University of Central Arkansas Top Questions

I have grown and learned so muchduring my years in college. I feel prepared and eager to go out into the work force and begin my career.

College has been a great learning experience for me, and I think the most important thing I have learned, and am still learning, is how to manage my time better. First semester, I ran cross country, so that took a lot of my time. We had practice at 4:45 every morning, then again at 3:00 in the afternoon. On top of that we were required to spend at least six hours every week in the Academic Success Center, or study hall. Add all that time in with going to class and finding time to eat and I had no choice but to find some way to manage my time. I started using a planner this year, and it's crazy how much it really helps. I also had to learn how to study, something I never had to do in high school. That was pretty tough for me, but I got into a routine and figured out how I needed to study to benefit me. Being in college has taught me a little bit about what life will be like on my own, and I think i will be very well prepared when that time finally comes.

As an only child from a small town, coming to UCA was the best decision I ever made. My freshman year I lived in a dorm with girls of all different cultures and backgrounds. It was amazing to learn their about their lives and experiences. I do not believe I would have made it on my own fresh out of high school. My time in the dorms gave me a taste of being on my own while still having a strong support system. It taught me responsibility by easing me into the life of an adult. I have learned so much from my peers and professors. UCA is honestly a community of people devoted to education. Discussions bordering on debates are common in classes and I constantly feel like I am in the midst of some of today's most intelligent minds. My professors have numerous accomplishments and experiences that make me all the more eager to learn from them. They have a level of dedication to their subjects that never ceases to astound me. Somehow, UCA has made me want to learn. I truly want to discover what is out there. That is a priceless quality in any university.

College has given me a sense of self that I don't think I could have gotten anywhere else. It has put me outside of my comfort zone to thrive not only academically, but also among my peers. In college I have found a motivation that I never had in high school. I know that I am making an investment in my future, and it is an investment that only I am able to make. This fact has pushed me to carefully evaluate what I want for myself, and how to get there. College has not only given me every opportunity I need, it has given me an invaluable reason to succeed. My college experience has also been invaluable outside of my academic career. Given the opportunity to live my life to my own standards, I've seen who and what I want to place emphasis on. I've gained a much stronger sense of family, true friendship, and enduring faith since I've started college, and I know that all of those things will continue to top my priority list for the rest of my life.

I would love to go back to 1998, when I was a High School senior, and tell myself to choose that full-paid scholarship over my High School sweetheart. Getting married straight out of High School has cost me dearly. I just wanted to have a "normal" job and raise a family. Well, "normal" job = minimum wage = poverty. Now, at age 30, I've had more than my share of "normal" jobs while raising 2 children. Although my husband holds a license in the Electrical field, his income compared to our family of 4 places us below the poverty level! Being back in school and realizing how these past 10 years could've been so different over one stupid decision makes me sick. I try not to think about it, but I could be celebrating my 6th year as a Pharmacist. Imagine the lifestyle my kids could be enjoying right now! I WILL finish. I WILL succeed. I WILL have the lifestyle my family and I deserve. But, I WILL be 35 instead of 25 when that happens. That makes me want to go back in time and just slap myself!

I would tell myself to never be a Theater Major, to be an education major. I would tell myself to be a duck, and let everything negative said to me in band just roll off and not let it sink in like I did. I've learned a lot and I don't regret anything luckily.

You should be absolutely sure that you what to declare a major in your first semester. Get involved with Chi Alpha. Pray and fast about college. Make schedules and keep them. Show love to your friends and brother. Don't let your mother do everything for you. Learn to cook better. Learn to communicate, better. Write down your prayers, feelings and dreams.

Ive learned alot during my 4+ years studying Biology in college and If I could go back in time and talk to my self as a high school senior, I would simply say "Devote your self now to science, because science is what you are mean't to be apart of. Focus strictly on school, because that is what will create success in your life."

If I could go back in time and give myself advice about college, my golden rule would be "GO TO CLASS"! Although I always try my best to make it to class, I would have to let myself know that missing one day of college is the equivalent of missing an entire week of high school. I definately don't want myself to fall behind because it is much more difficult to catch up in a colleg class than in the classes I am used to. I would tell myself that my future professors are not going to let me know what I missed in a previous class, and that, most likely, they won't even know who I am. Unless I have friends in my classes who I can get missed information from, it is near impossible to find out what I need to know; and with my luck it would be the most important lecture of the entire semester. Knowing what I know now about college, I would make sure to tell myself to never miss a class unless it is absolutely necessary.

enjoy high school because your life changes dramatically after high school. financial burdens for college put stress on me and my mom so i should start applying for schlorships now. think long and hard what i am interested in for college so my degree will be something i like doing the next 60 years. i should save more money because now i know a whole paycheck would only buy one book for a college class. studying all the time gets old but getting that 4 year degree is a must to help me be successful for life.

The number one thing is to go to class. Not going to class can cause you to fail the class and lose your scholarship money. You are not only affecting your future, but you also putting more on your parents. You have to remember that you have paid your money for each class that you are taking and the professors do not care or have any sympathy for your irresponsible actions. College is not a game. It is nothing to be played with. You have to stay focused and take classes and grades seriously which is the main goal to succeeding in college. You will be very stressed out at times to point you want to give up but do not. I promise it will get better, and you will be so proud of yourself once you have survived your first semester, even if you do not have the grades you really want. College has made me look at life differently. You have to handle your business or it will handle and control you in college. If you come with your priorities rights and a postive state of mind you will succeed college.

If I could go back to my senior year, I would tell myself to practice better study habits. I took hard classes in high school but never really had to study very often. Now I am taking extremely hard science classes while working two part time jobs. Therefore, I could definately use better time management skills and study habits. I have also learned to focus on my schoolwork all semester and never get comfortable. I have started off well in several classes, then relaxed to focus on my harder classes and ended up with a B in the easy classes.

I would definately relate to my high school self that I need to apply for scholarships and financial aid. Also, I would tell myself to stop being so lazy and go get a job. When I was in high school I was always under the impression that my parents would pay for everything, and they did. They have taken care of my tuition thus far, however, now my younger sister will be going to college, and after her my brother. This means I cannot expect them to fully support me anymore. I am also transferring to UALR next year for my major, so I will be further from home and in a completely different environment. As a result, my transition to adulthood will be difficult. I am now into the spring semester of my sophmore year. I have made bad decisions and good ones concerning college. UCA was not my first pick. However, if I was to converse with my high school self I wouldn't change anything. UCA has made me realize what it takes to succeed. I just have to apply the tools the university has given me so I can support myself, and become fully self-sufficient.

The advice I would give myself is to study harder for class and especially for the ACT. I would also teach myself better time management skills .

If I could go back into time and talk to myself as a senior I would give an amazing amount of advice to myself. First, I would make sure to tell my Senior self to take college Algebra and Comp I since it is college credit and I could get it out of the way before my freshman year which would save money and time. The second point of advice would to study for the ACT more so that I would make a higher score and have more possibilies for scholarships since I stress financially everyday now as a college student. My third point of advice would be to make sure to take all of the hard AP classes so that is would better prepare me for my college courses and experiences. Oh, how I wish I would have signed up for AP Chemistry and Biology because I could have deffinetly used that knowlegde now. Last but not least, would be to not spend so much money because in the near future I will be scraping for change to just pay for a caffeinated drink to keep me awake while studying. Knowing these points of advice would have helped tremendously.

Learn to manage your time.

Going back to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would say "take advantage of the resources provided". There are many resources that I have found to be so helpful along my two and a half year journey at the University of Central Arkansas. These include the teachers/faculty, Academic services, Career services, Health center and many more. But I did not discover some of these resources until my second year of college. Had I known about these services earlier, I may have been in a better position to be more competitive with my peers. For example, the career services division has given me a lot of help with my resume, job hunting, and internships. All of these things are necessary in becoming a successful adult. Now that I am a junior, I am very glad that I have found these resources and will continue to use them to my advantage to strive for graduation and my career.

Take a deep breath. Relax. Remember the nerves and worries about starting high school? What happpened? When you got there, how long did it take? About a week? And then everything was comfortable and safe. It's the same for college. You may be in shock upon arrival, but give college life a week or so and you will feel at home. Until then, remember every other freshman feels just as awkward and confused as you do, so don't be afraid to ask questions (chances are, they're wondering too!). Go ahead and get involved right at the start; it's the best way to make friends. I know everyone tells you this, but that's because it's true. I guess we think if we say it enough someone might listen. Please, believe it. Don't let college scare you, it's just another step, and high school has prepared you to take it.

I would tell myself to take the ACT and/or SAT as SOON as possible and as many times as possible! I would tell myself to do a lot of college visits. I did not know about my college campus until I was a freshman on campus and now I am wanting to transfer and having to do the college visits as a sophomore. I would tell myself to keep my grades at all A's and B's because a good transcript is the key to college and I wish mine would have been better. Last, but not least I would tell myself to do as many scholarships as possible! I was somewhat lazy when it came to getting scholarships and now that I am in college I know how important they are!

As a high schooler I don't think I really understood how expensive college was and how my GPA would affect my financial aid. If I could go back and talk to myself as a high schooler, I would seriously tell myself to literally put all my effort into my work; don't procrastinate and settle with a bad grade because getting into a college is much easier with a good GPA. College life is more stressful and a lot more "adult" work but it makes you grow faster in maturity and I think you find your true friends in college. In high school I always thought that teachers were dumb and the work was pointless but thinking about it now, I would tell myself that the work and tests in high school are preparing me for college and I need to do it. The last point I would tell myself is that I'm going to get further and be more financially stable if I have a good career. If I don't try to do all my high school work to the best of my ability, in the long run its going to hurt me and my future.