University of Maryland-Baltimore County Top Questions

When I think about myself two years ago, I honestly was not too much different than the person I am now. However, I am older, and with age comes wisdom so there are a few things I would say to myself. Number One: Do not be afraid of your professors. Even the scary ones. While most professors at my school are helpful and awesome, there's always one that isn't. But it is their job to teach and help you, so if you need it, go for it. No matter how cantankerous they are. Number 2: Do not pick your roommate the first year. It's much better to be mixed with the pot, because then you meet more people and have a lot of fun doing it. Number 3: Do not pick out your friend group the first two weeks of college, because they will often not be your friends several months later. It's not high school, but people still create drama for no reason. Number 4: Do not stay up past midnight on a school night. Yes, you make friends, but talk to them when it's still daylight. You'll do better in school.

As a college Senior at UMBC i have seen alot of things throughout my past four years that i never really experinced in high school. I learned so much about myself and about others and how to interact toward other individuals. My school is very diverse and I felt like i was in culture shock my sophomore year that i transfered into the school. I believe that you should come into any college with an open mind. Join different social groups and meet people of different kinds of races. Dont stick to one particular crowd. You never know what you could get out of the relationship if you make friends with different types of individuals. Visiting the campus for the weekend would be a good way of experiencing college life is really like. Overall college is an experience that should not be taken advantage of. You should enjoy every minute of it and not let other people influence you on certain decisions that you may not feel is right.

There are many things that I could wish I had known in high school that I know today. But the reality is that if I would have know what I know today when I was a high school senior then I would have probably made the mistake that I did or had the success that I did. I current time would not exit. But I think that they only advice that I would give me self it to always try hard and to just focus, and sometimes it won't be easy and u might fail but to never give up.

I really would not change much, because in a way, that is what makes the college life what it is. You change majors, you change professions; things just change. Honestly, going into my last year, I think I've done everything I wanted to do except graduate :) But if I had to give myself some advice, I would just think about making a couple backup plans if my original plan did not work. Of course everyone (hopefully) has a plan after high school, but it is rather daunting to have a backup plan so I would advise myself to do that.

I wasted a lot of time in Community college because it was easy, cheaper, and the only the credits transfered so it didnt matter how bad you could do in community college as long as you do enough to be able to transfer. It hurt me because when I came to university it was very hard to adjust, and I had taken all the easy classes at community college and took all the hard classes in university making it very hard to adjust.

focus on making lasting relationships, don't isolate. network - people want to help you. make sure to take care of yourself BEFORE anything else

To please your father, or please yourself? To bring glory to the family, or glory to the self? For enrichment and understanding, Or money and rights for bragging? In all these things you must decide, For the consequences are yours to abide. College life is not high school. If you disagree then you are a fool. Be wise. Be careful. For what may seem right is not always helpful. But do not be discouraged, For in this time you will find within you Much courage. Do what is right, No matter what. And in everything you do, Trust your gut.

Dear Ashley,Take a deep breath and relax. I know as a senior you are stuffed with countless emotions day in and day out. You wake up every morning asking yourself ?Where am I going in this life?. Advantageously, this letter is here to guide you. Take what you want from it, and know everything is going to be fine. You will be accepted everywhere you apply (I bet this just put a smile on your face). However, along the road there will be people telling you to give up your swim career. This is when I want you to look in the mirror and know you are a survivor. You can succeed if you put your heart and soul into everything you do. UMBC is where your journey will begin. College life can?t be explicated in words. It is everything you can imagine and more. The transition from high school is made easily as long as you are willing to embrace change. Michael Jordan said it best with ?Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game?. Life is short, so appreciate college and study hard but don?t forget to have fun and laugh often.

With college comes a freedom that will be a new and exciting experience for most incoming freshmen. Though it would prove regretfull not to take advantage of this newly-earned privelage, do not indulge. Stay focused and build a strong and stable foundation to pave a path for the rest of your college career. As college progress, you will find out that your GPA will be harder and harder to raise. This is enough reason to stay focused on school in the early years of college and come out strong with a high GPA. A strong GPA will allow you to take advantages of more opportunities such as scholarships and internships. With the ever-increasing rate of college tuition, scholarships will be more than helpful. Internships will help in securing a post-undergraduate job in your field of study. Everything adds up and if you do not have a strong foundation, everything could crumble. With that being said, make sure you create friendships with many different people. Join different student orginizations and get involvled around campus, but do not overload yourself and forget about school. Balance is the key to everything. Study, socialize, survive and succeed. That is college.

My advice would be to always do your best at everything you do. I would explain to myself how college life is totally different from high school and how you would have to do everything on your own. There is nobody telling you what to do and how to do things.

READ MORE!!!

I would tell myself that going to community college and then transferring to a four year college would be the smartest thing I ever do. That it is possible to have a fulfilling college experience while commuting everyday and having both a learning and a physical disability. That the professors will challenge me and make me really stop and think about what I know, how I think, and why I think the way I do. That the friends that I will make will be some of the greatest people in my life, and that while the work is sometimes very challenging to do, it's worth it. That it's not a problem to ask for help when I need it and that the people here really want me to succeed. That my advisor cares enough about me personally to ask me what I like to do and what I think my options are, so that she can keep an eye out for internships that I'd be interested in. That it's okay to not be perfect and that the transition is going to be weird, but that it passes quickly.

I would say plan ahead with regards like financial aid and academic hsitory.

When finding the right college, I would encourage students to seek friends who are current students at the prospective college so that they can learn about the school's atmosphere from a student prospective. Most of what is place in college brocheres is generalized information; this information does not always convey the actual environment. It is very helpful to visit the campus while classes are in session because you can guage what an average school day is like. Talking to current students and exploring the campus were very crucial to me deciding where I wanted to go. In the end, I feel I made the best choice of where I will develop as a young scholar and future leader.

Really sit down and take a look at what you think you would like to do in the long run for a job. I know most students have no idea what they want to do starting out, and some still dont know even after having been in college for a few years. If you do have an idea, take a look at any and all colleges that offer that sort of program or are known for it, and apply to all of them. Then make your decision from there. If you have no idea, apply to all of the reasonably priced schools that look appealing and apply to all of those. That way if you decide on a major and that school is not one you like, you have not wasted a lot of money on an expensive school for no reason. Also, some community colleges are an amazing start for students and can even be better academically than some of the universities.

Dear Parents and Students, Picking and choosing a college isn't all about the future, but rather, who the individual is and what they want in the present. Many students come into college thinking that they're going to fly right through, get a degree, and have a job by the time they graduate. However this isn't the case. Many students come to realize that they have to be mature adults when they're really not and they will eventually have to start earning while also going to school in order to fund their education. Pick a school because of its academic program and their finiacial package. Don't be fooled by nice architecture and a 'fun' environment. Take into account what you and your parents will have to do in order to get through the next four years. Its not hard, but its not that easy either. Have fun, study hard, and don't forget your responsiblities and priorities. I cannot emphasize this enough, but please remember to fill out your FAFSA so that the financial isn't that tough on your family. Welcome to college! Hang tight and have a blast! Sincerely, Mahnoor Siddiqui.

Always do your work, its better than nothing. The only way to keep up on your work is to be accountable, that means either making lists, using the agenda book or even an online calender. This leads to organization. The only tool you need to succeed in college is the ability to pull sane and logical order out of the inevitable chaos caused by the attempt of individual students to balance work, a social life and their academic careers. Don't be stubborn, your new and have no reason to not get help for everything and anything, don't figure this out the hard way. The motto to follow is: "Do it". Try everything, get a taste, then you will learn how to deal with stress. Do it right at the start, it is critical you learn to handle stress. Stress is that force from many things that presses on you as you do more tasks than normal. It forces you to act and you will learn from those actions, whether they are good or bad choices, it doesn't matter. Everyone learns from their mistakes.

Go to community college. Get an idea of what you want to do and find a college that fits. Do well in community college and let scholarships put you through the final two years.

My advice for parents and students would be to plan ahead for college. There are three main factors that are included in making the most out of the college experience. The first factor is financial preparedness. College is very expensive and it is important that parents have a financial plan for the child's college career. Financial difficulties can add stress to the student which can lead to poor academic outcomes. The second factor is discovering the students academic interest at an early age. Students should be exposed to various career fields throughout their primary education and receive specialized guidance during secondary school to help discover their career interest. Discovering a career field/major at a young age can help relieve the feeling of frustration and uncertainty during the college years. Lastly, students and parents should discuss the many aspects of college frequently. College is one of the greatest experiences of life and parents and students can work together to make the best of it.

Finding the right college starts with the needs of the student. Define your actual needs in a college, not petty wants. If your unsure about your major, do research, shadow or ask a professor about the content of their work. Making the most of the college experience begins with putting academics first and a social life second. College is a place for learning a developing - not a place to learn how to bindge drink. It's also important to not neglect the fact that your peers are an valuable asset to learning. One way to make the most out of your experience is to find a group of friends with study habits most like your own. This way the group can study and hang out at the same time. Don't waste money on entertainment - get involved in campus activities and social groups on campus. Know what resources are avaliable through your college and use them whenever possible.