University of California-Riverside Top Questions

I would tell myself how easy it is to get caught up in the whole party scene. I would tell myself to not get so easily distracted because there are plenty of easy opportunities to slip up and they can and will have consequences that will take years to repair. I would also tell myself to visit my academic counselor and do not rely on my peers for academic advice. My counselor is better qualified to discuss my strengths and weaknesses not only about which classes to take, but also about what time to take them and what other classes to take them with so I will not feel overwhelmed when midterms and finals come around. I would tell myself to be strong no matter what because I will get through, even if some plans have to change. Lastly, I would remind myself that I am a good person who deserves respect not only from my roommate but also from my suitemates, and if any vicious rumors come my way to ignore them and hold my head up high because I know they are not true and my true friends will have my back.

Start applying for work study early. Don't hesitate to meet new people, everyone is new and nervous as well.

If I were granted the opportunity to do so, I would be sure to make a note of missed opportunities and mistakes and tell myself what to do in order to avoid making the same mistakes. I would tell myself to set strict goals from the start so that distractions can be avoided or handled appropriately. I would tell myself to seek tutoring at the first sign of struggle in a course because if I do not it will most importantly affect my g.p.a. and opportunity to attend a four-year university. I would also meet with a representative from the university I plan to attend in order to gain information and seek scholarships, volunteer work, internships, and job opportunities that I missed out on the first time. Overall, I would tell myself to be a more inquisitive person because it could lead to a better outcome not just for school, but in life.

Make sure you study hard to get to the right college in order to receive the best benefits. Be prepared in for your first year of college with the right people. Make sure your first year in college never goes to a fail.

If I were granted the opportunity to do so, I would be sure to make a note of missed opportunities and mistakes and tell myself what to do in order to avoid making the same mistakes. I would tell myself to set strict goals from the start so that distractions can be avoided or handled appropriately. I would tell myself to seek tutoring at the first sign of struggle in a course because if I do not it will most importantly affect my g.p.a. and opportunity to attend a four-year university. I would also meet with a representative from the university I plan to attend in order to gain information and seek scholarships, volunteer work, internships, and job opportunities that I missed out on the first time. Overall, I would tell myself to be a more inquisitive person because it could lead to a better outcome not just for school, but in life.

If I had the ability go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior with the knowledge I currently attain, I would encourage myself to work harder when I entered community college. I would have suggested that I complete all the General Education Requirements BEFORE picking major since they must be completed prior to transfer.

Dear Julia, Don?t worry about picking a major based on what your parents want you to do, but rather choose the major that includes the thing that you are naturally good at and are passionate about; no matter what you will become successful. Don?t work full time and go to school full time. You will be overwhelmed and your grades, work, and social life will suffer severely by spreading yourself to thin. Pick classes that aren?t too early in the morning because we both know you tend to sleep in. Talk to your teachers during their office hours, I know it seems scary but they are bored most of the time and are happy to see their students. Most importantly they provide you with good advice and when you need letters of recommendations for things like studying abroad, you have already established relationships with teachers to ask for such things. I know you?re shy and feel alone in this new environment but the social side of college offers some of the best experiences. Get out there , make new friends; you?re not the only one who?s scared. Just be present and enjoy this new experience.

The advice that I would give myself is to pay attention in all of my classes during my senior year. There is many concepts in high school that are gone over in some college courses and if I paid more attention is high school then it would be easier for me to do well in the college course. Another piece of advice that I would tell me is to learn how to balance out school, work and social life because it is a crucial step in doing well with other areas if the college life. Balancing can help with living physically/emotionally healthy, having good time management and being able to juggle school and a social life. These are the things I would tell myself in order to have a better more successful first year of college and be satisfied with my grades.

Knowing what I know now, I would go back and tell my high school self to take the AP tests for all of the AP classes I took so that I could be ahead when I got to college. Then I would have more room to take fun classes that do not count for my major.

I would make sure I sign up for dorming because I missed the deadline my first year. Since I didn't dorm, it was hard to meet new people, but this didn't matter to me at the time because I had a boyfriend who I spent most of my time with. It wasn't until my boyfriend and I broke up that I noticed I had no social life at my college. If I was put in this situation again, I would advise myself to join clubs; just like what I'm doing my second year. Joining a club is a different way of meeting new people of all ages with the same interests. Academically, I would advise myself to go to office hours! I learned this the hard way after I failed my first class. Also, I would tell myself to follow every professor's advise to read ahead and review old notes before coming to class. Having not done so in one of my core curriculum classes resulted in another fail. Because of my overall GPA last year, I'm not eligible for a grant next year, but I hope to bring up my GPA soon.