University of Nevada-Las Vegas Top Questions

Cristian, college life is exceptionally different. You will be intimidated by course material, class size, and tuition expense. Nonetheless you must remain firm in your goal. Do not take the unchallenging way. Follow your goal to completion. The road to your desired degree is long and weary, but do not let that thought lead you to an academic limbo. Studying something that is not your passion is just going to waste your time, because you will turn back to study your passion and you will regret not staying on the path. Your course material will be difficult, you may not have as much support as you did in high school, but that only makes the reward more satisfying. Class size is a tremendous adjustment. The lectures are countinous and sometimes questions are left until the end. Recording lectures is highly recommended. The one to one relationship you have with you teacher n highschool is almost non existent. Finally, one of the most important college factors "tuition cost". Apply for all elgible schlarships, you might have to work partime and even take on loans. Dont let that stop you. Cristian, you will be successful.

The advice I would give myself as a high school senior entering college would be to stay-the-course. Do not try to juggle work and school, but to devote all my attention and energy into my academic career. The minimum wage and time spent working is irrelevant in the big scheme of things. To get in the mindset that college is my “job”, but I will not be “paid” until I graduate. Moreover, to stay focus and connect with my peers on an academic and social level. To try and surround myself with people within my degree so that we motivate each other to strive further. Furthermore, to embrace the college experience to its fullest by being involved with activities on campus.

You're going to travel for a while, and it isn't going to be the best trip of your life, but it's a learning experience that you need. Don't fret about being "behind" your friends; this is no longer a group journey. Only two of your high school friendships will last, but hold on to your two best friends tight because they will be your rocks during difficult times. Get up and go to your classes despite the horrendous commute because you learn better in a classroom, and you know it. Your true joy and calling is in teaching; get into the BA program while your GPA is outstanding. In order to make friends, you have to smile! Keep your chin up and don't be afraid to say hello. Reach out to someone who doesn't understand something if you grasp the concept. Above all, be yourself, especially when you go Greek, which you should only do when Sigma Sigma Sigma comes to campus! When you have a big break between classes, you need to study or do work, but don't just sit around and wait for something to happen. It's up to you!

I would tell myself to actually do the math work that was required in my college math class, instead of allowing myself to feel as if I had enough credits and a high enough GPA. The reason for this, is because I ended up taking too many math classes that I did not need to necessarily take. I would also tell myself to have more fun. I should have attended more high school activities and enjoyed my high school career instead of waiting for it to be over. Although my school offers extra-curricular activities, I just never feel I have the time to attend any of them because I always have homework and studying to do. In high school, my workload was not as much but I did not take advantage of it.

If I could give adivce to any high school seniors, it would be to finish strong. Even though it's your last year of high school, you still want to leave knowing you did the your best instead of taking it easy and not performing as well as you could have. It's important to stay consistent, refrain from procrastinating, and to develop good study habits early on. Becoming a skilled planner and time manager will help you get ahead quick once you're in college! Don't put important things off; if you're not ahead, you're already behind!

If I could go back into time I would have a lot of advice for myself. The first thing I would tell myself is to take the most out of the high school experience. I would've liked to have more fun in of high school but also take harder classes so I could've been getting ready for the college life. Without doing that you'd probably go into college thinking it would be easy like I did. Also I would've told myself to study a lot. Studying is something you have to learn how to do, not everyone knows how to study. If I would've study more in high school, I would've learned how I personally retain information. There's many different ways to study and everyone learns in different ways.

There I go again, dosing off in Math. Dr. Gill was just going over the trigonometry homework I must have been thinking to myself. It was senior year and graduation was in a few weeks, what could I have been worried about? "Hey, wake up. You do know he is not just teaching for his health don't you? If you only knew all this work would be sitting in front of you again in a matter of months. You think you don't understand it now? Just wait until you're sitting in a class full of math geniuses and wonder why you can't pass a test. College is nowhere near what high school is like Erica. No one is going to be there holding your hand. The teachers aren’t going to slow down and the work isn't going to lighten up. The fact that the classes are longer is going to make it seem that much harder on you. You have to stay focus and study. Study. Study. I cannot stress that enough. However, you will get the hang of it and you will be excelling more than you could have imagined. I know."

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would keep it short and sweet. I would say that high school was fun but do not procrastinate and waste your time. You have your whole life in front of you and it is worth it to take the time to study and get good grades now because it will pay off in the end.

If I were to go back in time, I would tell my high school self to take your time finding a college. Visit every college you are interested in and find the one that you love. Whatever college you choose will be your new home, so you want to love it. I made the mistake of accepting the first college I got into because I received a fairly good scholarship, but I had never even visited the school before, so I went into a University knowing absolutely nothing about it. Therefore, I would give advice to prepare for college better by doing research about every college you are considering and find which one fits you the best. Also, I would tell my high school self to spend as much time with family as possible becuase you may be so excited for college, but once you get there you will miss your family. Lastly, work hard in high school because once you get to college the hard work will pay off. You will already know how to study correctly, take notes well, and write papers, so take high school seriously and listen to the advice elders offer you.

Don't let fear stop you and ask for help when you need it. Life is going to get tough and there will be many things that will get in the way of your dreams. You need to plow through and continue on that path. I didn't and I let fear and family stop me and I regret it. I went to college not knowing how hard it was going to be. I thought that it meant freedom and I forgot about the hardwork that was going to be needed to keep that freedom. I became an orphan early in my college career. I didn't have anyone to help me financially or emotionally. I was too stuborn to ask for help when family life blurred into my school life and I became overwhelmed and I quit school. As cliched as this may seem, please do not go down a harder path in life then you need to. College is a great time and place to find out who you are and how self reliant you can be. Keep on that path and make the changes you need to so you can survive but please do not give up.

This is something I think about often. My parents always stressed the importance of accademics but, being a know-it-all teenager, I did not believe them. Now looking back I wish I would have listened. If I would have put more effort into my school work and made better grades I would have many more opportunities than I have at the moment. I come from a low income family and they could not afford to send my anywhere else besides the local University. If I was more focused on my grades in high school I would have qualified for more scholarships and I would have been able to go to my dream college. Now that I am in college school is my top priority. I have cut back the ammount of hours I work a week and studying has become second nature. I have finally found passion in school. This is something I wish I could have found four years ago as a freshman in high school.

The advise that I would give myself is to do everything on time and dont be afraid to ask questions.

If I was a high school senior again making the transition into college I would tell myself to apply for hundreds more scholarships. I'm an out of state college which means my tuition is more. I'm on my own financially and live alone. I pay my own rent, bills, food, gas, tuition, books, and every other little thing. I worked through high school so I had money. During high school however, I didn't have these expenses that I have to pay for now. Now, as a poor college student trying to make it on my own, I wasn't prepared for all the new expenses I had for myself. I figured it out quickly to budget everything I buy. Living is expense. My books alone for classes are over $500 a semester so I have to save even more money than I did in high school. I had to make more adjustments from high school to college than just financially. College is hard, but it's also part of the growing up experience. I made good decisions and I would tell myself to be excited about this new journey I choose. It's going to be fun.

Regret. That is the one, reoccurring word that has resonated with me over the past two years. I look back and think of how foolish I was. Now I’m not trying to be harsh on you, but the fact of the matter is, you aren’t very intelligent, and hopefully, my future self will say the same thing about me. I’m hopeful that my future self will say the same thing about me because I place a great amount of value on regret. It’s important for me to think you are comparatively dim and have made some awful choices because that would mean I’m improving upon myself. As far as improvement, you really haven’t been working very hard to improve upon yourself. Pay some attention in class because you’re going to be wasting an awful lot of money if you don’t! Take all the opportunities you can even though you’d much rather play video games instead. You can’t give up what you want most for what you want now, so give it your all. If you take my advice everything will turn out better than it did the first time round.

If I could go back to the year 2005, when I was a high school senior, I would shake myself and shout “WAKE UP.” Every decision you make shapes tomorrow. The lackadaisical approach to school is not going to suffice in college. Cruising through your education and achieving the minimum passing score will no longer be sufficient. Success requires hard work. In terms of academic performance there is a lot of competition, so it is important to strive for excellence. The “I didn’t study when I was in high school” excuse will not work in college. You have to study, and that does not mean cramming the night before an exam. You need to take the time to prepare for class. When classes are over review your notes and reflect. Your academic record becomes even more important as an undergraduate student. Although you may not know what your career pursuits will be post-graduation, it is imperative to make superior grades. Maintaining the minimum grade point in college is not going to help you get accepted into graduate school; you have to go above and beyond. So “WAKE UP!”

As I peered through my watery eyes and stare shamefully at the pile of notecards, I asked myself, “Where did I go wrong?” It was a few days before graduation and my high school principal told me that I will not have to prepare a speech because another classmate is the new valedictorian. I wanted to restart senior year, studied harder, and ensure valedictorian status; however, graduating was already an accomplishment. Reflecting on this day as a sophomore in college, I wished that I could have spent my innocent days enjoying myself instead of living at the library. I learned that there is more to life than being number one. In college, I met people who can play uncommon instruments, have competed in sports nationally, and are YouTube famous because of their funny personality. Moreover, they were just as dedicated in school as I was, except I did not have anything to be passionate about. I finally learned that being valedictorian was not a trophy, it was a lifestyle where I’ll continuously do my best and take advantage of the ‘lemons’ that life throws at me. Nonetheless, if I could go back, I would tell myself, “Live a little.”

I would apply myself a great deal more in the classroom and talked with my guidance counselor about attending college

I was fortunate to go to a high school that I felt actually over-prepared me academically. However, if there was one piece of advice I could give myself, it would be to get more involved in extracurricular activities. During my college career, I had my own apartment, worked two jobs during a period when both my aunt, who was staying with me and my boyfriend lost their income at the same time. I truly believe in my current school's moto, "FInd a way or make one". I would have made time to get more involved and build stronger relationships.

I would tell myself to follow my own passions instead of doing what other people wanted me to do. I am an individual and what I am doing is for my future not for anyone elses so I need to choose my major based on what I like to do not what everyone tells me I should do because they will not be leading my life for me. I would remind myself that I need to play on my strengths not trying and do something that focuses on my weaknesses. To succeed in college you need to play on your strengths and go with what you are passionate about, because picking your major based on what others want will not help you succeed in school.

If I were to go back into time and talk to myself as a senior I would explain that it was a whole different ball game. The first tip I would give myself would be to not slack off and think things came as easy in college as they came in highschool. I would tell myself that studying everyday is essential and that cramming won't help me in the long run or during finals. I would tell myself to take the first year of college seriously and to start off on the right foot so it wouldn't bit me in the butt during my senior year of college. The most important advice I would give myself would be to learn how to prioritize, become more organized, time manage, and stop being a procrastinator. If I had another run at college knowing what I know now, I would be much better off!