University of California-Riverside Top Questions

Be mentally prepared. The course load is a lot lighter than high school, but to make up for a light load you have to do a lot of work on your own. GPA is calculated a lot differently than high school. If you have less than 4 classes you have to work just as hard to get a reasonable GPA.

I would tell myself to be more focused on my academics. Not knowing all the possibilities and opportunities available to pay for my college tuition and the experience of attending a four year institution coming out of high school is something I regret not being informed about. Although I enjoyed my time in high school, I feel I wasted a lot of time doing unproductive things. I had always had the work ethic and ambition to pursue higher education but was sidetracked and lost focus during highschool and the couple years after I graduated. I would have been graduated with a Bachelors degree by now and been working on a masters or Phd degree at the moment. I also feel everything happens when you are ready for things to happen. At the time I was not ready, not mature enough to take my education seriously, more so make it a priority. Now I am. Now I have the confidence and determination to achieve whatever goal I set out for myself. Learning the value of hard work, and applying it to my education will only create a better future for myself and my community, and allow me to create social change.

Not having realized how easy it is to get off track, I went into college with the same mind set as high school: do homework, pass tests, study. However, this soon proved to be not nearly enought to get me good grades like in high school. Knowing all I know now, I would advice myself to never take things for granted, yes my current GPA is lower than i would like, but if I work hard enough I can rase it and never be in this predicament again. I would have liked to advice my high school self against socializing so much and not paying attention to the important things. I wish I would have had better studying habits so I would not have to worry right now. Although I can improve my GPA, I wish i would have never fallen behind in the first place. To my past self I would like to fimally advice against not taking things seriously, and wishing I had taken a lot more AP classes to feel more prepared for college.

Do not be so hasty because you tend to overlook reality when you act in haste. Slow down and enjoy your final year of high school basketball instead of being angry at what you cannot control because the politics of college basketball will drive you insane if you lose focus on having fun. Always maintain focus on basketball, as it has took you to various new places and will continue to do so if you just maintain focus and remember to have fun. School is the easy part as you are intelligent. The diverse and 'adult' life experiences will be the difficult part of college life and making the transition to living on your own. Consequently, it will be extremely important for you to rely on what comes natural and easy to you, playing basketball and performing in school at a high level. All the distractions that come with excelling in school and sports will always be present in life but they will always remain distractions and never anything that will benefit your life. So again, stay focused on school and basketball and that is the life you have always wanted since your childhood. You can achieve great things.

Look, you shouldn't have been taking the easy road. I get that you wanted to help people and pursue your own interests, but if you look back, you could have done more. You shouldn't have been afraid to go into thee AP classes. Based on what the future holds for you, AP classes aren't so hard, at least for us. The difficulty isn't bad, it's just that there's more paperwork. You also shouldn't have been afraid to do some volunteer work. I know you're going to say "I'm too busy" but you really aren't. You'll only teach karate 2 days a week, rarely more than that,and you have the weekends to do volunteering. I'm pretty sure you would enjoy it if you gave it a chance. And for dealing with your dad, just tell him you're working hard like he wants you to. You're smart, you will figure out a way through this. I mean, you've done karate for 10 years. Howhard can this be?

Lex. It's me, future Lex only four years older with a little peach fuzz on our bottom chin. Finally! I bring you advice as only your future inner self can bring you. Lex, remember that your dreams are something that nobody in this world can ever take away from you. Live them, breathe them, plan for them and strive for them. You are about to realize very soon that 19{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of African American males like you achieve this dream to attend an accredited university and graduate. Lex, you owe it to yourself, your sister, future children, and your community to GRADUATE. Believe it or not, as minimal and irrelevant as you might feel to this world, you are a symbol of hope to other African American youth that the "I could never go to college"saying is a myth. Your dreams of traveling, being an RA, achieving Dean's list and graduating are all at your finger tips. Never lose sight of your dreams for they shape the adventurous weird individual you are. Good luck Lex, no pressure but I am kind of depending on you. Oh yeah that computer science major just really isn't our thing. Ciao

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school freshman, I would tell myself not to underestimate my abilities both as a student and as a leader I would remind myself that I will be given many reasons not to believe in myself, however, I need to be strong and prioritize. I need to learn how to eliminate any negative energy or influences that would set me back from becoming successful and surround myself with people that love me for who I am and will support me. I would advise myself to use my passion for helping people to an advantage to commit to clubs and organizations that will aid me in furthering my journey towards my main goal, helping people. I would also encourage myself to challenge myelf academically by focussing my energy on my education. Ultimately, I would want myself to do everything with love and passion.

If I could contact my senior self, I would encourage mtself to apply myself toward advanced placement classes, and to devotre more time and effort toward the SAT and ACT tests. I now understand that these tests and classes are one of the primary factors in determining ellegibilty for colleges. In high school, however, I viewed these as more of a chore than an opportunity to gain a competitive edge. I would encourage myself to focus on the future, and while work and and social activities are important, nothing will have a greater impact on a person's life than education. I also would have encouraged myself to become more involved in school, such as extra-cirricular activities and sports. I now understand that these activities are an excellent way to bridge the gap between education and socializing, often being a perfect combination fo the two. Most importantly, I would encourage myself to appreciate the opportunities that college presents.

In high school, one could realistically get straight A's in one's classes while not taking your classes or assignments very seriously. Given that, I would advise myself to take everything you are challenged with at the university level with a complete serious state of mind. The completion of assignments and readings hold a fundamental importance in your higher-learning. Moreover, I would advise my younger self to meet challenges head on and to never be intimidated by any assignments or individuals because it is important to practice and facilitate a mentality that will help accomplish one's endeavors and academic/career goals. Furthermore, I would advise my younger self to capitilize on every single opporuntity that crosses your path. For example, to not wait until your junior or senior year to get involved in research at your institution, but to get involved as a freshman or sophomore because those connections you make with professors will hold tremondous weight when seeking other research or career opportunities. Speaking of an early involvement, I would also advise to get involved in clubs of a particular interest to you because that is a phenomenal way to meet your future colleagues and friends.

If I can go back in time and talk to my high school senior self, I would tell him to extensively research the college I decided to apply to. The faces of the college will always try to put their best out and it your job to find out how would you fit in at that college. Another piece of advice I would tell mysef is to appreciate his teacher relationships and build a better rapport with them. SInce i have graduated, I have asked so many favors from my high school teachers and I am very grateful for what they helped me accomplish. The last piece of advice I would like to give to myself is enjoy the moments you have with your friends at school and outside of school. Your friends were the ones who helped you through your struggles in high school so never take them for granted.