University of Portland Top Questions

WOW. It is harder than it seems. Make sure to always have an extra $500 hidden in your wallet, just in case. And make sure to buy a few boxes of tissue paper, homesickness is real and it happens at the most unexpected times. Its okay to bomb the first exam, you'll get them next time! Don't have sex on your roommates bed, people hate when you do that, oh so I have heard. Drinking isn't fun when you get a MIP or get arrested, so if you are planning of doing , be smart about it. And last but not least. DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!!! Also, professors are secretly ninjas/mind readers and they know when you have plagerized. Never doubt there skills!

Something I wish I could tell my high school self is prepare yourself. College is a life changing experience, both academically and socially. You will study...a lot. You will participate in many extracurricular activities. You will meet a variety of people from all around the world. And lastly, you will serve. Serve your new community both on and off campus. It will require more ambition than you can ever imagine. Know what you want, make goals for yourself, both long and shortime. For example, a secret piece of advice, schedual out your day. I mean everything; the days you go to class, your designated study time, exercise, eat, sleep. (You get the idea. ) This will help you manage your time, especially in the beginning of your first year, when everything is hectic. Eventually, you will learn what works best for you. You will be tempted to study all day long, but don't forget to make friends. Get involved!! Join clubs, be active in your residence hall, and find organizations that interest you. Whenever you see an new event check it out, you will not regret it. This will be your new home, so make the best of it.

Apply to more than three schools and for more than only a couple of scholarships. Push hard in your classes in high school and develop better study habits. Save your money; you will need it later for more important reasons.

I would tell myself not to expect so much from myself right from the getgo. There is no way that I could be involved in as many things as I was in high school, not only because you have to dedicate more time to studying, but you have to allow yourself time to adjust to all of the new surroundings. New friends will come in time as everyone else gets more adjusted with their schedules and teachers really do want you to succeed in their class. I would remind myself to take it easy and focus on doing the best that I can in school, but at the same time, enjoy this new chapter in my life. The college transition is new and scary all at once and everyone is feeling nervous and a little homesick. The college experience will get better with time and new studying habbits will be made. It is important to be open to all new and different types of teaching and people to allow for the best college experience possible! Don't be afriad and do the best that you can do!

I would tell myself to enjoy every moment that I am given. That sums up everything that one needs to suceed in a transition. To enjoy life is such an easy thing to say, but just as I learned last semester, it is a very hard concept to live out- especially during a transition. Had I truly focused on enjoying my first semester, I would have had a better roommate experience, I would have attained better grades, and I would have been ultimately happier. Now that it is second semester, I have taken my own advice of enjoying every moment. I am proud to say that already I am focused on my studies, I am getting along with my roommate really well, and I am truly happy.

Hold on tight—because your whole world is about to change. Food: your responsibility; money: your responsibility; getting out of bed: you guessed it, your responsibility. Mom isn’t there to be the “back-up alarm” and your sister won’t be there when you lock yourself out, again. You’re almost out of suburbia but you’ll miss it (just a little). So delight in your mom’s cooking and give your dad a hug because their world is changing too. Instead of complaining about carting the laundry up one flight of stairs, savor it, four flights of stairs or a full elevator is so much worse. Relish the time you have with your childhood friends when they’re just down the road because Skype with a slow internet connection just isn’t the same. Don’t forget to call Grandma, she misses you and she has some great stories to tell. Most importantly, make mistakes because it might be exactly what you need. If not, at least you’ll have a great story to share.

High school, a time that many people look back upon and wish they could go back and change it all. I would also change many things. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would give myself two great pieces of advice. First I would tell myself enjoy high school while you're still there. I am not talking about parties and friends, I am talking about joining different types of clubs and activities in high school. In high school I was only part of two activities and looking back and knowing what I know now, I would have joined numerous and at least one more sport. The second piece of advice I would give myself would be to set priorities and think about my future. As a high school senior you can quickly lose sight of what is important and beneficial in the long run and what seems like a good idea at that present moment. Looking back at my senior year in high school I would change several things, but overall my high school senior year was one of the greatest years of my young life.

I would tell myself not to stress out and worry as much and that everything will be taken care of in due time. Also i would like to have told myself the importance of getting college textbooks ahead of time and to have saved up money for that purpose. I would have also liked to know what was all involved in getting a degree from college and the specific classes needed to be taken. I would have also liked to have told myself to not wait till the last minute and to check my email from my college sooner than a week before classes but months ahead of time instead or as soon as it becomes available.

If I could go back and speak with my high-school self, there is a lot I would say. First, I would keep myself on track to graduate from my high-school, instead of dropping out to work full-time and pursuing my G.E.D. I would tell myself not to "take a break" and work for a few years before enrolling in college and would get right on track. I would tell myself to study more and fight less. I would tell myself to slow down, and enjoy what's left of my childhood. I would tell myself to stop smoking and tell your family that you love them everyday you have the privalige to see them. I'd tell myself not to be in such a hurry to move out of my parents, to stick around and save up some money as well as enjoy time with them. Although there is alot I would tell myself to change where I stand today, I accept every challenge in my life completely and stand tall in the face of adversity, and that, I would thank myself for. ~J.N.S

College should be fun and enjoyable as well as difficult and challenging. As a high school student, I did not recognize as much as I should have that a nursing degree, though very rewarding, would be a rigorous major that requires ample amounts of studying and preparation. It is critical to stay on top of your work even if that means staying up late and skipping the hall social, basketball game, or just a movie with friends. Schooling is the main focus of college but on the same page, it should be fun. I believe that it is much harder than I realized to find a balance between keeping in touch with old friends, a campus job, schoolwork, and making new friends. I wish I would have known that college was going to be much harder trying to even out my time in all that I need to get accomplished. My main advice I would give myself is to remain positive and know that the end of the journey will only be that much more rewarding.