University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

Personally, my transition to college was not at all as I expected. Because of an illness I had to withdraw from my first semster at school which made the whole college experience very different from what I expected. I would tell a high school senior that no matter what, no one can plan out the next four years of their life. Some students transition into college perfectly and some students take years to feel comfortable. College life is filled with unexpected surprises that make high school senior students turn into college students. In order to get through it you have to be comfortable with yourself and you have to motivate yourself and build a determination to not let the unexpected turns take you down. College is all about preparing for the future--and in the future, there will be many struggles out there for us. High school senior: go in with a positive attitude and don't change yourself for anybody else. Be comfortable in your own skin. And if you're not, then college is the place to find that comfort.

Dear me,

The biggest piece of advice I would give myself is that the college experience is exactly what you make out of it. You are responsible for every choice you make, from big decisions such as major and class schedule down to small decisions like what to eat and who to talk to. Every choice you make will affect you in some way, so you must be sure that the ones you make are the right ones. The change in amount of responsibility going from high school to college is quite enormous and can be extremely stressful, but it is important to always keep your goals in line, and that will help you make the right decisions. It is also important to find balance; your primary objective is education, but taking some time off to make friends and form everlasting relationships will save you from the stress of work. Never lose sight of your main goal though, because the lower your GPA gets, the fewer opportunities you'll have.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to try as hard as possible to get more scholarships because your parents have worked hard all their lives and saved up just for you to go to college and getting those scholarships would be a great way to say ?thank you for being such wonderful parents.? If I could go back, I would tell myself to remember that you are more than a score on a piece of paper. Make sure you take the time to make a difference in someone?s life every day, even if it?s small. Make sure you pursue the projects that make you happy. If I could go back I would tell myself to make friends with other kids who do not drink, for when the party?s are over, it is often those guys who are the one?s standing by your side. Don?t limit yourself to any group, get out and experience the world. If I could go back, I would tell myself to go into Washington DC to the museums; they are fantastic, free, and not worth missing.

I would tell myself to apply to more scholarships and seek counseling for stress at school. It is always important to get off anxiety off my chest because I do not do well under pressure.

I would tell myself to make the most of every opportunity to better my experience as a freshman. Your first year at college is a once in a lifetime moment. Everyone you are around is going through the same transition as you so there's nothing to be scared of. Freshman year is a new start to be whoever you want to be and it is the first time when you truly experience life on your own, so don't be afraid to talk to people you don't know or try something you've never tried before.

If I could go back to myself as a high school senior, I would have told myself to savor that last year. I spent it working TOO hard in class so that I could get into a good college, and working even harder at my job so that I could pay those application fees. I'm glad I did work so hard because I got into the college of my dreams, but I did not spend much time with my friends and others I cared about. And, I regret it. Looking back, a year that should have been fun and memorable, is now just a blur of deadlines and late night cram sessions. Though I see many of my friends from high school still, it really is not the same. The environment that my high school created can never be duplicated. Now that we are all older, and a few months wiser, we've changed. And, I can barely remember who we were in the simplicity of senior year.

If I were to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, the advice I would give myself is to study, study, study. Although I was an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Candidate, who was required to complete 150 community hours, six academic rigorous classes as well as a philosophy course, the environment is quite different from college life. Not saying that I was not completely prepared, but college requires a lot of studying and unfortunately, I did not really master that skill during high school. Also, I would advise myself to get involved in many more extracurricular activities. College is filled with a lot of activities that give the perfect opportunities to broaden your social network. Lastly, I would advise myself to strategize a way to balance my academics and social life. Though college is filled with lots of both academic and social opportunities, it is very important that one learns how to balance the two because he or she may become a victim of academic probation or even social isolation. In conclusion, college life can be a very cool and alarming but beneficial experience if you are willing to face and overcome the challenges.

Hello Tony, I?m writing you this letter to prepare you for your college career. Since this is your final year of high school, I want to encourage you to continue practicing the various techniques such as Math and English. Both of these subjects are more challenging at the college level. You should also consider increasing your GPA because you have a single mother with four children and in which two of them are going to be in college at the same time. It would definitely help out with your family?s financial situation by improving your GPA it will provide more financial aid. You should try your best and apply for as many scholarships as possible. You want to stay away from loans because they will keep you in debt forever. I know that you are currently working 20-30 hours per week, but I would encourage you to start saving your money because in the future there are many expenses that have to be paid for. Saving money will save you time and decrease the number of hours working during your college career, so that you can have more time to spend studying. Sincerely, Tony

The advice i would give myself first is to put as much effort into the IB program as I could. It was really a big deal and in high school I did not understand that. If I would have completed the IB program Getting into college and paying for it would be easier. The second thing I would tell myself is to study for the SAT and ACT exams. Take them as early as you could because as a high school senior applying to college it could make or break your acceptance. Test scores also help earn major scholarships. Lastly, I would tell myself to search around at many different colleges and universities to make sure to chose the correct one. Do not take money into consideration as a big deciding factor; look at the whole package the school offers to make sure it is the best fit for you because after all you want to make the best of the college experience.