University of Maryland-University College Top Questions

If I was able to go back in time to give college advice to my high school self, I would start off by telling myself to buy all of my books from sites like eBay and Amazon.com. I would then let myself know that college was going to be a lot harder than I had expected because I would have a child by the end of my first year. While this news would be shocking, I would reassure my high school self that even though it would be hard, I could do it. I would then make sure to let my high school self know that while school is important, I needed to always put my daughter first because being a mother should always come before being a student.

The first thing I would tell myself is make sure you pay attention in math! I did not pay to much attention in math and I had to waste time and money taking developmental math classes to meet the prerequisites for degree requirements. Next, I would tell myself to make sure you proofread your work when you are finished. That was the biggest thing for me in high school. Most times I would l just type out whatever homework or term paper I had due and just hand it without looking over it again. Not proofreading my work caused me to have lower grades in a lot of my research papers. Proofreading my work would have saved me from making silly spelling mistakes and other grammatical errors. If I were to go back to high school those would be the things I would tell myself.

I would tell myself first, take more notes for finals because you are going to need it. Second, I would tell myself to keep trak of your money. Make a system to budget your money well and dont blow it all on unecessary things. Buying the new video game may seem important at the moment but it will be better to save your money for when you really need it and splurdge later as a reward to yourself for working hard.

I would tell myself to enjoy college and not stress out. Now that I'm in college (and have been for almost 4 years), I've sacrificed a lot of fun times with my friends and family because of all of the stresses in my life. It's almost impossible for me to relax for more than a few hours; I'm always worrying about something. I'd tell my high school senior self to be happy and enjoy the time I've been given because you never know how long you'll be living to really enjoy the things in life. If I knew that before I started college, I would be such a different and better person than I am today. I wouldn't stress out as easily as I do, I would take time out for myself to have fun, and I would feel like I could breathe again. It would be an overwhelmingly amazing feeling.

If I could go back in time and give myself advice, I would say the following: -don't be afraid to say no -take more time for yourself -get yourself out there more if you can -do not settle, there will be something better, worth waiting for -life is an adventure, take advantage of it -do not give up on school, it can create a great future -don't under-estimate the value of family -don't forget to smile

In High school, I knew what I wanted and where I wanted to go. Now twelve years later, I am not anywhere near the ideas I had as a teen. I dropped out of college the first time for lack of funds, joined the military and serviced my country for four years. I have gone to war, I met my husband; I have been to twenty four different countries and forty of the fifty states. I would never have seen nor done any of these things if I didn’t drop out of college. My life is not in the direction I thought I would ever go. I wanted to be a nurse and nothing else, now I have my degree in Human Resource Management and I am enrolled into my Masters degree for International relations. This is a complete switch from my goals, but I am happy my life didn't go in the path I planned. I think who I was and what I did has made me into the person I am today and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I would not give any advice nor even speak to my younger self.

I would tell myself that I needed to do exactly what I was doing, just maybe not procrastinate not as much. I knew that I was involved in so many extra curriculars that I just didnt have time for anything else. I literally had no social life. I would be telling myself that a social life is somewhat important because it teaches you to not keep to yourself in college as I have been doing. It teaches you to be more outgoing. I would tell myself that all those extra honors classes payed off and whenever I asked for help from a teacher, that was the right thing to do. I am very happy to where I am right now in college, so I would tell myself "I am very proud of you!"

I would let myself know, that college is not as stressful as college when it comes to the classes, but paying for it has to be the most stressful part of my life. Apply for financial Aid and, scholarships.

All-tho I have NO prior college studies would tell my self as a HS student to not to give up on my education in HS when things in family life get too hard. I'd tell myself to stay and get a 4 year diploma not a GED. I'd explain to myself that all-tho I did get a GED it took me 9 years to take the next step in reaching dreams of a college degree. I'd tell myself that college is advanced learning, I need the high school education to back me. We need the skills that will be learned in HS to make college as smooth as can be. More advanced from high school studies, I will have better understanding when it comes to my studies. will have study habits established and tips on getting the hard stuff down, prior knowledge in what you'll be studying, and other learning strategied that will be learned in the last 2 years of HS. I want myself to know if I stay in HS hard things at home aside, my son will have a great future.

I would tell my high school self to wait and take a break from school. Then go back, and take online classes. They work better for my life and allow me the freedom of doing schoolwork in a manner more conducive to my learning style. I would tell my high school self to stay focused and always keep in mind the reason for school.

Respect I would tell my self to respect college life because it wont be easy as it seems and alot more stressful than high school. College is about doing stuff on your own and everything has to be done by you so be ready for challenges that comes forward and to take that challenges as learn experience and for your future.

I would have told myself to try harder and look longer at school options. I never thought I would go to college and didn't have the tinies clue about how to pay for it. I really believed the only way was to join the military. Knowing what I know now, I could have made more of an effort to find a college I could afford and started early.

I took challenging classes to prepare me for the college level. But I would have told myself not to bother with the four years of Spanish. I didn’t retain hardly any of the information, and I do not need it for my major. Instead, I would advise myself to only take two years and then sign up for the classes that I could have used. Also, I would tell myself not to skip out on the final exams. Even though they were optional for me, I still should have taken them (especially the science ones). I would also tell myself to hang out with more people. I won’t have my best friends there right by me every day. If I would have hung out with people who didn’t know everything about me, then maybe it would be easier to talk and get to know others without taking most of the semester. But the thing I would stress the most is, start better study habits. In high school I hardly ever studied for a test. I still did good on them, but the tests in college are much more of a challenge. Lastly, don't procrastinate.

If I could go back to talk to my self in high school I would tell myself do not put off today for tommrow. Only thinking about accomplishing something will not get you anywhere. You must think, plan, and explore your options and most of all make a committment of action to achieve your goal. Friends will come and go, but don't let them detour you. Be a leader and think for your self. Recieving advice is good, but follow your heart. Chose a career that you love. Its not always about the money. Being happy with what you do will bring much success to you and those around you. The main key is to stay focus and commited. Never forget where you came from, nor the people that supported you. Having fun is alright to do, but stay focused, and watch how well you will prosper.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to not delay my continued education. I waited eighteen years after high school graduation to start earning my college degree. Partly because I hated the rigid environment of high school, and partly because of financial reasons. I am now in my mid-thirties and wish, oh how I wish, I had just continued on into college. Now that I have enrolled in a university and am working towards my degree, I can now appreciate the value of an education. Because I am taking several of my courses online, I am able to continue to work full-time while completing my degree. I know that once I have completed my degree I will secure a well-paying position and finally have a career in a field I love. So, eighteen-year-old self, you need to stick it out and sign up for college immediately. There are government loans, grants and scholarships out there to help pay for it all, so you just need to show up, smile and do your best. Lastly, your future wife is really cute. Good luck!

If I could go back in time and give myself advice, I would definately say to be true to yourself (assuming I'm talking to myself). This statement has a few different meanings in regards to transitioning into the college life. The first aspect that it has a special meaning is in my studies. Be true to yourself in what you want to do with your life. If it's your dream, make it a reality. The world is at your feet and if you make a mistake, well, your only human. You get right back up and try harder. Be true to yourself-believe in yourself-also in the sense of your college life. Yes, you want to have fun and hang out with your new friends, but that doesn't mean you need to party every weekend or go out drinking or any of that. Your starting your future, your life and you don't need to mess this opportunity up by throwing it away. College is different from high school. Make the transition slowly. Its hard work, but if you keep your studies up and grades up, it will pay off in the end.

I would have to say stay focused and do not take a break in between school. Most likely if you take a break right after high school you will not go to college. If you choose to go to college as an adult it is alot harder because of all of the responsibilities you have such as a full time job, and a family. It is also harder because you tend to lose what you learned in high school and you have to play catch up, we all know the saying use it or lose it.

When I first entered college in 2005, I felt an incredible amount of pressure to perform up to a certain standard in school. That standard was set by the school and my parents and was evaluated in the form of my grades. The pressure to maintain a 4.0 gpa was incredible and ultimately lead to a period of time where I left school. Had I the ability to talk to my high school self, I would remind myself that it’s not the grades that count but the knowledge. Certainly, maintaining a high gpa says something to the extent of your dedication to a subject but standardized tests carry a margin of error. Had I spent more time focusing on truly knowing and enjoying the information, as opposed to memorizing the content to pass tests, I believe I would have already earned my degree by now. Being a young adult in a struggling economy has helped me see the value of truly working hard and that my successes will be at the hands of my knowledge and not my degree.

The advice that I would give myself would be not to totally depend on high school guidance counselors. When I attended high school, I was not in a 4-year college bound curriculum, and those counselors were not very focused on vocational studies students. As a result of not being properly "guided", I navigated 2 year colleges for a time without a clear understanding of how to get admission into a 4-year college. That is, I would have preferred to go straight to a 4 year college after high school.

I would say to myself, go to community college before finishing your bachelor's degree. Instead of doing or going along with your friends opinion about school, listen to postive influences of parents and others before making hasty decisions. Community colleges have so may benefits such as, individualized attention from professors, smaller class sizes, great advisors who council and guide students in the right direction, and fun and exciting activites of the student body that helps break the ice between peers. This envirnoment coupled with dynamic and sustaining coursework, helps adjust and eliminate any self-doubt about going to the sometimes over-populated universities. At larger univeristies, the average student can become distracted and less likely to focus on courses, by getting lost in the shuffle. That is the sage advise I would give myself.