The University of West Florida Top Questions

Writing letters to family and friends help with the homesickness. You won't feel it much the first year, but the second year you'll miss your family more. Also, believe in yourself. You'll make a lot of friends from being yourself so don't stress about it. By believing in yourself, your confidence will radiate outward and other people will see the confidence inside you. Lastly, don't change yourself to fit into situations that make you uncomfortable. Once people know how you stand on certain issues they'll respect your opinions even if they don't agree.

If my former self of two thousand and eight were to present itself before my very eyes and asked for advice on the challenges that tomorrow would bring, I would say one simple and straightforward word: persevere. Regardless of what obstacles thwart you in your path to success, you have to stay the course and persevere. No matter how many times you fail, you cannot allow past failures to influence any future endeavors, remain positive and persevere. Like the sailors of old, be steadfast in your pursuits. Hold sight of your goals and do not stray from the path laid before you, even if your voyage is to take you through darkened and unfamiliar waters. Do not let the words of naysayers creep into your conscience; doing so would invite the turbulent winds of self-doubt to sway you with extreme unease. Take each step in stride with the knowledge that robust character and interminable hope will be yours. Persevere and your life will be yours.

Knowing what I know now, as a upcoming second year undergraudate student, I would tell myself to go in with a strong mind, and not fall into peer pressure, be prepared to not easily grasp the material and just take full advantage of the help that is surrounding you.

The most important piece of advice I would give my high school self is that your mom is always right. Face it; every high school senior thinks they are so independent, and on top of the world, like they no longer need their parents. For me, I wanted to get out of the city I lived in for 18 years and move as far away as I could afford as quickly as possible. Mommy always told me that I’d miss it, but I swore I wouldn’t. Eventually you are here. Everyone you know that has come along with you to the same University starts changing. You lose your best friend when she abandons you for her older boyfriend; suddenly nothing feels right, and you feel kind of alone. You call your mom everyday because you miss her and all you want to do is go home. The student café is nothing like Mom’s home cooking, and sometimes, though you love your new friends, you just need someone to talk to who knows everything about you, to receive a little encouragement. Don’t be so hasty to fly out of the nest—you might fall a little first.

To be honest, I would have told myself to switch my technical program. I would have benefitted from the Automotive program because of the basic knowlodge for car maintenance. I wouldve done harder classes and worked more intensely on my subjects because of the roll over effect that it has in college. I think that college is just like highschool, but the only difference is time management and I would've told myself to set a schedule for class, work, studying, homework, etc. To be frank, I would tell myself to do a 180 degree change in order to succeed. I would tell myself to look more into scholarships and especially into what college to go to. I was too quick to pick a school, but I still love it at UWF. All in all, I would tell myself to take it way more seriously than I did back then and to be more subjuective to setting a schedule.

College is very different from high school; if I had the chance to go back and tell myself a few things it would probably make things easier. I would have made sure I had a plan B to school and how to pay for it. Bought a car and got my driver's license earlier so I could be more independent. Scholarship would have been a good idea to start looking up and filling out applications.

I f i had the chance to address my younger self, I would let her know that although she should enjoy high schoolshe should take advantage of every oppurtuniy handed her. I would also let her know that the road ahead is not easy, there are a lot of obsticles that she is gonna face, but it is just to make her stronger. I would tell her that there is a whole knew world that she is in for, so gear up with the most important things : an openmind, a hunger to learn, and with a sense of who you are. I would warn her of the very long road that lies ahead, that the are going to be times where everything she knows is tested. In those times, i would tell her to turn to those who keep you grounded. I would tell her to welcome some change with open arms, that not all changeis bad event tho it hurts. I would let her know that pain will fade, and there is light at the end, you just got to keep going.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself, first and foremost save money for a rainy day just in case I needed to pay out of pocket for books and any other supplies you need in a certain period of time which I had to pursue. Next I would tell myself, do not stress myself over college and how "hard" people claim it is because when I started last semester, it was better than high school. The teachers and labs will help out as much as they can to make me understand the material, but more than half of the time the material is easy to understand. Also, I would tell myself not to worry about leaving my old friends, because it is actully fun getting to know people from all around the country and from different backgrounds and create many connections.

Avery, you are doing great in school so far, keep it up. After your senior year of high school ends, you will have the privilege of entering a whole new world of education. Try to prepare for the extra responsibilities that are to come such as filling out FAFSA forms as early as possible, choosing the right college of your dreams, and applying for as many scholarships as you can. There are so many scholarship opportunities out there that go unoticed simply because students fail to search for them. Nothing of true value is free and you have to work even harder than you are currently working in high school. Additionally, there are individuals in life who wont give you a chance or want to see you fail so be mindful of the company that you keep. Stay focused by always keeping your future in mind and avoiding compromising situations such as getting drawn into an unsafe, party atmosphere. Your entire academic future can be given or taken away in an instant if you lose your focus. Lastly, follow your passion for music, because regardless of the common "starving musician" stereotype, denying your passion will starve you of your happiness.

I would give myself the adivce to take schooling more seriously. During my first year at the University of West Florida, I didn't take my classes seriously, and so my GPA took a hard hit. It is nothing I can take back now, but I learned from that mistake and am building my GPA.