University of Portland Top Questions

If I could back in time to give myself advice, I would tell myself that life is bigger than the clothes you wear and the people you hang out with. I would tell myself to help others more often and to forget about what is "cool". In a couple of years, you will not remember the petty arguments with peers, the day you didn't wear name brand jeans, or the humiliation when the teacher called on you. You have the ability to stand up and be a leader. You have the strength to do what is right regardless of who is watching. You are beautiful and smart, no matter what anyone else says. Be confident and make a difference in the lives of the people around you. Don't worry about what anyone else thinks. The transition from high school to college is a culture shock. You don't have to worry about the same things anymore. It's okay to have an opinion and your own style. You will find that your peers don't judge you the same. While learning to be an adult has it's own pressures, the stress of high school is finally gone.

Don't be afraid to leave your comfort zone. There are many great things to experience in college and it goes by much quicker than you could imagine so push yourself to meet as many new people, participate in as many activities, clubs, sports, and social events as possible. When it comes to academics, don't settle and take work lightly or procrastinate. Set a strong work ethic from the beginning and push yourself to stay on your work and complete all assignments on time and to your best ability. Finally, I would tell myself to start thinking about your career early on and network as much as possible. Don't find out when it is too late that you do not know what you want to do with your major. Job shadowing, internships, informational interviews all are key aspects to finding a career that best fits you and your personality. Finally, enjoy your time at college. Studying and hard work is essential but don't forget to have fun and enjoy college while you are there, because it will be over before you know it. Good luck!

As a college junior looking back at myself in high school, I now can see things I wish I had done differently. I would not be quite as serious and I would not worry as much as I did about keeping my 4.0 GPA. I thought that joining extra cirricular activities , in high school,would take time away from my studies. While that may be true, there are other benefits to be gained . I would encourage my high school self to step out of my comfort zone, and reach beyond my circle of friends. Had I risked trying out for a sport, or joining a club, I would of learned things about myself and others that I wasn't able to learn from my textbooks. I would of gained self confidence and leadership skills that I know would of helped make my transition to college easier. I would of learned how to handle myself in different situations and most importantly I would have come to believe that I can trust in myself.

Looking back on my college experience I would say I recieved a very well-rounded and challenging education. I found that much of my success had to do with my professors working with me outside of the classroom, as well as the small class size. Being in a small classroom I felt as if I could be heard by my professor as well as my students. If I were to go back in time and talk to myself about college life and making the transition I would tell myself that it was one of the best, as well as the hardest, decisions I have made in my life thus far. I would tell myself to pick a college that was extremely persistant in trying to find out if I had chosen where I would like to attend college. This persistance is what contributes to a great transition into life as an independent as well as feeling like you belong on that campus. I would address the fact that going to college is what brought out my inner voice. It helped me see the place I hold in this world, and how important it is to know your own opinion.

-Life after high school is not a race to get done with school as fast as possible and get a job if that job is one that you dread getting up to go to every day. -Find something you are passionate about and then figure out what it takes to be successful doing that. -Take your time. Select a path that you believe will fulfill your dreams and follow it for a while. If you find it is not fueling your soul, select another path, regardless of how close you are to being "done" on the first path. -Life is too short to make your choices based on someone elses dreams. Listen to your gut instinct and fulfill your own dreams. -Drink it all in! Experience dorm life, make new friends, get involved in student groups related to your chosen field, take advantage of the activities, facilities and opportunities available at your school. You are paying for the experience and all the resources available at the campus, so utilize them. Make connections with others in your field, including students, faculty and experts in the community. Those connections may help you land the perfect job some day!

College is a nervewracking but exciting step in your life! If I can give you a simple piece of advice, it would be to keep an open mind. You will meet a variety of people and experience many, many different things. So stay open to new things, and step out of your comfort zone because you never know what great thing can come out of doing so. College will be the time of your life, so make friends, go to sporting events, join a club, and challenge yourself to become a better person everyday. You will do great!

There is a lie that many people believe. I used to be one of the believers in this lie and so I am intimately acquainted with it and the damage it does. The lie is simply this: the pain of transformation is worse than the pain of not being transformed. In other words, the easy way out in the present is more comfortable than going through the necessary hard work to reach your goals for the future. The problem with this thinking is that when you reach the “future,” you realize your current situation is most definitely worse and more painful than the transformation process you avoided. This little nugget of truth is what I would tell myself as a high school senior, and I would advise myself to stay in school even if I didn’t feel like it. After high school, I assumed I could drop out of college because it required a lot of discipline, and I didn’t know what I wanted to be, and I was exhausted from high school. I lamented that college was too hard and too long. Years later, I realized that yes, college is hard - but being uneducated is definitely harder!

Dear slightly younger self, have a plan and run with it. There are too many instances when a lack of goal setting has led to a wandering. A wandering is though necessary to the place that one must come to, yet the awareness of the potential to meander off onto a less rewarding environment is highly possible. Distractions along the way easily indulged offer brief satisfaction, but ultimate disapointment. With that, younger self, find the balance. The university is the place to orient yourself with the perfect mediation between gaining life experience through the fields in which could push you in the direction of deeper understanding and potential opportunity for participating in helping create a global shift. The opportunity to approach life with the right perspective to embrace hardships and trials, yet pursue an artistic passion and academic knowledge await with the right discipline, tools, and resources already at your disposal if you choose to wield them.

Dear past Melissa, As you are about to enter college, make sure you have all of your forms turned in! Especially financial aid forms. You don't want to make the same mistake I did by not submitting them on time and end up not going for the first year. Also, be sure to get to know your counselor! They will help you so much. If it weren't for my counselor, I would be so lost and confused, even more than I am right now. But overall, enjoy college. It will be one of the best experiences of your life. And beware of not having too much fun, because you will need to make time for studying! You don't want to fail out of college now do you? Sincerely, Future Melissa

The number one advice I would give my high school senior self is to pick the college that offers the BEST financial aid throughout the four years of college. I did the mistake in believing that what I was given in Freshmen year would continue on for the following years. Because of this mistake, I had to work constantly, averaging twenty hours a week and balancing 15-18 credit hours. This is not the college experience that I thought I would have. By informing my past self about seeing the big picture, I am enabling her to have a true college experience---free of sweat, tears, and exhaustion.