University of Florida Top Questions

Enjoy the time you have. High school is one of the greatest times of your life, and you need to enjoy it. College may seem stressful and scary, but in reality it isn't. It is the next step in your life, just another obstacle to face and overcome. You will make a lot of new friends in college, have great times, and of course, learn a vast amount. Take your work seriously, but don't focus on making it IN to college. Instead, start to think of what you want OUT of college; what do you want to study, and looking ahead of college, what do you want college to allow you to do in life? Take into consideration these suggestions, and I can promise you you will have the greatest time of your life in college.

Be yourself, because, you may find some pretty strange people. You will meet a guy with Fidel Castro style beard at the beginning of the semester, don't ignore him. He's a pretty cool guy, and he will be a great friend. Don't let the sketchiness of the beard scare you. You will also meet an incredibly loud and funny girl. You definetely shouldn't ignore her. Not only will she bring out your social side, but she will give you life-changing advice. Listen to her, even if you think you're right. You will be blessed with a respectful roommate, just as messy as you are. Don't leave online lectures till last minute. That passed in high school, but now it's going to kick you in the butt. And staying up till 3 a.m. studying will not help your grade. Remember how you had that great body during soccer season? Haha, look in the mirror now. And that kid you thought you were going to marry- well it's over. Don't worry, he really wasn't that nice to you. So get over it fast and start living your college experience!

When applying to college, I knew that I was ready for the academic pursuits of college, but I had no idea how diffucult other portions of the transition would be. If I could go back and advise myself on the trasition into college, I would give myself a peice of advice a professor gave me my second semester. Her mantra was: "obstacles as creative opportunities." Knowing that now puts me at ease. I don't worry so much about not getting things that I was used to receiving in high school, whether it be money, prestige, or acceptance. A persevering attitude is what you need to survive in college. I would have liked to have known that bit of information prior to college.

Relax. That one simple word would do wonders for my high-school self. That is the key to making an easy transition, or at least with hindsight I can say that about myself. As a high school student going into college I worried, oh did I worry. There was nothing to worry about though. College is about finding yourself and learning about what you enjoy. College offers the chance to mold your own life in your own way. My younger self didn't understand that and worried about classes and time and money and acceptance. The truth is that classes are those you enjoy; time can always be made; money is important, but not everything; and acceptance is found in every niche. The younger me would get the simple word "relax". To me it would mean the world, it would show me that everything will be ok if I were to take a breath going into college and just find me. Once you've found yourself everything falls into place.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would urge my younger self to change several aspects of my life, but one of them stands out above the others. More than anything else, I would encourage the high school me to structure and organize time. In high school I often found myself procrastinating, because it wasn't extremely detremental to do a homework assignment late here and there. At the college level, however, grades are often based on just a few grades. Having only a test every several weeks naturally provides much more opportunity for procrastination, but the negative consequences of putting off studying for three weeks are far more intense than those of putting off a homework assignment for a day or two. I have been able to adjust to this new learning style, but the transition would have been much easier had I made a habit in high school of budgeting my time wisely and doing my schoolwork in a timely and regular fashion.

Going back in time, I would remind myself how important my high school grades will be in the future. These grades and my SAT scores will follow me around for the rest of my educational experience. Everytime I apply for a scholarship, this information will be used to determine my eligibility. I would give myself an example of what the average day of a pre-veterinary college student is like. I would explain how when not in school or at work, all of my time will be spent studying. In fact, there will be times when the dishes will pile high in the sink, the cat's litter box will stink, and the fridge will be bare due to my need to study. I will tell of the sleepless nights and the random tears that accompany this stressful schedule. And then I'd look myself deep in the eye and say, "There will be times when it doesn't seem worth it, but your hard work will pay off. It's about more than just a degree. It's about discipline, hard work, determination, and making a dream reality. There is nothing you can't do. I believe in you."

" Real leaders are normal people with extraordinary determination." If I were to go back to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to have better study habits and to prepare myself more for the drastic change that was about to happen in my life. As a senior I did not think about what was about to happen and as a result, my college transition was harder than most. Coming from a low income family, I was always there to help my mom so to move away and to not be able to be there all the time, it was very emotional. I would tell myself to learn more study habits and that college is alot different than highschool. Also, as a senior I heard that college was alot different but I was very ignorant to actually believe it and now I wish I would have payed a little more attention to older people telling me it. If I was more determined coming into college, my transition would have been easier. Now that I know that I am working to help seniors this year in their transition to college.

Although college life is fun, something very important to me was left behind. If I have the chance to relive my senior year, I will spend more time with my family and possibly travel with them to some places they have never been to. Since my college locates pretty far from my hometown, I hardly get to see my parents once in several months. I was very confident living by myself before I left for college, but I did not realize the situation my parents might be trapped into. As immigrants, my parents do not have any relative here in the States besides me. When their only daughter left, the loneliness and nostalgia could sometimes be overwhelming. And that is certainly something I did not expect before I went to college. Recall my senior year?busy checking out colleges and saying goodbye to friends, I never really spent much time with my parents. I was used to them being there. Slowly, I forgot them. People often say, ?Treasure what you have, else you may regret.? It is true. I hope it is not too late to realize that I love my parents; I want to live and laugh with them.

I would advise myself to prepare for a totally different atmosphere than in high school. Do not expect the professors to hold your hand and tell you when things are due all the time. Make sure you read the syllabus for each class and find out when assignments are due Also do not expect to get extra credit. You will get the grade that you deserve. I would also tell myself to beware of the friends you make. When you are in college your friends influence you a lot more than in high school because your parents are not around. A good group of friends will help you excel in school and in life but the wrong group can lead you to do things that you will regret later. Also I would tell my younger self to try and get involved in clubs and organizations. The University of Florida is a very big campus and sometimes you will feel that you are just a number. When you join clubs they make the university feel a little smaller and that you are somebody and not just a number.

I should have taken AP Bio rather than physics. Being away from home is harder than it seems. It is very depressing if you don't find friends so people who aren't very friendly and are shy end up alone. I am too proud and have worked to hard to go to a community college but it really would have made a financial difference - worrying about money is so stressful and it seems that no matter how much I work its not enough