University of Central Florida Top Questions

I would tell my high school senior self that it's good to get involved in beneficial organizations, like study groups and student tutoring sessions early on in college .

Dear High School Self, You are about to finish up high school, a time when you worked very hard to succeed. I know you don’t know what you want to be when you “grow up,” but don’t fear! I would suggest enrolling in classes at your community college. It is not as important as you think to go off to college right away. It is a great place to get your footing and begin to taste adult life. Here you can take classes and sample the different career possibilities. Then, when you find something you may be interested in, volunteer in that field. You will never know if you like a job until you are working there. Classes are great, but don’t underestimate the benefits of experience. Feel free to try several things until you figure out where your heart is. Money isn’t everything; do what you love or else life may be miserable. When you find it, work hard and get organized. Enjoy your classes, but also enjoy life. Don’t stress so much; you always get the work done! I’m praying for you! You can do it!

I would give myself a congratulations for all I have achieved. I would go back and tell myself I wil l good future and I have an abundant amount of potiential, regardless of what had happened to me throughout my life that had almost made me give up on myself. I would tell myself everything is going to work itself out and I musn't worry on the little problems. I would stress the importance of going to class and truly engaging in the material and course. I would tell myself to not sporadically spend my money on the non-needed luxuries, but it's okay to spoil myself once in a while. I would tell myself to keep on going and to never look back into the past and give up on the aspects of life you cannot control.

Keep your mind focused on your goals, and don't panic if you need to change them as you progress. Don't automatically assume that you'll make friends right away by just being there, take the initiative and meet new people. Involve yourself in any activity that you are insterested in, and even if you want some alone time don't let it rule your college experience. Finally let your self have fun every once in while, but always keep up with your studies.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to fill out more scholarship applications and to be more outgoing. College is alot more expensive that i anticipated so it wouldve been nice to have tried to get more scholarships as a senior in high school. Maybe I would be eating less McDonald's if I had thought about the future sooner. I also wouldve told myself to be more outgoing and to make better connections. The few people that I did reach out to before I left for UCF have helped me so much with the process of going to college. It wouldve been even better if i could have reached out to my academic advisor earlier or even my roommates. It truly is turning out to be who you know, not what you know.

I would tell myself to take school seriously and to save money from work. I did not really put 110{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} effort in. If I did, I would have had straight A's. Also, I would have saved money for college because everything is expensive and when you do not have money everything becomes stressful.

If I could go back and talk to myself, barring any temporal affects to the space-time continuum, I would give myself two pieces of advice. The first piece of advice I would give myself is to be more outgoing. The second piece would be to give more care to the place. The foremost piece of advice as to being more outgoing is key. While I was attending school, it was not until the end of my education that I realized that there were many great people at the campus. I could have met so many more friends had I not been so shy. Finally, I would definitely tell myself to be more engaging with the school itself. The campus was wonderful and offered so much to do throughout the day and night. I could have had an abundant amount of joy utilizing the facilities to more affect. It really did have a massive amount of extracurricular activities to offer. To conclude, my advice would be sound in saying to just get out there more. I could have had much more fun than I had if I engaged more. However, I don't regret a thing about being at UCF.

Everyone, or at least that's what I like to tell myself, is completely clueless upon entering college for the first time. Movies portray it as an endless binge-drinking episode; parents stress a heavy course load & intensive studying. In reality, college is what you make of it. You can party or study your life away, or have a mix of both. Balance is key. Only take on what you can handle in both your social & academic endeavors. Know when to say no. Make your education your priority. Isn't that why you're here in the first place? Summer term is the best preparation. Figure out what you want to study quickly; don't waste time. Be aware of due dates & deadlines. Planners are excellent tools. Manage your money wisely. Use coupons & find good deals. Don't room with a friend you can't lose; living together gets complicated. Finally, don't take things too seriously. You can (and will) make mistakes. Leap out of your comfort zone. Live a little. In the wise words of Mark Twain, "You will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do."

If I could go back in time to give myself advice, I would forewarn myself of the hardships of life. I have experienced more life lessons that have helped me become a better person compared to actually having trouble transitioning. However, I would tell myself to enroll in dual enrollment and AP courses in order to advance in my major. I would definitely warn myself to never give up because there will be doubters when you have ambition. Yet, do not embody hatred and assume it will help you achieve your goal. Instead kill those individuals who once doubted you and the academic advisor that told you to change your major with your kindness because they underestimated your capability. Then I would end by saying, “You will be amazed at how intelligent and determined you are to show individuals someone can make it from a poor neighborhood. I never doubted you even when times got rough and you cried out in distress. I know how anxious you are to embark on this journey so I will say research is in your future. Graduation is soon and hopefully your determination inspires your little cousins, nieces, and nephews to further their education.”

Don't be in a rush to start working. Put all your effort into your studies, but most importantly, learn to start managing your time. Your teachers were right. There is no one over your shoulder asking for your homework or how you are progressing. No one will babysit you through college so be prepared. However, that being said, there is also help available. Take advantage. Don't try to go at it alone.

Test the waters in various majors of interest. You might think you know what your focus in school will reside in, but often times graduated students will go out into the real world and decide they are unhappy with their choice. Don't get frustrated with yourself, with your indecisiveness. It will only benefit you in the end when you wake up one day and realize the potential in what is offered at such a large school. You will come out of school a happier person with your final decision, as well as a more well rounded individual. Take advantage of the various courses offered, enroll in courses that sound interesting and bond with professors that have similar interests. These specialized individuals are able to offer a lot of wisdom about a multitude of opportunity in each of their fields. Finally, when somebody tells you not to focus on a major because there are no jobs in it, or no money, ignore it. Do what is going to make you happy, what you will wake up enjoying everyday.

If I was able to go back and talk to myself as a senior in high school, I would advise myself not to take the college opportunity for granted. It is trully a honor to be a college student. The doors that open for you as a graduate are unbelievable; of which I never thought of as a senior heading to college the first time. Now as a father of 4 daughters, I not only attend college for myself, I attend for my whole families future. By allowing myself as a young man to not educate myself at the true level I should have, my family and I have struggled. I regret my choice in the past and know I can not change them, but I can make them right. I would like my younger self to see what I have been through since my senior year of high school; between working two jobs and 80 hours a week, to being unemployed for over a year, and now not recieving financial aid do to the government changes. I wish my struggles on no one, and if I could see myself in high school one time, maybe I could change it.

If I could go back in time, I would not give my high school self any advice. This seems brutal, but this blind transition I had to make made me grow and adapt to a situation I was not prepared for. When my parents left me in my dorm room after helping me move in all day, I cried all night and into the morning. I was scared of leaving something comfortable for something unknown and had little faith in myself academically. In high school, I was even voted “most likely to drop out of college.” Over time, however, I found myself changing and adapting. Professors began to inspire me, ideas and goals started to fill me with excitement for the future. I graduated four years later with two degrees and moved to Spain to teach English. Now, I am getting ready for graduate school to pursue a master in International Relations. I still have a lot more learning and growing to do, but I am no longer scared of challenging myself. Thank you for providing students with an opportunity to experience this and I look forward to hearing your reply.

Don't go to Florida Southern. The campus is dominated by narrow minded frats and there is very, very little diversity or opportunities off campus in anything! Really look at the culture of the school and not just the academics or sports program. Take a very, very easy first semester of classes until you get the hand of college.

I would tell myself that any other grade other than an A is unexceptable considering what I know now. I would devote so much more time on learning the best studying techniques, because I have struggled multiple times trying to force myself to crame info one day before the test. I would allow myself to be as much into school as possible and not worry about what's going outside of school. I would allow myself to not be shy when it comes to me needing help and asking the teachers for one on one . I would allow myself to better understand how important it is to do your best while your in high school because your offered so many more opportunities with great grades than grades that are just passable. I would tell myself to never allow myself settle for less than I know is expected of me like just barely passing until its second semeter. I would study so much more because in college it is like having an instructor who shows but not teaches, and sometimes you don't always get a study guide to help you like in high school. I would give it my all.

Don't be shy! Go out there and experiment! Discover who you are! Do not be a hemit all the time.

If I were to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to take school more seriously and learn to manage my time better. Living by yourself in college is a huge difference. You have freedom that you didn't have in high school, and I know I let it get the best of me my first semester here. I still got decent grades but I could have done better if I had buckled down more. In high school, I mostly just skated by because the material was easy for me. I procrastinated on almost every assignment in high school, but I always got great grades on them so I thought that would be alright in college. It's not. College professors grade honestly. They are preparing you for the real world and they aren't as nice as high schoool teachers, and for good reason. Many people assume that college is four years of fun. College is a lot of fun, but it's also a place to become an adult. I've grown up more in the last few years here, than any other time in my life.

I would tell my high school persona that they should be weary of signing up for classes. In the more adult -centered university the students also have more responsibility placed on them. This often means that it is difficult to find advisors who can guide you through the class scheduling processes.

The advice that I would give myself is to not take AP courses but take more dual enrollment classes, because first: college is expensive! and secondly, most graduate schools do not accept AP credit so I have to retake the classes and pay more money.

In retrospect, I remember not being too far off from your typical 'young and naive' American teenage girl. I worshipped everything on television and the internet and disobeyed my parents, completely oblivious to their wisdom. Even though I was this immature teenager, I wanted so desperately to grow up; I wanted to be an adult. Television, Social networking sites, and peers that also aspired to be 'young and naive' adults raised me. I was living in a culture corrupted by negativity. Sex was everywhere and was influencing the minds of young people, including myself. And so, In leaving for college my mind was wrapped around what I blindly attributed to 'adulthood' rather than my education. If I could go back in time and give my young self advice, I would encourage myself to listen to my parents. I would teach myself my current religious ideological views, in hopes of instilling some moral guidance. Also, I would encourage myself to learn about my racial identity and those that fought for me to be where I am today. I would do all these things in hopes of making my transition from high school to college more productive.