University of Central Florida Top Questions

In high school, it may seem like where your heart is set is the only place for you. But you will flourish and grow where you are planted. Keep following the path that your life is taking and trust that it is the way that you were meant to go, even if you don't see that now. Wherever you are, don't focus on you, focus on the community and people around you. Strive to leave your university in a better position than it was before it met you.

Make sure to work exra hard at focusing on time management. This is a key attribute to succeeding at a university level. That doesn't mean you can't have fun, you just need to know your limit as to how much time you need for school work. Take advantage of every opportunity that would help advance your knowledge and skills in the area you have a passion for. It's also ok to befriend your teachers. They are there to help you and to straighten things out that seem confusing to you. One last thing, work on starting a budget for yourself. That will come in handy when you seem to be in a bind for school funding. There are so many scharlarships out there that are availiable and studying hard and keeping your grades up will help your chances for having all the funding you need for your education. All of these tips and strategies are valuable for life skills for the future.

I would tell myself to pick where I feel like I would best belong, not based on the name or leave of prestige the school carries.

The advice that I would give myself as a high school senior with my current knowledge would be to work more hours at work so I could save more money because money gets very tight especially when you don't qualify for Pell Grant even with a single parent of two and even though you support yourself. I would teach myself to form even better habits for studying. I do believe that GPA isn't everything and although I've have and I have carried a 4.0 throught all of college and high school I do still need better study habits. I would also tell myself to do even more community service and to join organizations.

Do not underestimate how overwhelming the transition between high school life and college life can be. Both socially and academically. It is difficult at first to forget or overlook the fact that you are taking on a more difficult, demanding courseload and have less time throughout the semester, the week, and in many cases the day to accomplish your tasks.

There is quite a bit of advice I would love to give myself. First of all, I would manage my finances a lot better. No more eating out or spending every paycheck on useless items. I don't believe that I own one item purchased the first year I was here. Second, I would dedicate more time to studying in my first couple of years. It took me a little while to keep my head in the books with the new found freedom and regretfully my GPA suffered a little. But over the course of my last few semesters I have returned it to where it needs to be and it is still rising. One really important thing I would tell myself is to keep more in contact with my family. I kind of cut ties with them, but not on purpose. I found out along the way that they are the only ones that I can truly trust and rely on whenever needed. Lastly, I would tell myself to relax and lighten up a bit. Everything will come in due time, just be patient and follow your heart, even if your heart changed your major several times.

I would tell myself to take as many advanced placement classes as possible, and make sure to pass the AP exams, eliminating some necessary credit hours in college. I would also tell myself not to worry so much about the transition. Sure, it is a buge change, but it is one that you will never forget, and if you allow yourself, you will make life long memories along the way.

You are about to be exposed to a new level of academia that requires focus and dedication. Reinforce good study habits daily. Learn and retain the material in your classes rather than cram at the last minute. If you feel lost in one of your subjects, then learn to ask for help. Teachers and teaching assistants are there to help you. However, not all the lessons learned in college are academic. You will be forced to become a self-dependent adult, so learn how to work a dishwasher and laundry machine. You will find that chores exist to make your life less cluttered. If balancing all this new information makes your head spin, then keep a daily planner. Write down all the things you need to accomplish and finish them one by one. College life is all about balancing your responsibilities with your free time but never take yourself too seriously. Remember, you are about to experience the best years of your life. Stay positive, have faith, and never stop trying your hardest.

The list of things that I would tell myself is very long, but here are a few. First, I would tell myself to develop better study habits. The next thing I would tell myself is to take more difficult classes in my senior year rather than take the easier way out. The third item of advice I would give myself would be to save money, because living away from home and paying for college is very expensive. One more word of advice I would give myself would be to do more community service because there is a large amount of scholarships and other kind of aid that can be obtained, but you need the community services hours to qualify for a good amount of the additional aid.

Make sure you study extra hard and don't fool around last minute doing your homework and studying. Keep up with your work.

I would probably have my self start better habits earlier. Even though I have a good study schedule, there is always room for improvement. Also, money is a huge problem in college even though i recieve loans and financial aid. If i knew both my parents were going to lose their jobs I would have saved up more of my money from my highschool job. Other than that I planned and adapted very well to college life without really any regrets. UCF is a very accommodating school that is full of resources to help me get used to college life.

Knowing what I know now, I would have taken my SATs sooner then I did and apply for UCF sooner then I did. I went to a community college first, which was fine, but my transition to UCF was a bit hard. I am now comfortable at UCF and even though I am almost graduating, I wish I had joined more clubs and organizations around the Education major.

Study and do your homework everyday. Do not fall behind! Stay away from people with no ambition in life. Don't drink too much. Stop smoking weed. Try out for the football team.

I would have emancipated myself from my parents at the age of 17. My parents did not help pay for any of my schooling and i wasn't to get financial aid beyond bright futures due to having to claim them on my FAFSA. I could have gotten a lot more help with school and maybe actually had more choices in where to go if I had known this.

Our current society places heavy emphasis on monetary income as a measure of success, as if success is purely defined by one's personal income. My parents, my peers, and even some of my teachers have taught me, sometimes implicitly, that making large sums of money will make you successful, and therefore to live a happy and fulfilling life. If there's one thing that I want to tell my past self is that my parents were wrong; society were wrong. I am not happy doing what I'm doing, no amount of money can change that. I am going to college years later to correct that mistake, a mistake that if I could go back in time to avoid, I would choose a degree program that I had a passion for since grade school.

Treat college as your full-time job. Find a way to balance school and fun. Be open to new people and let your heart touch everything you do in work and play. Keep family a priority in your life, especially since you are the first to go away to school. Share your new world with those who love you and keep up with their lives as well. Use your personal faith as a source of comfort and guidance when times are trying. Be able to laugh at yourself and always remain humble. Take advantage of new opportunities as they present themselves and do not be afraid of failure. Be greatful for every new day and find something positive in each new situation life presents to you!

Go to class and do the best you can!

First off I would tell myself to stop worrying about going to UCF because I did make the right choice when it came to choosing a college, because I LOVE it. Then I'd tell myself to really research the classes I needed to take in advance for my major, because when it came to my academic advisor, she was not a very big help. I'd tell myself to go out and do the events that are designated for freshmen, even if they do seem corny- because it's the only way to meet people. Lastly, I'd warn myself to start saving quarters, because I have gone without clean laundrey for FAR too long.

I would tell myself not to take some courses that I took. It would be wise for me to take life as it comes and not worry too much about the small things in school. I would also tell myself not to make life decisions too quickly and to be open to new ideas and careers.

I would tell myself to go to every class, study consistently, and keep my National Merit Scholarship. I would inform my past self which of conflicting information is accurate, and I would explain the current model for human memory creation in order to maximize learning while minimizing studying time. I would explain the details of the research paper I'm writing, so it would get published sooner, and I would emphasize the importance of undergraduate research. Most importantly, I would warn of the danger of allowing personal life, especially relationships, to interfere with school. Of course, high school me wouldn't listen to any of this and would probably run off and do exactly what happened, ensuring the integrity of the time-line.