University of Illinois at Chicago Top Questions

Apply to scholarships early! Apply to as many schools as possible. Look into careers and majors thoroughly. Don't listen to others putting you down. Get as much financial help as possible. Don't stay at home.

Apply for as many scholarships as you can. I would make sure I would seize any opportunity I get when it comes to saving money for college. I would also probably try to find a job and get hired not knowing that I'd be in a bit of a financial crisis inthe future. Although I am covered by fafsa I would like to get a scholarship because I need the money for books and supplies. Also I could use a scholarship to pay for summer courses as well.

Knowing what I know about college life now and making the transition fromh high school to college, there are various things I would have done differently and expected going into college. In high school, I relied on homework to help my understand the material and to help study for my quizzes and tests. In college, you don't get assigned homework on a daily basis. You have to assign your own homework to yourself if you rely on homework to study. Besides the homework, find another way to study! In high school, after tons and tons of completing practice problems and reading in class, I didn't need to study. I've done it so many times, that it stuck in my head by the time a test came around. If you do not understand something, go to your professor's office hours. Make time to go to office hours and study groups during the day instead of wanting to sleep and go back to your dorm. Listen to my advice and you will survive your first semester of college not as much worried.

The transition from high school life to college life is very difficult. College life is completely different from high school life. One has to be independent in college. So, one advice that I would have given myself is that don’t rely on teachers so much, because in college, teachers don’t tell you when a homework assignment is due, or when a test/quiz is. They just give you a syllabus at the beginning of the semester, that we have to follow; there are no reminders. Also, in college you have to purchase books, unlike in high school where you borrow books for a year and then return it. So, I would have definitely given the advice to buy books from amazon or eBay, because in the university bookstore, the same books are really expensive. The most important advice that I would have given myself is to start applying for scholarships early, and don’t just rely on FAFSA money, because FAFSA money would help you pay some of your mandatory fees, and the scholarship money would help you buy your books.

The advice I would give myself if I were able to go back into time is to keep going no matter how hard things get. I never made it to senior year in high school; things got a little tough in my sophomore year which caused me to drop out. After I dropped out of high school I moved to Florida where I met my ex-husband, we had a daughter together and then he left us. After about two years of working at a fast food place I decided it was time to get my life together. I started off with getting my high school diploma, than applied to Phoenix University. I would tell my past self that I should have pushed through and finished high school. I could have a scholarship to a great school. I would also explain how hard it was to get back into school after being out for so long. Either way no matter what I would never change the path on having my daughter. She means the world to me but I would hope the past me would stay in high school even if I was pregnant with my daughter.

I would tell myself to look at the criteria for the 4 year college I want to go to. When I have that information, I would go to a community college so it would be the cheapest for me, get the gen eds out of the way and finish up my degree. I would also tell myself to keep a steady job when I am in community college that way it would definately help with paying off college and other bills that I would have to get by with. I would also tell myself that there are many options open. If i wanted an easier time with paying and extra time with what I want to do with my life, I would join the army or some military branch.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself that I need to enjoy these years. I would tell myself to start teaching myself to study and learn more on my own because College is not like high school, you are given more freedom. With more freedom, that means your not forced to do any work or to even pay attention, you have to have your own self-will to finish work, projects and attend classes. I would give myself the advice to start becoming more prepared.

If I could go back in time, I wish I would have had a major area of study already declared. This eases the flow with many things such as deciding classes, applying for scholarships, and making a plan for the future. Although many counselors stress that deciding a major isn't the most important thing, I beg to differ. Although one could easily go through the first two years of college just taking a variety of general education classes, I wouldn't recommend this. The reason for this is because when you realize that half of your college career is almost over, you also feel the extreme pressure to figure out what you want to do with your life. At that time, if you don't have an idea, your account will be locked until you decide on a specific area of study. Although there are workshops and advisors that dedicate their time to helping you choose, I believe that the majority of the decision must be made by the student before they jump into the college life. Having at least a general plan can push you in the right direction or at least help one graduate on time.

I would tell myself to “seize the moment, don’t overcome it”, because my first year in college I thought I could conquer all the things that I desired. I vowed my time to playing collegiate basketball, attending class full time, and working full time. I had come to realize that there weren’t enough hours in a day to accommodate my lifestyle. So much to my disapproval my grades suffered mightily. I will feel like everything I want to do is possible all at once, but it isn’t realistic. Also, “always make and set time away for yourself.” There will be times where I will feel overwhelmed, where I may want to give in, or even question your ability to be successful. Along with the pressures of feeling like I may need to keep up with your peer students, it is imperative to set this alone time where I can reflect on my own ideas, values, and goals, allowing me not to set a meter with myself with another person. So I would also remind myself not to get all caught up with any other single person’s progress, or short comings with my own.

There are a lot of things that will presented to you that might not be what it seems. Never give up through tough times because there is always a way out of everything. Go with your gut for what you want to do in life instead of following the cliche careers of your colleagues.