University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

Before entering college I would have liked to known how time management is such a valuable skill to have. In order to succeed and show a student?s true potential students must know that being a procrastinator and getting distracted by the numerous of social events on campus can hinder their goals. Also, I would have rather gone to community college first, because at my school they weren?t very helpful in helping me determine a major. I feel like I wasted a year and a half and on top of that money that can never be recovered. When I chose my school I liked how big it was but when I got there I disliked the big lecture halls. I definitely wasn?t prepared for neither that nor how far one thing was from another. For instance when wanting tutoring help, the locations of them were far from each other as well as how far classes were from one another.

That you are the only person you can depend on for school. Save money because your parents may not be able to pay for you as intended. Getting your education is the most important thing you can do. Getting good grades is simple if you study early, and put effort into your work. Don't be afraid to communicate to professors and don't take problems lying down. Don't give up. Find a way. Don't try so hard to please people. Just be yourself and the rest will fall into place around you. Don't watch so much TV and spend less time with friends at the bar, despite how much they may plead for your time and company.

Apply to more schools and visit more schools.

If given a chance to go back in time and talk to myself as a senior in high school, I would advise myself to take high school seriously, have a good attendance record, and to learn to teach myself. In high school most students don't take high school seriously because they fail to understand that high school education is the fundamental pillar of higher education. I, like most students, thought that high school education will never be needed again. However, classes in the university build upon the fundamental concepts learned in high school. In addition, missing school is not a good idea because being punctual is a very important characteristic that a good student must possess. Being punctual is the key to success and one way to learn to meet deadlines and to hand in assignments on time because late assignments are not accepted. Furthermore, it is very important for one to take responsibility for their own learning and not to depend on the instructor to teach everything. Due to the limited time in lectures and the vast topics that must be covered in class, professors only have time to go through the main topics and not the details.

As a college student with the knowledge base I have acquired from my college experience, I would tell myself make sure where you go is where you really want to go because if you are paying a lot of money for it at least it will be worth it. Also make sure that when you go there you are really happy. It is better to go to a school that is not well-known but a school which offers a lot of scholarships and financial aid and a school that is way cheaper in price than to have a tuition that you can barely pay for a popular school. I would also say put your all in your school work because, the courses are rigorous especially for the life sciences. In addition I would make sure to tell myself that as a science major, it is better to start light on the courses to adjust myself better to the system.

Take life seriously. If you are fortunate enough to go to college, this should not be taken for granted. This is an opportunity to plan for your future. Think of college as having the entire world in one spot. College provides you with comprehensive resources that you will never have so accesible ever again in your life. This is your chance to experiment with who you are and what really matters to you. Explore different avenues. Take time to think. Take time to read. Take time to volunteer. Be social. Meet as many people as possible because you don't know what you could learn from people. Most importantly do the things that tap into your emotions... do whatever gets your juices flowing. When you are able to take classes, or participate in things that truly interest you to the point where you can feel it in your gut, you will begin to realize what you'd like to do with the rest of your life. If you are able to figure this out, you will be able to live your life the absolute fullest, and give back to society by making the best use of yourself. Life is short.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself not to be so naive about funding for college, given that I had assumed academic excellence was enough to ensure your spot in college. As a high school student, I was pushed to perform well academically, engage in social, community, and leadership opportunities, and take the time to apply to many colleges. However, I did not have much insight into how costly college would be, despite how well you performed in school. I was under the impression that academic excellence and extra-cirricular activities automatically got you into college, but upon realizing I would not receive academic or need- based assistance, I realized how complex attending college would actually be. Therefore, I would have told myself to research all financial aid opportunities and apply for more scholarships at my school, and talk to the financial aid advisors at my prospective colleges to gain information on opportunities or plans available for me. I would tell myself that despite what is on your college resume, how your admission interviews go, or if you even got in, money is a whole other issue.

I wouldn't have doen anything differently. I've done my best to meet new people (and I've succeeded), and balance my social life well with my academics. However, if I could tell one thing to the high school senior "me," I would say that I don't need to stress about things so much. I'm not perfect, but as long as I try my best, and put my greatest effort into my school work, I can always have fun later.

You know what you want out of college, so don't let anyone's opinion change your mind about where you want to go to school or what you want to major in. Set your goals high, because you will be able to achieve them if you work hard and have faith in yourself. College will be a lot better than high school, because professors enjoy what they teach and challenge you in the classroom. You will have a lot more responsibility, but you know how to balance all aspects of your life and won't have the same problems as students who are easily influenced by the attitudes of their peers. Don't buy into the stereotypical college student persona - there are people who are like that, but you don't have to be one of them if you don't want to be. Go into college with an open mind and the will to succeed and you can achieve anything. College is only four years - make those four years the best that they can be. Remember: Make plans for success, not excuses for failure.

Young, you submitted all your college applications. As you wait for decisions, think about your academic experience up to now. High school was easy going, with teachers and parents that gently nudged you in the direction you wanted to go, and friends whom you easily related to and enjoyed spending time with. Although your choices of colleges were determined mostly by financial concerns, you still have high hopes for your college education and future. College will be very similar to high school, and yet it will be very different. Your education in high school prepared you for college, and yet your performance determined what college you will enter. Similarly, your college education will prepare you for your career, but your performance will determine what company, or graduate school, you will enter. However, you will engage many more people, people different from you in many ways. Your academic career is important, but you will also need to develop social skills. The world is bigger than your hometown or your highschool, and you will have to interact with, tolerate, and be understanding of new people, be it your professors or one of the many thousands of students you will meet on campus.