University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

Try everything you have ever had an interest in. If you have ever been curious about a sport or had a passion for a club get inolved in it. By being an active and involved studdent you are exploring things you may want to do for a career or make a hobby in college. I know i personally picked a large school because I loved the athletic events, school spirit, and variety of things i could get involoved with. The more you know about what you enjoy thefurther ahead you are from the rest. You can start talking to coaches or academic advisors about what options schools have regarding possible careers and you can more effectively pick a school you will be happy and succeed at. Stay active, get involved and empower your self to get ahead.

If i could give my highschool-self advice, I would say that school work is much more important than making friends or socializing. If you really want to succeed in college, it's important that your school work comes first. One thing I overlooked in college was the importance of completing homework, starting assignments early and GOING TO CLASS. It's very easy to think that you have the natural smarts to cruise through school, but from not giving my school work 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}, I stifled both my GPA and my learning experience. Procrastination may be the easy way out and it's very appealing to just say "oh I'll do it later", but if you want to get a good education and get good grades, sitting in the dorm or library and getting work done early is the best way to get good grades and reduce stress. It's also very important to believe in yourself and KNOW that you can get an A on your exam or write that 20 page paper. As long as you do your best and get everything you can out of your education, you will succeed.

I would say get into college as soon as high school is over so you can get on the right track to the career you want.

I would tell myself to relax. I went into college feeling like I should have everything planned out and know my major at the start. I've realized that I have time to enjoy college and explore what my interests are away from home. I would tell myself that it takes time to become accustomed to college and that I won't know everything right away but that's ok because I don't need to.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would give myself various kinds of advice. First I would talk to myself about giving myself plenty of time to do my work and not procrastinate on major or any assignments. In high school I was very concentrated on school work and graduating as high in the class as possible and if I could go back, I would tell myself to go out more while still completing all of my work to my fullest potential. Making the transition into college and moving away from family really makes an impact of school work and the degree in which you as a student completes it. I would explain to myself that the balance among the two is vital and stressing about things you can not controll is silly. Another thing that I would give myself some advice on was cooking. Although this doesn't seem like such a big deal, living in an apartment and not knowing how to cook a lot can be stressful. Learning to cook more of a variety is not only key in staying healthly but relieves that unneeded stress.

If I were to meet myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to take advantage of all the activities available at the University of Maryland - extracurriculars, clubs, organizations, volunteer activities, performing arts. Although there will be a lot of work to do for classes, I would tell myself to really go out and do some activities. University of Maryland is a fairly big college and has well over 30,000 students (undergraduates and graduates). Therefore, a sure-fire way to meet other people and make friends, other than socializing with those in your residence halls, is to go out and have fun. The University of Maryland offers a wide range of activities: standup comedy groups, volleyball clubs, bands and orchestras, service organizations, and MUCH more. It is easy to feel like an ant in a city when first coming to the University of Maryland, but the world becomes much smaller if you join these clubs and organizations and meet other college students from many different backgrounds.

I would tell myself to have an open mind and be ready for a change. Stay focused and try your best not to procrastinate because you can get behind easily if you dont stay on track. Be optimistic about your roommates, classmates, teachers, and any other authoritative figure, willing to accept change and people for their many differences. Getting involved will make your college experience that much better and you will also have the gain the opportunity to make some lifetime friendships.

I would tell myself to study harder in the beginning of each semester. In the beginning of each semester I am not in "school mode" yet. I am very excied to be back at school and to go out with my friends. I slack off in the beginning of the semester and than I have to stress out at the end of the semester to play catch up. My social life is important to me but I feel that if I performed better in the beginning of the semester than I couod better balance my social and academic life throughout the rest of the semester.

I would tell my high school self to better research the curriculum and major requirements amoung various schools. Additionally, I would tell myself to talk to someone that was in that major in whatever school I was looking at to understand how that choice has affected their college lifestyle, and whether it makes it harder to balance various activities.

I would tell myself that in order to fully live and enjoy the experience that I was about to embark upon, I would need to be more willing to open myself up to opportunities that I would normally shun away from. College is an opportunity to experience a 4-year burst of life that cannot be offered elsewhere, and if I enter it with a closed mind I prevent myself from discovering who I am. I would tell my senior self not to forget everything that created the foundation of the past 18 or so years, but to use the coming four years as a time to truly discover my independence and desires for life. As a senior, so many questions were racing through my mind and if I was offered with a chance to return and give some insight into the transition to college, I would conclude by stating that I should continue to ask questions, be curious, and never be deterred when I seem to have fallen off the path. Sometimes, we don't even recognize that we're on a path because we become overwhelmed with a fear of choosing the wrong one. Never lose hope.