University of Colorado Colorado Springs Top Questions

If I could go back in time and be a high school senior again, I would like to give myself the advice of learn all that you can. Learn how to manage your own bank account and to pay for everything on your own. I would say to learn how to take out loans and how to just live on your own in a way. Be more prepared to live by yourself with out the help of your parents. I would advice starting to pull away from my parents sooner and trying to figure out what the real world is like.

If I could go back in time and give myself some advice, it would be to try harder in high school. I would tell myself to work hard in class to try to earn some scholarships to help pay the expenses of university. I would also tell myself to take Advanced Placement classes more seriously, and to take more of them. This is because they can greatly reduce the number of courses one needs to take at a university, and, consequently, will reduce the amount one needs to pay to a college in the long run. I would also tell meyself to get more involved in the clubs and teams offered in high school so that I could get a better feel for what I want to do after I graduate.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would have many things to say. I would tell myself to continue to stay focused and study hard for every class. Classes will continue to get harder as I move forward through my schooling. The one thing I would stress to myself is that I should not stress out so much about every exam. Exams are always easier than you expect when you are fully prepared. I always study hard for exams and I make sure I am prepared for every possible question. My only problem is that I stress out even when I know I'm ready. Telling my high school self about this secret would relieve much stress in my final year of high school and my first year of college. Also, I would tell myself that the transiton to college is very simple. College is just like a big high school campus where you have a lot more freedom to do what you wish. In college, you are not concealed in a building until a certain time everyday. Overall, going back in time would help better my college years in many ways.

Manage your time well! This is the most essential part of the college life, and learning how to balance studying and friendships is essential to survival. You need to learn how much to study and what quality of studying you should do. Don?t simply study your notes, memorize everything, and then throw it up on the test. Make sure you?re actually learning the material, and remember what you learned. Don?t take anything for granted, and don?t ever assume that you already know everything. Be willing to expand your horizons, and always be open to learning more about a subject you already understand. Make sure you leave enough time to go out with friends, and never devote too much time to studying. Trust me, you will drive yourself insane if you don?t leave the house and enjoy yourself at least twice a week. Being with other people and having fun are the only ways in which you?ll be able to survive the collegiate life. Don?t ever be afraid to express your opinion, talk to people, or make a friendly gesture. If you do all these things, you'll be extraordinarily happy in college.

"You've worked so hard - don't slack off now." Yes, you've made it through the first three years of high school with your student record fairly untarnished, extracurriculars in place, and a GPA slightly higher than expected. Don't get complacent now that you have made it this far! Keep yourself in gear, at your academic fighting weight. Regardless of what you'll hear about "senioritis" and how "colleges don't even bother looking at your senior grades," you must stay focused and on target. Colleges DO check. I watched several friends lose their scholarships before they'd even finished high school. Don't let that happen to you!

I would go back and advise myself to not go away from home to a university right away. Going to a community college for the first year or two would have been a much better choice. I would also tell myself to get a list of available majors from my college and do my own research about each and every one listed, instead of choosing my major based on just my academic advisor's advice and information. I would tell myself to get a thicker mattress pad for my dormroom bed and to always have some breakfast foods available in my dorm, since breakfast ends before most college students are even awake. I would tell myself to never, ever buy textbooks from the campus bookstore without doing research about prices elsewhere. I would advise myself to ignore my academic adviser's suggestion to take 18 credit hours during the second semester of my freshman year, and to take more time instead to learn how to balance a course load with having friends and relationships.

Laura, Right now it's your senior year at Doherty, and you are having fun with friends, family, and a boyfriend. You've started to think about colleges and decided on UCCS. I know that you think UCCS is the safest bet for you because you can stay in Colorado Springs and live comfortably at home. But I want to stress to you that you do not have to be afraid of what comes next in life. You are about to limit yourself to living at home and cursing yourself to a boring freshman year of college. You are making a big mistake! Don't be afraid to make the leap to an out-of-town school! You will be so much happier if you consider all your options and don't limit yourself to what you think you are capable of. You are capable of so much more than you know, and you will make friends quickly. Don't worry about missing your family, you will see them often. Get rid of your fears, and you will be so much happier. Take some risks! Be proactive! It will pay off big in the end.

The advice I would give myself, if I went back in time, would be to work more on my studying skills. More specifically, studying math and physics in more detail. Granted, I didn't know at the time I was going to be a Physics major, but that's why you go back in time! At any rate, I would also have to tell my younger self, "self, you need to balance your schedule better. Otherwise you will fall into an internal pit of darkness." I truly believe these lessons could have made my transition much easier then it is for me today. However, this is my present, my past, and my future.

As a senior I developed a horribly debilitating disease known as "senior-itis." This common and unyielding disease has been known to cause lack of motivation, laziness, and short cut taking. I lost focus on my goals, and began to slack off in my classes, assuming I was home free. If I could travel back to that time and talk to myself I would give myself the only known antidote to "senior-itis," 300cc's of a reality check. I would inform me that I would not finish a 4-year degree, only a 2 year at a Community College, and that I would be working full time in retail. I would force myself to focus on my classes, look into majors that interest me, apply for scholarships, and use the many tools available to benefit myself to the fullest degree possible. I would advise against excessive social outings, and stress the importance of finishing strong as if I were running a race. I had great potential and have not lived up to it so far, I have anew outlook on life, new goals, and new determinations today, all of which would have benefited me greatly in the past.

If I were to go back in time and give myself advise about school, I would tell myself not to wait so long. Take your future into your own hands and keep your motivation high. School gets more exciting from here on. And there?s nowhere to go other then up from here. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Education is the golden tool to becoming a successful adult in life. Don?t waste this opportunity to build your future to unbelievable heights. Continuing your education from here should be your main goal. Now is the time to focus on the field of work you are most interested in. Take charge of where you want to go, don't give these years to anything other then your education. I promise you will not regret this.