University of Colorado Colorado Springs Top Questions

If I could go back and talk to myself as a senior in highschool, I would have many things to say. I would first tell myself to listen to mom more often and respect her opinion because she is often right. I would then explain how my hard work will really be worth it and how i should not be discouraged by my lack of being part of the "popular" crowd because many of them end up going nowhere. I would tell myself to get involved as much as possible. I would say not to get overwhelmed by so many opportunities that are availible and to persue every one that interests me. I would encourage myself to have fun on occassion and not to take life too seriously. Entering college is so beautiful because it is the time where opportunities are endless and the future is open. It is the time to explore, believe, and open your eyes. I would encourage myself to start seeing the world through open eyes where I judge less and love more. Lastely, I would tell myself not to worry. With hard work and dedication, college opens endless opportunities, and the sky is the limit.

As a senior at Wasson High School, I chose to take classes that would get me to graduation and not much further than that. This was a huge mistake on my part. These classes did not give me the knowledge and skills I needed to be ready for college. College is a completely different beast from high school and I did not see it coming. The amount of work and the higher level of curriculum caught me by surprise. I thought that since I was the valedictorian of my class, that college would be a piece of cake. Boy was I wrong. Now that I have begun my undergraduate career at UCCS, I know what I should have done my senior year. If i could tell myself what I should have done, I would tell myself this. Take real classes, don't settle in and be lazy waiting for graduation. Get out there and do it! Learn something new, challenge yourself! Without a challenge you'll get lazy and that is not what will help you in college. You must take on new challenges and face them with determination. This will help you transition to college.

I think the advice I would give myself would have to be that school is important, much more important than hanging out with friends and getting drunk. Who cares what everyone else is doing or what your firends think. And that if you are going to pay for college yourself you had better take your classes seriously because a 2.0 for your first semester will never dissapear and will haunt you the rest of your life. It may not seem like the fun thing to do but finishing college right out of highschool would have made my life much easier.

If I could go back in time to the fall of 2008, I would tell myself many things. One would be to invest my time in the free education I was getting, because I definitely took that for granted. Another would be to volunteer more during my free time, because I have not had that kind of free time since. I would also love to tell myself to learn better study habits, because college is not easy if you don’t know how to study. While those pieces of advice are very worthy, the most valuable one I would tell myself is to be more open-minded. I grew up in a very sheltered community where diversity of any kind just wasn’t accepted. I never faced any kind of challenge because someone was different in my younger years. Because of this close minded attitude, I missed out on some great opportunities my freshman year in meeting some really cool people. Knowing what I know now, I just wished that I had known that diversity in every form is not only ok; it’s an amazing part of life that should be embraced by everyone.

"College isn't just more school that you have to go through after high school is finished. College is the path that will lead to life you've always wanted. A life full of discovery, learning, and fullfilment. I know your passions and what it is you want to do with your life, and if you wish to succeed at your full potential you must walk the path of college and learning even while still in high school. High school may seem like something you don't need to take seriously, but that is an entirely wrong accusation. Your education now will give you the foundation you need to rise above the others and achieve all of your goals and dreams. Being you, I know you dream big and set high goals, and I also know you can and will see them become reality. All you must do is apply yourself in high school now, and never quit. Even when high school and college are behind you, give everything you've got. And one more thing; believe in yourself. You are the only inspiration you will have to pull through the hardships and challenges. Now go forth and prove yourself."

Dear Kate, There are a few things you need to know. First, explore! Challenge yourself to take the class with the weird name; those are usually the most fun. Don't waste the money for college, but don't restrict your choices. This is a place where thinkers think, and doers do; so please do both. Explore the cookbook too, if you burn dinner it's okay, PB&J are still a favorite. Second, stand out and stand up. Chances are if you have a question, someone else has the same one; be the one to ask, it pays off in the long run. If you see a problem, be the change you want to see! This also means reaching out to connect, whether for yourself or for someone else. Be brave because the initial "Hey!" is always the hardest. Lastly, enjoy. Enjoy friends, laughter, sleep, learning and adventures. Do the random fun (like a sunrise hike, or movie premiere). But you are smart, so don't be stupid. Sincerely, Kate ps - You have the chance to be at university, be grateful for it, work hard, and seize the day!

First of all, I would go back and tell myself in highschool to do my best. At the time, it is hard to see your life past the present, and you don't realize how much the decisions that you make will affect your life later. I did not work up to my potential in highschool even though I was intelligent. If I had worked up to my full potential I would have had a better foundation for starting college and would not have had to start in lower college courses. It would have made the overall transition to college much easier for me. I would have had better study habits to help me be more successful in college. Even though when starting college I did well, being more successful in highschool would have made my college experience much smoother and stress free. If I could go back to highschool again I would work harder, make the best possible grades that I could, and go straight to college. I am currently 26 years old and just starting towards my career. If I had been on a better path, I could be currently working in my chosen career field.

I would take my life a lot seriouser and I would have went straight to college and waited to have kids until I was done with school

In this, your senior year of high school, you will be faced with a few decisions regarding your future. Many of your peers will go off to college, and many others will jump right into the work force and find their own way down their chosen road. Others may take time off completely. There is no pressure on you to decide immediately. You have the world at your fingertips at this time in your life and it is indeed suggested that you take the bull by the horns and follow your heart wherever it may lead you. I know that it is in you to continue your education. But, I also know that you aren't exactly sure what you want to pursue on a grander level. Regardless of how you decide, establish a few certain things right now that will help you later on. Establish a tuition savings account. Establish a practice of journaling and discovering who you are and what inspires you. Most importantly, establish your goals. A furthered education is in your future, but there is no reason to rush it. You will know when the time is right.

STOP stressing!! You will make the right decision as to which college you will attend. On the other hand your major area of study will be your biggest mystery. Going into the application process wanting to be a nurse will change after you realize that you're not the one who wants to be a nurse. You will struggle with not wanting to let anyone down. Don't worry whether you believe it or not mom will be happy and support you with the career path you end up loving. Don't set yourself up to have to be a doctor, a Pharmacist, or a nurse. You know that although you excelled in those classes they are just not a passion you have. Look deeper into what you excel in during your freshman year. I suggest to stay in the LAS degree model for at least the first year and don't take classes that will only fit one major because then you will feel stuck with having to complete that major but the good news is your never stuck. Please one last thing save up as much money as possible because the expenses of college will stress you out!

If I could go back in time and give advice to the high school senior version of myself, I would provide three pieces of advice. The first thing I would tell myself is to not procrastinate. Unlike high school where it was easy to write a paper at the last minute and get a good grade on it, it is not easy to do that in college and your grade will suffer if you do procrastinate with papers, and I would make sure the senior version of me knew that. The second piece of advice I would give myself is how to interact with roommates. Living with three strangers in a small area is difficult and I would warn myself to be more easy going with the different situations and be more open to trying new things and going new places with my roommates instead of staying in my room on the computer. The last piece of advice I would give is to stay true to myself. College is the place to get to know and discover who you, and I would incourage the senior version of myself to go out and take chances without being afraid to fail.

If I were to be able to go back in time to high school and give myself advice, I would start by telling myself to study more, get more involved in the community, and participate in more athletics. I have never studied as much as I have since entering college, and it's a totally new experience absorbing all this new information. I wish I had studied more in high school because I believe it would have helped my grades greatly. It would also have made me stand out more as a student. Furthermore, I would also have volunteered in the community more often to better assist people in need. Learning sociology this year has made me realize the importance of strenghthening our communities. Athletics would also be another area in which I would improve. Getting involved in more sports would have given me a greater skill set in terms of leadership and teamwork. My goal in college is to accomplish all these things and also succeed academically.

If only I could go back in time and sit down with my naive, confused self (basically any teenager I suppose)! Since graduating from college I have changed my major many many times so I would first tell myself there is no rush in picking a major nor starting school right away; take time off to really explore and find your passions and go with them. I would hint take what has been your main interest and conflict since high school and focus on that as a career. Enjoy your time instead of fretting about how there is not enought time in the day! "Worrying does not solve tomorrow's problems, but instead takes away today's peace"

Just relax and make studying your priority.

Ask for help! Knowing that there are always people out there that know more than you, and that all you have to do is ask for help would have been very helpful. I also think that the more time-management skills you have, the better.

Believe in your heart and be consistant in what you want to be in life. Don't give up, and become what you wanr to become until you've accomplish your dream.

If I could go back and talk to my high school self I would tell her that high school isn't everything and that there is far more to life than your high school friends, so when you lose contact after graduation, don't be heartbroken, you'll make new amazing friends in college! I would tell myself to enjoy how simple and easy life is, to take every opportunity because you only live once and this is time that you can never get back! Make sure that when you look back on high school it makes you smile! College IS as hard as everyone says, but it's do-able so don't be discouraged or nervous! Don't let anyone influence where you go to college because YOU are going, not them! And embrace college once you get there, don't be stuck in high school; enjoy the memories, but learn to create new ones and not be stuck in the past! YOU CAN DO IT!

It is unreasonable to ask a high school senior to know what they want to do with their lives. High school teaches us absolutely nothing about the world! It is completely okay to spend some time meeting intellectual people, having adult experiences and situations, and learning about the "grown-up" world in order to make a good decision about where you want to end up eventually. So if you don't know what you want to do on your first day of college, that's okay. You'll be surrounded by motivated people who want to better themselves by gaining a valuable education, so there's no doubt that something will spark your interest from the people you meet in college. Don't rush. You have all the time in the world to figure out what to do with your life, Holly.

I have truly learned so much throughout my college experience. I have attended two different colleges, and they have quite different experiences. Mostly, I have learned about myself: what I really want, that I am not one of those people who can just earn great grades easily. Because of this self-realization, I have learned to set goals. Throughout school from kindergarden to senior year of high school, teachers always made students set goals, so I probably should have learned sooner. It was not until college when I learned what a worthwhile goal was, and if I set a goal that I want to achieve, then I actually have to work towards it. In high school, goals were always short-term, but now that I have been thrown into the real world, I need to set life-long goals. My current goal is to attend medical school. This goal is worthwhile because it is not an easy feat, and now I am learning how to work towards furthering my education. It has been valuable to attend college, because without it, I would not have learned how to prepare for the rest of the life I want.

By living at home and struggling to pay for school I have learned the value of a dollar to acheive something in life. Of course I wanted to attend a school with a big sports program and social life but knowing I would have copious amounts of loans to pay off school if I didn't live at home, I sacrificed those desires in order to be successfull at school. Being at UCCS has been beneficial as several of the professors are not huge names in their field , therefore they dont have an over bearing ego to deal with. Also I get the feeling from several professors that they are truly passionate about their fields and my success as they are simply there to educate the future of their industry and ensure it prospers well past their death. Along with this commitment to students, professors typically have years of experience in their field if they are not currently working in it, giving students a practical reality to what is truly going on in the industry they (the student) are pursing a degree in.