University of Connecticut Top Questions

Going to college betters yourself as a person and makes it better and easier to get a career. Getting a degree and starting a career is better support not only for yourself but for you family when you decide to start one or if you have one.

If I could go back in time and speak to myself as a high school senior I would remind myself to be my own person; stay true to who I have become up until that point. In doing so, only the best will be brought to me and I would not have to worry about much because I would have confidence in my abilities as well as what I would be able to bring to my community, personal satisfaction, and my future endeavors. Looking back, I did not realize how many opportunities would be available to me and how short four years really is. I would encourage myself to do as much as I could and all that I wanted to do as soon as I have the chance. Entering my senior year of college I am blown away. I would have loved for someone to stress, more than people did, that the years go by fast and most of the experiences, opportunities, and chances I would get in college are only available in such a manner during that time. It is unfortunate to lose those opportunities without capitalizing on them and miss out on very important and interesting events.

What you love is what will make your life worthwhile - work very, very hard for it and everything will fall into place. Seek advice, but let your own intuition be the deciding factor. Don't overspend - make responsible financial decisions. Take out as few student loans as possible. Your comfort zone is your confinement. You can not learn by doing something the same way over and over again. Have fun and take pride in what you have learned from your experiences. Don't listen to people who tell you to put your dreams on hold. No matter what happens, keep working toward your dream every day, even if it is only a very small thing you are able to do. You will see in the next five years that life is so beautiful, and you are too.

Dear High-School-Senior Katie, In about 3 months you are going to experience a drastic change; it is going to be scary, nerve-wracking, and there will be some tears. I know you absolutely love playing Scrabble with your family, lying by the pool with your friends, and having your cat sleep by your feet; I get it. However, you need to realize that change is not a bad thing! God has a plan for you; all you have to do is show up and see where He takes you. Believe in yourself; I know you can do it! Embrace the change, be outgoing and kind, laugh a lot, do crazy things that you normally would not do, do your homework ahead of time, sit by the lake to eat lunch, work hard and play hard, and stay true to yourself but do not be afraid to change a little if it's for the better. Savor every moment because this first year is going to literally fly by. Do not be afraid; love the people you spend your time with, they are going to be your family away from home. Live it up! Love, Katie-a-college-sophomore

If i could go back and time and tell my high school senior self something that I have learned, it would be don't take your senior year for granted. Don't be like everyone else and screw up your senior year, because I wish that I would have taken my senior year serious, because i wouldn't be in the situations that i am in now, stressing about when and how i will get my tutition paid, if i had done well senior year I would have had Florida's Bright Futures financle aid which would have paid 75{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of my tuition. Also don't settle for community college, there is nothing wrong with comunity college but it is not for you and you'll also want the college experience no matter what you think.

Going away to college, I got alot more freedom than at home. I could do whatever I want, whenever I want without having to ask my parents. With this new freedom comes alot of responsibility. Here at college, there is no one here to babysit and tell me all the things I need to do. I have to know what is right from wrong and I have to get things done on my own. The workload in high school and college differ in that you take less classes in college but the workload is even more. In high school, I could get away with not studying for exams and still do exceptionally well. In college, things are a lot different. In order to do well I must put in days of studying, sometimes loosing sleep or loosing out on fun. You have to sometimes make these sacrifices for good grades. As it is important to get good grades, it is equally important to have fun and enjoy college, the important thing is to create a balance between the two. With a balance between the two you can have a fun and successful college experience.

Dear Jaake, Take a deep breath. Your going to be ok. Senior Year is almost over and you probably just got kicked out of your parents house. It's not fair, but it is ok. It's not fair that just because your different your parents believe that your wrong. I wish I could prove to you how much life will get better, that one day you will be strong, confident, out of the closet, and president of the Gay Straight Alliance at your community college, but you wouldn't believe me if I tried. You are about to make one severe mistake. You are going to let whats happening at home and with your parents destroy your grades, you are going to decide not to take the SAT's. I urge you not too. Take a breath and realise you dont need help from your parents. Pay attention for the people around you that truly love you, and try too truly love yourself. Love yourself enoug to follow through and finish strong. You wouldn't believe the doors that have closed for me because I let my parents affect my school. Please dont make that mistake. Sincerely, Jaake

Make sure you know exactly which field you want to go into because once you are in college, it is hard to switch. Also, read, read, read as much as you can so you can expand your knowledge and learn many new concepts and ideas that will be useful to your daily life. Mosly importantly, learn to enjoy your time at college and not just be a book worm.

I would advise myself to seek the extra help that I needed in math and science. Having a better grasp on the basics in theese two subject matters would save me a lot of frustration, time, and money.

If I went back in time and talked to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to save my money. Back then, I don't think I realized the importance of having savings and having a plan. I knew that I wanted to go to college after high school but didn't know what I wanted to study. I did not receive any financial help from my parents so it was up to me to support myself through as well as, pay for college. I would have told myself to plan for college classes, and plan on paying for them for a while. Which brings me to the second thing I would have told myself, DON'T STOP TAKING CLASSES UNTIL YOU ARE FINISHED WITH YOUR BACHELOR DEGREE. I decided to stop taking classes after I recieved my Associate Degree because I was unsure of what I wanted to study for a Bachelor Degree. Now that I hae decided to go back, it is much more difficult coming up with the time and money. I work full time, own my house, have many bills to pay, and will soon be getting married and starting a family.

The school you're planning on attending may not be your top choice, but everything happens for a reason. Taking on college after having attended such a small high school may seem scary, but your future experiences are going to be so valuable. Do not fear or stress about this upcoming transition. You're going to have plenty of people in your life to help you with any obstacles you face. Most importantly, have fun. Enjoy all of your classes, study what you love, make good friends and relax. Everything is going to be fine.

I went to high school in a different country - my homeland. I also went to college there for 3 years. Eventually, I continued my education at the University of Connecticut. My college experience is considered "non-traditional" since I am a bit older than the "typical" college student. However, I feel like a traditional student. I have been working on my bachelor's degree for almost 7 years now. I consider those 7 years to be invaluable. The most important message I would like to convey to my high school senior self is: "Hurry slowly. Remember you are NOT a robot. Study hard, but do make sure you sleep sufficiently, eat delectably, and communicate eloquently. Do cross borders - whether ethnic, racial, gender, social, national, continental ... Be a global citizen. "

Work hard.

If I could go back in time to when I was a senior I would have several words of wisdom for myself. The two greatest pieces of advice I have are to aim to get an A on every assignment, and to get involved with voluneering further than the obligated hours for graduation. I believe these are the two most critical factors for any senior, and I wish to share them with as many high schoolers as I can so that they may create better paths for themselves begining with my family. If I could go back to being a high school senior I would go back and advise myself to realize that high school does matter in the long run way after high school graduation. I would advise myself to achieve the character of a solid college student so my actual transition into college is more successful. My high school's moto used to be "Push a little harder, expect a little more", and this is the most plain and simple messege that was right in front of me but not aware of. If I could go back to my senior year I would simply abide by the moto.

I would remember that you are only 18 and don't know exactly what you want to do in life. And to be open to all kinds of new experiences.

The major bit of advice I would give to myself is to go out and do something with my friends more often. I've realized now that hanging out with people is the only thing that keeps you sane when you have a course load of science, math, and engineering classes. I would also tell myself to not bring as much to the dorms. The dorms are small enough already and there is no need to cram any more things into them. You can live without taking everything to college.

I would absolutely tell myself to open up and go out of my shell. My first semester at college was rather boring and lonely, and that was because I kept ot myself instead of going out and meeting new people who had the same interests as myself. Being so isolated made me hate the school and wish I commuted. Now, in my second semester I joined some new clubs, and met so many new people. Having friends and keeping busy is essential to being a part of a college community. I wish that I knew this coming in Freshmen year. I needed to take some social risks and be outgoing. I came from a small high school, so making the transition to a college bigger than my town was huge. Getting out of that comfort zone is challenging, but rewarding, but I wish I had know that from the beginning. Making friends can make the biggest school seem small.

If I could give advice to myself as a high school senior, I would stress the importance of not rushing myself to make a decision about what to major in when applying to colleges. I would instead stress the importance of doing research in a variety of majors and to perhaps do some shadowing in possible career choices. I would also point out how joining more clubs and staying active in sports is a great way to meet people and friends as well as a great addition to your resume. Looking into Fraternity and Sorority houses also can be a great way to get involved in your college as well as a great way to have connections and help when applying to jobs after graduation.

Christina, you need to try harder, and do more activities. save up your money and dont take the drama. dont let your seizures hold you back anymore. do what you want to do. and remember to take your meds.

I have gotten so much out of my experience here at the University of Connecticut. The most important thing that I have gotten is life experience. I have grown so much as a person just being here that I honestly believe that when I have finished my time here, I will be well-off in any path I decide to choose past college. I thought that when I was in high school, that I knew who I was as a person and what I wanted to be, the kind of people I liked to be around, the types of clothes I liked to wear, all those things. Being here has shown me that, I have no idea what I like, or what I want. And that is the most valuable thing I have received here. Not only am I being educated in life, skills, trades, and general knowledge, I'm also receiving an education in who I am, and that is more valuable than anything I could have imagined getting out of my college experience.