University of California-Berkeley Top Questions

One of the most important things that I learned during my freshman year of college is to learn for the sake of learning and to have fun while doing it. I came from a very competitive high school where students were always taking as many Advanced Placement and honors classes as they could handle. Once I got to college, I took some general education courses and found myself questioning the subjects I was learning about. It seemed as if everything I learned before college was thrown out the window. College courses are about thinking critically and to this, you really have to be interested in the material. In high school, I was able to get away with memorizing facts and figures I did not have much interest in, but in college I really had to delve into the material. Some ways I was able to do this included opening up myself to the world through communicating with my roommates and floormates about the material I was learning about as well as forming study groups with peers. In high school, I was able to study alone, but college taught me that everything is collaborative and we are all interdependent.

I would tell my highschool self to start being more open and social since, unlike highschool, I wouldn't have my close friends around anymore. So I should try meeting new people more often.

Study hard seriously! Start working on time management now. Discover yourself as a person, a womyn , and a human being. Make time to laugh. Do what is important to you. Grow stronger, grow comfortable with succeeding at less and you will not fail at much.

Always rememeber that what you learn in UC Berkeley will change the way you see life. It will give you the opportunities and the skills to make a change in this world. Education should be your priority and seeking out the opportunities that you need to be succesful should be your main goal, as UCB paves the way to a very succesful carreer and an outstanding proffesion. Studying Architecture will be one of the best decisions in your life as you will be able to meet so many intersting people in a very complex field. But do not forget to enjoy this life experience, and always work hard as this will pay off very well in the future. Finally be proud of your self and everything you have accomplish there are so many great things to come, and GO BEARS!!!

Be open-minded. However cliche is it, college is about finding the place where you best fit in the world. It's about making the choices that will establish who you are: the person you want to be, the working environment that best suits you, the field of study that you want to dedicate your energy to, and the friends that you will share some of the best years of your life with. Push yourself to test all these possibilities, without inhibtion. College is also a coming-out time, a transition from a local high school into a broader academic, national, or even international community. Be prepared to accept the responsibilities that come with that: the grueling work and the dedication, but also the many opportunities that will come alongside your intellectual pursuits. Take them, but always remember why you are doing what you do. Most of all, be passionate, and stay passionate. Be ambitious enough to want the best for yourself and for others; college can provide the tools and the experiences for you to obtain just that.

Take a moment to celebrate and appreciate your parents and High School teachers. Never again will you have this level of support. Appreciate the meals made for you and allowances made. Work hard in school and keep your valedictorian status but don't let that control and dictate your life. Make time for what you love and don't forget who you are. The person you are is enough and the person you will become is amazing. Do not be afraid to show this true self to others, as long as you don't change yourself for them they can't truly hurt you. Make time for who and what you love. Pursue even your earliest dreams so that you never go back and say "what if?". Understand that those you leave in high school you may lose contact with, but know too that you will make amazing and beautiful friends everywhere you go, only the best of childhood friends will stay with you. Don't spread yourself too thin, college is about more than school and extra responsibilites. Take on only that which really matters to you. Never forget, honesty is the best policy, even through difficult times.

I used to be a student who go to school and play almost everything in my school with my friends everyday. Now I am not do like that because I know that I should do what I want to be.

none, i did everything i could have. relax more, dont freak out, you will get into a good school regardless. :)

going to community college was the best decision you will EVER make. you're not a failure, you're brilliant, and everything falls into place eventually.

Take chances. Take classes that you never thought you would consider or even need- they enrich you as a person. Strike up conversations with your professors, no matter how intimidating they look in the huge lecture halls. They learn from you as much as you from them. Make friends. Find people who you can trust like family. They will be the people you turn to when you get homesick, sick, or sick of studying. Exercise regularly and eat well. It boosts not only your muscles, but your mood and morale. Explore. Being in a new place, take advantage of any free time you have to discover the area around you. Cheer. Get deep in school spirit and cheer on your athletic teams and other student groups. There is nothing quite like the electricity that you will find in yelling "GO BEARS" with 20,000 other people. Stay glued to the university events calendar. Take advantage of visiting lecturers and arts events your campus has to offer. And while doing all the above, take photographs. You will want to be able to smile and reminisce on every little detail of the best years of your life.

College really is difficult. It includes long nights of studying, stress, a bit of depression, and sleepless nights. The workload is insane but you do learn something. Beginning university definitely has it's challenges but there will always be a support group to help you out. Your peers and community will definitely keep you inspired on your rough journey through college. Always remember that you are a model to your community and once you start feeling upset or frustrated with school, take the time to remember why you are attending university. The journey may seem very bleak at times but in the end, it will all be worth it to know that you are bettering your community. Prepare for long nights but also try to manage your time in a balanced way. For example, try to study AND socialize but do not spend more time with one and less on the other. It is all about balance and that balance will keep you sane and motivated.

apply for alot of scholarships! do alot of leadership role! always be on top of school work! love my friends and family! but mostly love myself!

In high school, I liked to spend a large portion of my time socializing and ensuring my popularity did not go downhill. For university, none of this matters, and it took me a while to come to that realization. I would advise myself to go over my own priorities. How important is college versus popularity? And the majority of the friends you make in high school who focus most of their time on their social life as opposed to their school work are the ones who will be left behind. Do not let yourself get caught up in that mess. Focus and study hard. This sounds like an after-school special, but it's the truth. You cannot succeed in life if you cannot look to the future with clear eyes.

Since I dropped out of school during my tenth year, I would not be able to do this. However, if I were able to do so I would tell myself to enrich a practical curriculum with the humanities and arts, but mainly to stay focused on an educational track that would ensure job placement in a satisfying career. This is not conceeding or resigning oneself to a life inside cubicles, rather, a suggestion to integrate aesthetic, political, poetic, spiritual and other values and sensibilities into an educational track that prepares a student for real world job skills.

The advise I would give myself, is to keep your chin up. There are so many things in "college life" that can discourage you, but there is a lot that encourage you too!!! The transition from HS to College is quite drastic, moving out and to a whole new set of friends is kinda scary but it's worth the initial fear in the end. I would tell myself to make good quality friends that will help you keep your attention to school work and projects. With all the work and studying going on, it can seem overwhelming at times, but just take it one class and one paper at a time. Oh, and call your mom often, she loves it when you do that.

Utilize ALL resources available and get to know people. There are many people and programs on campus designed to help you transition. Please seek them out and use them. Everyone needs help at one point, so do not be afraid. In the end, you'll benefit greatly and achieve so much more. Get involved in the community. There is something for EVERYONE! Just find what is right for you. Also, practice time management skills and find a way to balance it all (there is help available for this too!). It is possible to perform well in school and have time to go out and enjoy life. Don't worry about not fitting in and having everything figured out in the beginning. It'll come with time and experience. So have fun, venture out, study, be safe, and stay true to yourself.

I would advise any high school senior to look at college as a process, not a destination. While you are there, learn more about how to analyze information, how to understand and process that information. Stay open to weird and quirky turns in your path because they will come! Just when you think you have it down, something new and exciting will open up right in front of you. Don't make the mistake of assuming that you have to study the single subject that is going to be your life's work. That's more about grad school. You are in a 4-year college to learn how to learn, to explore all the available options and to develop ways of being with people who are both exactly like you and completely different from you. It's also a wonderful opportunity to observe life in the academic world. Most of the people who teach you have dedicated themselves to specific niches of knowledge. Find out more about why they did that. You may hear something that sparks a passion in you that was never there before.

Hello young Yasemin, beware of your choices for college as it is not all just fun and games. Though it might seem like college is a continuation of high school, it is quite different. You must finish all homework early, must learn to live without sleep but no matter what, there will be stress. Of course this is if you enter a competitive university. Remember to think far into your future: if you want to complete a graduates degree then go to an easier university, keep you GPA high effortlessly and enjoy yourself; if you will not be a graduate student, sign up for a more competitive and prestigious school since this education will be the only asset you have for you career. Other than academic trouble, you never thought about social trouble. The first year of college everyone is new so everyone wants to meet friends; the friends you make your first year will be forever. As the years pass university turns into high school and the students stay in groups, closing out to new members; hence, it is best to stay in a DORM your first year. Whatever you choose, your path could change so don't worry.

Going away to college is one of the scariest, most challenging, but by far the best experience of your life. Be prepared to face and eventually overcome the initial loneliness and uncomfort of being a freshman. Understand that being out of your comfort zone is not necessarily a bad thing, and that growing up is an essential process for succeeding. Classes may prove difficult, but you deserve to be there just as much as any other person sitting in the classroom with you. Take the time you need to understand, but most importantly, enjoy your classes and the subject matter being taught to you. Do not forget or lose sight of your interests and passions while exploring all the overwhelming possibilities available to you while at the university. Recognize your strengths and build on those, taking advantage of every opportunity that interests you. Lastly, realize college is more than just academics. The people you meet in college will soon become some of the best friends you will ever have, truly knowing you through your highs and lows. Cherish each crazy night out or each endless study night in the library. It is truly the best time of your life.

Advice is easily given but difficult to practice. After attending college for fewer than 3 months, I discovered that the most difficult part of college has been the beginning of the second month. Why? Because the motivation and energy you had are gone, you have finally found loopholes to slide through classes, and you have discovered that sleep is sweet. My future slightly slipped away after my determination had melted into a lack of my presence in lectures. Now, grasping to hold on to my grades as well as my future, I would advise myself to practice perseverance. Perseverance, along with self-control and self-discipline, play a crucial role in the yearning for success. There are few incentives more compelling than your final grade composed of papers, midterms, or finals. You will have no more "cushion" for your grade. It all comes down to one simple mistake and your grade can slip out of your sight. So, heed this: practice self-discipline and perseverance. It is not too late. Be smart. Think very carefully about all the consequences because the game has just begun. One wrong move you will see the finish line fading into the distance before you.