University of California-Riverside Top Questions

Throughout my years in high school I was too hard on myself -always doing more than what was asked for in my classes; I believed I was a “grown-up”, keeping myself busy with AP courses and an after-school job as a cashier. However, it was not until the end of my first year in college that I realized: “wow, I’ve grown up.” One of the things that I got out of my first year experience in college was realizing that I am now living my dream. It has also given me the chance to interact with many different types of people, and getting to know them and their different cultures and views. Most importantly, it has given me the chance to start living the dream that I mostly desired. Attending UCR for one year has given me the opportunity to prepare myself for three more years of a breath taking experience. I feel lucky to be given the chance to attend this school and I truly value this opportunity because it is what is going to open the doors to pursue my career in teaching-my dream job.

My College experience has been a wonderful one so far. I am attending college to better myself and my family in the long term. I have be wanting to return to school for some time. And I finally made the my mind up to do so.

From my college experience, I found the most valuable thing that I have learned is work ethic. The amount of work I put into school has greatly increased since graduating high school. I have tried doing only the bare minimum and that has not worked out for me. I learned to put in more hours into studying, working more diligently to finish my assignments. I truly value the new aspect of work ethic that I have gained from enrollment in my college. But what separates my college from others, is the friendly and non competitive atmosphere that the campus has. On-campus I do not compete with my other classmates, instead people are friendly and friends can easily be made. It is easy to slack off in college and only do the bare minimum to pass a class, but it is even better to have learned to work harder to exceed your own personal norm. Having gained a deeper insight into my personal work ethic is what I appreciate and value out of my college experience.

I have received a lot from my college experience. Coming from a low income family with no education, my college experience has taught to me to view life differently. It is as if I see things with a sixth sense now. The knowledge I have learned is priceless. The critical thinking skills, analytical skills and strategic thinking skills have turn my world around and opened my eyes. I feel much more prepared in life now that I have been in college for two years. I feel more confident to confront issues and my life ahead of me. I am able to understand everyting that stands in my path better. I am able to recognize what is really in this world for me. I feel more aware of reality and life. My college experience has boosted my logic thinking which I am able to anticipate what is a head of me. All that I have learned in college through challenges and obstacles has been valuable to me because it has changed my life. My college experience has educated me which is why I feel blessed today.

I don't think I'll send my kids to a Catholic-private school. That's the education I received when I was growing up. Do not speak unless spoken to was the common saying I was used to. However, this all changed when I came to college. I was always taught one way, this is the right way, and there is no other way. If I asked a question I was immediately shot down with a response similar to "this is what God wants." Bullshit. I have gained a voice in my college experience and I think that in itself is valuable. I now know one story is not always the truth. One cannot believe a fact just because a fancy CEO name signed off on it or based off my experience God said so. I have always obeyed ever since I was young and now I am the one that gets to ask questions. I am the one raising my hand in a lecture class of 300 kids asking the simple question I was never allowed to ask, "why?" And this is the reason it has been valuable to attend a public school, the University of California-Riverside.

I am the first in my family to go to college and attending UCR has earned me great respect from my friends and family. They see that I am passionate about what I do that I am involved at school through cheerleading and that I enjoy working as an after school tutor at a nearby elementary school. I have met so many people and made friendships that will last a lifetime. I have gained a sense of pride in what I do. Growing up in an impoverished neighborhood has been very difficult but going to UCR reminds me everyday that I've made the best decision for myself. Many of the people that graduated from my high school have started their own families and now work hard to support themselves. I didn't want that, and going to college has been completely life changing for me. I don't really have a lot of money to pay for school and I will graduate with a large amount of student loan debt. But I'll know that I've made an investment on myself and that in my eyes is PRICELESS!

After completing my first year as a college student, the most valuable thing I learned was adapting to a life away from parents. When I was living at home, my parents would continuously tell me to study and give me curfews. In college, I didn't have parents telling me what to do, and I had to set my own curfews. At first, I had a difficult time adapting because I finally had the freedom to do what I wanted. After a few weeks of school, I realized I was only there just to have fun because my parents weren't there to supervise me. After getting a bad grade on my first midterm, I realized it was time to stop. I needed to get my head straight and take college seriously. Plus, my parents were paying full tuition with no financial aid. From that point on, I used my time wisely and trained myself to be my own parent for myself. It is important to attend college because everyone will be on their own sometime in their future and they need to learn how to live independently so they can survive when parents aren't there to help them.

diversity overall postive experiance

I just started my college experience and I am truly amazed and astonished with the amount of work, fun, and responsibility there is for a university student. I certainly learned that grades do not come easy (compared to highschool) and that much of any student's time should be in the books and class. I just finished my first year here at University of Califnornia, Riverside, and I truly was shocked with the life-style the university students have. Responsibility and time management are the first two factors in which made me a succesful student through my first year of college. Hard work is always a must and I learned, through my past year's experience, that it will always pay off in the end regardless of the outcome. Sure I have had lots of free time to enjoy life, but life is not always about having fun. My first-year college experience taught me to dedicate seventy percent of my time to study and work, the rest is fun and rest. My father always told me to work hard in the beginning, because it will always allow for more "fun" later. Simple words, yet stunningly true. Thank You.

I have gotten a lot of realization that it will not be as easy as I thought to be a full time student working a part time job trying to pay for college.