University of California-Riverside Top Questions

I have learned to be more responsible as a student and as a young adult. I have seen it valuable to attend because it will help later on in life to get a good career and to make things possible for my family in the future.

I have gotten so much out of my college experience. I live in the dorms so i have met all kinds of peole from different walks of life. From these peole i have learned to be more open and more personable. I have also learned to study hard. If i want a good grade it requires time to be put into my studies. I have towork hard for what i want and i will benefit in the end with good grades and a sense of accomplishment. I have also learned to be independent and balance my funds. I have to be carefull on what i spend my money and how i save my money becuase i never know what i might need to spend it on in the future. Ultimately i have benefited the most in finding myself.

Attending college has really taught me balance in work versus play, dependence versus independence, and mental and physical aspects. Once in college, academically speaking, no one holds your hand anymore, though assistance is never far away should you need it. For me, this helped me learn how to budget my time and that the occasional mistake will happen. I also learned the importance of a well-placed phone call to home. My family can't be there to tell me whether something is a good or bad idea all the time, but college has reinforced that there are people I can turn to should something become too much for me to handle on my own. College has taught me that I need to make decisions, but sometimes, it's okay to ask for help. Lastly, I've learned the importance of taking care of myself. I can make my own choices in the dining hall, but no one's standing over me and telling me to eat my peas. Eating right and handling the stress are important, and I've found that in all of these things, I have to take the initiative and make sure that everything stays balanced.

If only we were actually able to go back in time and advise ourselves. I know I would sit myself down and have a serious talk. I'd start with saying that college isn't really what everyone says it will be. Movies depict college as a crazy and different place it. I would definitely advise myself to become more self-reliant and dependent. I'd say this isn't anything like high school where you continue to have that close circle of friends. College is so much diverse and better in many ways. Anybody can take any class they'd like to that they'd never imagined existed. In college, a student has to be able to decide what they are going to do and when they are going to do it. It's as if leaving Mom's voice behind and creating one of your own. Nobody is going to be reminding others of deadlines or events. People here look out for themselves mostly, so it's hard to depend on others. So, here is where you have to be dependent for your own benefit. Also, I'd remind myself that everything will be just fine and amazing.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would instruct myself to start studying harder in high school in order to gain better study skills in college. Unfortunately, my GPA is only a 3.0, and I feel that a major reason for this is because of my lack of good note taking during lectures, discussions and labs. I may also tell myself not to stress out during midterms and finals because it's not worth it. Because I already have test anxiety, it's even more difficult to focus when studying for my midterms and finals.

The advice that I would give myself if I were a high school senior is that college is very important and should be taken seriously from the first lecture all the way to the end of the quarter. I wish that I knew how important it is to balance out your time and fit studying, fun time and homework in a busy schedule. I always waited until the last minute to study for the exams and that really hurt my GPA. Another thing that I wish I had known is that there is a time and a place for eveyrthing; things need not be rushed. Much of my time was dedicated to hanging out with my friends and studying was always the last item on my list. I now understand that I am in school and school is what I should focus on. There will always be a time to have fun, but if I am in school then I should act like I am in school. College is too precious and I wish that I had worked a lot harder than I did my first year. Lastly, I should take "the road not taken" for better success.

Be brave. Making the leap from high school to college may seem scary -- it kind of is -- but if you do not take chances now you will regret it later. You are smart, so don't worry too much about the academics. Make new friends. Take new classes. If you do not like the path on which you are headed, do something about it! This isn't elementary school anymore; don't defer to that ever-knowing and all-powerful Miss Such-and-such. Be responsible to yourself first. In retrospect sometimes your choices will seem badly thought-out, but it is better to regret doing something colossal and vibrant than to regret doing nothing at all. Be proactive. Care for your mental, physical, and academic health. Balance these, or things will not turn out well. And lastly, be kind. Be kind to the less fortunate (volunteer), be kind to the earth (recycle), be kind to your peers (help a classmate), be kind to your elders (respect your professors), and most importantly, be kind to yourself.

Dear Past-Violet,As of now, you--I-- well, we're half way second quarter at the University. You don't have a license or car as you hoped, and the recession only gets worse?you don?t have a job either. You'll find college life isn't all partying nor it?s been a refreshing scholarly atmosphere of conversations in coffee shops.You may well be wondering why you?re even in college. What are you doing with life, and when is it going to become interesting? And how?re you to accomplish anything with all the failures you seem to attract. Well, keep your laughter intact, and do not EVER give up your dreams. Lastly, you must learn that failure is as great as succeeding! So, take a step back, and breath in every worry and doubt you?ve had. Just have hope in the fact that even in the lull of every novel, where the demise of the main character is so seemingly tangible, the heroine (that's you here) always finds a great escape, and like all great heroines, you will too. To the future that lies ahead,Violet Del Toro, the current version

If I knew what I know now and could travel back in time, I think I would say to bring a desk lamp and prepare to study a lot. Studying is actually fun, and there are so many wild things to learn!

If I could go back to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would have a heap of advice about college life. The first thing that I would tell myself is to relax. Although being tense and nervous is apart of the experience, it does nothing but make you anxiously stress. The next piece of advice is to live on-campus and join organizations. The transition can be difficult if you don?t find people to talk to about it. Being active on-campus gives freshmen the opportunity to actually experience the transition with other people. An important tip is to be aware of your meal plan. The worst thing that can happen is discovering that you?ve used the entirety of your meals months before school ends. You will be very sad and very hungry. The final and most important advice that I would give is to be prepared to miss your old life. I constantly wished that I could be back home with my mother. But after a while, you get used to the independence and you discover who you really are. So, head to college with your mind open and your head held high!