The University of West Florida Top Questions

You're itching to get away from home and be your own person, I know. Dad doesn't understand you, his wife is twice as bad, and mom cries when she stares at you for prolonged periods of time. You will miss it. Dad wants what's best for you and you'll learn to love his wife because you know he does. Mom will be your voice of reason in times when you need to cry. Leaving home is a beautiful idea in theory, but I promise that you will be lonely despite being surrounded by tons of people. Find Aimee Powell. She's a really good influence on you. Don't get too busy planning for later that you neglect what's happening right now. If you take care of yourself in the present, the rest will come with time. Also, the things that suffocate you now will be your breath of fresh air when you're gone. Hug your brother every chance you can and tell everyone you love what they mean to you. Most importantly, maintain your relationships with everyone you can, and nurture the new ones. You can't do it alone.

I would tell myself that no matter what challenges you face, never give up or get discouraged. As long as you do your best on everything you do, you didn't fail. Never feel ashamed to ask someone for help, even when you think you don't need it. Other people have different ways of solving problems and their way could make it easier for you to understand. Always take advantage of any extra credit opportunities that you teachers provide. The extra credit will always help your grade and it also shows your teacher that you are dedicated to making a good grade. Always get your work done early because it will give you time to thoroughly complete the assignment. Waiting until the last minute to do something will almost always hurt your grade.

If I could go back in time and give the high school senior "me" any advice, I would tell myself to dive in deep. I would tell myself to chase curiosity down every road and winding path. I would tell myself that the only was to failure, the only way to truly lose in life, is not to try. I would tell myself that the education that college provides is not only in the classroom, but in the time between classes. Your education comes from the people you meet and the friends that you'll make. It comes from the advice from a caring professor that might not sink in until a few years down the road at just the right time. It comes from the challenges and the struggles, and the will to finish what you start. Most of all, if I could tell myself anything, I would tell myself to have courage. I would post Aristotle's quote to the inside of my eyelids: "Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others."

Giving advice to my former self, I would recommend researching scholarships and applying for all that I qualify for. I would also advise myself to listen to my parents more. While at the time you may want them off your back, in the future they are the only ones who will have your back. I would advise myself to do lots of research on balancing classes and homework as well as balancing my personal finances.

If I could travel back in time and give my high school senior self some advice, I would jump at the change. I'm currently only a week into school, and already the stress of paying for tuition, meal plan, and my dorm room. It's really hard making everything work out and being able to get everything under control. I would tell myself that I should not decide to ignore the scholarships I checked out. Why? Because scholarships are essential for all years of university learning, but especially that first year, when you're not used to paying five-digit sums of money. I would tell myself that every little bit counts, even scholarships only worth $100, because there's $100 dollars less that you'll have to come up with when it's time to pay your dues. I would also tell my senior self to really enjoy the transition, and that it's easy to start making new friends, no matter how scared and nervous you are. I would tell myself not to be shy, because you're about to meet some really awesome people.

If I could go back to my sophmore year in high school and warn myself about how different college would be I would tell myself not to rush it. I started college when I was a junior in highschool and finished out highschool with college. It has impacted how fast I matured and how responsible I am. I would make myself go to football games and pep rallies instead of skipping them because I was not interested. I would have joined more clubs and participated in all the extracurricular activities instead of trying to grow up so quick. I would tell myself stay in high school and do not rush to college!

The best advice I could give my highschool self would be "You get out, what you put it." This could apply to anything in life, but specifically with college. The more time and effort that you put into anything in college, the greater the reward will be. The more time you take studying, the better your grades will be. The more time and effort you spend in making new friends, the better your friendships will be. You cant expect everything to just be handed to you. You can expect people to just come to you. If you're lonely and think you don't have any friends in college, it's probably because you did not try to make friends or you didnt try hard enough. It's just like excercising. The more and the harder you work out, the greater your results will be.

If I could go back in time and give advice to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to study hard and often. Most seniors want to enjoy their last year of high school and worry about studying anymore. When I first got to college and took some of my first tests I ended up failing them due to the way I studied and the lack of studying. The word "studying" becomes a whole new meaning when entering college. I never really had to study in high school to get good grades, but I found out quickly that studying was a very important factor to passing college level classes. The way I had to study for each class in college varied so I had to learn quick in order to boost my gpa. If I would have been able to follow my own advice during my senior year of high school, I feel that I may have been much more prepared for the intensity and amount of studying that I faced as a college freshman.

Never give up no matter how stressful or time consuming it gets, never give up when others lack understanding or sympathy for your situation, and never give up because God was with you every step of the way to see you through.

As a college freshman looking to transfer for next fall, there would be many things I'd tell my high school senior self. First of all, I know you did hours of research on which colleges would be the best fit for you but.....way to go, you picked the wrong school. I do believe the University of West Florida can be a perfect fit for some, but it was exactly what I didn't need. Remember the type of students you associated with in high school? You need to find a college with a higher average GPA so you can be around more studious students, becuase in the future, you'll always feel like the smartest person in the room. Second, start a Best Buddies club at college. You were wrong, new clubs won't magically appear so save yourself the boredom and start a club already! And finally, stick to your gut, you're smart enough to know a good decision when you see one and you'll be very proud of yourself in the future if you continue to make great choices.