University of North Carolina Wilmington Top Questions

The most important piece of advice for myself as a high school senoir would be to loosen up. College life is not as scary and daunting as you might think. The only thing that can make the transition difficult is your attitude. An attitude that will accept change and moreover gravitate toward change will be needed in the long run. It most certainly will be a long run. With at least four years ahead of you, you better be ready to embrace some major shocks and difficult times, but this is not the time to worry about those things. Take life as it comes. Capture the moment as long as it is with you and when it passes, move on. Grow up. Face challenges head on and use them as opportunities to mature and learn. Never look back with regret. Only look forward with hope. Be safe and have fun.

Minda, I know your senior year is going to be a breeze; however, you still need to focus and continue to work hard. Do not slack off or become lazy. College is going to hit you with a lot of work all at one time. So learn to manage your time wisely and learn a study techinque that works for you because believe me, there will be a lot of studying in your future. Classes will be increasingly hard than what you are used to, but do not worry, I know you are more than capable of handling it. Just focus, study hard, and remember that everything happens for a reason. Things wont always necessarily end up the way you planned, but just have faith in The Lord's plan and in the end, you realize what God's purpose was all along. GOOD LUCK! Love, Minda

If I could go back in time and talk to myself in high school, I woud have so much to say. I would tell myself to make my college decsions based on what I want in my life, not based on my parents' wants. I would tell myself to go to a University college immidiatly, instead of going to a community college first and wasting three years. I would also tell my high school self that your grades in high school are so important and that coasting by with Bs is not living up to your potential and that you are capable of so much more. I would also tell myself that working 5 days every week in high school makes plenty of money, but it doesnt make any memories. I would tell myself to take a weekend off and spend time with the people that you will eventually lose contact with and not see until your class reunion. The most important thng I would tell myself is to have fun with friends, be kind to every single person at school and to work hard.

I would tell myself not to worry so much about it. I had everything correct and ready to go for a smooth transition. I would tell myself to apply for more finnanical aid because taking out loans are just stressful. I would also tell myself that no, deciding a major did not get simpler but, it eventually comes to you. You know when you feel like youre doing the right thing.

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school self I would tell her not to be so hard on herself. The one major thing I have learned in college is that it's important to be yourself and not stress about the small things. In high school I worried so much about what other people thought of me and the type of person I wanted to portray myself as. I've realized now how silly this and I would tell myself that what other people think of you should be the least of your worries and the only person you need to be is yourself. I would tell myself to stop worrying so much and to stay optimistic. Even though things may seem hard at the time, in the end everything works out the way it's supposed to. You can put a positive spin on everything, you just have to look for the silver lining. The last thing I would tell myself is to have more fun. To enjoy my life, wherever it takes me, and to be grateful for all of the wonderful people,things, and opportunites that I have.

High school senior self, I need you to take the time to visit your advisor and talk to them about how the transition between high school and college works. Without their help, you will get lost and push deadlines back or miss out on golden opportunities. Learn how to navigate the internet for scholarships and work diligently on applying for said scholarships in a timely fashion. Talk to businesses in the community to see if they have scholarships or grants available and see how to receive them. Make sure to take every day as a chance to give service and to learn something new. My most important advice is to not procrastinate. It is the worst self-handicap you can do to yourself. I've learned that through the years it is better to complete assignments or tasks ahead of time so that if you make a mistake, you can fix it easily and not rush in the last few hours.

Hey you, the stressed out girl with the make up and expensive clothes, yeah you. Stop worrying about what everyone thinks about you so much! Right now, high school seems like the most important thing in the world and if one things mess up, your life will fall apart. Now that I have been through college, I have realized that high school is a tiny stepping-stone in your life. High school should be about the stereotypical high school things. So, go to the junior dance, go to that Friday night football game. These four years should be about figuring out who you want to be in life but with no stress! Your parents are here to help you and everything you are struggling with right now will fade away soon and will be nothing but a funny memory in the future. Also, work harder on your schoolwork and work harder on yourself. What you do now may not affect you greatly in a few years, but you will have things you wish you would have done so do not let that happen. Take every opportunity and give it one hundred percent! Everything will work itself out, do not worry.

I would tell myself to not worry so much.

Study hard but dont worry so about grades. Be more responsible with my school work.

The best advice I could give myself is to just relax; don't borrow tomorrow's troubles. There is no sense in stressing yourself out over things you don't know about. Also, don't worry about making friends, just be yourself; with thousands of people on campus there are going to be people you get along with. Last, put yourself out there and try new things. Get out of your house/dorm and go do something, anything. The more often you are out and about, the more likely it is for you to run into classmates and make friends; there is a time and place for homework and studying, but there is also a time and place to meet new people.

I would tell myself not to worry about making friends. In the beginning I was worried but I had no trouble finding a group to have fun with during my freshman year. I would encourage myself to get more involved in academic clubs such as biology club and geology club. Clubs are a great way to meet more people that have the same interests. It is very important to get involved in clubs on campus and volunteer in the community. Also, I would advise myself not to overplan. It is very important to make a schedule, write down all assignments, club dates, work dates, and other important dates, however, over-planning can lead to more stress. We cannot plan for everything and if we try to schedule every second of our college days we are going to feel overwhelmed and frustrated. Plans do not always workout, some plans are spontaneous, and things change so it is important to be flexible. Although it is important to designate time for studying and homework, it is also important to have time for fun. College really isn't all about the schoolwork. It is about having new experiences and making memories too.

If I could go back in time to talk to my high school self, I would tell myself to be more outgoing and not care what people think. I would tell myself to really make the most out of senior year and not take it for granted. I would tell myself to get more involved, talk to new people outside of my social circle and to not be afraid to try new things. Once high school is over, there's no going back, so you need to appreciate it while it lasts! Learn how to talk to people and be open-minded towards those who have different views than you. You need to do these things while you're still in high school because you will need these skills in college. If you want to make the most of your college life, plan on getting involved! Meet new people, join a few organizations and perfect your study habits. Don't get overwhelmed though - college isn't as scary as your teachers are making it out to be. Just have fun, study hard, and worry less.

If I could go back and talk to myself during senior year in high school, I would definitely tell myself to pick up some good study habits. I would tell myself that college life is not all fun and games. I would emphasize the need to save money. If I could talk to myself during senior year, I would ensure to tell myself to stay away from the drugs for sure, because my future self has seen some horrifying examples of the negative effects of drug abuse. I would tell myself to continue writing in my journal, even during the summer, because that would come in handy throughout the year. I would tell myself to brush up on MLA and APA formatting. I would advise myself to keep an organizer or calendar, because those are very pertinent for knowing when events are, and I would definitely tell myself that unless for something extremely important, please do not skip classes. I would reiterate that violations of the code of conduct are serious, and so are violations of the law. Most of all, I'd say "Don't do anything that I wouldn't do. Or would do in that matter."

The advice I would give myself when I was starting as a senior in high school, I would say start filling out college applications now to meet the deadlines. Start looking into your major more to make sure that's what you really want. Go on college tours to get the feel of how college campus life would be. If you apply for financial aid waviers for like ACT Test and College Applications get as many as you can. Take Act Test over if you feel you can do much better than you did. Go ask your teachers and other staff for college recommandation letters, tha'llt help you get more college acceptance letters. Also do your very best on your school work, and do lots of studying for test. Keep a great GPA because the college will determine if they would like you to attend their schooling programs. The main thing is to stay organized and responsible.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to not worry about college so much. The transition really is not that hard and the independence is amazing. However, while I was telling myself to not focus on college so much, I would tell myself to focus more on my school work. It was in my senior year that I began to slack off and my GPA was lowered. I, partially, believe that my old work ethics of my senior year in high school followed me into my first semester of freshmen year of college. As this is the second semester, I am really making up for it. If I could talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that grades are still, and always be, important and they can really affect a lot of things. If I had known then how much I was working to make up for it now, then maybe I would not have slacked off so much. Hindsight is always 20/20.

I would have taken more time searching and applying for scholarships. I see now that they are needed more than I ever imagined. I had high hopes of working when I got to college to take care of my daily needs, and my parents would do their best to pay my tuition. But now I see , With my classes and the homework and the papers and the studying, I do not have the time that I thought I would to work. I babysit every once in a while, and would love to be able to babysit more. I did make the Dean's List my First Semester and I worked extremely hard for this. I did really well my High School years acadimically but I wish I had done alittle more to earn money and scholarhsips . It would make this monetary transition much more tolerable for my family. I see my parents struggling because both of them lost their jobs last year and they have had to start over and its just hard seeing this and I cant help like I would like. hopefully its not to late to try to make up for it now.

If I could talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to be prepared to give up food. Some days my class schedule is very hectic and does not allow for time to eat. I would also tell myself to push for getting my driver's license before coming to school. Though there are people who are willing to provide transportation, I do not like having to rely on others to get things done. Having a license would also give me a little more flexibility to go places, such as the aquarium and Downtown Wilmington more frequently, assuming I had access to a car.

I would tell myself to work as hard as possible but don't sweat it if you come up short once in awhile. One bad grade isn't the end of the world and there's always time to improve. Also, something that never gets old: Be yourself. Never feel that you need to change to achieve acceptance.

Over the past year I have learned a lot about myself. I would like to convince myself from an earlier time that the career path I chose is the right one for me. I would tell myself the following. When people say, "The sky is the limit," I feel a strong urge to guide them towards my career path. Ever since I was young I fantasized of flying, as most people do. As high school graduation loomed closer, I could not decide what I would do as a career. I decided to follow my dreams and started pilot school. Another huge factor in my decision is the fact that I am fascinated to meeting people and seeing new places. Being a professional pilot is the perfect career for me because it allows me to follow my dreams, meet new people, and see new places. For me, the sky is not the limit, the sky is my office.

If I could go back in time to my high school senior self, I would say one thing: “Relax!” College is not this big scary experience that I thought it was going to be. Coming from a small town in North Carolina, I was somewhat apprehensive of moving to a college town, sharing a dorm room with a complete stranger, walking down the hallway half-naked to take a shower, and every other experience that comes along with being a college freshman. But the thing is, everyone is in the same boat as you. Every other kid there is scared out of their mind and worried that somehow they’re going to mess everything up (which will never happen, you future college students). After a few weeks there, everyone is best friends and you’re comfortable enough to finally relax and take a deep breath. College is one of the best experiences of your life and I just wish I could have realized how much fun I was going to have instead of worrying for months before move-in day. So, to my past-tense self: have fun packing for college and get ready for the time of your life!