University of Florida Top Questions

Make friends, get some sleep, try out all kinds of classes.

The advice I would give my high school senior self would be to always go to class. My first year of college was hard beause I was just beginning to get used to the living situation, which made me a lot less likely to go to class. I was not motivated to attend large lecture hall classes where attendance was not mandatory because I felt I could learn as much by simply reading the text book. By doing this I created a habit for myself to not attend class and therefore my schedule was not consistent.

I would have told myself to take some time off before deciding on what to do. That way, I would not have graduated to face the imminent and dreary realization that I did not make the right choice.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself about what I know of college life and making the transition, I would tell myself to listen when my parents told me to do more in high school. Not that I didn't do a lot, because I did. I was very involved, however, they meant get involved with things that would make a difference on your college or scholarship applications. I now know that community service and school involvment are so important when moving on in your school career. I would yell, Megan, wake up mom and dad keep telling you to get out in the community and volunteer. Find something that is important to you and give it your best effort. I wish I would have listened to my parents. Maybe if I had, we wouldn't be struggling financially.

If I were able to go back in time and speak to my high school self, here is who I would find: A girl, terribly frightened of making the wrong decision, and horrified to start college with no idea what she wants to ultimately do with her life. As a visitor from the future I'd tell her to calm down and breathe, that everything will turn out fine. I'd tell her that she’ll soon find that many people are in her situation and are just learning what they want to do with their lives. That she’ll change her mind what seems like a thousand times but that’s okay too. That it’s okay to not be going off to a 4-year University right away, and that she will gain years of priceless life experience working for a wonderful employer in the optometric field, where she'll gain the inspiration for her ultimate future. I’d tell her that she’ll never lose the drive that she has as a high school student, like I know she worries about, and that she will continue to work toward her degree. “You’re going to make it.”

I would tell myself to get tested for ADHD. I currently got diagnosed with ADHD my second semester of college after having trouble focusing all through out high school and college so far. After I got diagnosed with it school is so much easier now because i can actually focuse on my studies. I would tell myself to go to the doctor immediately because it will make school alot less painful and that you will do great in school once you get the help that you needed a long time ago.

If I were to go back and talk to myself as a senior, I would tell myself to really enjoy my last year in high school and to start getting prepared for college. I would advise to get involved with every possible club that I can on campus. I would tell myself to step out of my introverted self and get out and meet new people and make friends. I would also emphasize on the point to put my all into my classes for the first couple of years. Knowing now, if I developed an outstanding motivation and study habit at the start of college and was able to sustain that, my GPA would be higher now. I would strongly express that I need to consistantly work my hardest at my classes and that no matter how exhausting it may seem, that it will definitely pay off in the end.

I would tell myself to practice efficient time management skills! That's the key to helping the transition from high school to college life be easier.

With the knowledge that I now obtain, I would definitely inform myself to stick to a major that would make me happy. When I started college, I decided to major in business because I was not sure what I wanted to do so I chose something that I where I thought I would be financially successful. However, I hated it. It was not a field where I thrived and had I followed my gut, I would have stuck in the field of social science. I did eventually find my way, but I had to live through a torturous semester. I would tell my 'high school self' to not fear failure, to be courageous, and to do what makes me happiest. If we live life by that philosophy, society would be a better place.

I would tell myself to take life more seriously and that working hard early on would pay dividends down the road. I am learning that lesson now and I feel like its just too late sometimes.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to always put my classes first and get more involved. It was tough for me to adjust into college life my freshman year. I felt like it was difficult to hold on to friendships that I made and I was not experiencing college the way everyone talks about. These feelings gave me a negative perspective on my future college experiences. It was not until this year that I was able to make incredible friends and put my classes first. My family has been supportive of me, but letting them down for a year really affected my relationships with them. So far, it has been a struggle trying to raise my GPA, but I have realized college is what you make it and it does not have to be what is shown in movies. I never thought this would happen to me in my first year of college. I thought I was invincible because I always did well in high school with little effort. I now know that is not the case and I am glad that I finally grew up.

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Looking back on high school, the advice that I would give myself would be to be confident and comfortable in my beliefs. I have always been filled with school spirit and proudly displayed the black and orange of the Chagrin Tigers. While I think the other kids liked me and accepted my "spirit" at school, I was never really included in social activities outside the classroom. My younger sister always chided me that my display of school spirit was not cool but I felt I was overlooked because I did not partake in alcohol or drug use. I was very attracted to the University of Florida because of all the school spirit that was constantly displayed throughout campus. You will almost always see me around school displaying the Gator blue and orange and I am so happy and comfortable to do so. I still do not partake in any drug or alcohol and have found a wonderful group of friends who have the same beliefs. We have fun and socialize without breaking the law! I would gladly go back to high school and tell myself not to succumb to peer pressure - hold fast to your beliefs and show your spirit.

Currently I am working towards developing my skills as an animator. It has always been my dream to work in a studio and create animated films and shorts. Back in high school I knew what I wanted to study in college. I would tell myself if I could, to start practising animation and to draw from life more often. Currently I am trying to teach myself character animation. That is what I am majoring in. But little did I know the professors wouldn't really teach me what I wanted to know. I learn more through my friends and simply googling things right now then I do through my own professors. I just wish I would have know earlier that I would need to teach myself everything I wanted to know to work in a animation studio. My professors expect me to know already and to do assignments right off the bat for them. If I had known earlier I would be more prepared.

If I would a high school senior again, I would no be concerned about how popular the campus is hen researching colleges. I would pay more attention to the overall treatmernt from the campus towards its students, as well as the financial aid packages. I should gone to a school who offered more money for scholarships instead.

Listen to your gut about where you want to go, who you want to be, and what classes you want to take. Don't fall into peer pressure and stay true to yoursself. Keep up with your studies because it's very easy to fall behind and cramming doesn't always work. Get involved early, it's the easiest way to make new friends. Also, don't take Friday classes, they're the worst.

Hi, How are you? I know it must be exhausting right now, trying to move on in life, but you can do it. I believe in you. When you feel like you can't, just remember, the world doesn't end here. You have so much more ahead of you. You can make anything out of your future.

If I could go back in time, I would tell my high school senior self to really apply myself to having a good study habit. That may seem odd in the sense that I graduated as Salutatorian. Most would expect being at the top of your class means putting a considerable amount of effort in studying. However, in high school, I didn't need to try. It just came so easy because high school is easy. Sure, there were some difficult courses every once in a while, but with the smallest amount of effort I was able to get an A. Whereas college is a whole other playing field. In my first semester at UF, I had to learn just how necessary it is to spend HOURS at the library studying. There were days that I literally studied until 4 to 5 a.m. Now, compared to high school where I could study the day before, in college I need at least a week before an exam to study. Therefore, had I learned to have a better study habit in high school, I feel like the transition from high school to college would have been less of a culture shock.

Knowing what I know now, I would tell myself to stay focus in school, listen to your teachers and take your academic work serious. Don't get in trouble because that shows up on your record and it follows you. Also graduate with a high GPA because you could be eligible for scholarships, and take the ACT/SAT as many times as youcan to score high. With a high ACT/SAT it lets you not back track on taking classes that you took in high school. Meaning you could start taking your major courses earlier than others. Going to school off of loans are serious and that is something that has to be paid back; therefore, do not go to school for the wrong reasons like: the campus experience or because your friends are going. Those are bad reasons to go. Do not go off to school thinking that you can play around because you can but you can fail and flunk out easily. So when going off to a college/ university, please take the academic work and loans serious and do your work and graduate. It is also best to take 15-16 semester hours to stay on track.

Appreciate what your hometown gave you. You may hate it and want to get away as fast as you possibly can, but always remember that without it, you wouldn't be where you are. You can keep on disliking it, and swear that you'll never live there again. That's okay. But you have to give it some credit. It inspired you to end up where you are, and it has been there for you through so much of your life, and it gave you a pretty stellar education. You may hate the cold and how the trees look naked in the winter, but you have to admit it's really quite beautiful. That town filled with rich snobs and old families will always be where your family is, where you met your best friend, where you first learned you could do anything. Without it, you wouldn't be here! So take a moment and give it some love. In the words of Ron Weasley, "it's not much, but it's home."