University of Central Florida Top Questions

The first thing I would tell myself is to not date during your first year at college, it affects your individual perception of the university?s first impression. You need to experience the classes, the environment, and the people independently before you jump into a relationship. Secondly, I would tell myself to think more about my major. And if you really don?t know what you want to study ? it?s okay to be undecided. Switching majors, taking major-specific courses and the credits being useless later, is very frustrating. Study harder in your AP history classes, or whichever subjects you dislike. If you do pass those AP exams, you won?t have to take harder dreary classes when you want to take fun electives that would boost your GPA. Thirdly, when you get to college and Conscious is telling you to stay in Tuesday night to study ? listen to it! Then plan study time around ?fun? time. Manage your schedule so you finish studying by a reasonable time, but never blow off your study time. GPA is important, especially the first semester. A GPA below 3.2 will prevent you from doing things you want, during your sophomore year.

I would advise myself to enter college with a degree of caution and self reliability. if a person enters college unsure of both their own academic prowess or the field of study they plan on seeking it can be a precarious way to start a collegiate career. All options should be explored, whether it is better to start at a community college and work your way up, or to stick out with a 4 year program at the beginning. College success is directly linked with the amount of work and study put into it. Being involved with campus activities and organizations is great, but one should never lose sight of the primary reason for the college experience, to learn a craft to both better one's own life and the life of the surrounding community. Strive for excellence, but with patience, vigilence, and foresight

The best advice I would be able to give my younger self is too not hesitate getting involved in the organizations that interest me in my freshman year. Being involved in student organizations, especially those that involve your major can completely change your college experience. If I could only choose one to be involved with, it would have to be a Pre-Professional Fraternal organization, unlike Social Fraternities and Sororities all the members of a pre-professional fraternity are in your major. This gives you a large group of people to go for when you?re struggling in your classes, and it gives you great networking opportunities with people who are planning on entering the same field as you and have the same interests.

If I could go back and tell my senior self anything it would be to relax. In high school, you don't get a lot of guidance on specific majors in college or the details of college life, which can be stressful. As soon as you get to college there is so much help and guidance from advisors and professors to upper classmen who are eager to help you. The most important thing is to focus on each semester and class as they go, keep your eye on graduation which is of course the ultimate goal, but make sure you don't get caught up in the stress and just enjoy having the opprotunity to be in school and among such great people. Four years is such a short amount of time, it flies by so just enjoy the opprotunity that will launch you into your career and the rest of your life.

Dear Self, It is absolutely essential to be proactive in your education by being informed and organized. College is about being independent, responsible adults without the constant help of our parents. It is not their job to decide when to fill out important paperwork or to check up on important deadlines. They are not the ones attending college, nor is it their responsibility. College is a privilege, not a right. It is the job of the student to keep track of important dates, finances, and scholarship opportunities. Going away to school is a huge reality check, and it can be very intimidating living in a new environment with new people. There are hundreds of clubs, organizations, and school-sponsered events going on 24/7 on campus. Doing a bit of research, as well as making the first step to attend these events, will help yourself get acclimated with your new surroundings, network, and create lasting friendships. Self, these are the best years of your life, and I know you're ready to tackle the challenges in the next four years. As long as you stay on top of your academics, finances, and get involved, everything else will fall into place.

I was the typical high school senior that was convinced I was not ready for college. If I could go back and give myself advice, it would simply be to relax, be open to change, and to ask for help. All of my college choices were out-of-state, because I looked at schools with a strong hospitality major, so I was even more apprehensive. Although my transition was by all means not smooth, Florida is very different than Ohio, I would not change my experiences at all. I am a shy person so it was difficult for me to initiate conversations with people. I learned very quickly that I would be interacting with people very different from myself, and to embrace it. I have grown as a person from my friend's differences. I also learned to relax and adapt when things do not go exactly as I expected. For example, it baffled me when professors would not stop class to make sure I understood a concept. However, I realized that help is always offered to those who ask. Ironically, I am now a resident assistant, and I help my former self ease into college.

I would have told myself to try and enroll in a SAT/ACT practice class so I could score high on these tests and give myself the opportunity to try to get the Bright Future Scholarships. I would have made sure I had my community service hours signed off to also receive Bright Future Scholarships. I completed community involvement and a had a high gpa, but I was informed about it to late. I also would have been online like I am now trying to earn scholarships because my parents don't have the money to pay for my college because I have four other siblings in my household.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself when I was a senior in high school, I would motivate myself to get out and search for scholarships and loans, since I didn't have any out of high school. I know now how difficult it can be to work full time and be a student full time, and still try and make time for free time. Life would have been a little bit easier if I had help paying my way through college. I would have told myself to not slack off at the end of my senior year, because it doesn't look good to the college's you are applying to. I also would convince myself to research and look more in to different majors, so that when I started college I would know what I wanted to get in to, instead of wasting my time and money.

I know that you don't know what you want to do with your life yet and I understand the sentiment. The trick is to pick the biggest goal you are certain of and break it down into easy steps. Start with your Associates degree. Two years of work will fly by and you can be certain that you will need at least that to make your life satisfying. After that it is just two years until your Bachelors degree, which is the next small step. Eventually you will finish but you must count in ones. While you are trudging along you will probably find your ultimate goal but until then just focus on the easy goals like a degree. You are your own worse enemy right now and noone else can save you from yourself. You think you know everything but wisdom comes from experience. Go out there and dream huge and never give up and I can tell you for certain that one day it will all make sense and you will know what you want and the meaning of the word motivation. Never despair or compromise your self-image and go big every single time.

Being that I'm now almost 30 years old and a mother, I would implore myself to go to college straight away after High School, that I was making an investment in my future and it would pay off in the end. As time passes, change gets harder and more complex and it becomes more and more of a sacrafice. I would explain how my life has been shaped by my younger selfs inability to commit to school, and how it's impacted every aspect of my life. A career doing something you love is a reason to get up every morning, and the sacrafice is a small price to pay for that. The transition from a carefree teenager in High School to grown up College student is overwhelming, but not as much as waking up one day and realizing you don't have qualifications to make a decent living for you and your family. Life is hard sometimes, but it doesn't always have to be.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would advise myself to change a lot of things. First of all, I would advise myself to choose a major that I was interested in, not what my parents or my university wanted me to do. I wasted 3 years majoring in Molecular and Microbiology, only to drastically drop my GPA. I changed to a major in Spanish and minor in Italian and it is only taking me a year and a half. I could be in grad school right now! I'd be in less debt, have a higher GPA and have a lot more interest in my studies than I was the first 3 years. I'd also get to study abroad more often and enjoy college. I spent my first three years with my nose in the books and not experiencing life. I'd also tell myself to live on campus the first year, I would have been more involved had I done that. Instead, I lived off campus in horrible dorms in poor coniditions. So housing and majors are the top changes I'd suggest making.

Growing up in a South American island, raised by a single mother, I had to encounter many family and financial obstacles, in order to be able to graduate from high school, and many more to be able to attend college. Today, after all the struggles, and all the hard work and devotion, I am fulfilling my dream of education and success. The knowledge and experience I have gained, and continue to obtain during my college years have, not only prepare me to become a proud professional, but also remind me that, no matter how hard or how steep the climb to education may be; it is, and will always be worth the effort, the persistence, and the hope. College is not just an academic experience, but a lifelong relationship with advancement. To myself, as a high school senior, I would say, from the words of Les Brown: ?Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life.?

Dear Sherry, First off, don't freak out, but you're going to UCF for college. Now don't worry, it's not as bad as you think. You're going to make friends that will surely last you a lifetime, and soon enough, you'll be sure of what you want to do in life. Just keep trying and reaching like you always do. I'll meet you right here soon.

GET BETTER GRADES

I would tell myself to practice and study more for the SAT! Because of my SAT score, I did not qualify to have 75{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of my tuition payed for, which has resulted in an inability to support myself while attending college full time.

I would advise myself to apply for as many scholarships as possible, and to have my finances worked out as far in advance as possible.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition, the advice I would of given myself would have been to become an athlete. Being an athlete in college opens the doors to many scholarships and many school opportunities. Another piece of advice I would of given myself would have been to join more clubs and organizations to help the community. I was apart of the Spanish Club and The National Honor Society but doing more for the community with volunteering hours could of helped for my applications to colleges and universities. Another piece of advice I would of given myself would have been to intern more with a lawyer to continue to further my studies and advancements as a lawyer of the future or even a judge.

The advice I would give myself would be to expect the unexpected. I went to a college prepatory high school. I often time regreted being there because it was so hard. But, I would tell myself to enjoy it because it was only preparing me and not setting me up for the shock of my life that many first-year college students experience. Endure the struggle now, and it will make you stronger in the end. Don't give up. Don't forget and throw away everything you've learned in these four years. Be aware that education is like a staircase; in order to get to the top, one must climb every step . Also, the fact that one builds upon another. What you see in high school you will see in college just in more depth. So, learn the basics and the specifics will be easier to understand.

I have learned through experience that there is always that one word or phrase that will change how we view things. If I could go back and talk to my high school self I would tell myself the words I learned from seniors at UCF. "Don't worry, be happy" While college is a high stress enviroment if you let it be, there is always someone there to help you. This fear of low grades and failure led me to avoid going straight into UCF and take the A.A. route. I would also tell myself to not despair about how hard it is to get scholarships I gave up way too early on scholarships and find myself in the financial situation I am in because of it. Overall I would be very glad for the peace of mind that would come from this knowledge and ready to approach college with an open mind ready to make new friends and learn new things.

I would tell myself to talk to many people to find friends that will last throughout my life and to connect with them. I would also tell myself not to study so much and to spend more time with these new friends because they can help me get through classes.