University of Nevada-Reno Top Questions

Because you are choosing to go to a junior college prior to a University my main advice is keep focused. Not attending class is a poor choice and giving up halfway through the semester is not good. Strive to do your best and not to give up. Don't mess around and get involved with the wrong group. It is best to follow your heart but don't put your studies on the back burner because of your new boyfriend. By doing this you will end up staying at the junior college for three years and it will put you back. A suprising thing though that you won't see coming is you will end up going out of state to school, University of Nevada, Reno. Once you transfer it will be your first insinct to miss home because you will have nephews, but these are the times to be selfish and to embrace your adulthood. You will learn the most you've ever learned about yourself being on your own. Know you will always have your family to fall back on . Remember its okay to make mistakes that is what growing up is all about. You can do it.

Finally, after 37 years, I have an opportunity to cross the finish line, a chance to complete my Bachelor’s degree in nursing! If I could talk to myself when I was 18 years old again, I would say “don’t give up, keep plugging away at your dream. It doesn’t matter how long it takes.” I have put my school on the back burner so many times over the years, either because of my work in different nursing positions; or with my career in the National Guard and most recently through my journey of breast cancer over the past year. In Nursing, I stair stepped up from a candy striper, to Nurse’s Aide, to Licensed Practical Nurse and then becoming a Registered Nurse. I realize now, the importance of each of these steps to help cultivate the person I am today. I have grown to appreciate meaning of my education and the ups and downs of my life, each coming together like light through a prism to help me see the beauty of each of our own unique life’s path. I might have missed this if I had finished school in my earlier years.

Dear self , Please take high school serious. Don't be afraid to fully be youself. So what if you get called a dork or geek for attaining good grades, go for it. Be the best you can be. Cease every moment you have to succeed and get actively involved in school. High school is preparing you for the real world and college. It's not a joke. Complete your assignments in a timely fashion and turn them in on time and or early. Utilize your time wisely. When you use your time wisely and productively, you are drawing one step closer to your destiny and towards success. Please don't procrastinate or neglect to do your assignments or study for tests, quizzes, or finals. Procrastination is your greatest weakness in school. Be punctual for class. It shows how much you care for school, your level of maturity, and how adamant you are about school. The way you act in high school and the negative habits you carry with you in high school will follow you into the real world and college. It will inhibit your growth. Put your priorities first and you will come out on top. Sincerely, Victoria Brown

GO ALL THE WAY! I am currently a RN. I graduated from a community college in 2008. I am now going back to school to obtain my MSN. My advise to myself as a high school senior if I could go back in time would be to GO ALL THE WAY. I would really stress the importance of going as far as you can in school the first go around instead of going back later in life. It's so much easier to be successful in school before you have a career, a mortgage, childeren, ect. Yes, a faster 2 year degree may be appealing but it can only take you so far up the ladder!

I'd tell myself that life is about to change drastically, and that you need to prepare for deadlines, scholarships, and entering the real world. In the real world, you aren't entitled to anything, and there is no room for proccrastination. I would tell myself that I need to accept the fact that upon entering the real world you have no set of skills to distingush yourself from other people, so thats why you need to go to college. Education is the key to success.

As I am approaching my junior year of college, I can look back on the past two years and recognize how much I have grown. As a senior in high school, I imagined college to be the same story as high school. I figured I would go to class, get good grades, and make a few friends along the way that I would simply leave behind after four years as I did in high school. I had a negative attitude about the University of Nevada and could not imagine myself becoming one of the greatest advocates for it. If I could give my high school senior self one piece of advice, it would be to stay positive. Though life is not perfect, the most important thing to do is make the best of what lies in front of you. By making the best of this University experience, I have made friends that will last a lifetime, and have had experiences I will never forget. If I would have had a more positive attitude during my senior year of high school, I would have spent my year being excited, rather than stressed about going to college.

My biggest piece of advice to myself would have to be this: don't compromise on what you want to do and what you love. During your college career, you will reach a point where you will think that what you're pursuing might not be the most "practical" choice. You'll begin to doubt what you want to do and what you've ever wanted to be. Don't give in to that doubt; do not change your major to one that brings in the biggest paycheck, or one that will satisfy someone else's desires. The only thing you really have that makes you you is your own personal dreams and goals set by youself and yourself only. Your experience through college should be a journey into a new life, becoming the person you said you'd be when you made that commitment to yourself and first stepped foot on the campus. If you look back while working a job you hate, stuck in a life that wasn't inteded for you, then college will be nothing more to you in memory than the demolished railroad bridge that led to this trainwreck, and that's a terrible shame.

The advice that I would give to myself during senior year is that to be more proactive about asking questions about financial aid. I unfortunately had some trouble with my FAFSA application process and I had to start at my community college instead. Even though I had a great experience at TMCC my first years I would have easily been able to afford UNR if my FAFSA was taking care of on time. I feel that my path starting off had some curves financially and I have worked hard to persevere thru all obstacles. I know that asking questions gets you places and those answers can make a difference student need to not be shy about their education. It takes a lot of courage to be your first in your family in college and I am proud that I am able to help my sibling, family and friends thru the process. I take education seriously now knowing that I must be involved in my education to receive the best grades and at times the best answers.

I would tell myself to save money, I havent even started my first semester and i'm already a thousdand dollars in debt. I would have a plan set up, save money and not let my mother boss me into giving her my paychecks from my first job. Looking back, If I had this knoledge like I do now it would save me some stress and worry.

I would tell myself to not apply for the first time as Undecided for a major. I fell in love with Anthropology in my senior year, so I would tell myself to stick with it. My first semester in college was a complete waste of money and credits: I didn't start off on the right track and now I'm trying to make up for it because I was undecided. I would also tell myself to go easy on the food, because the Freshman 15 is almost impossible to avoid, given all the food that's offered on campus.