University of Central Florida Top Questions

Assess your study needs. If you feel more comfortable with a more intimate environment, choose schools that offer that. Even if a school ranks tops in the nation, it may not be a good match for your learning needs. Remember, in the end it won't matter if you graduated with a degree from somewhere if you cannot apply what you have learned in the real work force. Also broaden your application choices! Choose classes from all ranks and be sure to have many back ups. Aim for the best, prepare for the worst and choose according to your own wishes.

Make sure you follow your heart and stay involved in the things you love. It's going to be hard work, but if you can keep yourself focused and stay involved in music, which has always helped you, you'll do fine. Have fun! Don't let things get you down and if someone is hurting you or upsetting you, drop them and go be with people who make you feel good. Everything is worth it in the end, and youh ave friends willing to help you. Be careful of partiers and those who like to get drunk. They'll try to pull you in and that just won't help you at all. Also, look out for two-faced people. Unfortunately, they still exist in college and you're better off without them. Overall, just have fun and be yourself and you'll do great and make wonderful friends for life.

Hello former self! I am the you from the future. You have been leading quite the life in your senior year, and the time to move on to college is steadily approaching. Set aside your 3,500 word essay for Theory of Knowledge for a moment and hear what I have to say. Your academics are not going to be a problem, as you are more than prepared by the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. You are not going to be a party-goer either, because that is not in your nature, so that is not going to be an issue. However, you tend to procrastinate. A lot. I am here to tell you that you need to apply for financial aid AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. This will save you grief and woe, I promise. Now, I must return to the future. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope to see positive changes in my world because of this.

Would I go back in time to when I was a high school senior and give myself advice? My college experience would be over half as much easier to adjust to if I could. I would first advise myself to take more advanced placement classes so that I could have had more credits going into college in order to get an earlier start on my major classes. Also, I would have told myself to apply for scholarships instead of just depending on my parent's income. At the time, my family was not going through much financial strife. However, ever since the economy turned for the worst , money has become the primary issue. Seeing my parents struggle through these difficult times has put a burning desire in my heart to help out with the finances and to give back for all the hard work and stress they put themselves through just to keep me in school full time. Winning this scholarship would help alleviate this problem since this money would go directly towards school. Lastly, I would advise myself to not stress over college because it is an experience within itself that not enough advice can prepare you for anyway.

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school self, I would definately tell my self to become more independent. Moving away to college is very stressful. It is very difficult to move away from everything that is familiar. I would tell myself to not be so dependent on my family and friends. I think if I was more independent my transition to college would have been a lot smoother.

I would tell myself that I am now considered an adult and cannot depend on my parents for help. I have to make sure I get an adequate amount of sleep and have plenty of time to study and do homework and make it to my classes on time. And most importantly, don't procrastinate.

Dear Kristin, You're about to enter a new phase of your life: college. Do not be afraid. Walk onto campus with your head held high and your mind open to new ideas and ways of thinking about the world. Remain focused on your goals and everything will fall into place. Hold tight to your own personal values, and never give into what other people want from you. Remember who you are and be true to yourself. Know that with a little hard work and dedication, anything is possible. Keep your best friends and your family close; you can rely on them to keep you grounded. And remember, "the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." Dream big and always reach for the stars.

When I was in high school I thought I knew it all, so I would have alot of advice to give me. I would start by telling me to pay more attention in class, not rush into getting a job or growing up too fast, not worry about popularity and what the other people were doing. I would tell me to pay attention to my teachers and take my classes seriously, sit in the front of the class and ask questions. Make sure I have mastered one thing before moving on to the next because alot of time the information builds on what you learned previously. I wouldnt get caught up in what other people are doing because they are not going to be in my life forever and dont be influencef by the actions of others. They are the ones to suffer the consequences. Be a leader and not a follower. I would also make sure to tell myself to be responsible and reliable and to treat school as I would treat a job, devoting as much time to studying as I would if I were working. I would tell myself to set goals and never give up.

Looking back, I'd recommend getting more involved beyond what I'm doing currently, especially in volunteering and social issues. A balanced lifestyle in education, vocation, social interactions, and community is essential to retain harmony, particularly in a never-sleeping college student.

I wish I had known how important it is to prioritize and remain focused on my studies. The preparations I could have made by making better grades and planning ahead for college would have helped make the course load much easier. Also making use of the guidance counselor would have saved me some un needed classes. I think another important thing is to research different career choices and the prospect for that each possible field of study. I think I would also advise that keeping a schedule for study time, activities, job and classes is important along with being organized and planning for term papers and projects. It is important to learn early that moderation is the key to a balanced life that is effective and productive. This means that choices need to be made that allow for educational, spiritual, emotional, and physical needs to be met. Make the most of the gifts you are given and even when you stumble be willing to have the courage to give it another try. Be the best you know how to be and always be open to improving. Knowledge is power.

Ms. Walker, it is to your advantage to explore career opportunities to decipher your specific interests and goals. Ms. Walker, take a realistic look at yourself and take some time to learn more about you. This will help you determine where you'd like to be in the next 5 or 10 years. Ms. Walker, I've counseled many students and I understand that we can sometimes live in the "here and now" without looking at savings, retirement, and our own specific needs and wants. But I challenge you to do that because you have just 1 life and many opportunities come your way and you'll have to make the decision that's best for you, not your friends, family, etc. Ms. Walker, this is not a conversation to bring fear but to shed light on some dim areas. You're a very intelligent, well-rounded student, and you have much to offer to society, any company, and the world at large. I admonish you to look beyond income. Instead maintain your integrity and think about what excites you, what you enjoy doing, and not to mention your skills, assets, and talents. Ms. Walker, search your heart and soul.

I would tell myself to study more and that not everything is the end of the world. I should try and keep family problems seperate even though it is hard and concentrate on school to be able to succeed in life. Talk to people in class and make friends. Once college is over you'll want to have life long friends. And lastly, do not spend financial aid all at once, learn to save money and use it wisely.

If I could go back to high school and give myself advice, I would tell myself to apply for scholarships early and often. Also, it is important not to give up when one loses one scholarship, there is always another one to apply for. In addition to scholarships. It helps to take the standardized tests, such as the ACT and SAT to get a higher score for scholarships even if one has already been accepted into their university. Studying before the tests is crucial, and if one does poorly on one of the tests, then the other should be taken to see if it is easier on the student. It is important to take advanced placement tests and dual enrollment classes to gain an advantage and more credit hours on entering college. Taking those classes prepares you for what the professors expect from you in class. The transition itself isn't hard. It is just adjusting to the work load and study time

Never give up. Meet new people. Have fun but have a balanced life.

College is not like high school, you will need to study so take your exams seriously. Take advantage of study groups and join as many as you can. A lot of general education courses drop one exam out of 4 to help your grade, don't see this as an opportunity to slack off. Study!

Many students now in days would love an opportunity to go back in time to warn themselves of the great surprises college will bring them. If I could go back in time, one of the first things I would do is warm myself of the large opportunity to get involved in clubs and organizations. Many scholarships usually depend on involvement in clubs and organizations and I wish I would have been more involved in clubs in high school because it would have helped me greatly with receiving scholarships. Grade wise, I always kept good grades, but I would have warned myself about applying for scholarships while I was a senior due to the fact that there are a larger variety of scholarships for high school seniors in good academic standing. Lastly, as a college student I have learned that getting an education has an extensive money price and I wish I would have started earlier in applying for scholarships. I would have emphasized greatly to myself the importance of applying early for scholarships so that I would not be as I am now, stressing on how I will be able to pay for school!

Get involved!

Don't think that you can get away with the habits that suited you just fine in Highschool. Get organized and try to stay that way. Know what classes are needed for your degree and try to get them out of the way before you have fun, otherwise you're stuck with a brutal last semester. Try to be social, make friends, trust me you're going to need them

Always stay on track and not go off on a tangent.

I would for sure take AP classes, it saves you lots of time and money! Also apply for scholarships and do very well on SAT/ACT. Senior year is layed back but extremly important and is the last year as a kid before a big transition!