University of Kansas Top Questions

I would tell myself to be more adventuresome. I would also not room with my best friend in the dorms, because he appears to not want any sort of friendship with me now, whatsoever. I would tell myself to not be afraid to try new things. I wish I would have been involved in some sort of athletic club or something since I was very active in sports with my high school. Now, that competitive edge is not being sufficed and I feel like something is missing. That, plus the stupid freshman 15 is finally in effect after a year of college under my belt or rather on top of it. I would also tell myself to be more outgoing and meet lots of people. Because when it comes down to getting a job, it really is who you know as well as knowing what you know. Do not show prejudice towards any person until you know them because they could turn out to be a quality friend that you will cherish for a lifetime.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that it is important to have confidence. When moving away from home to a new place and meeting a lot of new people, it may feel very overwhelming and scary, but having confidence in yourself helps make the transition easier. Putting out the effort to meet new people and make new friends is an important part of the social aspect of college, and to do so one must have confidence. Being yourself is impotant because college is a chance to form and strengthen your personal identity. I would tell myself to say hi to someone who sits next to you in class, rather than being too shy. I would tell myself to attend the student activities at the union rather than staying home to watch TV. Most importantly, I would tell myself to have confidence, because with confidence, one can make it through any difficult situation with flying colors.

You have to be willing to try everything, even the things you don't think you'll be interested in. Go to all the clubs that invite you to their opening meetings and go to all the events going on in the opening week of classes. There are tons of freshmen just as nervous as you waiting for someone to come up to them and start a conversation. Don't be shy about being weird or forward; it'll just attract the type of people who are your kind of weird.

Take your time, and enjoy what you have right now in the present. Life comes at you hard and fast, there's no need to rush that along. If you fret over the long term, you'll miss out on the wonderful things right in front of you, and there are a lot of wonderful things you'll be encountering as you transition to college. Life will happen whether you enjoy it or not. Plan ahead for the future enough that you're being responsible and setting yourself up for success, but remember to enjoy the moment and don't let things pass you by. You only transition to college one time in your life; soak it up and chalk every moment, even the not-so-happy ones up to experience.

Erin,...remember to stay focused and think of the bigger picture. Although you've always known that you would continue with higher learning, that going to college was a must in order to succeed in life in making yourself a better person both personally and with your professional aspirations, take your classes, classroom behavior and teachers more seriously. Stop trying to hurry along....focus more on your studies and homework and not as much on having fun and making time to hang out with your friends. Take time to be more organized, understand the lesson and not try to short-cut your way through just to make the grade. Never hesitate to ask questions of your teachers, parents or anyone trying to help you make school life less stressful and less complicated. Learn to be more organized, work on better people skills, and have a better handle and understanding of what field you want to pursue so as to concentrate on everything and anything that would broaden your experience, and spend more time and effort on extra credits that will jump start your university life.

Learn to study in your own way. College is truly about working for yourself and finding yourself.

I would advise myself to attend a college on the east coast. Though building a career in publishing is difficult without an Ivy League university on your resume, public schools on the east coast are more readily recognized by potential employers. I would not advise myself to attend an Ivy League university, however, because publishing careers pay so little, and it's not worth accruing that much debt.

I think if I could give myself advice it would be to make friends. To really get to know the girls I was living with and make friends. I would want to nag myself to death to get out there and get involved, even if it didn't sound like the most fun thing in the world. To get involved with religious and social clubs on campus sooner. Once I got into things on campus school was a lot more fun because I knew more people and had more things to do. I would want to spend time with people other than the ones I already knew when I came to school, and to give everyon in teh house a chance to be my friend. I would tell myself to worry much less, because college isn't as scary as it seems. It's really a lot like going to high school, except that it is much less dramatic and you live there. I would also tell myself what it was I ended up majoring in so I could cut down on a few of the extra classes I took trying to figure out what I was doing.

College is fun. However, no matter how independent you currently are, it is a big transition. Living on campus your Freshman year provides easy access to campus services, activities, and opportunities as well as provides a safe environment for meeting new people. Roommates, and proximity to campus makes getting up and attending class much easier. Going to class is important for keeping caught up, and it provides an opportunity to meet people with similar interests and goals. The key to success in college is to do (and understand) your assignments. If you are struggling, GET HELP! Form study groups early on, taking unanswered questions to your professor. Teachers want you to succeed. Also, take advantage of campus opportunities. The classroom is not the only place to learn, and college is a great time to get out to learn about you. Join campus clubs, intramural sports, or local volunteer groups. You might be surprised at what you find. Opportunities are endless, so explore, prioritize, and take action towards becoming the person you want to be.

I would tell myself to make straight A?s and to focus more on school and to also fill out all the scholarships I can because college is very expensive. I would also tell myself friends are not as important as important as I thought they were in high school because once you get in college and begin studying you don?t have time to be worrying about other. I would have also told myself to apply to Spelman College and follow my dream rather than attending the University of Kansas because it?s close to home. I know now that distance doesn?t matter because even though I am thirty minutes from home I come home once a month, at most.

The best advice I could give to myself is time management and its incredible role in life and in academics, be wise in my time today and I wont pay for it tomorrow. With respect to social life is to hang out with people you otherwise would never meet. Be nice and polite to everyone and it will come back to you double fold.

When you're in high school it is very important to teach yourself independence. The ability to care for yourself, and manage your own finances is a huge advantage when first attending college. There are many college students who also struggle with studying for exams, if you have the ability to make yourself study and possess good test taking skills it will enable you to be successful in college.

I would tell myself not to sign up for a pot luck random roommate freshman year. I had a horrible experience for the first six weeks of freshman because I chose a random roommate. I would tell myself to sign up with someone I know fairly well but am not best friends with. Second semester one of my good friends moved in with me and we had the best time being roommates and living together. I would also tell myself to take at least more classes. I kept my schedule really light freshman year because I was scared I couldn't handle the workload. However, my senior year of high school had more homework than my freshman year in college did.

Nathan, Get involved! Make as many friends as possible! Establish good study habits! All of these things combined, will help you to make a better transition into college. It's hard leaving home. You think it's going to be great fun. Sometimes it is, but then sometimes it's not. But, if you get involved in something that interests you, like sports or a club, going away is a lot easier. You meet students who have the same interests as you, so you then have somebody to hang out with, to have fun with, or to study with. Now, it feels more like home. Lastly, you have to study, study, study! When you get good grades, you feel good. When you feel good, you know that you are in the right place, and that's where we all want to be. Good Luck!

I would tell myself to not assume that I know everything there is to know about myself. When I was a senior I was convinced I knew exactly what I wanted from my life. The summer between high school and college completely changed that. I had an eye-opening experience in South Africa and by the time I started my first year of college I had already changed my major. I learned things about myself I hadn't even guessed at. I knew that all I wanted to do was help those people who desperately needed it. Eventually, after doing some deep thinking about what I really wanted to accomplish with my life, I changed majors again and even transferred colleges. I don't regret my decision to change schools in the least but I do wish I had chosen my present school in the beginning. I could be much further along in my plan to help if that had been the case. If I could go back I would definitely tell myself to fully consider my options and to remain open to all possibilities because they just might change your life.

I would encourage myself to look at the schools that were the top ten for my major.

I would tell myself not to stress so much about what my grades are going to be at the end of each semester. If you work hard, you will get the grades you are looking for/capable of. I would always calculate my grades throughout the semester and they would be projected to be worse and worse, until finals came around, and I would end up surprisingly content with all my grades. I would also tell myself not to ever go out 5 times a week, because there is no need for it. It is unhealthy, expensive, and causes you some anxiety for not putting in much scholastic effort at the time. Fortunately, at the University of Kansas grades are primarily centered around 3 tests throughout the semester. This allows students to just pay attention each class, and then study diligently two or three days before an exam. Many classes, especially lower level classes (350 and below), also have homework due each class. I always thought that daily homework assignments were pretty much over once you graduate high school. Finally, I would let my high school self know that I would be a very successful college student.

Trust yourself. Life is fraught with new, nerve-racking situations, but believe that you will always be alright, and you will. Dive head-first into the unknown, because often they are the most challenging, and rewarding, and certainly the most memorable. Even when you move more than 6,000 miles from your family, friends, and all things familiar, where you barely speak the language and you must now be responsible for all aspects of life, self-confidence will get you through it. There are always people who can help you, as long as you know how to ask.

As I was approaching my last few months at home and getting ready to leave for college, I had high expectations for my freshman year. I thought I was going to leave, make completely new friends, and start anew. I gave little to no thought about being homesick or missing my family and friends. I was completely ready to be my own person. However, I didn?t realize the transitions I would have to undergo and the changes that would take place in my life. If I could go back and give myself advice, I would tell myself to, firstly, spend more time with those who I would be leaving. Then, I would advise myself to participate in many different clubs and activities. Making new friends hasn?t been as easy as I had anticipated, and I believe that the best way to meet new people with similar interests is to attend various activities where I will be able to meet people who have common interests. If I had been given this advice beginning my freshman year, the transition from home and starting a new life would have begun with much more ease.

If I could go back into time and talked to myself as a high school senior, I would have a serious sit down discussion. I wish I could go back and have taken advantage of all the AP classes that were offered. I wish I could have pushed myself further and gone to a school that was out-of-state and step outside of my comfort level. I wish I'd focus more on my academia rather then place a lot of my emphasis on my extra cirriculars. I wish I could have put into perspective that college is absolute key to my future. I would have told myself to do my college research and pay attention to my needs and wants from each school. I wish I could show my parents how much I care about my future so they can have higher expectations of me. Right now, I almost feel like they just want me to FINISH school rather than finish AND achieve the best of the best. A lot of it is proving myself to my familiy. I would tell myself to look in a mirror and use the abilities that God gave me.