University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

As a high school senior, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to study in college, so I applied under different majors to several schools. I ended up going to Virginia Tech for a year as a psychology major, but things just didn?t seem to work out after the shootings, so I dropped out of school for half a year. Ironically enough, during the half year I had taken off, I managed to get deeply involved with Students for Sensible Drug Policy, a grassroots nonprofit organization focused on educating people about the government?s war on drugs. Only after my involvement in this extra-curricular activity, and after wasting thousands of tuition dollars on a major that didn?t fit me, did everything line up for me. I went back to school, this time at the University of Maryland as a criminal justice major and president of our SSDP chapter. If I could give my high school senior self advice about college, I would suggest becoming involved in campus organizations as soon as possible. My involvement has boosted my self-esteem and helped me step up into a leadership role, getting the most out of college.

Work hard and don't get caught up in all the fun. Make sure you focus on your studies as well as have some fun. Make friends in your classes, they could be your friends forever. College is fun, enjoy it!

I would advise that my high school senior self focus more on studying effectively. In the past, not knowing how to study in a way that would bring me the most success hindered my understanding of the material I was being taught, as well as my grades in the classes I was taking. In fact, I only just realized about three weeks ago that the best way for me to study was to take time to rewrite information we went over in class, create review questions, and use those to study for upcoming tests and quizzes. Once I had figured that out, everything else fell into place for me. If I had figured this out a lot sooner than I had, I would have higher grades right now, not to mention more time for hanging out with my friends, reading, and other activities I like to do in my spare time. When I was a high school senior, the people I talked to who attended college told me the most important thing to remember was to budget your time. However, in order to be able to budget your time, you must first know what studying strategy is best for you.

I would say you should be prepared going in that you have to do a lot more work on your own to understand what is going on in class. If you want to do well you have to devote a lot more of your time and effort out of class to stydying and doing practice problems then you did in high school . No one is going to hold your hand here. Not to say that the faculty do not care because that would be false, but at the same time they understand that we are young adults and preparing for the real world, so they are not just going to hand you an A because they think you are a good student. You need to earn your grade. Lastly, I would say enjoy yourself because college does get pretty stressful sometimes and when it comes down to it your happiness is the most important thing in life. If you are feeling sad or depressed don't be afraid to talk to a friend or therapist about it. It does help.

If I was able to go back in time to my high school senior year, I would advise myself to take as many AP classes as possible. That way I could get a jump start on my degree, and accelerate my graduation date. I would also have done internships at different jobs to get a feeling of the different arenas and possibilities within my interests. Furthermore, I would have started saving earlier for my education and applied for different Scholarships and/or grants. Finally, I should say that otherwise I am very proud of my academic success so far and what I have accomplished throughout my years of education.

The advice I would give to myself as a senior given the opportunity, would be to look harder for schools that match where I want to be and what I want to do. Unfortunately, I did not know exactly what I wanted to do until I got to college. However, it still would have been beneficial to look more than I did. Also, I wish I had known that I would have preferred to get farther away from my hometown and learn about places other than the DC metropolitan area. I always want to travel, so even just moving away for college would have been a good start and great experience for being more on my own.

The college application process is a stressful one, but apply to every college in which you express even the vaguest interest. Give yourself options. You never know which college may compel you througout your senior year. Open yourself to shifting interests in the kind of campus life you'd like to have, the majors you'd like to pursue, and the professional field you'd like to access. Applying to several colleges will accomodate your changing interests and diminish the confinement of applying to only a couple. Also, immerse yourself in each of your potential colleges. Take several tours of each campus during operating hours in which you can observe current students progressing throughout their day. Shadowing a current student is a fantastic way to familiarize yourself with the college and determine whether you feel academically and emotionally comfortable on the campus. Envisioning yourself as a student at each college will assist you in deciding which college is the best fit for you. Finally, ignore negative stereotypes or stigmas that others might attach to the campus life of your potential colleges. This is your college experience and tuning out negative comments will decrease the stress you feel during this process.

I would give myself the same advice. That I should be happy and take things easy. I would probably try to tell myself more that its okay to study more and that friends will be there after you get the A. Also, I would tell myself that it's okay to ask for help and that I should do it as often as I can. You would rather be the person who asks to many questions and knows the material, then the person who is too afraid and does not know anything. It doesn't matter what other people think of you. If you think highly of yourself, then everyone else will see that and come up with the right opinion from that. I would tell myself to enjoy the time I have here and to take every opportunity to learn!

I would tell myself that it's important to know where you stand religiously and to not get involved with girls immediately. Also, I would tell myself to be a proud Jew.

My advice going into college is to be very open-minded; be willing to break up with your high school boyfriend and don't cling on too tightly, understand that your best friend in high school is hundreds of miles away and cannot provide a social life for you, do not judge new people based on appearance. It is easy to take these things for granted in high school, where everyone has been together since as early as elementary school. The first few months of school are crucial to creating a friend base at college, and off-campus distractions (boyfriends, friends) could impede you from creating this firm foundation. Remember that everyone around you chose THAT school to go to, so you have at least one thing in common with everyone, even the red-headed boy who likes to wear high-heels and skirts (who, by the way, happens to go to my school and is a brilliant person). Take advantage of constantly being surrounded by intellegent people every day, because you don't only better your mind through studying. Talk to as many people as possible. Join multiple organizations. And, most importantly, HAVE FUN while doing it.