University of Central Florida Top Questions

The advice I would give myself is to never lose sight of my goal, the reason why I am coming to college is to work towards a better future. Slacking does not create a better future. I would also tell myself to keep these two quotes in mind "It all depends on how bad you want it" (James Hurst) and "Pain is weakness leaving the body" (USMC).

College is nothing like High School, I am completely and solely responsible for my academics, social life, rent and bills. save money from high school jobs to use in college, phone bill, groceries, random road trips, organization fees etc get pretty steep if not consistently getting a paycheck. Security in a job is important, do not depend on work study to give you a job on campus, look for jobs before school starts and stay loyal so that sophomore year you can get your car. lastly be hopeful and stay excited. Leadership Opportunities are everywhere, be sure to not apply to everything, but to select things that really make you happy and will benefit your future career!

I would advise myself to not get too involved in friends and a social life. Although one is needed, too much partying can ruin a GPA and steer away from my real goal in life. My close friends in college should be professors. They are here to help me in difficult times and assist me in learning after class hours to make me understand the material. I would also tell myself to always do some type of school work EVERY day, even if it's reading or doing practice problems.

First of all, everything will be ok. It is both exciting and unsettling to start a new life at a university. The unknown always seems scary; university life will be unknown for a short while and then it will be hard to remember what was even scary to begin with. Secondly, get involved. There are plenty of friends to make, and endless amounts to learn. A university is unlike any other place you can find yourself. Join clubs, volunteer, play sports; explore yourself and explore different groups of people. This will help you to be open minded and understanding of all, and you will carry these attributes with you outside of your college experience. Finally and most importantly, do not lose yourself. It is inevitable that you will grow and change; this is what your college experience is for. At the same time, it is so easy to get carried away with new found freedom. Keep yourself grounded and hold on to what is most important to you. Never compromise your morals, or belief systems just to fit in with a crowd. Be Socratic in your way of thinking; question everything and decide for yourself what is best for you.

I would say that college is not like high school; in college there are more resposabilities and students are on their own. It is important to study heard and respect due dates, that are major tools to succeed every semester.

Going back in time as a high school senior is something I actually think about quite often. Wow! Here goes: "Why are you worrying about the little things like what friend said this, or what girl doesn't like me! These things are not in the big picture of college life. Worry about your grade point average, or worry about how many writing tips your English teacher is giving you. You want to continue to play soccer in college? Well get out there and search for schools that might accept your talents as the stupendous goalie you were your senior year! Don't wait. It takes time to send your top notch sports video and contact the coach of your perspective schools. Why didn't I help my parents search for scholarships? Having extra cash to help with expenses is really necessary. College costs are rising and my parents have to pay alot of money to send me to college. I don't really want to have loans to pay back when I graduate. Textbooks cost hundreds of dollars as well as tuition. I guess I should have gotten that last minute job to help with my spending cash."

Be true to who you are when applying for a college. People often get caught up in the competitive nature of applying for colleges and having to pick the best acadmeic school or the best party school. But keep it true to you. Don't worry about which school has the better honors program or which school has the better football team, unless those things are important to you, no one else. If you love sports pick a great sports school. If you're a big city kind of person go to a university that is in the heart of one. If big lecture classes sound intimidating to you then pick a school that offers smaller classes right along with their big lecture classes, or pick a smaller school with smaller classes all around. Don't give in to what others are telling you is right, college is all about becoming who you're meant to be so pick a place that is true to who you want to be.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to be more focused on my future. In high school, I was so concerned about my friends that I failed to think about my future. I would tell myself to think about what I wanted out of life and to build my high school years around that. Also, I would emphasize how important community involvement is. Helping a church, volunteering, and doing good deeds pays off. You never know who is watching you and who is willing to help. So, you must be kind, active, and helpful to everyone. Overall, I would tell myself to think through time and not in the moment!

Make friends and have fun! But, I did that ! As a senior in high school I think its of the utmost importance that students, be students and have a blast. Some of my best memories and friendships evolved due to my participation in sports, being a cheerleader, and being in the Criminal Justice Program. Due to the enjoyment that I've experienced in high school I am prepared and ready to face my future as a college student which will prepare me for life as an adult. Now, what I would advise myself to do is to find a happy medium between play and work. Though there is nothing wrong with having extracurricular activities, I must be equitable in the distribution of my time. Using my time wisely, I will take the opportunity to study early and not procrastinate as so many variables can evolve to hinder success on an assignment as I've learned in the past. If I attack assignments/study early then I eliminate the need to cram. In addition, studying early or doing assignments early doesn't limit the chances of being sidetracked by extranneous matter, but of failing to meet deadlines.

Dear Stephanie, Working hard will pay off before slacking does. You're going to need to focus because if you don't, you will lose your scholorship, like I did this past year. Losing something like that is stressful, and on top of not being able to find a job, it puts stress on your parents too. They live in Alaska now, you can't rely on them like you used to. It's time to grow up. Starting now; don't wait until after fall semester of sophmore year like I did. You're not the only one they are trying to take care of anymore. Think of your little sister; mom and dad need to take care of her too. You need to start taking care of yourself. Also, you need to break out of your shell. You're living with roommates now. Be social. You're going to meet Jessica and her boyfriend Sandy sophmore year; they are the greatest roommates and they're going to be there for you, so loosen up and get to know them quicker than I did this year. The sooner, the better. And lastly, have fun, but balance it with school.

Well first and foremost, I would tell myself to try harder on the SAT's. As a highschool student I always made pretty good grades but for some reason I didn't take my exams as serious as they should have been. I showed up to take the test and just couldn't wait to get out. Now, after paying out of pocket and having several student loans, I wish I would have tried harder. Scholarships would have been a great help with completing my education. I now am in my Junior year as a Education Major and stuggle to pay my bills let alone pay for school. I have two young children and if I could turn back time I would definitely tell myself to concentrate on school and worry less about my socail life. Now a days having an education is essential to having a good, well paying job. While in highschool I only saw the present and not what was in store for my future.

SELF... I know your going to run into difficulties financially to be able to go to college right when you graduate from high school. I want to tell you though, do not let this stop you. You are smart, and you will succeed in whatver you do. Although you will not get back to college until you are 50 years old, you will be ready mentally to accept this challenge. You will be focused and know your potential, and you will do well. I wish you could have gone when you were younger. It would have been easier life-wise not to worry about taking care of children and keeping a home and trying to maintain everything for everyone else if you could have gone to college when you got out of high school. All you have to worry about at this point in life is yourself and school. But, you have learned many life skills along the way and you know now, that you ...can overcome. College is a lot of hard work, and it takes a lot of dedication and persaverance. But, you have what it takes, you will succeed. Good luck self. I wish you the best.

I would say to the old me: Study hard! , Save money and make sure you apply for alot of scholarships college is not cheap at all.Fill out the FAFSA as early as possible so you can recieve the most aid as possible for each semester. DONT take summers off, push through the year so you can graduate on time. And most of all have fun, these are the times you will never forget.

I would tell myself to set attainable goals, be on time, and respect others. I believe in living by the golden rule and that we should treat others as we expect to be treated. School is an essential part of making a productive life for oneself. Education is the greatest gift anyone can give themselves.

If I could go back in time as a high school senior, I would do several things differently. As a senior I did graduate as a Bright Futures Scholar. As a freshman in college, I lost this scholarship due to not applying myself like I should have. I would have worked harder, studied harder, and applied myself more to my course work. I would worry less about my current job and focus more on my academic progress. I would study earlier instead of procrastinating. Learning how to prioritize my time has really helped me in my junior year as a college student.

If I could talk to myself as a highschool senior I would try to give words of advice on how to adjust to being in a new setting. I think one thing to consider is that everyone who's a freshman is starting new, so they will all be kind of overwhelmed. It is important to reach out to others and they will in turn reach out to you. Do not be afraid, everyone is in the same boat. I would also try to tell my younger self about a way to keep in touch with friends from home. By going to school out of state it was hard to feel those strong bonds with people right away and I wish I kept in better touch with people from my highschool.

Lori, This is you ten years from now. I am here with some great advice. Please take this seriously and listen to me. If you choose not to, you will be 28 years old, still trying to graduate college and still working full time. First, quit working right now. Use the money you have in the bank to make due! Second, stay home with Mom and Tom after you graduate High School. You have already been working full time on top of going to school for 3 years and you have the rest of your life to work, be an adult and move out. Use this time to go to school and get it accomplished. You know you want to be a Social Worker and that is not going to change. If you move out it will take you so much longer to finish college than you could even imagine. You wont be done until your thirty. At 28, you will be worried how you will survive financially, when it is time to complete your internship in order to graduate with your Bachelor's Degree. Put yourself first for a change! Give yourself a break and focus on school! Lori

I would have asked myself to take more college classes and take more math classes. I would also congratulate myself for reaching the place where I am. I would ask myself to keep going and avoid distractions to the maximum.

If I where to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to never consider giving up even when it seems a dead end was the only thing ahead. This semester particularly has been incredibly difficult for me, however the accomplishments I have made in the last few days of the semester have blown me away. The accomplishments alone have made the hard work and struggle worth it. Many times during this semester I have questioned if my major was right for me. Certain teachers were taking the joy out of what I loved, I was not satisfied with the work I was making, and for the first time since middle school I did not know if I would be able to keep a 4.0 GPA. Even with those things stacked against me, I was not only able to finish strong, but I had managed to make my name known on campus by winning the exposure and prestige of creating the identity and brand of a sixty to seventy-five million dollar building project. Giving up is never the answer and should never even be a thought.

A lot of people view going to college as a transition stage in which the student becomes more independent and leaves the nest back at home. Most times this is the first time that students are on their own without any parental supervision. There is a lot of freedom and most times it is taken advantage of. Living at home, my parents had many rules and were very strict. When I came to college I was over whelemed with all this freedom that I didn't know what to do with it. If I could go back in time and give myself a piece of advice, it would be to not take advantage of the freedom and maintain a well balanced life-style. I took advantage of the fact that I was finally on my own and allowed to do anything I wanted when I wanted and it negatively effected me. Going to class and keeping up with my studies went from a priority to activities I did when I felt like it. I spent most of my time socializing instead. I would make sure that my education was my priority because ultimately that is the reason I am here.