University of Central Florida Top Questions

Apply broadly and go to the north east.

Advice I would give to my high school self is to not stress or worry. There was too many times in high school where I would stress myself over minor things, that I look back at now and just laugh. For example, social life. I maybe talk to one person from my high school now. But during high school, social life seems like the most important thing.

Looking back on my previous experiences, I would become more involoved in extracirricular activities as a high school student. Being able to balance academics, a job, and extracirricular activities helps students to learn how much they can handle at one time. This achievement is extremely influencial in understanding the possiblities of college. If I took on more activities as a high school student, I feel as though I could have impacted my college career in a more positive way. I feel that I might not have been as scared to try something new. Having the fear taken out of trying a new extracirricular activity would have been diminished if I only had been more involved in high school; thus, leading to a higher involvement in my undergraduate major.

Go to UCF

I would avoid taking out student loans(if possible), apply for scholarships, make and meet all kinds of people, and never stop learning. When I was a freshman in college my parents took out student loans with the expectation that they would pay them back. I attended an out of state college in Vermont. My father passed away during my sophmore year and he was our sole provider. My mom had to move so I decided to transfered to UCF but I could not afford out of state tutition, so I attended VCC to finish my AA. After finishing my AA at Valencia I transfered to UCF as an instate student. By this time I was completely on my own financially, I then applied for scholarships and grants- I finished the rest of my schooling for free. I graduated with my bachelor's degree thinking I had zerotolittle student debt. To my surprise my parents had taken out 40k in loans for my first two years of college. I decided if I owed that much then I should continue my education. I graduated with my masters in 2014 and now working towards my doctorate. It did make me work hard.

Oh how do I wish I could of given my high school senior self advice! I would tell myself that your journey is about to start and it's going to get very hard, but whatever you do, don't give up. Your struggles in life build character and make you appreciate what you earn and to not take anything for granted. Nothing will make you prouder than earning your own education. Study hard, take pride in your work and remember what you're in college for, to get an education and build a future. Yes, party's are fun but they won't be there for you in the future like a well paying career would. So don't do anything in excess, unless it will benefit you in the long run. Like studying or getting enough sleep! Yes, these two things can go hand in hand if you plan right. Use your planner to plan ahead and keep track of all your assignments. Nothing is worse than realizing you missed a deadline because of improper planning. Even though college will be stressful, remember, you are young and these will be some of the best years of your life!

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would try to prepare myself for all the responsibilities and work that will be ahead in the future. I would make myself understand the importance of saving for college and doing well in my classes. I would try to explain how difficult college really is and how I need to start taking things seriously if I want to succeed. I would warn myself not to get caught up in the partying and how it could potentially ruin your life and any future. Stay in school, never quit, and always stay positive.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would both critize and praise myself. I believe that I did a good job in making choices throughout high school. I made good choices about applying to multiple colleges. However, I would tell myself to not set my heart on one school. I had my heart set of FSU. I got accepted, but they didn't even have the programs I wanted. I should have done more research before I set my heart on one school. Thankfully, I didn't end up going to FSU, because then I wouldn't have come to UCF and fall in love with it. Going back in time, I would tell myself to think for myself and not my family, friends, or teachers. I would tell myself to follow my heart and do what makes me happy rather than worrying about what other people want from me.

Just so you know, you aren't going to keep the same friends that you always though you would because you'll all change, and that's okay. You will meet some of the best people of your life in college, but they won't always stick around and thats okay. See the people you will meet on your journey again through freshman to senior will mold you and shape you into the fun, exciting, and confident woman that you always wanted to be. The people who didn't stick disappeared for a reason and you will grow from that. The new relationships you form will be both negative and positive but I can promise you that you will get through those rare but occuring bad times. Don't be afraid to be selfish, take time to laugh, travel, and enjoy stopping to smell the flowers. You will find that the only person who controls your destiny is yourself.

The best thing I ever did was choose to go to a state college and recieve my associates degree before attending a regular university. While you do miss out on some things, the quality of the education I recieved from the state college made it worth it. The classes were smaller and more like high school classes than those at major university which helped with the transition also. State colleges are like a half way point between high school and college!