University of Nevada-Reno Top Questions

Consequently as we age, there will always be choices we wish we had made differently. One of my biggest challenges transitioning to college was understanding how to balance my time. Going through high school I was priveleged enough to only have to work during the summer. This allowed me to play Varsity sports, spend time with friends as well as take AP courses without difficulty. When I applied to the UNR I had the misconception that I could continue all that well as work a full time job in order to pay for my tuition and living expenses. Taking on all of this responsibility took its toll. I began skipping lectures in order to take a nap before I started my night shift, after my sophmore year I was no longer able to partake in clubs and my grades began to drop. After a while I finally understood the commitment college required and wish I would have learned that sooner. I have been told "Don't regret anything because at the time it was exactly what you wanted". While this is true I fell I would have had a better college experience if I had learned my lesson sooner.

If I could go back in time and give myself advice on college, I would tell myself to get everything out of it that I could! I would tell myself to have fun, to play hard, to study hard, to meet people, and to spend hours talking about life or love or hopes or politics or whatever I wanted. I would advise to put myself out there, and to meet new people, because a good education isn’t the only thing I am getting out of college. But most importantly, I would tell myself to be aware that college is only four years and I only get to live this experience once, and that not everyone gets to experience the opportunity that I am blessed with to learn and to grow. I need to seize this opportunity, take risks, and to not be afraid to fail. If I don’t take risks, I will never reach my full potential, and I will not have much fun. Risk and hard work pay off, and if does not, then I will have still learned from the experience.

This is important. Open your eyes, heart and head because you are blessed to have the most life changing experiences. Stay focused, pay attention and do not take for granted the lectures professors have planned. Be passionate about your purpose for pursuing education. Let the passion you have drive and motivate you to meet the academic demands because you have a goal bigger than any fraternity party you can find; graduation. Many professors will tell you, "Knowledge is power," but do not forget college is not just academic. Your knowledge must also come through experience. You have opportunity to learn who you are so be bold in the truth that becomes you. There is only growth gained in knowledge after anything you experience. Be thankful for the bad experiences because they will teach you important values about yourself and others. Get involved with a social group who is prideful of your school and wants to be on campus so you will feel excited to be a part of the University of Nevada Reno. Do not fail your classes or fail to have life experiences. Allow yourself to be happy because you are providing a prosperous future through this transition.

Wow, if I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior there would be many things that I would tell myself. First of all I would tell myself that there are going to be many struggles along the way but those struggles are going to make you stronger. I would tell myself that academics are more important in the long run than my social life. I was more focused on partying than I was my academics, which left me with a 2.5 GPA after my freshman year. I worked very hard these last 3 years to get my GPA up to a 3.14 and I am so proud of that. But without those sturggles I wouldn't have the confidence I have now. I know who I am and what I want to do for the rest of my life. I would tell my 18 year old self that your future is going to be bright and to never give up on your dreams!

If I had the opportunity to go back in time, I would go back to freshmen year, to tell myself to be more involved in school, but also take the advantage to take some college classes while being in high school. Our school gave students the opportune to take classes in our community college, a liberty to explore further than high school. The question was, if I were to go back to my senior year what I would tell myself. Well, overall I did my very best in all of my classes, graduated with a 4.0, and accomplished high school. The one thing I would tell myself is to apply for scholarships and keep applying, like I tell myself now. Class wise, college is different because here the teachers expect you to be adults, be prepared, and ready to learn, no more "baby sitting" and the teachers telling the students what to do all the time. Overall I feel very prepared for college, I know I am very capable of achieving all my goals, and I am ready. Going back to senior year, I would only say apply for scholarships and enjoy your last year of high school.

Take as many dual-credit classes as possible and actually pay attention in class. Don't do what I did and remember stuff for the test and when the test was done, all thw knowledge i gained, i forgot. You need to really learn the material because in college, you will need it again. Dual-credit classes are a lot easier in high school than they are in college. It may cost money, but it is the smarter way to accomplishing your goals earlier because the classes you could take in high school, you will take in college regardless so why not get a head start. Finally, all your friends you have in school now, once graduation night is over, you will maybe see about 10 friends again afterwards. Everyone goes off to different schools and unless y'all go to the same school, the chances of seeing that other person or hearing from them again are slim. Remember this because you will be in the same spot I am now, do dual-credit classes if possible and actually learn the material for class because I promise, if you don't, you will have to learn it all over again.

Hello there high school me, I did not think I would be speaking to you again. Since I am here, I might as well let you in on a few things. Firstly, do not live in the dorms. While you enjoy just reading and doing homework, other college freshman are not quite so calm. They will party and there is nothing you can do about it. Secondly, stop stressing yourself out! You have prepared your whole life for this. You work extremely hard in school to get good grades so that you can get into college. It is okay once in a while to have fun and not think so much about what tomorrow holds. Stop second guessing your decisions, while this is important, it is not life or death. You will mess up a little but you will work through it, you always do. Lastly, have fun. You are always studying and doing homework. You are going to wear yourself out. College is about learning to find a balance in your life. School is the top priority but if you do not loosen up you are going to burn out. So enjoy these years, and you will do great.

If i were to go and talk to myself back in high school with the knowledge I have now, I would definitely give advice on the classes and opportunities you should take advantage of at this school. The classes can be challenging, if your weakness, and can come to you somewhat naturally in classes you are strong at. I would say that classes in college require about the same amount of work that I put into high school classes because I took very challenging courses in high school as well. I would explain that the transition from high school to college is not as scary as you may think because everybody you meet is in the same boat and that makes meeting new people easier. I would also explain to myself just how expensive books and schooling can be but not to stress too much over it because somehow you will pay for it. I would tell myself just to enjoy it for some time and then worry about the money aspects later. I would also tell myself just to go out there and take advantage of all the opportunites that the school provides you for a more amazing year.

I would encourage the individual to be themselves and be confident in who they are and what they believe. I would also advise to not conform to others idea of who you are. I would advise to really research the area of the country where you will be attending college to determine if that culture fits into your thoughts and beliefs. I was amazed to discover the vast difference in culture from the west coast to the east coast and that individuals will try to change your beliefs, as they don't conincide with their beliefs. I believe that everyone is an individual and that is the reason the United States works the way it does. I believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and be able to back up that opinion. Others should respect that opinion. The best advise is to be yourself and believe in yourself.

After explaining how it was possible that I could be talking to myself, I would tell myself, "Don't worry about anything. Now that time travel is possible, if you screw anything up you can just go back in time and fix it. But my advice to you is to go into psychiatry. It turns out that multiple chances to get life 'right' hasn't made anyone any happier. In fact, depression rates have skyrocketed, so shrinks are in high demand. Of course, you should only be a psychiatrist if your goal is to make money. My real advice is to forget about the highest paying job, or the most enviable house, car, and spouse. Think about what you really love to do, and do that. Don't second-guess your choices, but learn from your mistakes, embrace the painful experiences as part of life, and follow your heart. Then you won't even have to think about time travel, which, by the way, is really expensive."