University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

It's in your best interest to figure out which type of school best suits you. I believe it is vital to visit colleges of all shapes and sizes! It's important to become acquainted with how living at a campus will affect study habits, social life, and activities. The people who surround you are also very influential. Going to a small school gives you a strong sense of community. But attending a small college where the people are unlike yourself can be detrimental. So, visit! Don?t just take the tour! It is necessary to see behind the scenes! Trust me, you do not want to attend a college where you?re kind of socializing differs with the norm! Make sure that a BIG school isn?t too BIG! If you want to study in a library every night, taking a bus onto campus to do homework may not suit you. Or maybe it does! But the important thing is to pick a school that is a great fit for you and the person you want to develop into through your college experiences!

I am content with the way things turned out. I knew that Architecture was the career for me. In two years I completed my associates degree at the College of Dupage. I also, was a starter for the basketball team and helped us get to Delhi, New York for the NJCAA divison III Nationals. During these two years I established a great relationship with my teachers, classmates, and teammates. It was nice to have feed back from the teachers multiple times a week. From what I've heard from students at other Universities they don't recieve as much one on one attention. Another benfit of going to community college was the price. I saved a lot of money. With the money I saved I was able to use it to afford studying aboard in France through the University of Illinois. Now, I'm surrounded by great architecture and traveling all over Europe. If I were to go back and tell myself I was going to be a starter on a college level basketball team and studying in France for a year I wouldn't wanted to do anything differently.

If I can go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, the advice I would give myself would be to seek out more scholarships. As a senior in highschool , I did not really understand the severity of finding money for college. Now that I am in college, I found out through my situation that there is no possibility that I can receive financial aid from my school. Also, I would tell myself to do more research on the intended major in which I wanted to pursue. I changed my major twice. As a result, I will have to possibly take summer school in order to graduate in four years. I will have to fulfill the department's course requirments. Lastly, I would have told myself not to fall in love in college because it will hurt when a breakup happens. As a result, you lose focus and then you stress out.

You should look into all the university has to offer. There are so many different majors to examine, clubs to join, and friends to be made. Do not limit yourself. Take this time to find out who you are and who you can become. Do not be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and experience various things. Don't be afraid to "re-invent" yourself. Not only can you do anything you set your mind to do, but look for experiences you never even imagined existed. Networking is extremely important. Soak up all the information and experiences you can. Do not be afraid to ask for help. When people tell you college is the most fun time and also the hardest time, they are correct. It's your time to learn, grow, and blossom! Expand your horizons. Make the most of your college experience.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to do everything I have done before. I believe I was pretty well equipped to attend this university. I was diligent, possessed great time management skills, joined various extracurriculars, and I was a mature and focused individual.

Study more, high school does not prepare you for college.

Breath. Breath in the air of your hometown, because you will be leaving soon. Breath in the scent of home cooked food, dorm food will never have that scent. Breath when your overwhelmed with applications and paper, it will be worth it very soon. Relax. Relax when your best friend makes you angry, your time left together is limited. Relax when you fight with your parents, you will miss those small arguments. Relax when you you can't make up your mind, these choices are important but not the end of your life. Take it all in. Take in the drive home on that familiar road, it may be awhile until you see it again. Take in the halls of school, these are your final days as a high school student. Take in the comfort you feel in your own home, home will soon be different. Breath, relax, and take it all in. Not only now, but when you arrive at school. What seems complicated now will be nothing soon. Life is about to become difficult beyond belief. Things are going to be completely different. These are the best years of your life, your life is just beginning.

Save money! Be prepared to work hard! Learn how to study early on!

I would tell myself to be more careful about the college drinking scene. Also, I would tell myself to take on more classes and more of a challenge because its very manageable. I would also tell myself to be confident. Making friends is so easy as long as you feel good about yourself and put yourself out there. But the most important thing I would say is to meet NEW people, do not always call and hang out with people you knew in high school! There are so many other people out there that will become your new best friends for life. Emerse yourself completely in college life and try not to think about home and everyone you used to know as much. Think about being at school and doing something new!

If I were to go back in time and talk to myself about college life I would say to stay focused on school work, and get involved early and consistently with campus life. I would tell myself to stay focused on my academics because that is why I am going to school, to do well and get good grades, learn, and apply myself so that I can achieve greater things that my family does not have and need. From my point of view if I do not try my hardest there is no point in attending, because this is my future and life. Getting involved into school organizations and campus life does not only help meet new people but as well gets you involved and looks great on a resume. Getting involved in an organization with which is related to your major will also help out tremendously not only personally but also helping career wise.