University of Central Florida Top Questions

I would advise my high school self to stay positive and focused on my acadcemic progress from the very onset of my college experience. It is extremely easy to get distracted with all of the freedom that college offers and the lack of supervision, so one must always remember the main reason for attending school - earning a higher level degree. College is a great experience that allows you to learn new things and meet lifelong friends, so a balance should be maintained among one's academic, social, and spiritual life. I started college the summer right after high school graduation and had a great start, but once the fall semester started, I became more involved with my social and community activities and not as much with my academics. Nonetheless, I was able to attain a 3.0 average that semester, but not everyone is as fortunate. I would strongly advise myself to create and maintain an enjoyable and well-balanced lifestyle throughout my college experience so that once I complete it, I have no regrets and achieved everything that I wanted in the manner that was most beneficial to myself.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a highschool senior I would be able to give loads of helpful advice. Throughout my first three years of college I have met thousands of new personalities and established lifelong relationships with people from all over the world. The biggest piece of advice I could pass on now, is that I should remain focused and goal oriented. Living around a large metropolitan area such as Orlando with over 50,000 students on and around campus, it is easy to find yourself falling into bad habits. Ultimately I would warn myself to be concious of the fact that college, while a tremendous social journey, is intended to help me gain knowledge to support my family for the rest of my life. My best advice to myself would be to balance out partying with studying, and to allow staying home and reading a book or typing a paper to take precident over going to bars and clubs. With tons of peer pressure during college years, I would also remind myself to keep a strong faith within myself and to believe that I can always manage and overcome any obsticles.

The best advice I could think to give myself as a high school senior would be to read. Often and curiously, read as much as you possibly can. Whether for a school assignment for a simple grain of knowledge. There is so much information available to us if we are just willing to take the time of day to sit down and focus for an hour before we go to bed at night. This not only helps our standardized testing scores, but also gives us a new prespective with which we can view life. This will also give us the initiative to challenge everything we learn. This a very important thing to learn in life. If we do not challenge everything we are taught we will fall into the tricks polititions attempt to pull over our eyes every day. A thirst for knowledge gives us the opportunity to fight for our freedom, and be able openly converse with anyone we come back in contact with. There are so many benefits that can come from simply picking up a book before bed, whether it is fiction, non-fiction, political science, or a dictionary, pick it up!

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a senior in high school, I would tell myself to focus on things like building good studying skills and learning good time managment. I find that it is more important for high school students to focus on how they learn versus than focusing on what they are learning. As a high school student, you need to be focused on understanding the importance of being apart of an acitivity and representing your school respectfully. I would also tell my high school self that there is more to college/unversity than just the education, in college you are learning life education and to pay attention to what is going on inside and outside the classroom. Overall, I would tell my high school self to focus on studying skills, time managment, and being aware of your surroundings.

I honestly wished that I would of payed more attention in my classes and received better grades. I have earned my g.p.a. that I have now because of the hard work that I have put into it while in college. Growing up I didn't have a lot of guidance from my parents to excel in school until my stepfather came into the picture. He was my shining armor and helped me excel in school afterwards. I would of have loved to be able to attend school activities and clubs but my family never had the money for me to join. I know school activities help you become a better person at times but unfortunately I wasn't capable of it because of income and time.

As a transfer student, the hardest part in becoming connected to your school and newly found home is getting involved on campus. If I could tell myself , as a high school senior, one thing it would be to get involved immediately and in as many student run organizations as possible. This involvement helps students make the transition more smoothly and creates a feeling of personal contribution to their home school. By attending a university a student has the ability to become more than they have ever imagined. I would also tell my former self to not be afraid of making mistakes because, ultimately, college is a learning experience and the best learning comes from correcting mistakes you may have made. Don?t be afraid to be the best you can be.

I would tell myself to remember my strengths and weaknesses. More specifically, I would say to avoid Finite Mathematics, because even though everyone will tell you it is easy, you will fail it miserably even after attending tutoring every week. I would say that school is why I am at college, not the parties or my friends, but to get an education so I can get out from the support of my parents. I would tell myself that my diligence in college will directly affect my future, buckling down is something that needs to happen, not just a phrase you toss around as finals approach.

I would say to myself: "Anthony, really think about what you enjoy doing. I know you are into weight lifting and staying in shape. UCF offers a new program specifically for you. I recommend you take school seriously, and graduate on time. Don't waste your money on material things, they aren't important. Money will need to be spent on books and classes. Find friends you can really count on and live with the ones you know you'll get along with the entire time. Have a good social life, but don't over do it; make mistakes but, make sure you learn the lesson at hand. Most importantly be yourself and don't change for anyone. " Honestly, that is everything I would say. -Anthony

Assuming I could go back in time to my senior year, I would have strongly advised myself to enroll in dual enrollment and more advanced placement courses to accumulate more college credits, to accustom myself with a heavier workload and independent study, and to further challenge myself academically. I would also have applied for more scholarships than I did.

I would tell myself that the most important thing is to always hold onto my aspirations and dreams, and to never give up on what I want to become. It is important that I know that I can be whatever I want to be as long as I keep trying and always believe that there is no limit to how far I can go. I would remind myself how much of an impact my family and friends have on my life, and what a difference opening up to new people can make. Never losing sight of my goals and making the best of what I have and what I am given will make college life even more enjoyable.

Always shoot for your dreams! Never give up! Its never to late to start something new. Anything is possible if you believe. Relax and enjoy the season you are at.

If I could go back in time I would tell myself a couple of things. I would first tell myself keep up the good work because its going to pay off. Push your self a little bit more. Take more college bound classes. Start taking the ACT or SAT your 9th grade year and don?t stop taking it until you get a score that will get you in to a good university. When money is short and you have no way to pay for the ACT or SAT ask for a fee waver. But be careful and use it wisely because fee wavers are limited. Find a place to volunteer that will help you in becoming a Physical Therapist because that is what you will later choose to follow as your career path. Apply for colleges early at least eight months before you graduate. Stay close to home for your first two years in college. It will help you learn and get a feel of what to expect at a university. Get your AA in health science and don?t ever quit!

I would have told my past self to calm down and take things one step at a time. If I had spare time from my studies, then go out and get involved.

Throw out the everyday ritual that you're used to during the high school years, because it is absolutely nothing like the college life. Save every single penny you can and use the excess financial aid money wisely! You're heading out onto a new adventure in your life, treat it as such, but don't forget what you're really going there for; an education. Focus Focus Focus and Focus!! It's going to be so many distractions (parties, clubs, friends, girls, more parties, booze, alcohol, more booze, and the occasional bad influences), so keep your eyes on the prize and have your priorities in check. Stay true to you and what has gotten you to this point in your life, and most importantly, enjoy the experience!

I know things now that would have definately helped me as a high school senior transitioning into college. I would push myself to give involved right off the bat as a way to meet new people and experience great things. I would talk about being involved in the week of homecoming. I would also talk about keeping copies of transcripts and records so that if the university lost anything, I would have it with me. I would give advice on making sure all my pre-requisites were finished from the community college before going to UCF. As a leader, I would give advice about time management and getting enough sleep, especially during the week of finals. I would push the issue of eating healthy and getting a small meal plan on campus. I would also suggest filling out as many scholarships as possible.

If I could go back in time to high school and give myself advice about the college transition I would tell myself one thing...Be Prepared. College is more self-study and freedom than students are used to in high school, and that can make it very hard to transition into a university. When I first came to the University of Central Florida, I had been mostly a straight A student in high school and had taken many advanced placement and honors classes. I did not expect that college would be any different. I was wrong. In high school we had a lot more hands on projects and group work in which we interacted and got to participate and experience what we were learning. At the university level, students are expected to do those things outside of class while inside the professor lectures. This is a challenge I face at the university level, and I had to adapt to that type of learning. Even so, I have enjoyed every minute at the University of Central Florida, and I would be sure to tell myself to be prepared and have fun!

THAT TRAVELING IS A GREAT WAY TO HELP YOU GROW UP FAST.

You must understand that college is nothing like high school, you will meet so many new people and learn so many new things, but you must be prepared to mold into an adult. The process happens fast and it is exciting, hold onto what is important to you and don't forget that you are at school to learn.

My advice I would give to myself would be to stop worrying about things that doesn't matter and live life to the fullest. I would tell myself that the road ahead is not going to be easy and that nothing in life worth having comes easy. Nothing is hard, it just needs effort and time. I would tell myself to cherish and enjoy each and every moment that passes because you can't turn back time. Enjoy what you have now and quit comlaining about what you don't have. Going to college is one of the best decisions you'll ever make. Be true to who you are, don't worry about the things that doesn't matter (like what people say or think about you), and remember that the journey brings us happiness. Family and friends will help you along the way and you can always count on them. Lastly try to workout everyday.

The first advice I would give myself would be to develop a strong and consistent study pattern. College is a totally different world than high school. As a student, you tend to take for granted how little studying you do in high school to get good grades., compared to the studying that you must do to even stay afloat in college. The second word of advise I would give myself would be to learn how to be a responsible adult. I depended on my mom quite a bit in high school . You definitely get spoiled having someone there to remind you of assignments, helping you with projects, waking you up for school in the morning, etc. In college, you have to do everything on your own. It sure makes me realize how much my mom was there for me, and what a big help she was for me all through high school.