University of Alaska Fairbanks Top Questions

My advice would be to not hold back. Do not be afraid to get involved with as much as you can as a Freshman because you think your course load is too large. Get involved with undergraduate research early on and start the student organizations that interest you. Another thing is do not procranstinate and do not be complacent. College is meant to be a time of proactive experimentation, to figure out what you want out of life. You never want to limit yourself by sticking to a single path without considering all of your other options. Take classes that interest you outside of your major. Also, always complete your work to the best of your ability and do not miss out on opportunities because you waited too long to meet a deadline. Whenever you submit a piece of work, realize you are submitting a representation of yourself when you do so. Finally, take the time to get to know your professors and the student your are graduating with. Your professors will recognize your drive if you show initiative to meet them outside of class to ask questions and career advice.

I would tell my self to enjoy my break from college and save even harder. All those trips will sound amazing and you will want to go with your friends but college is so much expensive than you think. To convinece my self I would tell myself that I will be denied financial aid (which is true) and I would tell myself that I wont be able to live on campus so I will have to pay rent, bills and food. My financial obligation would be much different if I would have known all these things prior to going back to school.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I'd tell myself to plan all the finacial stuff out ahead of time. I'm usually great at budgeting however I didn't really prepare for college finaces. It's a confusing process and I wish I had prepared more. Planning out exact steps would have helped me immensly. I'd also tell myself to sign up for chemistry instead of geology. I'm an undeclared major and thinking about majoring in a science. The problem is I don't know which science. I really want to get into a biology class, however you need chemistry as a prerequsite. I would tell myself to not waste my time with earth sciecne (turnes out rocks were not my thing), and get chemistry out of the way.

Traversing my past, I solidify a theory. Pain precedes promise as turmoil and talent stem from the same gene. I am myself, destined to significance because of my history. High school is a bleak moment to acknowledge. Yet between shadows dance lights of hope. I’d tell myself "focus on moments of fortitude rather than fault". But I now know problems are akin to cracked concrete between bricks on the most magnificent building. Despite these, onlookers and architects are continually amazed. The past resides in my core. Rather than separating myself from the qualms of my history, I’d note these occurrences as my being. My cyclic thoughts lack logic; a place where I write my best works. I mirror myself in others to overcome our strife. And through a persevering patience to witness better days, I’ve learned to never give up on dreams. The dark is the teacher who awakened me to great lessons. If it weren’t for my mind’s construction, I’d never surpassed struggle to encounter talent. I’d tell my high school self to be proud as I am of myself now. We are who we are amidst trials, talents, dreams, and genes.

Be stubborn. Don’t back down. When people tell you that you must want to be a teacher because you are majoring in math, tell them to walk of the pier at Gibson Cove. I know you think children are sticky; besides, there are so many things you can do with math. For that matter, why did you give up on your engineering dreams? You don’t have to choose, you know. You can have your cake and eat it too. There are plenty of Computational Engineers out there that make way more than you ever will teaching snot-nosed little pip-squeaks their times tables. To that end, take Java Programming second semester, you’ll need it if you want to jump right into CS 201 as a freshman. Lastly, when you get assigned the head of the math department as your academic adviser don’t chicken out and register for classes down at Rural Student Services. You’ve been given a great gift; he will force you to see yourself in a whole new light, one you just can’t appreciate yet. Good Luck!

If I was to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would have told myself to live a little. To realize that you are only young once, and even though the high GPA and taking more than usual classes was a successful feeling, I should have taken the time with my friends. If I could go back to two years ago I would have told myself to spend time with loved ones and take special care of my friendships because after we all split and went to college nothing has been the same. It's a hard lesson to learn, but it is one I know ver well now. To always pay attention to academics and take it seriously but to also remember that I am human and mistakes happen, and there is never such thing as not having time for the ones you love because of the school you have to do.

There isnt anything that I would change about transitioning to school. The only advice I would have given was to possibly have started searching for a job earlier.

If it were possible to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to start saving a majority of my paychecks for years like this one when taking 15 credits just isn't an option (meaning I don't get the scholarship that I depend on to pay for textbooks and supplies), and to not put all my eggs in one basket by depending on a single scholarship. I would tell myself to attend those after school classes on writing college essays or introductory scholarship essays so that when I'm 22 I don't feel like an idiot as I'm bumbling around trying to figure out how I'm going to pay for textbooks, or supplies or gas in the winter when my truck seems to take double the gas as in summer.

The advice that I would give myself is to look first for classes that will be something you enjoy, even if it's not specifically in your major or minor, such as recreational classes or ones that are for hobbies in which you are interested or actively doing (i.e. dance, sports, arts, or writing). These type of classes give you something to look forward to taking over the semesters, and give you a reason to continue going to school during the times when more academic and other required classes might be stressing you out. After finding a few classes that will help keep your interest, next look at the advanced classes in your major, the ones that you eventually want to take and the ones that interest you most, and look at the requisites for that class, and start planning out what classes to take so, one day, you can end up taking the high level classes you want. Most importantly, though, remember that college is a learning experience; it is an opportunity to learn more about yourself and the field you are interested in, and classes should help you grow, as both a student and a person.

If I were to go back in time as a high school senior, I would tell myself to be more outgoing and join as many on-campus clubs. I would tell myself to express my feelings and not be afraid to put myself out there. Having a social life is important and when you're away from family, it's important to have people to go to on campus. I would tell myself to not judge people or worry about people judging me. I would also tell myself to work and save money, as well as applying for as many scholarships I can. The last thing I would tell myself is to not forget about what your going to school for, to stay focused and manage your time wisely.

If I could give my past self advice about college, I would encourage myself to try to earn more scholarships that are applicable to out-of-state schools. Going to college is expensive, and it's really disapointing to feel like you don't have any options as far as location goes just because you can't afford out-of-state tuition. Getting through school debt-free is great, though, and scholarships will help make that happen.

I had a habit of memorizing things long enough to ace the tests and then I dismissed them from my mind when I was finished. If I could go back in time and give myself some advice, I would tell myself to try harder to retain everything I was learning, whether I thought it was pertinent or not. I would tell myself how frustrating it is when you know that you have learned a particular thing before, but you can’t remember because you were too lazy to care in high school, and now I have to spend valuable time and money relearning what I should already know. I would also tell myself that I as I get older, I find that I love learning anything whether it’s of immediate importance to me or not, so there’s no need to worry about dreading college courses, because in the end, I do just fine!

I would give my high school self advice on thinking ahead about college and scholarships. I would tell myself not to just take the bare minimum to get by, but to always go above and beyond because then I would qualify for just that many more scholarships. I also would tell myself that a majority of scholarships need to be applied for graduating year of high school and to apply for anything and everything. Every little bit helps.

To go back in time would be a blessing. I would tell my non-confident self to go to a community college, and get the ball rolling for higher education. I unfortunitaly waited 12 years to go to college. Back then I did not have the confidence I would pass any collge coarse. The words "anatomy and physiology" scared me right out of college. To go back, I would tell myself to listen, and take the help my high school guidence counslers tried to give me. I did pretty well in my life, but going to college with two young children, working and running a household is a bit tricky; needless to say not at all easy. My advise would be "go to college, it's not as scary as you think."

Definitely go to WSU, but absolutely do not waste your time on Architecture. You will hate it! Go into Business. You like it and you are good at it, and you will discover a whole different direction to take your life that you aren't thinking about now (and believe me, it's a much more promising direction). Live in the dorms for longer than a year. The camaraderie in a dorm is tight, you make very close friends that are much different than your high school friends, and it's fun. While Washington is much more exciting than home, two years is enough. You're already taking out more loans than you can afford. UAF is an excellent university, and after growing and learning more about yourself, you are ready to come back home. Pay for every UAF semester. Take summer classes. Graduate early. Work part-time. Look for internships. Get active in Business groups. Live at home. Save money. And most of all, keep on dreaming. The bigger the dream, the bigger the reward. You will get what you want, just don't slack because you are smarter than that!

I have learned, in addition to skills and techniques relevant to my major (computer science), the ability to solve problems logically, the scientific process and how to apply scientific reasoning to obtain facts. I have developed skills for working in groups from both my job with the university and class projects. I have learned to judge the scope of assigned tasks and plan time to complete them while allowing for free time and hobbies. I have learned independance and feel that I will be qualified for a good career when I graduate. It has been an experience that has allowed me to learn from professors, from and with other students, and for myself on a variety of subjects and fields.

My, so far, college expierence has allowed me to grow as a person. I thought in high school we were treated as adults, that we were seen as equals with respect, unlike how we were treated in middle school. Yet, once I was in college, there was a huge difference with how we were treated. The teachers didnt care if we left the room to use the restroom, or if we had to step outside to take a quick phone call, here is where we were treated as adults, no limitations. That is where I fel accepted; that is where I belonged. I learned to could grow a connection between professors even though I was always told they wont care about you, and I also learned that they will do anything to help you. It's been a lot of hard work, but it's also been rewarding, and I cant wait to see what my future education brings me.

Surviving on my own. I have lived off campus, on campus, and in a different country; all while going to college. So far the most important thing that I have learned is that I can live without my mother and father. It was hard at first, not having the support net that I was use to. But after a month I made some great friends and found a crappy job; and I was happy. I know that I can survive lifes hard spots on my own.

College hasn't been easy but I have definately learned a lot. In college, you're on your own. There's no teachers there to tell you to do your homework or to come to class. All the students seem different and older at times. College is a lot better than highschool. You have your freedom and your chance to start fresh. It has been a real eye opener to me. It has taught me that studying is really necessary and when teachers say a certain test is going to be hard, they really mean it. College has been hard at times, but, in the long run, it's been very exciting.

Attending JC in the past year has change my prospetus in life, because not only have i learnt so much on taking responsibility, it has turly help to confirm what my parent has always told me and advise me about. In my middle school and high school years i was the who is who in all local basketball , baseball and socer event in my communnity. Some of the league will even offer me a free registeration just to have me play for their league. Most time my very strict and hard working parent will refuse the offer, simply because at my high school years my grades started to drop like no mans business which made my parent very angry. And restrited me from play sport and spending extra time working with a tutor, i felt my parent were the meanest creatures on earth, but i was very wrong . My parent has been nothing but a blessing with all the restriction they were putting on me. Most of my friends who took sport before their school find out, in a hard way, because all the sport they played and negeleting their education coun not take them anywhere, without the grades.