University of New Mexico-Main Campus Top Questions

Growing up on a small island in the Pacific called Rota, I was not exposed to many things. Rota, being the small, isolated island that it is, is very limited in opportunities for a developing young man like me. Because of the lack of exposure to different things and the minimal opportunities on-island, I became reserved and shy. Following my high school graduation, I decided to pursue a college degree at the University of New Mexico. Coming from Rota where there were very few people, I was uncomfortable at first. I had never talked to people of different ethnicities, and then suddenly I was attending school with people of different backgrounds. As the school year progressed, I was able to make many acquaintances. Through their kindness and friendship, I was able to gain an understanding of and respect for their different cultural backgrounds. I understand that my experiences of living on a Pacific Island may not be interesting to everyone, but I ultimately believe that I had contributed to the diversity of the University of New Mexico through my culture which emphasizes respect for others, especially the elderly, and a passion to preserve our natural environment.

I would say do not get caught in "senioritis" and get lazy, do not miss out on the huge opportunities in scholarships, grants, and grades you can pull off during senior year. Train for baseball, push through everything you do. I would tell my self to want success as bad as I want to breathe. Don't sleep through anything, I would say that you want to make people proud, but most certaintly, you got to make yourself proud of your own expectations. Don't sleep throught the opportunity you have to excel in. People say they always say, "I have time to do it later", until it runs out and that will be it. Avoid being dumb to not do anything during free time but to get ahead of plenty of others on scholarships and grants. Make yourself proud along with the people you truely care about.

If I was able to go back I would tell my self to spend less time on stydying. Get out and know some people dont be a loner and try to help others and not to be selfish. I would tell myself to listen to my parents. I would tell myself to start playing some sport and once in a while go out and hang around with my friends because getting very high grades is not the most importnat thing its who you are. I would tell my self to get out of textbooks and start reading some other books and newspapers too. I would learn how to play soccer and start going to gym. I would tell my self to learn computer and start taking interst in Computer Science because If I would learn it at that point it will really help me out in College. Above of all I would tell my self to study really really hard before two months of the final examsso I wolud get good grades. I would tell my self to give SAT's and get good grades and aplly to very good colleges so I will get a good Scholarschip.

Advice I would give myself back in high school is that I should do more community service and not be so nervous about going to college, because there is a lot of people that care about you and will help you along the way. Also I would tell myself to read and work harder on my writing and grammar skills so that they won't be so low for entering college level classes, it will take some stress off your back when writing 10 page papers. Another big advice tip I would have given myself is to work and save as much money as possible, because getting a higher education isn't cheap. And one last thing I would have told myself is to never start being a procrastinator, to make sure I stay on top of my home work and studying.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself about the college transition, I would tell myself three main pieces of advice. First off I would say "College is tough, make sure you set aside enough time up to do homework, and do homework well with100 percent effort everytime." My second piece of advice would have went something like this "Well, I don't think stressing about money while in school is a smart thing to do, so cut your hours at work at least less than 20 and get a student loan so you can focus on what is most important; college." Finally, my last piece of advice would have been stated such as: "You are only going to be a college freshman once, so go join a club, play a sport, make some friends, and most of all go to study sessions because the more people you interact with about and around school, the more you will like it and the more you will be most likely to succeed!"

Frankly, I was going through a lot of personal problems at that time unrelated to academia, so my advice to myself probably wouldn't be about college at all. The reason why I am a 24-year old freshman isn't because I'm stupid or unambitious, it's because in high school I suffered from clinical depression. This led to a whole host of other problems that left me pretty much unable to function in an academic situation. To be perfectly honest with you, I was misdiagnosed by a quack shrink with a mental disorder I didn't have, and I lost three years of my life to unnecessary (and damaging) medications. It took me a long time to get it back. So my advice to my eighteen year old self would be to be a little more circumspect with who I let feed me pills and to be more of an active participant in my medical treatment. Now if I was talking to someone else, I would probably tell them to take their college education seriously and not party themselves right out the front door, which is what I think this question is really getting at.

Some people say that High School are the best four years of your life, but they obviously have never been to college. Your college experience is what you make of it. Whatever you put in is what you get. There are so many people on campus, and so many diverse cultures. Indulge in this diversity and learn. The education doesn't stop in the classroom, you need to learn about people in general. Get involved on campus! Join as many clubs as you can! Go to as many possible athletic events as possible. Network with people on and around campus, and they will carry you into an internship, and later a career. Keep a planner, and quickly adapt yourself to some time management. Work hard, play hard. Make sure you balance your social life with your academic work. Most importantly: have fun and be safe! What you do in college will carry you through the rest of your life.

If I were to go back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to have fun while it lasts. Getting used to writing essays, having extra long class periods, and entering a whole new environment are just a few of the challenges that are bound to be overcome. Being sucked in by "senioritis" is not the way to go since college is 10 times as challenging and a big responsibility to juggle. Keeping those grades up is just as important, as it strengthens your mind and makes the transition into college a tad smoother. Now that you're going to be paying to attend school, it's of great importance that your money isn't going down the drain because of failed classes. Most importantly, remember to have fun, stay focused, and always keep your priorities straight in order to stay on the path to success.

I would tell my high school self to fill out as many scholarships as possible. I would also tell my high school self to never give up on myself and study as hard as possible to get the highest grades possible.

I would have told myself to apply for every scholarship available no matter how unavailable it seemed. I would have also taken more credits during each semester to finish quicker. I also would have maintained my GPA a lot better during the first 2 years.

Do not take the easy way out. Go where you want to be and do not let anyone tell you what is right for you, decide for yourself, and follow your own dreams. Transferring is a complicated process, go where you want to from the beginning. Only you know what is the right choice for your life so do not be afraid to strike out on your own. Be involved on campus from the start, make friends on campus and possibly try to live close to or on campus to be in the community and included. You will regret it later if you do not join the community and make friends in your classes. Get plugged in to the right kinds of organizations early, finding them later can be a challenge, once you are in a crowd and find out it is not who you should be around. Work hard, studying comes first, then the fun times, otherwise you will just feel guilty the whole time your are not studying. Finally, enjoy yourself, keep your friends and family close, you will need their support, and ask for help when you need it, we all need help sometimes.

The key to success in higher education is being true to yourself, meaning you have a clear idea of what you want to gain from the experience. Moreover, it means your needs and goals are paramount to all others. Since you will be the one making the sacrifices you must be dedicated to your goal. Sheer will-power often is not enough. Going to college to appease your parents or because "you're supposed to" is a futile endeavor that serves only to line the coffers of the lucky school that admitted you. If you do not know what to study, enroll in a gap-year program to develop any nascent or established interests. Or, get a job. Nothing motivates you to endless nights of studying than trying to budget your life on minimum-wage earnings. The bottom line is to have the maturity to know your strengths and weaknesses, develop attainable and measurable goals, have the mental capacity to stand up for those goals and the dedication to work hard on them.

Since I went to Lakeland Community College, full time, my junior and senior year of high school, I would go back in time and tell myself that college work is different and harder but to not be intimidated by it. Do the best that you can and work hard and it will pay off. I would also tell myself to make sure to start working on things ahead of time and not wait last minute, because it will be better for you in the long run. And do not procrasinate, it could make you fall behind or have too much on your plate at one time and can possibly cause you to get a lower grade. Also, it can be good to take some classes that will challenge you a little, so you learn new things and better yourself. But college isn't all about being hard work, its about learning new and exciting things; so make the most of it, do your best and enjoy it!

If I was capable of going into the past and advising myself about what to expect in college life, I would keep it relatively simple. I would tell myself that it is important to gain as much experience as possible in college. There are a vast amount of open opportunities to study whatever your interests might be, and all of the extra-curricular activities you engage in will only help you in the future. I would also inform myself that there is no slacking off in college. Although it might be easy the first couple semesters to just skate by and take only a few classes, there is no time to waste in college. It is important to remember to always apply yourself fully, because in college, what you do everyday affects your chances of attaining your dream job in the future. I would tell myself to put school first, get as much experience in my career field as possible, and to always be reaching for more challenging opportunities. No day should be wasted in college and there is no room for "just getting by". Hard work will make the path towards achieving your dreams smoother.

I would tell the students that education is the key to success. They shouldn't wait to attend college, go right after they complete high school.

My senior self was a success story, riding on the wings of success and working hard to juggle a school play, the highest GPA I had in years, applying for colleges, new relationships and working to earn the freedom adulthood promised. My senior self had no idea the real world demanded skills with time, money, and time management that I did not yet possess. I would tell her, given the opportunity, to understand the responsibilities that life demands. To understand that time spent curled up with a textbook in the library, listening to music and taking notes, in lecture halls learning about the composition of newborn stars was infinitely more well spent than wasting away hours and allowing for social and personal distraction. I would tell her to trust that the relationships she had would be patient while she worked on her education. I would tell my senior self to focus, to remember to keep the goals she had held all her life in firm, clear view. I'd tell her the road ahead was full of bumps, but the path wasn't hard, and she'd make it to the other side, as long as she never gave up.

If I were to go back in time I would first advise myself to go to UNM from the start, rather than CNM. I spent two years at the community college in New Mexico, which was nice, but I like UNM much more because of the people, the classes, and the campus. I would also advise myself to be thinking of majors early, and to choose something I enjoy, rather than thinking of something that will make a lot of money. This aspect caused me to stress out about it for about two years, and it took me two years to decide on a major. I would encourage myself to enjoy the process of learning and the college experience more. I eventually learned to do that, but my first year of college was somewhat forced when I could've been enjoying it, and enjoying the information I was learning. I would tell myself how important it is to balance time for a social life as well as school so that there's not too much pressure, which I believe leads to success.

Hello, High School Chanel. I have news for you- you think you're tired now? It only gets more exciting! Don't take the double major in music performance and education, you'll just want to pull your hair out. Take my word for it, education on its own is challenging enough. You should study more for that AP English exam. I know your brain is fried from the calculus test (congratulations for that grade, btw!) but you really don't want to waste your time in general education classes when there is so much music to be learned! Also, apply for more scholarships. Despite what UNM said, it's NOT FREE. You're financial aid is going to be reduced all the time. Just nod and smile, and work harder. Hard work won't kill you, I promise. Really buckle down on your practicing and remember that 2 hours of intelligent practicing is more helpful than 6 hours of mindless shredding. Your fingers will bleed, you'll give yourself headaches, and you'll wonder if those dark bags under your eyes will ever go away- but college is so much more fun when you have music! (and nothing else).

Here's the deal: taking a gap year will be the best decision you ever make. Home life will be stressful, but you'll appreciate the break, and you will be better prepared for college academics. Western Oregon University won't work out, but that's a good thing. They don't have as many areas of study as you'd like, and though you think it now, you won't end up majoring in Sign Language anyway. You'll end up at a school with Sign Language as an option, but you'll choose a different direction entirely. You thrive on change, so this is a wonderful oppurtunity for you. The state you will be in is much different from Oklahoma, but it will become more of a home than Oklahoma could ever be. You'll be immensely happy, and have lots of amazing friends. BUT, brace yourself for the second semester. You'll have to work harder than you ever have, but I promise you will do well. You adapt well, and this will be a test of your adaptability. The freedom is going to be great, but what's better is the people you're with.

I would tell myself to acccess better study skills and learn how to directly learn from the books because the professors expect the students to learn what they don't go over in class. I would also advise myself to choose a different school.