University of California-Riverside Top Questions

I wish I had realized that going off to college does not mean escaping from life, it is just a transition to a new life. You can't run away from your problems, but instead, you have to face them and deal with them. Just because someone does badly in high school or even someone who does well, it does not mean they will do the same in college. While you have to live the same life, you can reinvent yourself. Forget all the stereotypes placed on you in high school and just be yourself. Do well in college for you and nobody else. There will no longer be someone forcing you to do your homework or calling your parents if you don't show up to class. It's time to grow up and become an adult. The most important piece of advice would be that college is the time to prove to the world and yourself that you are a capable adult, so act like it.

Do whatever you want to do in college (and study of course). But if there is a basketball game that you want to attend, go of course! and maybe you might find yourself trying out for the team. You dont want "staying at the apartment alone and studying all the time" define your college years, you want to meet people and have adventures! But watch out for the groups of people that can change who you are, like the sororities and fraternities. I believe that there are fraternities that really help find who you are, but there are some that completely change you into one of them. Is that really who you want to be? I've met some people who aren't in those groups who are unique, kind, helpful and they can be that life long friend of yours. Don't just give into the popularity drug, it's completely bogus. Also go to events that interest you and find out what they are about because you never know what joys they can bring you. It might be cliche, but don't judge a book by its cover is the best advice that I can give you.

Being home-schooled as a high school student, I believe that I was very prepared for making the transition to college from high school. For instance, I was already accustomed to studying on my own and dedicating a good portion of time to reading the subject material to prepare for tests and complete homework assingments. However, there are a few things that I was not prepared for such as the size of the college and the academic resources available to me as a student. The size was an issue because it was extremely easy for me to become lost and disoriented in such a massive and complex structure. I would advise myself to learn how to use a campus map and to know where to go to seek assistance if I end up getting lost anyway. In addition, I would express the importance of knowing where all of the learning tools and study resources are so that I would not fall behind in any of my classes becuase they proved to be extremely helpful to me and many friends of mine who chose utilize them.

Go in as undeclared major. Don' t take the advisor's word for granted. Do my own research for the future. Do not depend on others; i.e. tutoring centre etc...to solve my academic problems. Stay focused academically social life is not a priority.

Knowing what i know now after a year of being in college I would want to tell myself to focus more on my school work and be more dedicated to everything i did and not only the things that i really enjoyed doing. I would have also like to have told my seniior self to take more chances and risks and not take extracuricular activities as seriously and to simply enjoy them more. But i think most importantly i would have liked to tell myself that i don't have to know exactly what i want to do with my life while in high school but that I still have time to diacover who I really am.

If I were to go back in time and advice myself on college experience I would suggest to start studying my field of interest from the beginning. Although I was born in San Francisco an American citizen, I was raised in Italy. It was at my high school graduation that I decided to return to America alone to further my education. Although I knew I wanted to study Mechanical Engineering in California, I moved to Montana because it offered the security of family friends. I felt it would be easier to start a new life with a few connections, rather than transferring to a city void of any personal bond. However, I soon realized that transferring from one college to another in a different State was much more complicated than I thought. When I first arrived in Montana I had planned to remain there for one full academic year, but in reality I transferred to California only three years later. I don?t regret one second that I spent in Montana but I must admit that if I have started at The University of California when I arrived from Italy, I would have been able to complete my degree sooner.

I would tell myself to actually take six classes to help increase my GPA, to study for my SAT's sooner and longer, visit more college campuses before applying to give myself a broader variety, and to apply for MORE scholarships.

I would tell myself to not slack off, college is one of the most important times of a person's life, messing it up can make it or break it. Do not believe it is easy and attend class everyday!

I would have talked to more peopl about the school and actually spent time at the campus getting to know the environment.

Pick a school that you feel comfortable in. Visit the schools of your choice and once you have the feeling you will know. Study something you have a passion for do not study something because you are good at it. Always keep an open mind and make friends with everyone. Get involved but remember that studies come first. Also, do not fret so much over money everything will work out.Lastly, be true to yourself and enjoy life.