University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

I have been a great student since middle school as I have always strived for straight A's and academic awards. In fact, when the rest of my friends and were clocking out our senior year of high school, I was still working hard because I wanted to finish high school with a 4.0 unweighted GPA, which I ended up doing. Because I have such a great work ethic, the transition to college was not very difficult for me. After about a week or so, I was in a routine and had adjusted to the workload and increased difficulty of college courses. But if I could go back in time to my senior year of high school, it would be to tell myself that my work ethic would transition with me to college, but that my high school friends would not. During my freshman year of college, I really did not make any friends, which made for a very boring and sometimes depressing year. Thankfully this year I have branched out and have met some great people. Therefore, I would tell my high school self to branch out once I got to college and meet new people.

"Be outgoing and prioritize". The advice i would give to myself as a senior is to be outgoing by participating in as many extracurricular activities in order to meet new people and find what I enjoy doing while balancing it with my academics. By meeting new people, it makes college less scary and overwhelming and eases the transition. However, by participating in so many extracurricular activities that in itself can become overwhelming and to counteract this, prioritize! Prioritize activities with academics first however after that it leaves a large amount of free time to organize activities from most important and favorites to the less enjoying activities. To this day i consider prioritizing an important part of not just college but life itself, because without sufficient and proper time managment, the time itself will go to waste, a concept that we can't get back. The key phrase that to this day i continue to tell the current high schoolers i help at when i volunteer at my local Budhist temple is to "Be outgoing and prioritize".

College is a whole new adventure. Carefully complete each step of the application process to ensure that you show the colleges to which you are applying the best self you can be. The colleges will only know what you tell them and what they read from your recommendations. Once you are accepted, buy some school swag to help pump up your excitement. Learn what you can from the emails you receive and the orientation you attend. Absorb as much information as you can so you are knowledgeable when you start your first semester. Meet as many people as you can because some of the people you meet during orientation and the first week of school will become your best friends. Take the time to introduce yourself to your teachers, and meet as many faculty and staff members as you can because you will never know when you will need a reference from a certain department. Go to all your classes and respect your teachers. If you show your interest, they will help you and make sure you understand your task. Overall, have fun, and study hard! You WILL be successful with a positive attitude.

My high school self is nothing like the woman I have become; I would tell her to accept the challenges of life as they come. I was the typical "perfect student" in high school. I maintained a 4.74 GPA, participated in sports and clubs, and tutored regularly. I did not have much of a social life, but I was happy in my Western Howard County bubble. I was ecstatic to begin living on my own, away from my parents; however, independence was a shock. A month into my first semester, I became ill with severe mononucleosis. I could barely attend class. For the first time in my life, I was receiving mediocre grades, and it took a great toll on my confidence. The experience forced me to grow up. I could not run to my parents for help, instead I had to deal with these challenges on my own. I learned what it was like to truly push through obstacles that I cannot control . I dragged myself to tutoring, became more organized, and maintained my health. My high school self thought that she knew it all, but I have since learned how to accept life and become and adult.

Senior year was a difficult time for me. My dad's job relocated us across the country, forcing me to leave all of my friends and everything I was used to behind. I learned a lot about myself during this time and matured a lot, but I was still young and so unsure of what I wanted to do with my life. I ended up choosing to attend the University of Maryland, which was the best decision I ever made. However, looking back on this time, I have realized that the reasons I love my school now are completely different than the reasons I was excited to attend it in the first place. As a high school senior, I cared more about what other people thought of me than what I thought of myself. If I could go back in time and talk to my high-school-senior-self, I would say that making friends in college is completely different than making friends in high school. You should be yourself and the people who really matter will accept you for who you are.

If I could go back in time I would tell myself to practice taking notes and to manage my time better. My first semester as a Terp was a tough one. I came from a community college so I pretty much had an idea of what college was like. I was caught off guard during my lecture classes because I didn't really know how to effectively take notes, listen to the proessor, and grasp the main ideas. It was also difficult for me to manage my time because I was on my own and had a lot of freedom that I wasn't used to. As the semster went on I learned to take better notes and manage my time more effectively after talking to some of my professors. I think if this would have been my first semster of college I definitely would've had more problems. So if I could go back in 2011 I would tell myself to "please practice taking notes!" and to "MANAGE YOUR TIME". "If you nail those down and believe in yourself you will succeed more than you know... goodluck buddy!... oh and start working out more"

I think I have make really goo selections when I was in high school, I study propertly and I was a good student, i did great choices in life, I was part of some community services when i was in high school .one of the thing that i might tell to myself If i can go back in time , it would bel that I need to start practicing my english and maybe study another language , as french .that languages are important, communicate with people is important.When I came to this country I spend 3 years studying english becuase i didnt take advantage in the past of taking english class when I was in high school. If I have done that before I would have take advantage of the time and I might be finishing college sooner. but everything happend for a reason and this might have a reason.if i can go back i would say :" you are doing it good and continue like that"

Listen to your teachers when they tell you about study techniques. Take school seriously, be involved but focus on academics as well. Don't let drama distract you, it's not worth it. Don't aim for passing grades, aim for excellent grades. Do your homework earlier than the night before it's due. Same with studying. Don't stress yourself so much! And don't bite off more than you can chew. Have fun but remember how importnt your academics are.

continue to never give up.

High school is all about trying to be someone or something you're not; it's about fitting in. Looking back, I would encourage anyone going off to college to be open to anything -- new experiences, different kinds of people, new and surprising interests, and above all else, being true to yourself. You will never grow unless you can look at yourself and say: I am here to develop my fullest intellectual and social potential. You only have one opportunity in your lifetime to stimulate your mind and engage your true self without worrying about a job, kids, a mortgage, or paying bills, so take full advantage. Make as many friends as you can so you can learn about people different from the ones you grew up with. A big school can be like a microcosm of the world, so you can use is as a laboratory to prepare yourself for what's to come. Be careful about budgetting your time properly so you can get all your work done thoroughly and also have time to socialize and play. And be sure to explore the areas beyond the college campus -- engage in projects that will benefit others.