University of Miami Top Questions

If I could go back in time when I was a high school senior, than I would have taken classes that were honor classes to get into a school like the one I am now with full scholarship. Only if I know I had a learning disability at the beginning in middle school I would have taken care of my weakness and tried to strengthen it. I could have done better in my freshmen and sophomore years of high school. At the beginning I had teacher and counselors telling me I could not make it as far as high school because my IQ was low for obtaining a passing score in an average class. In conclusion, the school decided to put me in a special ED classes to pass the time in high school. I should them wrong I knew I was not mentally challenged and tested myself and studied, on my spare time to advance my ways of comprehending. I found out I have a learning disability, which caused me to understand much slower paced then a regular student, I showed them wrong by attaining college and receiving honors.

Through the personal statements, resumes, and interviews one tends to wonder if the college of your dreams will really get to see the real you and see through the words on a page. Who knows if they will ever realize that you did not do community service throughout high school just to look good to them, but that you really love to help people. Who knows if they really think you are deserving of the GPA you deserved. However, one of the hardest and life-changing decisions of where you are going to go to college should not be as stressful as everyone makes it. When you visit a campus, you will have a certain feeling, you will feel at home and know that it is the "perfect " school for you. If you get rejected from what you may believe to be your dream school, it is their loss, and for some reason, it was not right. It is not the end of the world, the school that wants you, sees the true you and wants you to make a difference at their campus. The college application process is one of the hardest decisions in life, let it choose you.

Be prepared to work harder than you've ever worked before. Learn to budget your time very carefully. Always allow extra time for all assignments and studying. Remember to take breaks, but remember to keep them short and get back to work. Most importantly - be yourself. Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and be outgoing to make lots of new friends. Keep n open mind. Realize that the friends you make your first week should not be those you stick to like glue, continue to meet new people and make new friends. You will soon find some of your best friends ever. They're your family while at school.

Transitioning to college is hard. You need to be focused on school work, but you also need to remember that college is a chance to expand your mind culturally. Finantially, make sure you make the right school choice. You need to be able to stay at a university for all four years with out running out of money, or piling up student loans during your undergrad years. College is not high school, remember to be pro active in meeting new people and maintain a good work ethic. Grades are important, but knowlege is the most important thing in college. If you are truely interesed in gaining more knowlegde and stay commited to learning while taking advantage of collegiate opportunites, good grades will fall into place.

I have prepared myself efficently enough before entering college for the university-life style. I had great professors who cared for me and a family who instilled in me a strong academic work ethic. What I would change is instead of AP classes take Dual-Enrollment classes, but other than that my high school senior year was very good in regards to preparation. I did a great amount of reading on all the Universities I wished to attend and the programs they offered and believe I made the right choice.

I would tell people to enjoy their senior year and stress out about where they go to college. I ended up at a university that I never expected to and it was the best choice I ever made. Enjoy college, make the best friends you can, and just cherish it because the time flies by. Take interesting classes and don't choose a major too quickly and don't worry about the experience. Just experience college, take it all in, and have fun. Don't take yourself to seriously. Be easy going, try new things that you never thought you would try before. Be open to new experiences. Be outgoing and meet a lot of people. You never know where you'll meet your very close friends. Have fun.

Open up and meet as many people as possible. Get involved and take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.

I feel my high school prepared me well for college, so I would just advise myself to get used to drinking. Actually, I'm just kidding (really, I am! I don't drink that much). The biggest advice I would give would be to not waste money beforehand, that way you can work for fun or because you want to and not because you have to. My next biggest advice (for me personally anyway) would be to train hard and start learning the rules of rugby to get a jump-start on the game, to be starting sooner.

I would have focused more on the AP tests versus the class information because the only thing that seems to matter is what test scores are and not how much knowledge you actually gain. I would remind myself to stay focus and not to join a varsity sport because one semester screw up can lead to 3yrs of playing catch up. I would tell myself that I can do anything I put my mind to regardless of what others say. Academics is the most important thing and I would advise myself to create effective study habits and seek help even if its not needed yet. Last, I would tell myself , to plan ahead, as well as for the unexpected.

Don't stress so much about getting a perfect 4.0 all the way from freshman year to senior year. While it certainly helps having a strong GPA, it is so important to really focus on extracirriculars as well. Too many people do volunteer work and extracirriculars to fill up their resume. Do not waste your time! Figure out what you really love to do and start talking to your teachers! Many teachers would love to help, but assume that their students don't care. Don't wait until college to get that advise from adults who have experience in the field. It is cliche' to hear teachers saying "these are the best years of your life", and while I am enjoying college much more than high school, I still wish I wasn't always anxious about my grades and took time to really enjoy the company of my peers and teachers. I would always rush out of school to get home and work on a project until nighttime instead of staying and speaking to people. Also, it is never too late to make a new friend.