University of Florida Top Questions

If I were the given the gracious opportunity of giving advice to my former self I would warn him of all the habit changes I must undergo in order to be successful. As freshmen I’ve learned that college is entirely different in academics and structure than it is in high school. To conquer this transition I would advise myself that it would be absolutely necessary to raise my academic endeavors to the highest degree of concern. From personal experiences my friends and I have suffered academically due to the harsh effects of adapting to college life. As my study habits remained similar to the ones of my high school career I found it hard to compensate to my new life. It was not until my second semester of college that I studied more frequently and received better grades but ultimately only time can repair the mistakes of my first semester in college. Currently I have lost my bright futures scholarship award for the upcoming fall semester and my overall financial aid has been cut in half. If I had known this I would have most certainly adhere my warning and following my advice to prevent it from happening.

Stay positive, maintain your organization skills, drink less, keep dancing regularly and continue to work hard and progress academically. Don't forget to have fun but at the same time remember to work first, play later. Make new friends as much as possible and don't choose to live with friends-it can ruin a good thing.

I would say to make an effort to keep in contact with high school friends, do lots of research on scholarships, and listen very carefully at orientation.

If I could go back in time and give the high school version of me one piece of advice, it would be to get involved as possible and not let the fear of how others' perception hold me back. To say my high school lacked diversity would be an understatement. Anyone who did not fit the mold, was considered different. Even though it was apparent this attitude was flawed, it was all I was accustomed to, so going into college, I expected the experience to be similiar. What I found out after a semester or two was that in college, being different is not considered weird - its admired. Students who strayed from the norm were considered innovative, future leaders, not judged for being different. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself this with the hope that I would be able to overcome the fears I intially had when I started college earlier than I did. Even though I did realize this eventually, I wish I had realized it sooner and not let as many opportunities to pass me by.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a senior, the first thing I would say is, "always apply for any scholarship that you are eligible for." It will help out in the long run. Also, always go to class. Even if you are sick, make the effort. If not you will be at least two days behind. Don't let a boy decide where you go to college, or what you major in. Always do what you feel is best for school, even if your friends don't agree with you.

If I could go back in time to my Senior year to give myself advice, I would say to master time management. When I got to college, I didn't realize all the free time I have. Sure I attend classes sometime during the week, but I have so much more free time than I did in high school. In high school, I took numerous honors and AP classes, served as Vice President in Student Government and National Honor Society, put 20+ hours in for competitive dance, and served as captain for my Varsit Cheerleadin squad. Although now I'm in a sorority, Campus Crusade for Christ, and attend activities for those two organizations, I still have so much free time. It definitely allows me to put things in perspective, and makes me prioritize my time for what is really important or what really needs to get done. I think I have pretty good time management, but I didn't know my Senior year of high school that it would be that important for college.

none, I did well in the transistion so I have no regrets or wants.

The advice I would give to myself would be to be more involved during my first semester of college. The more involved you are in school, the better the experience you have while in school.

In my opinion, I feel I was pretty well prepared for transitioning from high school to college. My high school career prepared me for the academic aspects of college. Although, if I could go back in time, I would definitely advise myself on all of the hard work and studying outside of class that college entails. Moving away, I felt one of the hardest things to adapt to was time management. There is no one over your shoulder telling you when to do things, like devote more time to studying. Another situation I would advise myself on is being financially independent. Being able to budget money wisely was hard for me in the beginning. Having to pay for tuition, books, room and board, and basic living expenses all on your own is a huge change that most people aren’t very prepared for. In addition to time management and finances, I would absolutely advise myself to do more volunteering and/or shadowing in many different fields that I was interested in. This would have given me a better idea of what career I want to pursue in the future and what my major should’ve been when I entered college.

The transition to college for me was like a walk at night in woods as a high school senior- I had no idea what would become of me! I knew that I had prepared myself as much as humanly possible by doing well in school. If I had the rewarding opportunity to talk to my former high school self, I would say that grades aren't enough! You need tenacity to endure this experience that we call college. It's nothing more than a great heaping plate full or worry, peer pressure, and too little sleep. Even still, with the same attitude, I could honestly tell my high school self to throw caution to the wind...not a cliche, but a method of survival. I would remind Jessica the high school senior that college follies are inevitable, but your success is not if you believe that you are greater than those follies. I would tell myself to develop BETTER study habits because college is not high school, and you will therefore be the better because of the experience.