University of Florida Top Questions

I need more interesting people in my life. All of high school I was concerned with the character I was portraying to my fellow classmates and how particular people viewed this character. Coming to a large University, it is easy to feel like a small tadpole in puddle the size of a college football stadium. After some time, concerning myself with how the other students on campus view me proved futile. Instead, I decided to show my true colors and seek out other brightly colored fish as well. Finding such people has not been easy, but I have found the search to be more rewarding then my original plan of trying to fit in. People will gravitate towards you if they see that you have a true passion for what you believe in, and although open to opinion, you don't care if people don't like it. Having more people like this in my life has allowed me to learn more about myself and my own ideals, even when it has been with a person who has values completely contrary to my own. If I had known this sooner, I could have saved my self time and frustration.

You know going to college would be a great thing to accomplish, especially your future. Just think what you could do with yourself with a college education. You could be very successful in your line of field in which ever what you wanted to do. You could have a career in anything that you wanted to become. So why not and go reach for your goals in life.

College is not as scary of a place as you think. In fact, college is the place where you will make lifelong friends, individuals who will help shape you and help you, all the while walking right alongside you in your journey through life. Yet, to succeed in college, not only do you need to know who you are, you need to accept yourself. Accept your strengths and weaknesses. Accept your differences. Accept your limitations. Accept all these things but do not remain satisfied with things as they are. Use this time in your life to challenge yourself, to demand excellence from yourself, to find the person you have always wanted to be. College will be stressful as you find a balance between your academics and life. but never forget your purpose pursuing a higher education. Your future is in your hands. Everyone will pressure you but you know that you will succeed as long as you pursue what makes you happy. Your degree is important but your field of study is even more important. Find your passion and pursue it. Then, and only then, will you understand why everyone says that college will change your life.

I would tell myself to probably take more Duel Enrollment classes to get most of the Gen Eds taken care of and I would tell myself to apply for scholarships like crazy because college is not cheap. I would also talk myself into doing marching band the first semester so I could make more friends faster and have a chance to go to another country with them. I would definately tell myself not to underestimate classes based on how they sound because even the one's that may sound easy may not be as such. I would tell myself to put myself out there and make friends right off the back without making the excuse "I have all year to make friends" because having friends from the begining would make life easier than just hanging out with the friends from high school.

Dear senior me, Facebook will not be there for you in ten years when you can no longer afford your internet bill. Neither will that boy you spend so much time with instead of doing your homework, nor will that flakey friend that uses you for a ride and isn’t really there for you to begin with. So do yourself a favor, and quit thinking about them. Quit giving them your precious time, because right now the only thing that matters is you. It’s all you, baby! This your future, your career, and your happiness we’re talking about. What’s getting in your way are the miniscule things you let distract you, things that bring you temporary happiness but in the end prove to be a crushing blow to your success. To truly be successful, your focus needs to be you. You’re going to be in college next year, and you need to prepare yourself for the future. You have two options: success or failure. You choose your fate based off the choices you make and the people and things you choose to spend your time on. So please, for our sake- choose wisely.

I would give the students the advice of building their studying skills and actually learning the material the teaching is teaching. In college you will need that prior knowledge of the information that makes it easier for you to succeed. They should also know that anything is possible for them all they have to do is try to attain it.

If you have the change to go to a vocational school in high school take that path. My sister is a high school senior going to a vocational school for nursing assistance and once she completes that program she can go right into the community college for the nursing program. Since I did not go to the vocational school I have to take addtional college courses, take a nursing test, apply for the nursing program, and wait to be accepted into the program.

I would tell myself to do more research on the different types of majors at the school and that it's ok to change majors during college. I would definitely tell myself to take a minor along with my major to add more value to my degree. College has so many different types of people so it would be wise to venture out instead of staying in my comfort zone; there are so many networking opportunities with different groups. Definitely have a relationship with my professors, they can be of great assistance for when you need to apply for graduate school. Something important would be keeping in contact with my high school friends that happened to attend the same univeristy. Somehow separation occurs after each year even with those that I met in college, so make sure to not let that happen. Most importantly is to make the most of my college experience so that I could look back and say "It was everything and more. I didnt miss out on anything".

To enjoy the fact of how small high school is compared to college. Also, know that being close to home is not a bad thing, and actually a better decision. Yes, seeing people from your high school in college might not be the greatest, but you will meet new people who will be even better friends with you than some of the close friends you had in high school. And don't be conceited; even though you graduated 7 in a class of over 800, college is hard, and being on the pre-veterinary track makes it even harder. So study hard, don't stress too much, and relish your small world for now.

Going into college for the first time, I had the biggest fear of being alone. I had held on too tightly to and relied almost completely on the friends I was so close to in highschool and as a result of that, I eventually lost them. For whatever reason they had, the drifted away and I was left alone. It was painful; it was the firts time in my life that I felt I had no one; no friends, no family, absolutely no one around me. But it was in that lonliness that I realized my mistake; that I need to let go of people or else I would essentially be stuck on trying to hold on to the friends that were at one point so dear to me. And so that is the advice I would give to myself: Fear not the feeling of being alone, be able to let go and learn to do things on your own. Everyone has their own things going on, and you do to. You'll meet plenty of new interesting people, if anything you'll be surrounded by them, no need to stay stuck on the past. Love college and be happy.

Dear High School me, College is Hard! I know this may come as a schock to you since you've gotten all A's without studying for practically your entire life. But if you really want to succeed when you get to college you will study. Well you probably won't since you are arrogant High School me so you'll end up with a C+ in chemistry (yes you really did get a C !). You need to know that once you get into college that it is an entirely different pond there. The kids are just as smart as you are ; that's why they got into the same school ! To stay on top like you are now, you must put in a lot more effort which is actually manageble because you'll have a lot more time to be productive- or unproductive. Make sure not to procrastinate or else you'll just be repeating your high school habits but unlike the amazing results you got in High School it will end in disaster. Hopefully you'll listen to my advice and turn that C+ in Chem into the A everyone expected. Good Luck! Sincerely, College You

The best advice I would give myself is to relax and be open with the experience. There are a lot of stresses with the transition of college but there comes a lot of good times with the new people that you meet. You come across so many new faces that you just need to enjoy the moment with everyone. When there are bumps in the road don't let that get you too down because that's just small happening in a huge life event. Most of the drama and problems you face will not even be remembered by the time of next year. So don't sweat the small stuff and enjoy what is in front of you today. School can be stressful but once school is done it is the real world and no going back. College is the time of you life and just take it day by day. There is no reason to get overwhelmed because everyone is in the same boat as you and at the end of the day everything will turn out how it is supposed to be. Enjoy the company of the people you met and just have a good time.

Expect to work even harder, anything that you are taking right now is cake compared to what you will see in college. Also do not forget to apply for scholarships and have an open mind about things.

I would tell myself to apply for as many scholarships as I can. I always thought that with Florida Prepaid and Bright Futures I would be set, but that it is not the case at all. I never realized how expensive college really is and I regret not applying for any scholarships. I would also tell myself to make certain that I would get along with my roommmate. I was fortunate enough to be able to pick my roommate. I thought we would get along great but, unfortunately, that was not the case. If I knew what my roommate would do to me then I would not have chosen him.

Do: - Be nice and friendly to everyone you meet, especially other freshmen (you're all in the same boat, might as well make friends in it) - Take your schoolwork a bit more seriously than high school (it actually requires effort and studying now!) - brush your teeth and shower, because everyone hates the stinky man in lecture Don't: - carry around a map.. you look like an idiot! campusmap.ufl.edu is your friend. - rep your high school gear all the time... Once in a while is okay, but nobody really cares that you were the track star out of 10 kids in the smallest school in the country. (harsh I know, but true) - pretend to be something you're not... There are over 50,000 students here. You are bound to find a few like-minded people. Conforming will make you eventually very unhappy. Being yourself and finding those worthy few can make college a wonderful experience to share with them.

I would tell myself to apply for scholarhips with local organizations. I've had a desire to attend graduate school since I was in high school. Graduate students don't have as many opportunities to qualify for scholarships as undergraduates have. The possibility of winning enough scholarship money during my undergraduate years to pay for graduate school expenses could have became my reality.

Number one thing is to get involved early and don't miss opportunities to be social. Academics obviously comes first but it'll amaze you how much more fun and easy college is when you know people. Get started with any student organization early on, stick with it and you'll have a great resume and great friends. Also, make sure you wear shoes in the showers...yeah.

Old self, don't forget to apply for those scholarships. Apply, apply, apply! Just apply! Also, don't forget to get started into setting time management habits. Make it a custom to stick to the agenda and not get distracted. Make it a habit to see my teachers because I definitely need to go to my professsors' office hours. Also, old self, don't forget to network, get connected someway and make new friends. Don' t be shy, people don't bite (well most don't). Get a bike both for transportation. You definitely don't want to be caught in UF's traffic jam on the way to class while the bike lane is barren empty. Also, exercise because the freshman-15 is not a fairytale, it is based on thousands of true stories. You don't want to go home on Thanksgiving looking like the turkey itself. Get involved, don't think that all that involvement on senior year is the end of the road. No, get even more involved if that's possible but do set a high mark for community service and different activities, and most of all - don't forget to be you.

If I were to go back in time and talk to myself about college I would probably tell myself a few different things. One would be to not bring as much stuff. I share a dorm with one roommate and with the amount of stuff we both brought there isn't much room to move around. Next, I would tell myself to be more friendly towards others. Its easier on everyone if people are nice. Join a group and smile more to meet more people. I would also highly encourage finding a study group or a partner who knows their stuff and can help because I don't study very well on my own and for many of these courses studying is required. My last tip would probably be just remember to think positive and hold your head high and you can accomplish anything.

Going back to my time as a high school senior I would tell myself to enjoy every minute of it and to take advantage of all of the dual-enrollment classes that they offer. College is an exciting time in your life and you will love it but there is no need to rush through high school. You will miss your family and yes it takes time to adjust to college but you will be fine. Use your time wisely in high school and get as many classes out of the way as you can while you don't have to pay for textbooks or tuition. And the best advice I could give is be yourself and have a great time.