University of Kansas Top Questions

Try hard at everything you do. There is no "unimportant" class.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would stress to myself how important scholarships are. I would tell myself to take the time to fill as many as I can out, no matter how much money it is for. I would also tell myself that college is not about cramming and stressing out before major finals. If you continue to study throughout the semester, then finals will just be another test and you won't have to worry about anything. I am known for over-stressing for tests even when I feel confident on the material. I would then tell myself that if I am having trouble with a class to not be afraid to ask for help from a professor or someone who understands the problem. It is not a sign of failure to ask for help. College is about learning how to live your own life and create your own future. With that comes mistakes along the way. It is how these mistakes are fixed and learned from that shows true success and maturity.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, with the knowledge I have now, I would give a lot of advice. First, I would tell myself to enjoy high school as much as possible because even though it is stressful, it is nothing like college. I would also tell myself to appreciate all my parents do because once you are on your own you see how hard they have worked for you all those years. Above all, I would tell myself to be open to all that college has to offer. I have learned so much from the teachers, but even more from the many other students I have met. If you let them, they will be your friend, mentor, confidante, exercise partner, lunch mate and so much more. I am continually fascinated by the many personalities I encounter and have learned so much from my fellow students. So above all advice, I would tell myself to meet all the people you can because it is like opening up a new book every time.

Living close to campus is best, making studying and the commute to class much more convinent. It is important to manage time wisely; even if the paper is due at the end of the semester, work on it throughout, not just the last week of the semester. Don't freak out or become over-stressed. Make sure to plan enough study time each day for upcoming assignments and tests. Attend every class possible. It really does help.

As a high school senior, I would advise myself to join college as soon as I graduate from high school. Delay in obtaining an undergraduate degree has left me way behind than my colleagues who went ahead and obtained their degrees right after their high schools. I would advise myself that in order for me to succeed in future, I must attain a degree within next four years or so.

My advice would again be to make sure that I balance all the beneficial aspects of a college experience. This includes doing well academically, getting involved in extracurricular sports and clubs, as well as meeting and making new friends while enjoying various social events that the campus and the city has to offer.

If I could go back to my senior year me, and talk to myself about the transition from school to school. I would say "Its ok to take the class with the interesting title, its ok to take that class that could sound hard but seems really cool." The classes that I take will mean the most when they are set out in a 4 year plan. This plan for my high school self would be an organized chart of give-and-take. If I were to take an extra fluff class here...then I replace it with a serious class maybe two semesters later. This chart shows me that although that I don't know exactly what I want to study or where exactly I am going, but it shows me that I AM going foward. It shows me where I have been and what it has taken me to get there. This is a building block effort. This plan is essential!! And for all the other, new adventures I will come across... : ) I will be fine, just stick to the plan.

The main piece of advice I would give myself would be to not expect the first semester of college to be the ideal life changing experience that it is often advocated as. Throughout high school (and life) I was led to believe that the first semester of college would be a life changing experience that would alter my character and create life-long friendships. I had this mindset coming into KU. However, I also decided that I was going to be successful and achieve a 4.0 gpa. I reached my goal but at the same time the absence of an "ideal" college experience caused me great distress. During my first semester yes I witnessed people making friends and simulating the ideal college experience (life long frienships, etc), but I also witnessed them failing in core classes that were neccessary for future success. In conclusion, I would tell myself (and other high school seniors) that college is about hard work, intellectual passion, and dedication. Sometimes social relations must be sacrificed (or at least delayed) so as to do well academically. This sacrifice will ultimately lead to good students to benefit their communities immensely in the future.

Your school work is going to be more challenging and the work load is going to be much greater than it was in highschool. Therefore, it is going to be much harder for you to balance your social life with your school studies. It's going to be difficult at times but I strongly encourage you to always put your school work first. Always do your homework, study twice as much as you think you need to for a test, and most importantly always go to class! You will hear this alot and it will be easy to skip classes not living at home anymore but trust me just getting to class will greatly affect the grade you recieve. As you progress further into college you will understand the effort it is going to take to succeed and the best thing you can do is stay motivated. Know that the grades you recieve in college will help you to get a good job and that means more money! Keep that in the back of your mind and when things get tough remind yourself of why you are doing it and how great life will be when you get that diploma!

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school self I would tell her to work as many hours as possible before starting her first semester at KU and to save that money for emergencies! I would remind her to have fun in moderation because the reason for going to college is to expereince new things while earning an education. I would encourage her to try new things that may have her feeling uncomfrotable or out of her element at first.... but in the end they will be the experiences that are the most memerable and most important. I would tell my highschool self to take advatage of the resources she has at hand such as working with professors and academic advisiors in order to decide the best path to take to fulfill personal goals. I would tell her to apply for scholarships early and get involved! I think i would really stress the importance of branching out and trying new things because in the end you will really find something interesting that you love doing. Then I would remind her that she is an smart and beautiful girl with unlimited possibilities, who can achieve anything.