University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Top Questions

Other than attending a few camps during the summer, I never ventured far from home. If I could change anything, I would have attended more College camps out of the state of Texas. The National Youth Leadership Forum On Medicine in Houston, Texas was a great experience as well as The Texas Honors Leadership Program at Lamar University but ; neither prepared me to be away from home for a lengthy period of time. I am eight hours away from my family and I miss them beyond what I ever imagined. I admire my Mom because she has always been open and honest with me about life lessons. With all that drama of the divorce, health issues and financial struggles, Mom survived. She overcame all the obstacles that tried to drag her down. She has consistently instilled in my sister and I, that life is what you make it. You must let go and let God. Because my Mom chose to be strong and never gave up no matter how bad the circumstances, I ascertain that although I am lonesome for “home” I can and will conquer any obstacles that come my way including the distance that exist between us.

Start at a community college and just focus on getting your basics out of the way first. It is so much cheaper and also gives you enough time to make sure you know exactly what you want to do. Knowing what you want to do can also save you a lot of money as well as time because most college students do change their degrees at least once. Focus, go the extra mile for the A, don't procrastinate so much, and finish as soon as you can.

I would have told myself to devote more time to studying instead of having too much fun, and I would have told myself to be more social. It's so easy to find friends in college, but they're not going to just walk into your lap, you have to go out and look. Along with that, you can't have too much of a social life in college. You need to have a delicate balance between having fun and working. Not work in the sense of having a job, but working to keep your grades up. You have to do your homework, and you have to study for tests. Those late-night outings with your friends will seriously affect your sleep and you need a lot of sleep. Also, I would tell my senior self not to worry so much. Worrying only creates stress. You need to live life, not worry about how to live it. A little spontaniety is good for the soul.

The advice I would give myself about the transition is that it is hard. You miss your home, friends, and family alot. However, you cannot just stay in your room and wallow by yourself. You have to get out and make friends and do stuff. College is all about new experiences and most of them are really great ones. Try new things, talk to new people! You will regret it if you do not.

If I could give myself any advice on making the transition from high school to college easier, I would tell myself to hit the ground walking briskly, not sprinting. It is easy for me to want to jump into things and sell my soul to them, but after making D's on my first two college exams, I quickly learned that college is an entirely different league in terms of academic rigor. I would tell my high school self to not go into college with the mindset that life is one big party; instead, allocate a set amount of time to study, and use social activities and campus involvement as a reward for completing those study hours. The entire point of college is to earn a degree, and I wish I would have gone into the college with that focus at the forefront of my mind, instead of somewhere in the middle. Luckily, I learned quickly. However, I would have had to overcome far fewer odds if I would have made the decision to put my studies first from the beginning.

Go into college open minded--about your major, future career, classes you may like, people you might get along with. You will learn more from the people you meet than the classes you take during your freshman year, so be friendly to everyone--you never know who or what you may discover. People are going to be really different from you. Learn from that, but never assume that you have to be more like them or change who or what you are to fit in. Stand true to who you are and what you think. Ask for advice, but take it all with a grain of salt. This the the part of life where you make choices that shape the rest of your life. Think through the consequences of all your choices. And don't be afraid of stretching beyond your comfort zone.

Be excited! There are so many opportunites knocking at your door, take advantage of as many as you possibly can. Join clubs and get involved in campus activities. Try new things and take classes that suit you. Keep an open mind. Make and keep good relationships with your professors and peers. Participate in psychological experiments, you'll have to at some point. Attend guest speaker lectures. Attend class every day and don't be late. Keep up with your schedule, making time for work, school, and your social life. Don't forget about your family, they miss you, so keep in touch with them. Get plenty of sleep and eat healthy. Get plenty of exercise by using the campus fitness center. Tour the library and learn where academic resources are located. Don't procrastinate. Have fun!

If I were to go back to my highschool years and do things over, although not the only thing but the main one would be to take the ACT and take concurrent classes. I think it would have helped if I had accepted things like being in Who's Who, but I was unable to meet the dues at the time. I would tell my former self to have gotten involved with even one thing like volunteering or an organization and run with it. I am well pleased with how things have panned out however. I worked hard and got my Associates right after highschool then spent a year traveling Europe and working and am now going back to get my Bachelors. The only thing is that is is hard to remember accomplishments that I did in highschool.

I would advise myself to take certain classes, try harder, and to just work more. I could have easily done better in high school than I did. I became apathetic, as many students do, and did not apply myself. If I could talk to my high school self, I would tell myself to achieve as much as possible so that I could be happier down the road. Though I appreciate learning from mistakes, to be able to reverse a few I have made could make all the difference in the world. I would also tell myself to apply to more schools and follow my heart through a college search.

If I could go back I would tell myself that I should always be confident and strong in my decisions. I would remind myself to take every moment with my family that I can and, appreciate the time you get to spend with them. I would also like to be able to tell myself that I will be ok on my own and, that I can be responsible for myself and my grades. One thing I would remind myself over and over again is to reach out make many versatile friends and to remember I am at school to learn and my studies take priority. I would lastly tell myself to not be afraid to do things alone and enjoy them because it’s healthy and you will later find it enjoyable.