University of Colorado Colorado Springs Top Questions

College isn't as difficult as every teacher in high school is telling you. The most important thing about college is to keep organized and to keep a planner. Write EVERYTHING in that planner scuh as; appointments, class times, work schedules, times you plan on studying and actually do it, and times that you need to spend having fun. Stressing out about your classes will make them harder for you to succeed in, so make time to just relax. Studying is also really important. You might have been getting away with winging your tests in high school but you won't in college. On eof the other things that you should do is to get invovled in your school. Go to the activities that the college sponsers and have fun doing them. Don't be shy around the other students because ou will want to make friends. The more friends you make the more connections you will have once you graduate which can help you get great jobs. connections are important.

If I had the chance to go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that the most important thing in the transition is being as organized as possible. First, choosing the right college is important and to start looking, in detail, what colleges offer what exactly I'm looking for. Making sure that it's in a good location or that it has the education that I would need to further my career. Secondly, I wish I could tell myself to get the most money I possibly could with scholarships. In the whole process I wish I would have started these things much earlier because making a rushed decision on something that's so important, like college, more than likely is going to result in a bad choice. Organization is key to a successful college career.

Don't procrastinate. Make a plan and follow it through. It's difficult, it's daunting. You don't know where to start, but start anyway. Don't ignore your own desires, and don't worry if they change. You have plenty of time to sort it out, and you don't have to be perfect on the first try. In fact, a failed start makes a better story in the long run. Don't procrastinate. Get your financial aid done yesterday, whether you're going to that college or not. Forget about your insecurities. They don't matter. You can't move forward if you're always looking back. You want to make the right choice, but as important as it is, your life will be excellent even if you don't. The college you go to now doesn't have to be your graduate degree, so you don't have to worry about being judged by it. Don't procrastinate. You don't have to stress about applications after you've submitted them. The whole thing won't turn out exactly as you planned, but enjoy it anyway. Finally, whatever you do, don't procrastinate.

College presents an environment that is much different than high school. In high school, assignments and schedules are very structured and in college, assignments are more difficult and require more work and time to complete. In college, study strategies are a necessity! It is better to figure out study strategies while in high school than having to figure out ways to study a lot of information when college classes require studying and different ways of studying. Apply for as many scholarships as possible. It may seem redundant to apply for scholarship after scholarship, but once college starts and you are required to take out loans to pay for your education, you will wish you applied for more scholarships. One last thing to remember is do not forget about friends from high school. Those friends who have always been there will always be there, but stay in touch with them. When college presents challenges that seem like they are too much to bare, those friends will be there to support you and tell you that you can make it through anything.

The biggest piece of advice I would give my past self would be to treat other people as if they were having the worst day of their life. I think that everybody deserves to be treated with kindness all of the time. If I had followed this advice in high school, I probably would have come out of my shell a little more, talked to more people, and maybe changed someone else's life. I also would have learned not to be so self-conscious, and to focus on serving other people more. I believe that serving the people around you is the best way to contribute to the well-being of the world.

When I was in high school, I was a bad, bad kid. Academically, anyway. It wasn't that I got into any serious trouble, but I didn't take my academics seriously. I goofed off and made a lot of Cs an Ds, something I'm not proud of at all, but I realized that with my college experience I was able to make up for what I felt I lost in high school. I now realized the importance of an education, and the importance of planning ahead for what you want to be in the future through an education. Now, I'm a Biochemistry major who plans on attending, possibly, medical or pharmacy school one day. If I could go back in time to my high school self, I'd tell myself to, one, not slack off and try to learn as much as possible, because knowledge is such a beautiful thing. Being able to learn and understand as much as possible is very important to me, because you can really make a difference with it. I plan on using it to be a doctor one day, and help those who would need it. I would enjoy that.

I would have tell myself that getting a college degree will be invaluable in my future sucess. I would say that my time would be well spent and cost will only go up. I would tell myself that I will be sucessful at completing college and not to be afraid of change or failure.

If I could go back and talk to myself a year ago I would tell myself many things. I would say, "be glad that you took physics. Even though the class was horrible, it really was helpful for classes you will take during first semester. Be glad that you took AP classes. They are way easier than college and way cheaper. On a side note, be grateful that you participated in the CU Gold program because that was six easy credits that did not even need to transfer. You are also going to need to prepare yourself for living at home. While all your friends who leave for college are free, you are still at home. It will be terrible. However, it saves you money. You get a nice, comfortable bed, private showers, and home cooked meals so be thankful for that. I will also advise you to stay in better contact with some old friends. Many of them will leave and you will never hear from them again. They just move on I guess. But for those who stay, cherish them, they love you and are probably here to stay. Finally, stay on top of your homework! Good luck."

Having completed two years of college, if I were given the opportunity to go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would advise myself to make the most of my last year and to enjoy the little moments. During my senior year I was working in a first grade class to meet requirements for my Teacher Cadet class, and I had the pleasure to work with a teacher who had many years in the education field and a huge heart that extended to every student that walked into her classroom. I would tell myself to ask her more questions, questions about things like the difficulites in finding employment, and what extra things are good to have on a resume. More importantly, I would also ask her when it first was that she knew she was meant to teach, and why she does still to this day.

If I could go back in time, I would advise myself to not hold assignments to the last minute. I would also tell myself to not cram for a big exam the night before, because that really created bad habits which carried over to my work ethics in college. In addition to time management i would tell myself to think more abstract or outside the box which easily got me through high school but will not translate to success in college.

I would tell myself three main points that i have had to learn the difficult way in college. First, I would have told myslef to be more outgoing in highschool and keep that outgoing attitude all through college. Meeting people in college is great it leads to wonderful oppertunities, and being shy my first year will get me no where. I secondly would have stressed to myself how important applying for scholarship and grants really is. Although in highschool it may seem like my parents had unlimited funds and could pay for my entire college career, that thought is sadly unrealistic. Working full time to pay for school is no easy task, and any scholarship money would be that much more I could have saved. Lastly I would tell myself to not procrastinate so much. I know my goals and need to not put of writing that paper, or taking to a couselor, or filling our degree requirements. Wating only causes stress and money. Both of which I would love to avoid. All in all, if i could tell myself to be more outgoing, and utilize scholarships and time, college life will be much easier.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself in high school, I would tell myself that college is a lot different than I had previously thought. I would advise myself to not procrastinate on major projects in order to avoid unneccessary stress around the assignment due date. I would also tell myself that keeping up on week by week reading is essential in staying ontop of the class work and following along with lectures. I would also go back and tell myself to listen to my mom about financial aid and filling scholarship applications out while still in high school rather than waiting until the beginnig of college. I have come to find that it would have been a lot more beneficial to myself to search for scholarships before I started college and had to pay my tuition out of my pocket which then led me to start taking out student loans. If I could go back and tell myself something concerning the courseload and workload of college in comparison to high school, I would say that they are both more demanding and more extensive than the work and courseloads of high shool. If only I could.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to not stress as much about making friends and fitting in. Taking classes for my major was an easy way to make friends through group projects and other assignments. Professors are easy to contact if you have any questions or concerns about the class through either email or talking to them after class. Also, don't be afraid to ask anyone a question because they most likely had the same problem when they were a freshman!

I would go back and tell myself to try and make a few friends with people at my high school that will be going to the same school so its not as lonely to start off at school. Although I was a big book worm in highschool I would mention to myself as well that there needs to be some balance between school work and socializing. So I would want to continue my book worm habits for the most parts but I would like to find a decent balance between work and fun so I didn't have to struggle with that as much now. But one of the biggest things I would tell myself about transitioning from highschool to college life is to not worry about what everyone else thinks about you they are all either transitioning as well or have had to do it at one time or another. The biggest thing I would mention is to fill out scholarship applications as much as possible, any and all help can help in the long run because it is pretty expensive to go to college.

I am twenty-two years old but feel time start to rewind. No longer am I the young woman working part time as a receptionist with a current acceptance to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs but the seventeen year old girl excited about being a senior, living in humid North Carolina, and worrying about some silly boy. As I approach my younger self I smile thinking how easy life seemed then. I sit. I begin telling younger me how wonderful college life is and how great the feeling of being independent is. "You're going to love it," I say," but please start working and saving up money now. Apply for aid and scholarships. You'll be suprised the scholarships you win. DO NOT procrastinate!! Don't be afraid to walk into the university and sit down with an advisor. And remember no question is a stupid one. Have fun your last year of high school but be smart, be wise. Study and make good grades because remember you are made to shine! Oh don't worry too much about a car you'll be given one in a year... FOR FREE!" Words to inspire a young me.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a High School Senior, face to face, I would tell myself this: "You have a tremendous opportunity to obtain knowledge far beyond what most would strive for. It has been said that transitioning from high school to a university is extremely challenging for some, but not for you. Inside your mind, body, and spirit is unlimited potential and this potential will never shrink as you age, but only grow more powerful. With this potential, you have the ability to tap into indomitable willpower, which you will use to mold your transitioning phase from high school to college-From boy to young man. What you do at this point is what your future will be doing and everything you build from this point will be your children's heritage tomorrow. I ask that you be conscious of this because this is where your first challenge to become a better person begins. You must succeed not only for yourself, but for the sake of the earth and all the people who inhabit it. It is within your power to become the future of the our culture, our history, and of our people.

If I could go back in time and give my high school self advice, I would tell myself to work harder in school and study more. Junior year was my hardest year in school and in my personal life and I did not care as much about school as I should have, which is still affecting me in my school life now. I did not have the discipline to succeed and am still working out the kinks with school that could have been different if I had actually paid attention and worked harder with my school work.

Looking back now, there are several things I would do differently as a senior in high school. Given the chance, there are a couple pieces of advice I would give myself. Focusing on my grades is one of them. At the beginning of the year, I started off strong with a 4.0, but as the year went by my GPA dropped with each quarter. By fourth quarter I had a 2.5 GPA, the lowest I had ever gotten in my entire high school career, which affected the colleges I could get into. I love my school, but it's not my first choice. Another thing is applying for more scholarships. College is expensive and even the smallest amount could go a long way. I would be sure to be more involved in school. Now that I look back, there are many opportunities I didn’t take then that I regret not taking now. I would tell myself to strengthen my connections with the girls on my dance team. Being captain, I had a connection with everyone, but an actual friendship is what I wish I had. These are helpful pieces of advice I wish I had then.

With only one semester of college under my educational belt, I feel that I am still a blue dish sponge trying to absorb all of the knowledge I can. Even though I consider myself a novice in the ways of college I (given the opportunity of time travel) would go back to my senior year of high school and advise my senior self in two specific ways. First off, I would advise myself to be more involved in the academic process of registering for college. I feel that I was not prepared for this aspect of college. I would advise myself to do more research on how classes work and talk to academic advisers before registering. The second piece of guidance that I would convey is to enjoy my small accomplishments. As a high school senior I never looked at school as if the glass was half full but half empty. This outlook caused stress and disappointment, and I never took joy in the small goals I accomplished. Dear high school senior self: be more involved in registering for college, and fill the glass half full with all your accomplishments.

Many times throughout life we face challenges that do not always come with a complete set of “how to” instructions. One challenge whose instructions are not set in stone is the journey of high school. Only bits and pieces of instruction are shared to help steer students in the right direction. Students forever hear the famous sayings, “Do your homework”, and “Don’t be late for class” from their parents and teachers as well. These tips are important, truthful, and give guidance in order to help students prosper; however, I now realize after experiencing the transition into college life, there is a piece of advice that I can only wish I could render to my high school self. This advice would be to increase your desire to want to succeed. Talking back to my past self, I would advise this because the desire to succeed should be so strong that success is the only thing you yearn for with a burning passion. You must be determined enough to continue on until you succeed. Dedicated enough to your studies, and devoted to transforming your dream into a reality. It is only then that you will begin to find your true potential.