The University of West Florida Top Questions

Many high school seniors wish they could go back in time to change those careless decisions they made. In my case, I went to a collegiate high school and had to make an early decision regarding my major. I didn't know that I would be changing my major and having to re-think my course of study. I know i'm still young and it's an experience, but the advice I would give to myself if I were to go back in time is to ask myself if the major I was pursuing was what I really wanted to do. I am now pursuing a major that I love, but it took me an extra semester to figure it out. I am unable to go to the university of my choice as a freshman, but I hope to enter as a tranfer in the spring. In other words, choosing a major that suits a specific student is a significant decision and should be observed in every angle. I sure wish I had someone there to ask me more questions about my future that would allow me to branch off and choose the major that i'm currently pursuing.

Dear Ellen Slow down. Don't swear so much. Your story is only just beginning, but you are still impacting the people around you permanently. Take more time to nuture your friendships, but know when to let people go. Treat everyone you meet with respect and kindness. Remember that yours are not the worst problems in the world. Push past complications and pay them no mind. Keep pushing on. You will achieve your dream if you really believe, and I know that you do. Use every stone they throw as a stepping stone. You are smarter than you know and capable of so much more than you have every imagined. Best of luck my dear, you will amaze yourself and everyone around you.

Love, accept, and embrace who you are. Be kind and gentle with yourself, because you are worth it. Remind yourself that are truly the greatest gift you can give to yourself and the world, because you are uniquely you. Know that life is going to have it's joyful moments and depressing moments, but you will remain loved and worthwhile through it all, and nothing can take that away. You can do it. I love you.

I droped out of high school because i became pregnant. I would tell myself not to drop out but to hang in there an education will make you and your childs life better. College is nothing like high school, it is way more chalenging in a good way.

If I could go back and give myself advice, then I would let myself know that it is possible. I would give myslef more confidence in my scholastic career . I would also tell myself to really shoot for my dreams because know I know that they are possible.

As a new student I was advised by the junior college I attended that I should attend the junior college as a general student and transfer later to a four year college to complete masters of nursing instead of gaining admittance to the junior college RN-associates program that I wanted to complete. I came from a blue collar background and was the first person in my family to attend college and it would have been much better advice for me complete the RN-AS at the junior college and later finish the Bachelor of Science in Nursing after I had entered the workforce with my associates degree. I had very limited funds and social support and this option would have fitted my needs much better. Not every student has the financial reality of being able to be an immeadiate student for four to six years and this needs to be taken into account when making degree plans.

Know what you want to purse as a career or at least something in the field , so you will know what courses you will need to take; because when you keep changing your major you could have been taking irrelevant classes. Make sure you pay all your dues to the college because if not it can stop you from registering for classes and other things. Make sure you surround yourself with well rounded people in other words people who know how to have fun but also know when it is time to hit the books. Make sure you know how many classes you can handle and the time of day you take them.

I would wish that I was not told "You can be anything"... I thought I could be "everything". With all the guidance, direction, and short-leashes, I had growing up, I was suddenly thrust into college life thinking I could do/be it all. But suddenly, I had a lot of "me" searching to do in college, while constantly being hounded by the folks about what I was going to be after school- this part they did dictate to me. For those 4 years, I did not realize that it was my time to make choices. I knew I liked "critters", was good at problem solving, and was repeatedly drawn to people that needed help (but not needy, whiney people). I started in Biology, then Psychology, and ended up with a BS in Marketing Management. Ten years later I went back and got a BS Psychology. But, I'm still not done. I wish now, that I knew that the few "less than stellar" grades (anything below a B) earned during my first BS would stack up... resulting in 204credits, and a terminal 2.9788888... will require years of 3cr/As to create a competative GPA for Graduate school.

Brenda, I would tell myself...put your head down and get to work! That $8/hr job isn't your dream job and it's not going to pay the bills. You know you were born to be a nurse...you feel it, you believe it. Stop thinking you aren't smart enough. Now, when you get to college just remember everyone will seem smarter than you, everyone will seem more ready to be on this giant campus, in these giant classrooms. If you get lost (and you will because you KNOW you have no built-in GPS) don't worry...ask for help - you aren't the only lost girl on campus. Be smart...keep away from college boys...they're dumb and distracting. Focus, Brenda...and make time to volunteer...feed your soul, feed the hungry, just do something that matters on a global scale. The math courses will make you feel as if you cannot breathe...they've always done that to you. Use your resources on campus, they're there for you. And please listen to your professors...they're smart...smarter than you, my dear. Good luck Brenda-you can do this!!!

If i could go back in time and change any advice to my self as a senior in high school. Knowing what i know now, i would tell myself to take my education as serious as i do now in respect of paying attention in class, doing my homework, and studying to insure better grades and a higher academic acheivement as a student persuing my diploma. As a result i would have be elgible for more scholarships to help with the everlasting expenses and hardships of the college life. I would also keep reminding myself to stay focus on the goal of getting an higher education, as a result there will come great advantages and rewards at the end of the road. If i could be a bird on the wall in my high school class i would tell myself to stop playing in my present and think carefule about preparing myself for the future.