University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Top Questions

Realize that your life is not about you. The potential you have to mean something to others is incredible, and if you need any evidence, simply glance back at the past four years - captain of the tennis team, hundreds of hours of community service, student council, tennis coach to children. You are a leader. Slightly off topic, did you know that every four seconds, someone in the world dies from hunger? Did you know that diarrhea, a mild inconvenience to us privileged few in Western society, kills a million and a half children every year? Fix it. Become a teacher or school administrator abroad, helping to educate children and lift them out of poverty. Become an engineer developing water sanitation systems for people in need. Work for UNICEF. Whatever it may be, waste not your leadership and intellectual abilities on your own pretty life. Stay in state so that debt can't pile on top of you, for it will make you its slave and prevent you from venturing out into the world. The bottom line is people are in need, and you are just the kind of leader the world could use.

Making the transition from high school to college is what you make it. It can either be very difficult or it can be an easy transition. For me at first the transition was a somewhat hard one considering I had moved so far from home and I knew nobody going to the University of Oklahoma. The key thing to do is to find your niche. You have to find the group of people you fit in with; the group of people you have things in common with. The challenge is finding this group. One way you can go about finding this and where you fit in in the University is going to all the events the University hosts at the beginning of the school year. They host a lot of events for the incoming freshman. It is important you go to these events because it helps you meet people. Also, I would try to go to different club meetings to see if any of them interest you. If you try to go out of your way to see where you fit in, it is more likely that you will adjust to college much easier than if you don't.

If I could go back I would tell myself to study even more. I have always been one to study and care about my grades but I would take my classes even more serious. I would devote myself more to my education. I would also listen to people when I said I couldn't wait to get away from home. You don't realize how much you will miss your family until they are 3 hours away and you only see them once a month. I would also remind tell myself that although my friends are important that things would change when we were all going our different ways. Although you will still be friends it wouldn't be the same. The last think I would tell myself is that I made the right decision going to OU. I knew the moment I walked on campus this is where I wanted to be. I would tell myself that I definitely made the right choice.

When I was deciding on a college that would best fit me, my first thought was: get as far away from home as possible. However, college isn’t cheap and my family encouraged me to apply to schools in Oklahoma. I grudgingly obliged. I visited the campuses, applied and was accepted to the Oklahoman Universities. I eventually chose the beautiful campus of the University of Oklahoma. If I could go back, I would tell myself to not try to run away from my family and grow up too fast, and it is okay to depend on others. I have always been known to go after things and let no one help me. College has flown by, way too fast in my opinion, and has been a wonderful, life-changing experience. Having my family so close has also been very beneficial, and attending college has actually brought me closer to home. Slow down Jessica, everything will work out and you will meet your friends of a life-time.

Be prepared for your ideas about life to change. Be prepared for your goals to reorient. I know you have a firm grasp on who you are and who you want to be, and I know this is going to sound cliche, but you don't know everything. You know a lot, but you're not quite there. Always be willing to accept new ideas an experience new things, because you never know how they can change your life. You're far too young to already be set in your ways at this point. Most importantly, have fun with everything you do in life.

I would have been more picky and spent a long time looking for scholarship money. Free school is important to me. I do not want to finish school in loads of debt. I will end up paying almost 20,000 dollars in loans.

I do not regret anything from my high school years. I made mostly straight A's with a few B's, so if I could go back in time I would tell myself to put in the effort to bring those B's up to A's. I had not learned about national merit scholarships until it was too late, so I would tell myself that I should take the ACT again and try to bring my score up to be elligible for more scholarships. I have not had that difficult of a time transitioning to college life so the only advice I would offer myself is to continue to try hard, put in effort, and think of how the hard work now will pay off after I graduate.

I think I can safely say that my cocky, high school senior self had no idea what she was getting into when it came to transitioning to college life. She thought that she was the perfect, straight-A student who would just sit back and relax in class and have an answer to all the questions. But after being in college for 2 years now, I would definitely have a word or two to say to my high school senior self. I would tell her: "You know what? You're NOT going to know all the answers. There will be people smarter than you, and it's OK to ask questions! Asking a question does not show that you're dumb - it shows that you're smart enough not to only rely on yourself to discover what's right." And then hopefully, my high school senior self would actually listen.

Dear Ravynn, I know high school has been hard but I would like to let you know to keep your head up high and continue to strive. Stay strong and keep in mind that any dream can become a reality as long as you keep the right mentality. Keep in mind that you will embark in a new adventure with college and I would like to pack fuzzy and warm clothes for your cold dorm, and steer free of college seniors because they don't mean any good in the end. Please keep in mind that you are strong woman and you deserve the best for yourself. Another important thing that I would like for you to do once you begin college is do not stay cooped up in your dorm room, go outside and make friend and get involved on campus. Also study hard to maintain a high gpa and remember what you came to college for. You came to college to better yourself while growing up and remaining true to yourself which I am sure that you will do! Good luck to you and your future endeavors and i am sure you will do just fine.

Dear Davone, When you are worried, scared, and don't know what to expect in the future, people will tell you that things will work itself out. They lie. Nothing works itself out without a plan. So knuckle up and start researching your future!! How are you going to get money for college? We are in the age of technology so "Google" it (or should I say "AOL" it during your senior year). There are millions of scholarships waiting to be claimed. When you get to college, it might seem like a repeat of high school. Well, that's perfect because it shows you that second chances do happen in life. So go for that 4.0 you were always so capable of. Make the best of your journey through learning, practicing, and networking. Your relationships with people are very important; you never know who you know until they're known. And lastly, just like four years of high school, four years of college goes by super fast. But because you have a plan, your transition into life will be met with success instead of a slap in your face. You're welcome!!