University of Miami Top Questions

Don"t put off for tomorrow what you can do today. In high school you had a distinct schedule that consisted of: waking up, going to school, clubs for an hour or two after school, and then home. You could always find time to squeeze in that homework you didn't do the night before, or cram all night long for that one or two chapter test. In college, every day is different. Your schedule is constantly changing daily, with mandatory events and social interaction randomly popping up. You can't always afford to slack off one day because you never 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} sure if you'll have the time to make up the work you didn't do the next. And work piles up quickly here. And don't be afraid to try something new. Just because the name and discription of that classes or club doesn't sound immediately attractive, sign-up anyways. You'll either learn something or risk missing out on something you may have been good at.

Loren, it is crucial that you maintain a high GPA because it will help you when you are applying to colleges and universities, as well as, help you obtain scholarships and grants. If you don't have a high GPA when applying to the nursing program at MDCC you'll get denied because there are other students like you applying and their GPA's are 3.9's; those are the students that will be considered before you. I suggest that you study and pay closer attention in your classes because what you learn there will be taught to you later on depending on your career choice; your life will be so much easier if you have a solid foundation to build on. Also, try to be certain as to what field of study you want because it is very costly to switch majors, not to mention time consuming; you don't want x amount of years to pass you by and then start over and owe more money in student loans. Many people make that mistake and then struggle their way through. Please consider my words because I am really struggling emotionally and financially to put myself through school.

If I was given the oppurtunity to speak to my high school senior self, I would most likely overemphasize ,to the point of practically killing my self, how important is to manage my time. I would tell myself to avoid procrastination at all costs and get my school work done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Along with that I would insist upon taking more time to look into preparing for college and the life that comes along with college. I would demand that my high school senior self visit more campuses and spend more time finding scholarships. And of course, the last thing I would demand of myself would be to get a job and earn money towards my college education and also, indirectly, teach me responsibility, put me on a schedule, and force me into time management. So really, the most important thing to tell my high school senior self would be to manage my time incredibly well. I shouldn't have wasted so much valuable time, but really that is something you can only really understand in retrospect. It's too bad I can't go back now.

If I were to talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself that it is important to go away from home so that I would get the full experience and be able to develop into a mature, independent adult. I would tell myself that despite the large amounts of free time that I would have in college, it is important to keep up with my work and not wait until the night before the test to do it because that can be very stressful and overwhelming. I would tell myself to get very involved in clubs and campus activities because that is a very good way to meet people. I would tell myself to stay true to myself because there are many people in college that will want you be a certain way or engage in certain activties that I would not normally feel comfortable with. I would tell myself that it is not necessary to change who I am and what I like in order to impress certain people because if they don't like me for who I am, they don't deserve to be my friend.

Packing up for college and moving out of my parent's home in August, I confidently faced my future not doubting for a second I was making the right choice and that college would be just as my entire educational career had been: a walk in the park. One month into classes and my opinion was radically altered. The hardest part of the transition is finding a balance for everything, classes, work, studying, social life, sleep, plus the addition of buying groceries, doing your laundry, cleaning your dorm. All the things that at home were done for me. No longer did I have the comfort of knowing that if I slept through my alarm, my mom would come in and force me out of bed. The responsibility is on you if you skip class to sleep; no one is looking over your shoulder. What advice I wish I had told myself going into college is to not join everything right away, to pace yourself and learn how to manage your time well, it could be what saves your sanity. And learn domestic tasks like how to wash your own laundry, no one is going to show you in college.

I would tell myself to be open minded. In school you will encounter so many people different from yourself, so not everything you should take as an insult. Also, high school is not everything. Things you did not understand in high school might seem easier to understand now if you take initiative in learning. Your professors want you to succeed so ask for their help and advice if it is possible; I mean that is what you're paying the university for. Last but not least, get your priorities straight. There are going to be times when you might have to skip an interest meeting or give up hanging out with friends for studying or typing an essay, but trust me there will be other times you can hang with them. Take a deep breath and do not be too high strung.

I would tell myself to starting planning for what may lie ahead as early as possible. Many seniors geting ready to graduate, like myself at the time, want nothing more than to forget about high school and focus on the summer vacation that lies ahead. Individuals do not want to spend their summer preparing for college and this can be a huge mistake. I would remind myself to start seeking out information and sources for financial assistance long before graduating high school and plan on completing as much of the process as early as possible so that it doesn't burden the college freshman during those first few transitional months. I would advise myself to get a summer job and save money as compared to taking trips or buying unnecessary items, as one will find you can not take much with you to college anyways. I would also adivse myself to engage in as much family and friend interaction as possible while you can before embarking on the new journey, as home sickness can be a real mood destabilizer while adjusting to the new atmosphere and the expectations of being on your own weighs heavily on the soul.

Dear High School Self, I have one and only piece of advice that I must give you before you embark to college (your first opportunity toward obtaining independence). Stay true to yourself. During college you will meet and interact with people from all walks of life, but you must not allow them to change who you are and the success you see for yourself. I can not tell you how many testamonies I've witnessed where people have literally lost a part of themselves due to the negative influences of other people. I am not referring to drugs, alcohol or the other typical means of distraction that college students face. I am referring to the distractions that affect college students internally: such as negativity or stress. You are an optimistic person and as such should surround yourself with postive people. This is so no matter how bleak some days, months, years may seem (and trust me they will), you will continue to walk with your head high knowing that those trials are only temporary. So stay true to yourself, and do not change your ridiculously optimistic, ambitious persona for anyone. Sincerely, Your always optimistic, ambitious College Self

The first piece of advise I would give myself is to be as outgoing as possible. Going to a college where I didn't know anyone was a bit of a tough transition at first. Friends are what make college the amazing experience that it should be. They help you through the hard times and create the good times with you. Without those relationships college would be almost impossible to handle. The other thing that I would tell myself is to always stay focused on the reason that I'm in college. It's so easy to lose sight of the fact that I'm there to get an education and learn as much as I can to help me become successful. School should come first most of the time. Otherwise I'm paying for a very expensive party. I would tell myself to not look around at other people that are doing as little work as possible to get by but to always remember that that's not the kind of person I want to be. I want to go above and beyond what I'm asked of so that I can make the most out of college!

I would have told myself to audition for the University of Miami rather than going to a community college for the first two years. I would've had a better chance of receiving more money.