University of California-Santa Barbara Top Questions

Firstly, I would tell myself that procrastination will never get anywhere. As a high school student, I really didn?t realize how much time I allocated to doing absolutely nothing. In college though, as an adult, there is no one there to ?whip you into shape?. Therefore, if I were there to order myself around, I would make sure that I was up and on top of my schedule on my own volition. Secondly, I would tell myself to think outside the box more often. As opposed to high school (memorize, memorize, memorize!), the material presented to me in college, to date, has been incredibly thought provoking. Almost every preconceived notion I have had about the world has been altered through what I have learned so far. The material begs the student to reevaluate the world they live in; which came to me as quite a shock. I personally was not quite prepared to have my comfort zone invaded and my limits pushed. But now, after the fact, I wish I would have indulged in such activities earlier so that I would have been more prepared for the enlightenment college has to offer.

If I could go back in time and offer advice to my high school senior self, I would tell myself to look into more scholarships and getting involved on campus more. I knew that I would be fine financially this year as a freshman, but now I am beginning to face the financial struggles as I look for a place to live next school year. I really wish I would have taken scholarship searching more seriously. Also, I would tell myself that the first week of college is the most important, so be ready. I was not as social as I now wish I would have been my first week here. This has caused me to see that if I had gotten more involved at the beginning of the year, things would be much more fun and enjoyable for me right now. I think I would also tellmyself to not stress over college acceptances because no matter the outcome, I will get into the school that is right for me.

Being an adult that did not go to college right out of high school, I have alot to tell myself. Knowing how hard it is to try to live my life on my own and try to pay for college is not an easy task to accomplish. All your money that you earn at your job goes for bills to live. And your job that is if you can even keep it and go to school is hard to make everything work out the way that you need it to work to be able to go to school. You are always tired because you wake up at 6:30 am and go to work, then you go to school as soon as you get out of work at 5 pm. Needless to say you don't get home from school and back into your house until 11 pm. You make time to do your homework before you go to bed and sleep so the next day can begin all the same as the day before. Going to college right out of high school is the best thing to do. You don't have most of these problems to deal with.

The best advice I could give would be to realize nothing is easy. There will be hardship, sadness and pain, but you'll also create memories that you can look back to. Just remember to call mom and dad often, keep in touch with those you treasure, and remember things happen for a reason. If connections with people around you or even back home aren't fixable and just cause you even more problems, you have to remember things DO happen for a reason and if it was meant to be that way then it will play out that way.

Open up your mind. When you're in high school you have this mentality that you know how the world works and you think you have it all figured out but there is so much more to life than you can begin to imagine. When you are in high school you live in a little world all on your own but once you step into college it's a burst of reality and you realize what the world is actually like. So go out and meet new people, people from all over the world that have different cultures, that have a completely different way of life even through all those differences it will surprise you how similar people can be. So my advice to you would be go into college with an open mind because with that you can gain so much knowledge and get the most of your college experience, don't be afriad to strike up a conversation with someone you barely know, keep in mind that most people are on the same page as you are.

As a high school senior, living at home and depending on your parents, all you have to focus on is school work and having fun. Although as a college student, you focus on the same things, but being on your own, away from home is a big reality check. If I were able to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I think I would just recommend being a little more independent. I would also bring up money management. Money plays a big part in being able to live on your own, be it in a dorm or an apartment. I would tell myself to save as much money as I could or just learn how manage it better. I would also tell myself to be more active in class and be more confident in all i do.

If time travel existed, I would catch the first flight back to my senior year, not to stop myself from making a catastrophic mistake, or warn myself about the hardships of going to college far from my home, but to give myself a pat on the back, and tell myself I made the right choice. Deciding to go to UCSB was a big step for me, my family was unsupportive, they knew the government wasn?t giving us any money and they didn?t have any to spare for my education. However, coming here was my dream, and I wasn?t about to let anything as trivial as money get in my way. I packed up, leaving family and friends and immersed myself fully into the college life with no regrets. Half way through the school year, I cannot imagine my life any different than it is now, every choice I have made has brought me here and I don?t regret a thing. I plan to graduate in 2013 and go to grad school for my Masters in Art Therapy. I want to give others strength, the strength to make their lives what they want them to be.

I would tell my senior self that he should choose the school that would ultimately allow him to get a job secured after graduation with the strong connections between the school and the firms. Also, I would tell myself that depending on my major, I should choose the proper school to be able to incorporate enough balance between education and leisure to be able to successfully finish my degree and pursue my career after graduation. Last but not least, I would tell my senior self to save up some money and take challenging classes in high school to be well prepared for the challenges of higher education.

If I could talk to myself as a high school senior, it would be to reassure myself that everything would turn out for the better in the end. I would also tell myself to challenge myself more academically during my senior year. That way, my mind would stay alert and I could have prepared myself for the rigor that college classes would soon bring. There is a significant difference in the studying habits of high school than college. Studying for high school meant studying for whatever material was on the test while studying in college meant a comprehensive understanding of the material that was given. Lastly, the most important advice I could give myself was to stop worrying for the future, but to plan for the future. Instead of stressing about what career path I was to choose, I realize now that stress does not help any situation. Careful planning and the ability to take advantage of my time is the most important thing in college, if not life. The worst thing to waste is time itself so take a deep breath and tackle the problem at hand one day at a time.

The first and most important piece of advice that I would give myself would be to commit myself to school more. To stop seeing homework as a chore and more as a learning experience and to learn to take every piece of information and enjoy it. I would tell myself to stop procrastinating and to look at the greater part of school. I would also tell myself that it is not important to be with the 'in' crowd. There are many more important things to worry about. There will always be people who accept you for who you are and who will love you for being exactly that.