed, and my GPA dropped permanently. My high school GPA turned out to be a 3.66. High School gives you second chances, but in College, they don't. Even if you have a slight chance, you will have to work and grovel and MAYBE they will consider you out of the pool of groveling students. Even at a 3.75 GPA, I would have had a full ride scholarship. No more scholarships, no looking at loans, I could have been set. The hardest part about college is figuring out your strengths, and then don't overdo it. I screwed up. If I could go back in time I would tell myself to take one less class so I could concentrate on the classes I already knew I could pass. I would say, "Take a breather. You're already an A student. Stop pushing it."

"You are your own worst enemy. If you can learn to stop expecting impossible perfection, in yourself and others, you may find the happiness that has always eluded you." - Lisa Kleypas, Love in the Afternoon So you don't have your life planned out, so what? Not everybody is the same, so don't compare yourself to others. Strive for greatness that has been exemplified in our country's heroes or even those you've looked up to (Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Tim Tebow, or Landon Donovan), but embrace YOUR identity. God made you - YOU - for a reason, even if you don't see that now you will see it soon. You are so much greater than you believe you are so stop worrying about the future and regretting the past and start living in the present. When you put your mind to something you can do things you could never imagine doing. "You miss 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the shots you don't take take" - Wayne Gretzsky. I love that quote, it's become sort of cliche, but it's so true. So don't be afraid to take shots. DREAM BIG.

Life is too short to be stuck in a job in which you are not happy. Take this time in your life to explore what you are passionate about, pursue your passion through higher education, and make a better life for yourself. Dedicate more time to learning about what truly interests you and less to frivilous time-wasting activities. Apply for all the financial aid you can possibly locate, so that you can focus more on your studies and less on making a living during this time. Wisely spend what money you are able to obtain and don't go into debt if at all possible. If you can live with your parents to save money, do so. If you must live with roommates to lessen costs, choose roommates, as well as your friends, wisely. Don't cave to peer pressure, listen to your inner voice. Listen well to your parents and professors, their advice is often invaluable. Don't assume you 'know-it-all', because you never will.

College is not as easy as highschool... you will actually have to study; and study hard! Know this as you enter into your freshman year so that your grades will not suffer..

To not take unnessecary classes, as well to focus more during the first semester due to it being one of the most important semesters one will have during college.

My High School senior year was very easy academically, yet the college search and application process was quite overwhelming. However, I did apply to all the colleges I wanted to go to, got accepted at every one I applied to, and completed everything I needed to. Everything went smoothly, aside from the financial aspect of college. Having applied for numerous scholarships, not getting even a single one was incredibly discouraging, and I ended up not attending college because of it. My parents have decided to have me pay for my own college with no assistance from them, so finding a way to close the gap between what is paid for and what is needed for college is a serious challenge, but one that shouldn't have discouraged me in to not going. Although I did work and get a better hold on my financial situation, I wish I had gone to college, even if it were a community college. With everything that has happened in the past year, if I could go back and tell myself one thing, I would simply say go for it, and worry about costs and all the technicalities later on, or as they come.

spend more time with our friends and family , i am a overacheiver scholar

I would have pushed myself to study more than once. In college, I’ve realized that studying is an essential part of passing your classes. Studying for the class and knowing the material cannot be accomplished the night before the big test, therefore in high school I would have begun preparing for tests a lot sooner to be used to for college. Being accustomed to that would have helped me a lot in my first semester, simply because I was not used to studying more than once for a test. My college classes required you to be prepared before you came to class and this was never the case in high school. When I was a senior, I would of pushed myself to excel harder, being more prepared for school, not procrastinating, and studying way more for tests.