University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

If I were to talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell me to be more open minded. I now realize that planning out every year of college and what classes to take before I even get there is not necessary. Instead, I need to take the time to explore the diverse classes and oppurtunities the university offeres. Transition wise I would tell myself to get out more and try getting involved in some more sports like I'm doing now in my third year. All in all, I believe it is important for students to really find themselves at college and the best way I've learned to do so is to try a little bit of everything.

In high school I was extremely driven and followed a demanding schedule. Today, would I probably tell myself not to put as much pressure on myself. My ultimate goal in high school was to earn high grades and be over-involved in extra curricular activities so that I could attend an Ivy League college.My reasoning for this was that throughout my high school years, I saw how my family struggled financially. I thought that my easiest way to attaining the happiness was by attending a good school I now know that how I perform in college will determine how successful I am. At the University of Maryland, I have been given many opportunities to find internships because of the school's proximity to Washington D.C. and because of the loyal alumni. It is through the contacts that I make at my internships and in talking to the alumni that I know I can find the ways to success. High school was an overall stressful experience due to the academic pressures that I placed on myself. Today I would convey to the high school version of myself to work hard but enjoy myself in the process.

As a high school senior, I would have told myself that college is not easy. In order to make a difference in the future of my life, I need to work hard and apply myself . College is time consuming, but well worth the effort. I have obtained knowledge and friendships that will last a lifetime, and I am only in my junior year. I graduated from Wheaton High School in Wheaton, Maryland in 2006 and attended Montgomery Community college for three years. My last year at Montgomery College I worked hard and obtained straight A's in the spring and fall in order to boost my grade point average so I could attend the Smith School of business at University of Maryland, College Park. Ever since I could remember I wanted to to a successful business woman. When I was five I created my own store called "jen's stop and shop" where I would sell used items from around the house to my family, and then resell the same items to different members of the family. Today I continue to dream of owning my own business, except in an honest and ethical manner!

I would say to just enjoy your last year of high school because you will never be able to re-do it. There is so much stress put on you your senior year, but enjoy it and make the most of it. Study hard, make good grades, but take the time to make the most out of your experiece.

The most important advice I would give to myself is to stop my procrastination early on before I get to college. Procrastination is the killer to most people's grade, you just can not wait to the last minute to do your work or study in college. This is because the work load gets piled up fast and before you know it you are too far behind to catch up. Another piece of advice I would give myself would have to be find many ways to study. I know when I was in high school I did not need to study but once I got to college it was a major transition for me. If I knew how to study before I got to college the transition would have went much easier.

In this rough economic time I suggest parents explain to their children whether or not they may be able to afford the school of their choice so that there are no surprises. However, when choosing a school, do not only choose a school based on one aspect. For instance, I would not suggest students picking a school simply because it is in a city or near the beach. Pick a school you can see yourself in along with choosing a school that works best for your major. Picking a college can often be a compromise. Although the student will be attending, the parent's usually will be paying. If you do not get to attend your top choice school, go into the other school with an upbeat and positive attitude.

In order to find out whether or not a particular college is right for an individual, I believe it is very important for one to actually make a visit to that college and take couple days to experience the campus life, social life, and classes by participating in over-night stay programs, attending classes, and/or asking the students directly about what they like about their university. I would like to advice that merely looking at brochures or knowing about the school's reputation does not mean that it is the right college for an individual. Also, to make most out of the college experience, it is very important to try new things. For example, even if one is a Biology major, he or she should consider taking a class or two in other mjor fields to gain diverse knowledge in many different aspects. It is never wrong to try different things, including sports and extracurricular activities, to seek for your own identity and find out what you really enjoy ,and may wish to continue study and explore that field as part of one's future career.

Visit the school! I was told this by alot of people and didn't believe them. I looked at a few colleges campuses, but that was mostly because there were in the area we were staying for some event. For every school I visited I thought it was nice. I always told myself that it didn't matter what my school looked like as long as I was getting the best education possible. When I was accepted to University of Maryland I decided to go to an accepted students event to learn more about the school. The night before the event I took a walk around the campus with my parents. I fell in love with the school that night and ended up spending most of the next day picking out t-shirts to bring home. If you are unsure of what school you want to go to, and have a few to decide between, visit the school. As soon as you walk on campus you will start to imagine yourself walking to class there or hanging out with the people you see around campus. You will instantly know the "right" school for you.

The best I can say is go and visit the school, and ask all the questions you have. Make sure the school has everything you want, because it is alot easier to better in school when you are at a place you love and are sure you will make friends. When you get to school make sure you join a club or sport, because those people share the same interest as you and that is most llikely the group of people you will be closest too throughout college.

Making the most of your college experience has a lot to do with the attitude you go in with. Growing up I never wanted to attend UMD. Now, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Find a club, work on campus, reach out to others on your floor, and try hard in class! When looking for colleges remember that you can make a big school small but you cant make a small school big. Try to think about what kind of opportunities the school can offer, the alumni network, school spirit, and overall impression given by the students you interact with. One really origional way I decided on Maryland was to look at each school how many students were wearing university clothing. It was easy to see which universities had a lot of spiritied and passionate students!