University of Florida Top Questions

Note to high school self: Do not take yourself so seriously. Mom always says "College will be the best years of your life.." But what about this year? Don't rush through senior year just to get to college. College will come. Take time to make the most of the time you have left with your high school friends and your family at home. Delve into those college books with a fury to make sure you know what will be the best fit for you. The sky is the limit and where there is a will there is a way. Remember that no dream is too big because if you don't dream, you will never know what "could" have happened. Visit the schools you're interested in - even if you are only "a little bit" interested. Don't base your decision off of anyone but yourself! No matter where your girlfriend, boyfriend, or bestfriend is going next year, the next few years are YOURS. The next few years are your chance to find yourself, your dreams, your impact. College will be the best years of YOUR life - just keep listening to mom!

I would tell myself to get out of my comfort zone. High school friends are great, but it's okay to get to know new people. I would also tell myself to not let fear stop me from getting involved more on campus, especially in activities that I would have liked to do. I would have told myself to focus more on studying, going to class, and time management. I would also tell myself to know what I want because that is the only way I will get to where I need to be with less of a struggle. I would also suggest to budget more and not completely take financial aid for granted.

I would tell myself that it is okay to not get A's in every single class. The most important thing is to learn and apply the material to your life and future occupation. In addition, I would advise myself to be open-minded and patient with others.

I would sit down with my younger self and let her know that the best way to move forward is to be completely honest and straight forward with people. It makes living so much easier, and it's self-rewarding because you aren't hiding from the world. Being bashful only hinders success, and it is possible to be confident and outspoken without being over the top. I would tell her that real life can knock you off your feet, but dreams and ambition are always possible, regardless. I’d mention college is nothing to be scared of; it is an experience worth paying for. Most importantly, I would tell her to start taking control of her life tomorrow and doing something about it to achieve her goals. Stop procrastinating, do what you need to do to get ahead of the game. Always practice and work hard, it'll pay off in the long run. Never let fear of failure get in the way of your effort; that is greater than any failure you could achieve by trying.

If I could go back to my senior year I would definatly tell myself to apply for more scholarships! College is so expensive, and takes alot of energy to get through. I wasnt really sure if I was gonna make it last semester but my family helped me. Another thing I would tell myself would to be work harder at everything I was doing to make sure I got far in life. I would make sure I got a better ACT score so I wouldnt have to fill out any scholarships, and have my school all paid. I would also have spent more time doing homework and scholarships instead of trying to find things to do (some of which would have got me in trouble). Im not trying to "wow" you in anyway im just honestly trying to make some money to make my life less stressfull. Thanks for your time

Knowing what I know now about college life, I would go back in time and tell myself to be more outgoing and confident. I feel that people would have respected me a lot more had I not been so insecure about myself. I have always had a problem with doubting myself and that has held me back in a lot of things I've done, especially school. I would also prepare myself for basic college procedures. Because I was homeschooled, I never really took tests or had deadlines for projects and that ended up being something I wasn’t prepared for at all. If I had better prepared myself for those things, I wouldn’t have had such test anxiety and stress throughout college. Applying this knowledge now will help me progress more as I continue my schooling at UF.

Choose a more general major, like business and get a masters in PR because that's what you'll end up really liking. Since you don't know what PR is yet, I'll just let you know that you're perfect for the job. Look around more and apply for ALL internships that you come across. Don't waste time on boyfriends because the memories you'll remember will be those spent with friends and experiencing new things. Try getting into a multicultural sorority or other groups so you can be more involved. Make sure you do a study abroad EVERY summer because you'll only get so many chances to have that kind of experience. When you're abroad, don't hold yourself back, whatever you do. Meet as many new people as possible and never say no to a new experience. Make sure you use tutoring services from the very beginning because it will make your life easier. Have fun while you're here because it goes by way too fast.

You're now in the phase of senioritis, ready and prepared to launch into a new world. We all think we’re ready, however being ready doesn't translate to being prepared. College can challenge your goals, change your mind, and create the necessary obstacles for you to transform from just a student to a student making important decisions. You are now thinking that how different can it be? College is hard. However, it can be easily simplified when being compared to a day at the gym. Step one, come in with an end goal- how many calories to burn. Step two, figure out how that goal can be accomplished- what machines to use. Step three, know that it's a mental game, distract yourself with things that will keep yourself pushing for that extra mile- the fit person next to you running 5 times the pace. These three steps can be the manual for anything you want to accomplish. Walk through that door, whether it's your lecture hall or the cardio room and "Just Do It". As the common phrase goes, you always regret not going to the gym, but never going. Don't let McDonalds influence you.

If I could go back and share one piece of advice with my high school self, it would be to not overcommit and to figure out earlier what my goal in being in college actually was. By the time I hit my sophomore year in college, I was so burnt out from activities and work on top of a rigorous academic load that I knew I couldn’t survive another 3 years of it. I barely had time to breathe, and I had no focus and to think about where college was taking me. Here I am, five majors later, wondering how I’m going to pay for college again. You see, in that sophomore moment, I realized I needed a break, so I took the 2010-2011 school year off and have spent the past six months teaching English in a third world country. I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world, but I wish it hadn’t have cost me thousands in scholarship dollars to take a year off. If I had known earlier what I needed to be working towards, I could have arrived here in a better financial condition.

College is a life experience that you should enjoy. Don't overwork or fret too much. The classes are hard and challenging, but they're supposed to be. You'll learn all your own study habits and make new friends and discover so much about yourself. So take it easy, take it slow. This is the time to work hard but play hard too. Remember your goals and what's really important in life and you'll do just fine. Good luck and try to get an off-campus apartment as soon as you can!