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.