University of Portland Top Questions

The best thing about college is that you have the opportunity to be who you want to be, with no preconceptions. Everyone in college is new to the experience, and new to you. You get to define who you will be. You get to know and become friends with people you might not have ever hung out with in high school. My favorite thing about college is getting to know people who are from different backgrounds than me, creating unlikely friendships and learning from each other.

I would give myslef the advice to just keep going and don't stop. Throughout the past two years of attending a community college, I have made quite a few mistakes. I have slacked off in classes, given up, not taken enough classes, didn't talk to my counselor... I made a lot of errors. But because of those errors, I have learned and I have grown. I believe that if I hadn't made those mistakes, I wouldn't be the young woman I am now, so I find it silly that if I had the opportunity to go back in time that I would give me advice on what to do and what not to do. I would tell me to roll with it. I would say to work as hard as you are able because that is what my parents told me then. I would tell me to breathe and that this transition is the easy transition. Other than that, I wouldnt give any hint for what is to come because that would change me, and I wouldn't change me for the world.

As a high school senior I was very much concerned with making that final decision on where I wanted to attend college and the financial aspect of looking for a college. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself not to let these things stop me from making a decision on where to go. Some very good universities and colleges are very expensive. However, due to the fact that they are such good schools they are willing to offer you so much more money than you would think that they would. Also, although it may seem scary to leave home and go off on your own adventure, unless you leave home and experience life on your own you will never know what it is truly like to live. When away at college: you form your own opinions, find out who you really are, find out what you want to do for the rest of your life, and make friends that will last a lifetime. If I could go back in time this is what I would tell myself.

Be prepared. College environment is totally different than high school. College is twice as hard and so study hard and you will succeed.

The advice I would give myself now as a college freshman would be to live in the moment and cherish the memories. I would tell myself to enjoy my time at home with my family and friends, because college is a whole different experience, and not a lot of people are ready for that much change all at once. I would tell myself to manage my time wisely and be sure to get to know my professors as well as my fellow classmates. I would tell myself that college is a whole new and different life experience that comes around only once in a lifetime.

I would go straight into college without taking time off.

To my high school senior self, Beginning the first day of senior year, tell mom you love her every day before you leave for school. Each time she sets a clean pile of laundry on your bed make sure to thank her. Take advantage of the seemingly endless supply of snacks in the pantry while you can. As inconvenient as it may seem, be thankful for the nights that dad forces you to stay home and play board games with him. Relish in the days that you come home to a mysteriously tidy room. Celebrate the nights that you can have dance parties in the room you have all to yourself. Prepare to live in a room with another person and understand that you will have to think of their needs as well as your own. Think about your study habits and where and when you will study once in college. Tomorrow when you go to school, talk to someone that you never have before; soon you will be doing a lot of that. Live in the moment but anticipate the change on the horizon. Be thankful for all that you have and be excited about your future.

If I were to go back in time and give my high school self any words of wisdom, I would tell her to be confident. When I was a senior, I knew I had a passion for helping children because I had worked in children's ministries and co-created a mobile children's outreach program. I was unsure of choosing to become a child life specialist because I knew I wouldn't become rich doing it, and that was the sole desire of my graduating class. What was wrong with me? I waited four years to start school, and now I have more life experience and a stronger desire to work in the child development field, my grades reflect that. My passion for making a difference in children's lives has grown, and I would love to continue my education, to gain as much knowledge of how I can be the difference in a child's life. I plan to help children and their families nationally, and internationally. Our world is in need of helpers. I would like to use my passions and education to be a helper of children and families in need.

There's always that ONE cliche that everyone gives: Don't procrastinate. The fact of the matter is that it's ultimately true. Procrastination is the leading cause to stress in college, because you'd always rather watch an episode on Netflix rather than write that 6 page Psychology paper. Another thing is: Don't think that you can get away with poor study habits (like you've done in high school) and expect to get good grades in college. I was also naive and thought I didn't need to study, until I got those test scores back. When they tell you that you have to study more than 10 hours a week, THEY MEAN IT. During orientation, be the charismatic person or you'll end up alone for the rest of the semester. That weekend of orientation literally makes or breaks you in your social life. Don't worry about not going to parties during freshman year. There's reason why you're never informed about them, mainly because you are a FRESHMAN. Besides, parties just involve getting drunk, and I'd rather stay at the dorm eating pizza than having embarrassing drunk pictures on Facebook.

College life is different, very different. You are expected to do everything yourself, and study more than you ever did in high school. This is because you spend less time in actual class. The transition academically can be surprising, especially when you get your first midterm grades. Grades are lower because of learning new study habits, and the shock of how different college is from high school. As far as the transition to being on your own goes, Skype and telephone calls are your best friend. Sometimes you may feel like you made the wrong decision, and will want to go home, but it is normal! You will survive!

If I were to go back in time, assuming time travel is real (how awesome would that be?!), I'd tell my scared-out-of-my-mind high school senior self to not stress about it. I was constantly worried my senior year: about my grades, about the college decision and acceptance process, about what college would be like, if I was making the right college decision. I realize now how much that stress was completely not worth it -- my first gut instinct and feeling (loving the University of Portland) ended up being the right decision and feeling. I love it here; there is honestly not one thing I would change about it. However, when I was a senior, I was so worried that I was somehow making a wrong decision, that I had not considered all my options, when really, I knew all along that this is where I was supposed to be. For any other high school seniors currently freaking out about your college decision...relax. It will be alright. Trust your gut, evaluate your options, and make the best choice for you. It will all work out in the end.

Honestly, one of the most difficult things about transitioning to college was the bathroom situation. I've always, shall we say, had a shy bowel and in college it seems like you're almost never alone especially when you need to go #2. There are two ways people in college who, like myself, don't want to face the awkwardness of deficating while sharing the room with a fellow student: the first option is to prowl the restroom at odd times of night and hope you get lucky and have the room to yourself; the other more common tactic is to slowly walk in to the restroom, slowly open a stall door and wait for whoever happens to be in the vicinity to leave. Be warned, sometimes it's a while before you can get the bathroom to yourself.

I would tell myself to continue studying as hard as I can. High school may seem difficult, and senior year is very busy, but never let that get you down. Once you reach college, you will realize that it was all worth it. All those AP classes you are taking right now? Worth it. All the SAT and ACT tests you have to take? Worth it. Pushing yourself as hard as you can? Worth it. All the hard work will pay off in the end. You will start college ahead of the game, with the credits you recieved from the AP classes. So don't do the minimum work required. But don't forget about your financial situation. Good grades can only help you so much financially. Apply for more scholarships, and hopefully that will help you get through college more easily. But foremost, you are doing good. I got this far by working hard, and I know that is what you will continue to do. So good luck, and look forward to what college has in store for you.

I would tell myself to learn real study skills! Skimming through the textbook, and glancing over notes before tests is not enough to even get by in college. After your classes, make a habit out of reteaching yourself what you learned that day in class. Always start your review with what you learned that day, and work your way back to previous lectures. When studying for a test, write out what you're reviewing from memory!! Doing this from memory is SO important because you'll be able to compare what you wrote down, and check it with your lecture notes to see what information you remembered, and what information you need to look over some more. Studying well is the only way to do well on tests, and tests are what most of your grades will be in college.

Dear Junna, I know you're probably feeling stressed right now. You've got your two AP classes, soccer practices and games, your job at Kimo's, Student Council responsibilities, still planning for Relay For Life, social life being a struggle, then there's mom ragging you about scholarships and to top it off, don't forget all of your homework. I know you probably cried a couple time, but there has always been something I wanted to tell you, "Just go have fun, okay." You stress out way to much and trust me, you're going to regret it. I've only gone through a couple months of college and when I look back, I realize I didn't make the most of the time I had in high school. All I could think about was making sure I have something to put on my college resume and knowing that I'm pleasing everyone. I learned this the hard way, but you can't please everyone. The best thing you could do is just do the best you can and do it wholeheartedly. College is different, you'll have to learn how to deal with new challenges. Have fun.

Take a deep breath. Seriously, do it. Ultimately, college is going to be what you make it- if you want to be academically successful, you'll work hard and achieve those good grades. If you want to find parties and be social, you will. If you want to stay away from the party scene, well, no one's forcing you to drink! The important thing is to relax. You're moving into a stage in your life where you are independant and have a chance for a clean slate. You make the choices. You decide if you want to wait three weeks before doing laundry. You decide if you want to go out at night or stay in. You're not checking in with your parents- and that's both scary and awesome. You have to learn to hold yourself accountable, because once you hit college, no one else will. But it's okay, because after the deep breath you're taking now, you'll smile and realize that you can do that. You're going to be studying things you find fascinating, things you want to spend the rest of your life doing. And that'll make you happy.

I would tell my high school self not to freak out. It is not going to be as bad as you think it is. The first semester will be hard. You'll struggle to find friends and just fit in. After that you'll realize you can just be yourself and make the best of friends. Don't worry about not living on campus, and don't focus on the little things. Don't think you need to bring up that you're so much younger than everyone else -- no one cares. It's not a big deal if you are a couple years younger. People will accept you anyway, and if they don't, ignore them. Remember to focus on your classes and study as much as you can, but don't forget to have fun too. And most of all... if you're given a note card for a test, DO IT! It'll save your life. I know that college will be hard to get used to, but you'll do it, and you'll do great. If you have some bad first semesters, its okay. You weren't really going to get that 4.0 anyways.

Don't give up, and do NOT PROCRASTINATE. I cannot stress enough how important your will power and time management will be, in both high school and college. If I could go back to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would etch these concepts permanently in my mind. Had I taken preparation for college more seriously, I would have been so much better off in transitioning to college life. I would tell myself to grab a firm hold of all those opportunities for higher achievement and financial aid with an empassioned fervor. Pay attention to the advice of your teachers and counselors; it seems overwhelming and uninteresting at the time, but those important pieces of advice could save you from monuments of stress and anxiety. That's not to say that one should never have any fun or down time, but take your free time with a grain of salt, and know that all of your decisions now will directly impact your status tomorrow.

I would say to myself that I needed to apply earlier and fill out as many scholarship applications as I could get my hands on. I should not procrastinate on deadlines and serve my community much more. Also, focusing on a phone and a social life is not as important as you may think. Your education will always be with you, your friends may not. In the end, it doesn't matter what anyone thought, what will get you ahead in your life is that diploma.

1. Apply, Apply, Apply: for a lot of jobs, scholarships and even schools you may have one school in mind apply to alot, so you have options 2. Remember your still in High School: have fun, goto dances, sporting events and participate in activites 3. Its never to late to play a sport: If you always wanted to play a sport but didnt think you could hack it, do it anyways so you dont regret not doing it. 4. Kiss and Make Up: If there was a person in high school that wronged you or you just didnt get along with, mend the bridge maybe youll make a friend 5.And when doing something/ have the oppurtunity to do something and dont know if you should answer this question: Is it better to regret what you did or regret what you didn't do?