University of Rhode Island Top Questions

As a high school senior I was both naive and irresponsible, but i was also had a free spirit and and an enormous amount of courage. If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself two very important things; take your SATs more seriously and make as many friends as possible. I would tell myself to take my SATs more seriously because at the time I assumed that my grades were good enough to get into any college that I desired. Looking back at this state of mind I want to smack myself, my SAT scores hindered my acceptance to two of my top colleges. The second thing I would tell myself would be to make and keep as many friends as possible. High school drama is hard to stay out of and because I participated in the gossip and caddiness I lost many friends along the way. Looking back at it, it was not worth hurting people and loosing friends. Overall, if I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would help myself better my college options and improve my highschool experience.

If I could go back in time to talk to myself about college life I would tell myself to live in campus. I live off campus and work. I believe it would be easier to live at school and not work.

Thinking back to my senior year in high school, I had big dreams of going to California for college. Now that I have completed my first semester as a freshman, I know that it is a blessing in dissguise that I did not go out west. The transition into college was difficult and I was only forty-five minutes away from home nevermind across the country. I was dead set on California a year ago and if you were to tell me I would be at the University of Rhode Island I would say you are crazy. Going into first semester I was crushed. I did not want to go to URI. Now, I have a very different opinion of the school. If I could go back in time I would tell myself to have an open mind. I had made my mind up about URI before even giving it a chance. If I had had an open mind my senior year in high school there would have been less tears, dissapointments, and stress.

It would be an ecstatic privilege to go back in time and reminisce with myself about the college transition. I would tell myself that all my High School habits and all the effort I ever put in High School would not even be good enough to survive half a semester in college. If I could I would hand myself a magical compass that always pointed towards success because it was not until college I learn to be optimistic. I would constantly remind myself that as soon as I step foot onto a college campus pavement that I will gain a thousand pounds more of responsibilities. I would make myself save every penny I could earn or find because it was not until college when I realized the true value of money and how it can affect me so personally. I would love to warn myself about all the scary things, but all the joys and laughter I would keep hidden. College is the place of opportunities, responsiblities, independance, and seriousness, but that does not mean you won't find yourself cheesing until your eyes resemble two sunsets as if you nose were a line of symmetry.

After finishing my first semester of college, I am stunned and overwhelmed about the amount of work and time that goes into preparing for an exam or even to complete one homework assignment. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would advise myself that college work does not compare to high school. In college the library is your second home. To get away from the chaos of dorm-life, the library really is one of the only quiet places on campus. Another piece of advice I would give myself would be to budget money wisely and not carelessly spend money on mall trips, buying new books when used are in just as good condition, or other unnecessary expenses. And the final piece of advice I would give myself would be to meet people with an open-mind and to not pre-judge people, because going to a new school people do not know your past or how you may view your personality, all they know is your first impression, and you don't want to be viewed as someone who you don't think you are.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself about college life I would tell myself how important it is to be a self advocator. It is important for all high school students to know how to communicate their needs to the school they are attending to get the full benefit of their education. As a student with a disability, I know that colleges are not obligated to provide you with services you may need as high school does. To know how to speak up when you need help is the best advice i can give to myself or anyone soon to be attending college. Learning how to speak up appropriately in high school will help you have the best college experience you can.

If I could go back in time I think I would have really thought about my decision to be a nurse. I would have thought about the pros and cons and more importantly why I wanted to be one. It was important to me and I was more than interested in it but I think my childhood dream to be a nurse hid the reality of what it would actually take to become one. I would have considered so many other options that I have just now discovered. Another thing I would do if I went back in time is be more outgoing. I am so envious of some of my friends who have boyfriends and go out every weekend. Academics is most important to me, but I wish that I did more for myself. I have constantly been the shy good girl but there are some things I wish I could have done. Finally, I wish I could go back in time to volunteer in different ways. I spent 40 +hours per summer volunteering at a hospital, which was beyond rewarding. I could have done so much more for my community and learned more about different fields of study.

First off I would tell myself that procrastination is unnacceptable- even more so in college than in high school. There is a lot more freedom in college, and the freedom can lead to letting responsibilities and priorities slide. There needs to be a healthy balance between work and play, which can be maintained by creating a weekly schedule and sticking to that schedule. I would also tell myself to see my advisor more often, as I missed some opportunities because I didn't visit her as much as I should have.

If I were able to go back in time to my high school self, I would tell myself to relax and to not worry so much. When I was a senior, I was so nervous about leaving high school and entering college. I was excited about college, but I was also very nervous. The way I looked at it was I was good at high school, I got good grades, I was on the basketball team, and most of all I had my friends there with me everyday. Going to college meant starting new, not knowing my roommate, not knowing the type of course work, nothing, everything was going to be new. But once I got to college, I found that I spent all that time worrying about nothing. I met friends right away; in fact a friend that I made at orientation is now my roommate. I realized that everyone was experiencing everything for the first time too, just like me and that they were all nervous also. So if I was able to go back in time and talk to myself as a senior I would definitely tell myself not to worry and to just relax.

Dear Erica, You should not have doubted yourself when you knew URI was the place for you. You are thinking Georgia Tech is the bst choice but you will be miserable. When you walked onto URI's campus for the first time this senior year you could tell it was right. The campus with the old style buildings were what you pictured when you envisioned yourself at college. The fact that cars were not allowed to drive through campus also appealed to you. You had that "feeling" when you toured the campus that it was right. And you had that same feeling when you toured it the second time. That gut instinct is what you should follow. You know what you want in life and that is your education, and the most important thing you need to know is that your education is what you make of it. No big college name will determine how good your degree is. It is how much effort you put into it and how happy you are while doing it. Being miserable isn't worth a big name, so keep that in mind when you decide where to go. Choose wisely, Future Erica