University of Maine Top Questions

Be yourself. It sounds cliche but it's true. It is very easy to lose yourself when you change locations and meet new people. You want them to like you, you want them to accept you so you compromise with yourself and change who you are. Don't. Root yourself in something as simple as writing. Or running. Or painting. Anything that is special to you and cannot be tainted by others. Keep part of you tucked away for you, for the moments you need to remember yourself. Also, just get the damn tattoo.

If I could go back in time and tell myself what I know now about college life and making the transition I would tell myself to keep my priorities straight, even though you hate working in a call center it pays the bills and makes finishing college in December 2013 worth it. I would tell myself to hold my head high and not sweat the small stuff because it’s not worth your time. I would have to tell about how even though your teachers are not going to stay on top of you and homework only counts for thirty percent of your final grade its still important to do it and study your brains out. In the end I would just have to tell the younger scared me that it will all be okay.

I would focus more on going in knowing what i want to do. Not changing my degree and partying. If i would not have gotten pregnant at 19 and then having my son die i would not have failed a year of school. But i must always remember very day no matter how hard it is find something or someone that inspires you and go after your dream. Do not let your past hold you back weather a few bad grades or a bad teachers keep pushing foward. Apply for more scholarships because school is expensive. Hard work and dedication every single day

Concentrate. Forget the games, leave the book at home when you go to class. You actually need to study this time around. Do not be too proud to ask for help this time around. It's turning around, but it shouldn't have had to be turned around. Don't get set back like your future self.

I would tell myself to practice better study habits, specifically when it comes to studying for tests. I would also tell myself to not waste money on little, unimportant things because now that I am in college I value money a lot more. I would get a job before I got to school up in the Orono area so that I was not stuck jobless at the beginning of the school year, and that would also help the financial struggle I have acquired. I would tell myself that it is a lot harder to adjust and succeed than everyone in high school made college out to be. It is not easy and requires a lot of hard work, determination, and motivation.

Dear Emily, You can take a deep breath, college life is just like you imagined it would be. Although, your plans will change dramatically. You will not get the financial support your thought you were going to have so APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS! I'm serious! Just because you're a poor white girl doesn't mean the government is going to throw money at you. You will have to work hard and spend countless hours writing essays and working on projects. Don't get discouraged, you'll find a job on campus, ironically at the financial aid office. You will have to take out loans sadly, but there is no helping that in this economy. Also, start thinking more about what you want to do with your life career wise. Don't listen to those counselors that tell you "you have time to think about it", because you don't. You need to be serious about this so that you can make a good decision when choosing your major. I suggest looking into careers that you have not thought about before, possibly physical therapy or pediatrics, you like babies! Your Future Self, Emily P.s. Do not procrastinate!

If I could go back and tell myself one thing as a highschool senior, that would be to work and master time management. It always gets the best of me at college. I'm currently a member of Navy ROTC at UMaine and I know balancing that and schoolwork is without a doubt the hardest thing there is. Everything is on a set schedule here for me, because if I screw off and relax for even a minute I get side tracked and forget to get things done that are a priority in the first place. I now have a calendar, planner, and check my email at least 4 times a day. I would tell myself to leave the fun for the weekends when I have more time off and push hard during the week to finish every to the best of my ability. I would tell my senior highschool self, work hard play hard.

Books are expensive, so don't buy the books unless you absolutely have to. Wait until the first week of classes to buy the books. Freshmen year I went ahead and pre-ordered my books from the campus. I didn't even end up using some of them and was then left with a $70 textbook that was totally unnecessary and worthless because the professor had made it. To top it off, the bookstore wouldn't even take it. Another thing is to look for your books online. Try half.com. The bookstore rarely has the best prices. This semester I looked online and found out that I saved over $100 on the same books I would have bought from the bookstore.

They should know about the website ratemyprofessor.com. They will learn what classes or teachers they should or shouldn't take. The other thing is Maine day, what it is and what it represents.

Spend as much time with your friends and family as possible. You wont even begin to understand how much your going to miss them when they're gone. They are your support, your compassion, and you humor. It's hard to make friends after years of not needing to, so cheerish the ones you have now while you can. Technology makes it easier, but it's not nearly the same. To have you mom to cry to when you have a bad day, or you dad to joke with when you need a pick-me-up, or that best friends that you could tell anything to and would give the best advice, or how amazing it is to be in your boyfriends arms, or even your annoying little sister. You'll miss it all, more then you can imagine, so love it, every minute of every hour you spend with them, because it will be gone before you know it.