University of Kansas Top Questions

Prepare yourself now for college NOT when you get there. Learn how to take useful notes, now! Quit procrastinating...it will only lead to failing out of college! You have a year of time to learn materials in high school, college students have 16 weeks and trust me it goes buy very fast, before you notice it will be finals time and you will wonder where all your time went because you wasted it playing games on the computer at work. Community college is just as difficult as a University so don't come into college thinking: "What the heck, it's Miami Dade it can't be that hard. I don't even have to go to class and I'll still pass!" Don't be afraid of the cost it will all work itself out! An education is always money well spent! Plus there is great scholarships out there that you are eligible for that are easy as 1-2-3. There is even an scholarship were you answer three or four questions and write a paragraph and you automaticly are entered to win money! Now how easy is that?

It’s every first-time college freshman’s most exciting time of the year: winter break. You have survived your first semester of college and now you are anxious to check your GPA and see how well you have done. You log on to the grading system and anxiously wait. Bad news—you received below a 2.0 and now you are on academic probation. Nothing hurts more than your pride being crushed because you thought you did a lot better than that. If I could go back to my senior year of high school and give myself advice on transitioning and succeeding in college, I’d stress the importance of establishing good studying skills. Studying in high school is so much different than studying in college. In high school you could write your final English paper the morning of and get an A on it; in college you’d get a C. In order to set yourself up for success you must review your notes and actually read the books that are assigned. If I would have known that I would have earned better grades my first semester of college.

I would tell myself that making friends and participating in school activities is essential to feeling like a part of the community. Making friends that have interests similar to yours will allow you to build a network that will may greatly aid you in the future. Keep focused on school and utilize the schools study programs to their fullest. KU is a top rated public university and Lawrence has a thriving social life. Mucians from all over the country come to Lawrence to perform. KU basketball and football are HUGE in the midwest. Everyone participates in games and allumni as well as residents are all loyal fans of the university's sports teams. You might feel overwhelmed at first living on your own, but there is a great network of professionals that will help you if you ask! All the dorms hire seniors to help underclassmen with any questions about school or life they have. Get to know your RA's they are a valuable resource to help you through your first year at school. You can get advice on anything from writing term papers to getting the best deals when grocery shopping! College is a really rewarding experiance.

You know all those scholarships you are entering? Well, enter in more because we are starting school with negative dollars already, girl! Also, you probably should let someone else fill out the applications because you probably only lost those scholarships because your handwriting is terrible.

I don't mean to lecture you. I know you are smart and capable of taking care of yourself, but as someone who has already lived your experiences, I feel my advice is especially credible. First, never quit something that you are passionate about. College is a new world of differing opinions, challenging situations, and self-doubt. Hold strong, and don't be afraid of fear. This is the most valuable advice I can give you. You will be uncomfortable at times, but don’t recoil. Embrace your anxieties and rejoice in overcoming them, or learn from mishaps and wrong turns. By challenging fear and doubt, you learn from experience, life's greatest teacher. Go out and live! Travel, learn languages, meet people of all colors and walks of life, reside in the grey area of uncertainty, but don't forget moderation. I know you prefer to put others first, a commendable quality, but don’t ignore yourself along the way. When someone tells you they love you, they will not try to control you. If you're unhappy, don’t value your emotions as lesser. You, too, are of immeasurable value. Never forget that. I believe in you.

Approaching my junior year in college, there has been a countless number of times when I’ve wished I could go back to high school. As I look back at those four years, I tend to laugh at myself thinking: “if I would’ve just given my classes a bit of effort, I could’ve had my college paid for!” It’s hard not to compare the work ethic I practice now to my lack of drive I demonstrated in the past. I would give anything to go back and tell myself to actually take time to read the textbooks provided. The important thing isn’t just reading the book just to say you did. It's breaking down, understanding, and taking something away from the (free) information sitting before you. The extent of knowledge one can acquire from reading is incredible. Aspiring to attend medical school, my typical day consists of a lot of reading to teach myself concepts that will provide a foundation for my future education. If I'd prepared in such a way prior to advancing to college, the big step into higher-level courses would’ve been a transition with fewer bumps in the road.

College will be the time of your life. You will meet so many new people and be able to start with a clean slate. It is possible to go out with friends while balancing schoolwork, but make sure your priorities are straight. Don't worry about finding a job during first semester, or even the first year. Form good study habits and take risks, don't miss out on once in a lifetime opportunities. Don't skip out on reading/studying for your classes, and keep your morals in tact as well. Be social, even if it feels uncomfortable. It is time to grow up and college is the beginning of your journey into the real world. You won't get anywhere if you look at your phone instead of making conversation--that person could be your potential employer in ten years. Be someone that people admire and say good things about, be successful, and believe in yourself even if that requires staying in on a Friday night.

This talk would be a long and stretched talk. I would tell myself to keep my GPA up so I wouldn't have to spend my parents' money attending college. I also would tell myself to study more efficiently along with knowing how to make friends that matter. Being able to choose friends who are supportive and knowing how to study are the keys to success in college.

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school senior self I would let myself know that entering college is not as scary as it seems. It is one of the best times of your life. Do not be afraid about whether or not you will be able to make friends. Part of the fun of college is to take part in the extracurricular activities because they have have plenty of them and it is a great way to make new friends easily. While in your room studying or even just chilling, do not be afraid to leave the door open or even move to the living room. Just because you have you're own room does not mean that you should alienate yourself from your roommates. You should try to join a club this year or get into the work study program because the more you do the better it looks. You should also join a club once you enter college. There are many clubs that you can join for yourself as well as clubs that will provide a way to help the community. Enjoy your family while you still have them around you.

There is much advice that I would give to the high school "me". For starters, Mom is always right; one of the things I do wish I had done while I was still in high school is heed my mother's every warning. From the advice she told me about planning ahead for my future, to stop worrying about what my friends were doing and worry about what was best for myself. She was always right, and will continue to always be. I would also tell myself that college will not be easy as teachers would say. You have to work twice, sometimes even three times as hard to achieve the goals, grades, and results that you want to reach. I would say to apply myself harder, get involved more and give up less; worry more about your future rather than everyone else's. Take the advice that everyone gives you and take it into consideration, do not just brush it off. Prepare yourself, work hard, and give it your all. Plan ahead in order to get things done on time; the results you get will give you the highest satisfaction there is. Do it for yourself, no one else.

If I could go back in time, I would tell high school senior version of myself to stay focused and work harder to raise my ACT score to receive scholarships to help stay at the University of Kansas. The University of Kansas was an amazing choice and it would be hard to go your first year and fall in love with the school itself, and then find out the next year that there is a strong possibility that you might not be able to attend. I would tell myself to do everything in my power to try to maintain happiness that KU gives off, and do not be lazy when it comes to applying my skills. I would also tell myself to pay close attention in English class when it comes to writing essays because college is full of essays and they are no joke. Study more and stop “winging” test due to the fact that in college, that will not help out with your GPA. Basically, if I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would say keep up the good work, never give up, and work harder than ever.

If I had an opportunity to communicate with myself as a senior in high school, I would have many life lessons to share. First, I would inform myself that procrastination is unacceptable and more stressful than completing work early. I would also acknowledge that while moving away from home seems appealing, it is a much better decision to stay close to home and attend a community college for the first few years. Community college is less expensive and most credits eventually transfer to a four-year institution. The most important concept that I would stress to myself would be that although it takes time and effort to apply for scholarships it is worth the effort in the end; whether you receive the scholarship or not the attempt itself was worth the energy and learning experience. Another important lesson that I would verbalize to myself would be that although my parents seem aggravating and difficult they offer valuable advice. By stressing that tasks be completed on my own and that I should work hard at everything I do, they have taught me how to be a better person, and I am lucky to have them in my life.

I would encourage my high school self to get involved in the activities going on around campus without fear of rejection. There is so much to do and so many interests are served with different student groups, if you try a lot of new things something is bound to feel right. I would also tell myself to look at college as an opportunity to be reinvented in a whole new place with tons of new and exciting people that you can learn and grow from having known. Lastly, I would tell myself to get to know professors, to go visit them at their office hours when I'm in need of help or guidance because they are all knowledgable and kind and it's helpful to have a relationship with them so they recognize your face!

If I had to go back and talk to seniors about college, I would inform them to have fun. College is a time for people to find out who they really are. It is a chance to take risks, make mistakes, and learn from them. I joined a sorority and left college with 80 plus best friends. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations and learn from that experience. Make sure you sustain an equal school and personal life balance. If you have a dream or a goal, pursue those in college. You only live once and you want to live it up in college. Everyone says college is the best four years of your life and I agree full heartily. I had the best time of my life and gained a handful of best friends. Graduation was very difficult because you have to say goodbye to your friends who move away for jobs, goodbye to the professors who you had every year, and goodbye to your college town which you grew to love and grew to who you really wanted to be. Live college to the fullest because in a blink of an eye, it will all be over.

I see the whirling dial descending through the decades; 2010’s, 2000’s, 1990’s….It clicks to a stop at 1988. Every number that slipped silently backwards through the sands of time encompassed a year’s worth of experiential growth; Life lessons that made me who I am; forged by smiles and tears. I step out of the time machine to confront myself with one piece of wisdom; not to change my path, but to elevate it to a higher plane. I approach the naïve high-school senior, full of hope and dreams under a poodle-top 80’s do. This is what I tell my former self: “The value in life is not in a prize held aloft at the end of the race, but in the individual moments that make up the journey. It is not in the completion of a paper, but in the passages you read to assimilate the concept. It is not in finding a spouse, but in the gift of interaction with individuals that touched your soul in some small way. Focus on the here and now, each action, each breath, and you will be the person you were meant to be.”

Expect freedom, but also expect conflict. I fill myself in on the grandeur that is the freedom of college life such as whether to attend lecture or not. On the other hand I would make it well known to myself that because of these freedoms conflicts will arise. College students are on a hunt to find out who they are, and because of this they are considering less about what others think and more about what they want. Fights will break out, arguments will happen, and someone might come barging into your dorm room at 3am the night before your exam at 8 in the morning, but this will just make the whole college experience worth wild. Interactions with people who had a graduating class of less than 20 will happen. Interactions with people who have lived as far away as England will occur. Interactions with the coolest potheads will happen. You might even end up on Bourban Street with some people from your dorm. All in all my advice to myself would be to get of my lazy, netflix watching bum and network with more people.

Honestly, there is only one piece of advice I would've given myself back in high school, and that would've been to learn how to properly study for college courses. I came from a small, rural school with a class size of 16 kids... studying was never much of a challenge for me, and it only took an hour or two (if even that). When I first started class at KU, I tried handling the coursework much like I had in high school. I quickly learned that my old method was no longer effective in getting my work done, and done well. I had to develop a new method for studying and completing schoolwork, and it was rather difficult. I was so used to school being naturally easy that having to approach it as a challenge was near impossible. It was quite the struggle, but I managed to pull through; I became so accustomed to my old way of studying that I thought I'd never learn, but I did it, and now I'm on the right track to success.

College is more than just a stepping stone to the next phase of life. I spent high school focused on graduating and approached college in a similar manner. I now have to balance a full schedule of professional engineering courses, two jobs and my need to be outside and spend time rock climbing. I realize now how much I did not fully appreciate or utilize the freedom I had as an underclassman. I would be much better served now if I had taken advantage of that free time to explore my other interests as well as career paths. I look back now and wish I had gotten more hands on experience in my field of study. However, I would not change my major. I found a combination of a major, concentration and minor that fully enveloped my interests so I feel that academically I took exactly the right steps. Overall, I would say live in the moment a little more and work hard.

if you choose to pick a community college around the area, make sure they have Instructors in the class room and make sure if they have tutors on the campus. The college your went to is not the one your looking for, ask for more info about scholarships and finance and remember keep your grades up, in college they don't mess around with grades.

Remember the famous line, "less is more". Your dorm room may look big in pictures, but once you arrive, it well feel like the size of closet. You do not need every single t-shirt you accumlated from sporting events, school, and concerts. Just pick a few of your favorites and wear them more than once. You also do not need to bring all your nice clothes. You may think that you will dress nice and look good to go to class, but once that alarms goes off at 7:15 for that 8am class, a nice blouse or polo is the last thing you want to put. Just because your meal plan allows you to get as much food as you want, does not mean you should do it. Although the food choices may be scarces, that doesn't mean load up on pizza. Go grocery shopping and get some healthy snacks or just eat one slice. Those freshman 15 can creep up faster than you think. Finally, don't write down every word spewing out of the professor mouth. Create your own short hand and get the main points. and whenever in doubt, remember "less is more".