University of Iowa Top Questions

"Embrace yourself" I'm going to give it to you straight, Michael, because I don't have much time. I'm your future, and you need to take this advice seriously: Be yourself, but more than that, embrace yourself. Everyone in the world is unique, has strengths and weaknesses, and has passions and dislikes. You were created to be better than everyone else on the planet at a certain thing, and now it's your job to find out what that is. Don't settle for someone else's future, for mediocrity. Do the things you love. I don't mean play the new Call of Duty game because you "love" it. I meant do the things that you enjoy in the moment and can recall fondly weeks later, things that improve you as a person. I know this is a lot to take in, but I need to you try. I'll summarize. Attempting to fit a mold made for someone else is pointless, not because you cannot do it, but because you can be better than that. Be the person you want to be, not the person everyone tells you that you could be. Embrace who you are.

Jake, don't procrastinate on tests and quizes. I know you can get away with it in high school, but college is a whole new ballgame. The tests are very challenging and demand a high workload that requires lots of studying before hand. Another thing is, plan and save your money. Don't go out with your friends every weekend. Learn to say no and only have a few drinks. Don't be stupid with your money and save for when you get an apartment. Tuition will not stop until the school gets it's money. Always save and don't waste your money. Have fun, just don't be stupid, and study study study.

Katie. Look at how far you made it. After all that struggle, after all that wait, you're finally a senior in high school--and you probably think that this year is going to be your best year, possibly your easiest year. That's where you'd be wrong, though. Listen to me, please; you need to get out there and actively apply yourself more. You need to start doing things before they're due, instead of procrastinating on them until the very last minute. Trust me, it isn't helping you at all, and it definitely won't help you in college. Over all, college isn't all that bad. You can definitely do it, and do it well, just as long as you make an effort to keep up with everything that is due. That means you need to stop procrastinating and take every advantage you're given. It's going to be rough for a while, but you'll make some awesome friends shortly after you get into college, and you'll love it. Really, you're going to do great, just as long as you remember why you're here, and remember your ultimate goal here.

If I could go back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior, the advice I would give myself is to not be in such a hurry to grow up. The transition from high school to college was not easy, you quickly realize that no one is watching you to make sure that you are getting to class on time or turning in your homework. I have had to learn how to be responsible for myself and organize my time so that I can as succeed in as many areas of my college life as possible. I would tell myself to remember to be patient and mature when you are faced with new obstacles, because even going into the second semester of my freshman year I still am faced with new obstacles every day. Growing up isn't all bad, I feel that I have become a more confident and organzied young woman. The independance is fun but sometimes I miss the days when all I had to do was go to school, do my chores, and make sure that my dog had been walked for the day.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a college senior, I would say to not stress too much about the transition into college. It all seemed so scary at first, but once you get there and get settled into a routine, it is not as bad as it seemed. College is not a big, scary place at all. It is a place where you can begin to live life on your own and learn about yourself as a person. You can make friends with people you would never have met otherwise and learn about your likes and dislikes when it comes to earning an education. Instead of having to take all the specific classes that were required in high school, you can explore the different options and find out what you enjoy most. It is a place full of endless opportunities and there is no reason to be scared of moving on to that next stage in your life.

High school isn't a time to procrastinate and sleeping through class is about the worst thing you can do. Get as many classes done possible, and take classes that are related to your major. I know, it's hard, overwhelming, and the temptation to just go to a concert or drive around with your friends is ever present, but trust me, if you can establish a solid base for your college education, you'll ultimately save money, save time, and gain a few extra hours of sleep. You don't need to figure every detail out right now. I'm still unsure of where I'm heading. Just breathe, and don't overwork your mind. Develop better time management skills and set goals (you do remember what goals are, don't you?) Oh, and don't automatically reject community colleges. They can save you so much money, and more resources are available. Put aside your ego!

The advice I would give myself as a high school senior is when you get to college do not waste time playing around. Go to all your classes and do your assigned work and turn it in on time, and be more focus on school and the future.

The first thing I would do is beg myself to open my dorm room door and not be afraid to walk into other dorm rooms and just make friends with the people around me. I made my friends through the rush process, but I regret not being more outgoing at the time. I would also remind myself that college is about being comfortable with who you are and who you want to be. The sooner you accept that and stop worrying about what others think, the more successful you will be. Also, I need to remind myself that sometimes, staying in on a Friday or Saturday might suck, but sometimes it is nessesary. Finally, it is important to remember that ~70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of people get jobs outside of their major and most people I will meet in college will change their majors multiple times. Never stay with a path that you know isn't for you.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would have a long chat with myself. I would let myself know that even though it seems like its going to be hard work going to college, working and trying to transition to school again is even harder to do. I would let myself know that in the end, all the negativity and negative people I was around weren't going to help me in life and wouldn't be there in the long hall so don's wait to change, make all changes now. I would also let myself know that I do have so much potential I just have to fully apply myself to my education and the sky can be limitless. One last thing I would mention is that the only thing that is constant in life is change, so don't be afraid to change for the positive, even if it hurt people. If knowing that change is constant why not make the changes you have control over positive.

If i could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, i would have a lot of explaining to do! My highschool senior self was driven and motivated, but not nearly as much as the college junior Samantha. I would explain to myself the importance of time management. Time management has been an essential part of my college career. With Nursing as a major especially, i've learned that flash cards, practical prep, tests and quiz's do not come naturally without a lot of memorization and reading. Hanging out with my friends and having fun comes in second place next to school work.