University of Georgia Top Questions

If I could go back in time to tell my high school senior self anything, it would be to get involved. In anything. Join and participate in any and all clubs offered at school. Volunteer at hospitals, nursing homes, your church, the local YMCA, anything. Try to do a bunch of different things to figure out what you want to do with your life. But most importantly enjoy yourself. You will only be able to be a high schooler once, then you have to grow up.

Girl, you need to save your money! Do not waste it all on sweet tea's at McDonalds and t-shirts that you do not really need! College is expensive and HOPE is not going to cover all of your tuition for long! Also, visit other campuses. I know you really only want to go to a certain college right now, but it would be nice to see what else is out there, that way you know without a doubt that you made the right decision. Another thing you should keep in mind is to choose your classes carefully during registration. You only get a limited number of withdrawals and we both know that science is not your strong-suite, so do not attempt taking a science and a math during the same semster, you do not have to do that anymore! It is nice to have flexibility with your schedule. Oh, and this is going to make you mad, but electives in college are not just fun classes! They are still academic, but they do not have to be major-related, disappointing, I know. Of course, the main thing you should know is to have fun and enjoy yourself.

A man with years of experience, a college education, comfortable salary, and thriving career sounds like he has it all. I am that man and realized that I have nothing unless I am happy with the career that occupies a majority of my life. Going through the motions with a suportive family I graduated high school and went to college. Later majoring in something interesting but wasn't thrilling. Very few 18 or 19 year olds know what they want to do the rest of their lives and are forced to decide during those transforming years of your life. I had a few true dreams through college but never wanted to pursue them due to the commitment to college and the path I was on. Now years later I am deciding to pursue those dreams. My advice to you, old self, is to encourage you to do whatever it takes to follow those dreams. The work it takes to reach a dream is hard work, but if its a dream the work will come easy. You may endure great scrutiny but please follow your heart and those dreams will soon come true!

If I could go back and revisit myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that college is nothing like high school. There is no one to hold you accountable, to make sure you study, complete class assignments or even go to class. You have to hold yourself accountable for the quality of your education. Do not take advantage of classes with no attendance policy. You will miss receiving valuable information that will prevent you from making a good or even adequate grade. Pay attention and study. Even if you did not have to put much effort into high school, college is a different ball game. It is a higher standard, and a harder to achieve quality of education. Watch out for your GPA; having to pay for college out of your own pocket because your GPA is too low to receive financial aid is no fun. If you do receive financial aid in the form of student loans, do not waste the money you receive. You will end up running out of financial aid before school is over, and you could eventually owe more than you need to. Make friends; go out and have fun. Live!

College is incredibly rewarding, but it requires an enormous time commitment. Enjoy every moment of your senior year, it will be the last time you will see many of the people whom you have grown to take for granted. The familiarity of the past thirteen years will be gone after these two semesters, so cherish every second. However, do not allow academics to fall behind. College is difficult, and you do not want to be shocked by the new scholastic requirements. Utilize every educational opportunity provided by your senior year. Relish in the workloads of advanced placement classes, get involved in dual enrollment and log as many hours as possible. This will be the best possible opportunity to get ahead of the college class and to gain an understanding of the expectations you are about to live up to. Be sure you make the right college choice. Find somewhere that makes you happy, offers classes that are interesting, and will allow you to be comfortable in a new environment. Most importantly, live life in a way which you will not regret, make yourself proud of your accomplishments, and never take a moment for granted!

First off, live with a stranger. I know that sounds weird, but living with someone you don't know will cause you to grow up and become your own person, while living with your best friend from high school will allow you to still live in "high school world". Secondly, join some kind of social organization where you can meet people. Your college experience will be horrible if you are stuck in your room by yourself all of the time. Third, try something new and put yourself out there, do something you never would have earlier in life. College is all about growing up and figuring out who you are. Some people go in to college thinking they know exactly what they want to be. I thought that and now, I'm changing my major to something on the opposite end of the spectrum and I could not be happier with my decision. I was terrified to change my major at first, but I followed my heart and I know I'll end up in the right place.

Coming into college has really changed my outlook on the way school is supposed to work. If I knew half as much about college then as I did now, I would have changed a lot about the way I went about doing things. For starters, I would have learned to study more. In high school I never had to study because everything came naturally and jumping into a highly ranked university means that studying needs to be a habit. Because of this, I had to teach myself how to study freshman year. Also, I would have learned to be more organized with my paperwork and living style. If I had taken more initiative to create a more organized environment, I would have had a better experience adjusting to college life.

In my seemingly quick first 1.5 years at UGA I've learned that college is much more than the dimploma that you receive on the day of commencement. College is all about the intangible experiences and connections that you acquire throughout your 4, 5, or even 6 years while on campus. I feel as though I have stretched my involvement across different realms of this campus and the things that I have learned from the diverse group of people around me is more valuable than anything that I have ever learned in the classroom. I have made friends for a lifetime and professional connections that are willing to do anything they can to help me succeed. I wouldn't trade my experience at UGA for anything in the world and I feel as though attending a university is an opportunity that every kid should be awarded.

I haven't gotten much because my college journey has just begun but things are really "cliquey" here. There are plenty of required readings for class which is something new to me. The history classes are very writing intensive which help assist in developing writing skills.

College has brought me to a whole new level of self-respect. Thrown out on my own, there was a sense of liberation from my previous mindset: a true freedom to create and recreate. The diversity of thought, personality, and background found on the hall of my freshman dorm was the first thing that opened my eyes to the rare opportunity in which I was submerged. Now i could sink or learn to swim, to blindly follow the strong willed or better yet, discover my own philosophy, follow my interest with no hesitation, and develop myself, taking small lessons from everyone I met. A friendly banter over the teachings of Socrates with strangers in a café brought me to this conclusion: I needed to lead a life that was worth living, governed by my very own standards of worth. What was it that made me happy? The service programs and the friendly encouragement of the campus facilitated my self-discovery. I now look forward to a happy, fulfilling life as a special education teacher. College has vaulted me to a beautiful harmony of self and surrounding. More importantly, my college experience has affected the exceptional people in my future.