University of Maryland-University College Top Questions

Stop procrastonating! Look for scholarships and be informed. Know that in college people will not help you out individually as they might have in elementy school. I know this is a short entry but I think it sums up what I would do differently well.

If I could only go back,,I would smack myself hard and say “Terri, you are fool not to go to college” I would tell myself not to give up, that I would be the first one I my whole family to ever really make something of themselves. I think about this every day..

Making the transition to college can be difficult. However, being open-minded and taking every new opportunity that presents itself will make for a great college experience. Community colleges and universities offer very different experiences, but each has a lot to offer. Don't be afraid to take chances. If you have a passion for something, look into that passion and ask yourself what you can do with it in your life and career. There is something for everyone. If you don't find satisfaction the first time around, try again and don't give up on your education. If there is a club or organization that interests you...join! Being involved and staying social will keep you motivated in life. Make new friends and embrace this time in your life because it goes so fast! Lastly, have no regrets; everything happens for a reason. Use life experiences, good or bad, to become a better person. Even when you think you've gotten where you want to be, life will take a new turn, and you'll continue to grow as a person each day.

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school self, I would try to convince myself to go to a community college first and receive my associate’s degree then attend a four year university to obtain my bachelors. But looking back, there was no one in my family who had ever gone to college so what did we know. I didn’t really understand what I was doing and did not have any roll models to show me the ropes. My mother is a single parent with seven children; my son was the first in the family to receive his bachelor’s degree and I was the second. I have recently been accepted in the master’s program at UMUC and I will be the first in my family to have an advanced degree. Going back to school in your fifties isn’t an easy task; you have to deal with doing homework, reading all hours of the night and not to mention you have to deal with your daily routine in your office. Such a daunting task but I was able to

To take and get a degree that will hold up and a bad economy and not to take forever getting it

I would tell myself not to get married as young as I did. I would allow myself to stay on campus and not move so far away from my family and become isolated. It would have made school a lot easier.

Advice I would give myself would be no matter what obstacles may come your way you I have to focus because GPA and grades are important. Take advantage of college activites, internships, and programs. Network as much as possible it will definitely benefit you when graduation and summer comes around and you need employment. Volunteer and give back be an active participant on campus it heightens the college experience. Don't let everything stress you out sometimes things get hard but at the end of the day everything will be okay. Remember what your ultimate goal is when you feel like giving up or slacking off, it works as great motivation to keep you going. Set goals for yourself in college getting there is just part of it. Apply for all the scholarships and grants you can because school is very expensive and financial aid sometimes is not enough. Lightening financial costs helps everyone especially if you can't really afford go. Finally enjoy yourself college is a very stressful and challenging but its one of the most memorable experiences you will ever have!

I don’t believe I can say this enough. Do not procrastinate! I've learned that waiting until the last minute to do school work is the worst way to get it done. Procrastinating takes away from the quality of the work you turn in. College is a lot different than high school. There aren’t parents/teachers hounding you to make sure you get your work done on time or ensuring you have opportunities to make up work that should’ve been turned in on time in the first place. Extra credit is hard to come by as well. No matter the reason for the procrastination, if you are going to take college seriously then you must remain on top of your school work. I learned that the hard way during my first semester returning back to college. It was very stressful and almost made me want to reconsider my decision. Once I realized the problem was with me, not the school work, I changed my entire outlook on school and felt more determined than ever to get my degree. Going to college was a transition for me and the most valuable thing I learned was “DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!”

If I could talk to my 18 year old self, I would tell myself that in spite of the fact that I felt I wasn't ready for college I should have taken the prospect more seriously. Instead of attending college and starting my life on the right track I went straight to being a parent right out of high school, and while I love my family more than life itself, I find myself looking back now and wishing I had gone to college. I would tell myself not to be in a rush to grow up, but to take the time to enjoy youth, and enjoy college life. The older you get and the more responsibilities you have, the harder going to school and focusing 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} on it is.

If I could go back in time would tell myself to not be nervous or unsure about college. You do not have to decide what you want to be right now or what career you want to ultimately do. Look at this as an adventure and an opportunity to learn new things and discover who you really are. Each class that you take gets you closer to a degree but it also gets you closer to learning who you are and what you like and don’t like. You will be surprised to find the person who you are as freshman is very different from whom you will become.