University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

Learn how to study. Just because it's easy to get an A in high school, strive for more. College is hard, and getting an A is difficult because studying is difficult to people that are not used to doing it. Also, focus on extracurriculars, they are very, very helpful in helping you manage to balance your time.

As a high school senior, I felt like I was on top of the world. I was eager to graduate and go on to bigger and better things- college! Despite my excitement, I was also stressed. Anxiety about applying to schools, getting in, costs, choosing the perfect school and whether I would make friends all weighed on my mind. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to relax. I have learned that things have a way of working themselves out. I would tell myself that even if you do not end up attending your top choice, there are other schools you can learn to love. Sometimes you have to sacrifice, particularly when it comes to finances, but you will not regret your decision. Once you get to school, you will meet many amazing people who will become your closest friends. All in all, college will be amazing. You will work harder than you have ever worked and you will have more fun than you have ever had. It will be great, so there is no need to stress. Just relax and enjoy the ride.

As a senior in high school, I had a preconceived notion of what college was like. If I had the opportunity to advise myself, I would ensure that I understand that succeeding in college comes with pure hard work. Thus, I would adequately prepare myself for the coursework by examining each syllabus before the first day of classes. Since each of my classes have had more than 200 students this semester, I would advise myself to habitually attend office hours, and to become better acquainted with my professors. In order to succeed, I would more frequently make use of the library, which conveniently lies steps away from my dorm. I would advise myself to more effectively make use of both my planner and my calendar, both of which can serve as handy tools to success. Regarding my dorm room, I would avoid bringing too many items, as limited space can become easily cluttered, possibly leading to bewilderment among roommates. Regarding extracurricular activities, there are countless student organizations that exist on campus. I would inform myself of the best organizations on campus, as getting involved is one of the best ways to gain an enriching college experience.

I would have told myself to apply for more scholarships and to apply to the university I am attending now. I would have told me not to be frighten from the requirements that the Universities place on their website and to try anyways. Also, I would have told myself to join more clubs and to save my money.

Remember that preconceived notion you had about what college life had in store for you? You know, the one that said living on your own would be a disaster and the stress you would accumulate from countless all nighters you would have to pull just to scrap a lousy GPA together just before you woke up to find you had a massive hangover the day of finals? Yeah, well that might have been a stretch. Even though you may find this a mundane clich? every authority figure has ever told you, college is honestly what you make of it. The freedom you are given once the parents shack you up in your ?spacious? dorm room is unlike anything you have or ever will experience. The liberty to decide what you do everyday is possibly the most powerful weapon in collegiate career. It will either make you an outstanding, prolific citizen or land you straight back into your parent's basement. All I can say is utilize this tool that has been bestowed upon you wisely, because it?s costing you an arm and a leg!

My advice to myself would be to not be afraid to explore options and opportunities that are presented to me. Many times throughout my freshman year in college, I passed up opportunities simply because it was "the unknown". I gravitated towards what was already familiar, based on my high-school and religious backgrounds, but I now realize that I missed out on many great opportunities because of that. The University of Maryland offers a wide variety of courses as well as extra curricular activities, and I should have taken advantage of what was offered. Instead of taking classes that focused on my major of Special Education, I should have taken additional elective courses outside that realm. Instead of joining extra curriculars that were similar to what I was involved in throughout high school, I should have experimented, explored, tried out new and exciting activities that I otherwise would not be able to do. As a freshman in college, there is no better time to move outside your box and explore what is being offered to you. It is important to take chances; you never know what you may discover about yourself along the way.

I would tell myself to join more extracurricular clubs, and to attempt leadership positions at the clubs. I would tell myself to take A.P. classes so that I would have more credits coming into college. I would tell myself to look at all the colleges I was interested in attending, rather than only visiting one. I would tell myself that I need to make time every day for relaxation. I would tell myself that not all weekends are fun ones, and that some require extensive work. Lastly, I would tell myself that college is as hard as I expected.

The advise that I would give myself is not to be afraid of change. Do not limit yourself because you are afraid to leave home or to leave your friends. Change is a good thing and is a method to build character. College will mature you and others around you. Change is inevitable. You will become a better person. You will discover who your true frieds were from high school and make new ones who will last a lifetime. So go out there and embrace change beacause without it you will never acheive your goals.

the most advice I should give myself is to organize, and study every day.

Thinking about my preparation for college reminds me of the fact that I should have applied for more scholarships. While I applied to maybe thirty scholarships, I do not think that was enough seeing that I only won a total of four. I would advise myself to think of as many company names as possible in order to better my scholarship search. As I complete these next four years of school, I will have to find ways to finance my education whereas I could have possibly found more financial aid in the past. Knowing that it takes mroe than my mother's income and a few scholarships to fund my education, I would have looked harded for scholarship money. Seeing that the past is the past and this advise cannot change things now, it will be able to help me in the future. This is a lesson learned that can help me when trying to fund my graduate school education.