University of Rhode Island Top Questions

If I could go back in time and give my high school senior self some advice, I would tell myself to never take opportunities for granted. Like any other senior in high school, I waited anxiously to see if I would recieve the giant envelope in my mailbox from my top pick college. When I got the news that I was accpeted for the spring semester of my first choice school but was able to live on campus for the first semester, I accepted the offer, and of course, was beyond excited. After my first semester there, I decided to move back home because I felt as if a University was not for me, yet. After being home for several of lonely months, considering most of my friends went away to school, I realized that I missed the school I had attended and that was where I wanted to be. While I was home, I was struggling with depression on top of a full time job and school work. I realized that I should have never left the school that I had attended and I wish I never gave up the opportunity. I would do anything to go back.

I would tell my highschool self to be confident, studious, and outgoing. I am a strong believer in getting my work done but that being said I like to enjoy myself and go out with my friends on the weekend. Not only that but I would tell myself "there are many victories worse than a defeat" because in highschool I was scared to fail. I played basketball and I would go out in the mindset to not fail rather than to put it all on the line. I also was scared in picking a college to attend because I was nervous about what my roommate would be like. I overcame my fear and went with a random roommate. In taking that chance I have made life long friends that I am extremely greatful for. Lastly I would tell myself "only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go" because your only going to reach your full potential if you have the courage to do so.

College isn't something that you can exactly plan for, so stop stressing yourself out about the entire process. In highschool, the teachers make it seem like such a huge and difficult transition, but it's really not that gruesome. The week before I started school, I became almost depressed at the fact that I would be leaving all of my high school friends to come to a school in another state. To this day, I can honestly say it's the best choice I ever made. The first month of school, I became extremely involved. I introduced myself to everyone I met, and created an entire new group of friends. Finding my classes was a piece of cake, learning the curriculum wasn't too bad, and living in a dorm with a bunch of strangers has actually been so exciting. I barely talk to more than half of my friends from highschool, which makes me realize which friends really matter. The people I've met here have the same goals as me, and I can see us together for a long time in the future. Overall, don't fret, college is better than you ever imagined.

It is best to use your energy and put it towards Honors and Advanced Placement programs. While I took Honors classes yearly, only two of them applied to legitimate college credit. The best possible way to prepare for college is to indulge in college-approved classes. These classes are tight-knit and demanding, which is by all means how one's college education should be percieved. They are not easy, and should not be considered easy. Atop the benefits of a demanding class, the credits used towards college allow any student to focus more on their major, rather than General Education requirements administered by colleges and universities. Advanced Placement is a necessity for any scholar, and in the long run allow students to save money, learn important facts, and turn their interest to classes that focus on their intended careers. College level classes in high school, in conclusion, allow for a smoother and frugal transition to college life.

My advice to myself would be to relax. There is nothing that college can throw at you that you cannot handle. Going from having your own room to share is not a bad adjustment; it is just something to get used too. If you are lucky, your roommate could become your best friend. If making friends is hard, finding someone with similar interests is easier by joining numerous clubs you are interested in. As for the course work, time management is a crucial part of success. At first, classes seem to be easy and slow, but before you know it the material starts to come fast and it is easy to fall behind. My advice for this would be to always stay on top of your work. When you space the work out, you will not stress about getting everything done. If you are feeling overwhelmed, however, do not be afraid to go to your professor. They are there to help you succeed, not fail. The most important thing to know is to make sure you do what makes you happy in college. College is a short experience to not enjoy it.

Stay focused, study, and don't be afraid to see what else is out there. There are so many different majors/minors and career choices that one can chose, and at 18 years old it is not expected to know what you want to do for the rest of your lives. With that said, explore the different options, seek out the assistance of career services and find out what your likes, dislikes, your strengths and weaknesses are. You never know what you might learn about yourself when you decide to try. Not everything is set in stone when you go to college, so if you try new classes, different subjects, fun activities your college experience is sure to be most you could make of it.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself back in high school, I'd tell myself to plan out some days to have fun when college begins. Staying focused in school is the goal, and it's also good to live a little every now and then. I'd also tell myself to apply for as many scholarships as I can, one's bound to be a winner.

I would tell myself to work hard and that grades do count. Grades matter so much and much more than it may seem at the time. Your GPA and grades count to colleges and places you apply to. Also, get involved! Stay busy! Get involved with as much as possible. Volunteer, intern, join a club, run for school president, etc. those type of things look so good on your college apps and give you something to talk about in your essays. It will help you stand apart from other students.

Dear Sam, I know what you're thinking. You're under the impression that you're peaking and nothing will even come close to your high school experience. You're captain of the soccer team. You're the class treasurer. You're on countless committees and organizations. You're an Honors student. You were nominated for Homecoming and Senior Prom court. You've been accepted into your dream school and you've made the best friends that anyone could ask for! But, I'll be the one to tell you that the best has yet to come. I know you're afraid of being the little fish in a big pond after being the big fish in a little pond for so long. Please, you're better than that! I know how much you hate cliches, but the sky truly is the limit and you shouldn't be scared of a change of pace. High school was fun, but do not let "the best four years of your life" prevent you from shaking things up a little. You're in for an even better four years, trust me.

Advice I would give myself with the knowledge I have now would be to have picked my major more carefully. Thinking about jobs and everything more realistically, I would have picked a major right away I enjoy rather than switching later on. Then, I would be more set up for my future. I would also tell myself that college is nothing like high school. I will need to work harder and go beyond my limits to be the best I can be.

Research the scholarships you could be eligible for, it will take the burden away from financial aid. Take your time with picking classes and don't feel like you need to be pressured into becoming something you are not. You don't need to know exactly what you want to do right away. Research all that you can and go to free seminars with educated speakers. Be an individual and don't compromise your likes... and don't ignore your dislikes! Enjoy the experience, network and learn all that you can.

If I could go back and give myself advice in high school, there is one thing I would stress. I would say is that there is so much more to come after high school! When I was in high school, I stressed over the smallest things, and looking back at the big picture, none of it mattered. High school is important to prepare you for college but there is only so much preparing you can do. You never really know what to expect until you are actually there. High school is a great time to have fun with people that hopefully you stay in touch with, but there so much more out there after it. When you are walking through the halls of your high school, it seems like everything is riding on what you do in those four years, and that couldn't be more false. It's important to have a good GPA and SAT scores to get accepted into college but everything else is only temporary and not as importat as you think it is. I would make sure I told myself to enjoy my time in high school but not to stress over the small stuff.

I would tell myself to start studying more because college involves a lot of hard work and many hours studying. I would also tell myself to appreciate the free time and laid back-ness of high school. I would prepare myself to be prepared to not connect with teachers on a personal level and not take it personally when they do not have time to get to know you.

Knowing what I know about college life, I would give my "high school senior" self words of advice on time management and determination. College life is not the easiest and it can be tough for a young person starting life on their own and away from home. In high school, I did not do very well with time management and getting projects done. This affected my college life in that with my learned procrastination, I put off major projects in college and my grades suffered terribly. I ended up taking time off of college to sort out what I wanted to do with my life and eventually went back seven years later to complete my degree. I have learned that if I manage my time and break projects down into smaller pieces, I can complete things much faster. Determination plays a big key as well because I am now more determined than ever to complete my degree. I want to show my kids that it can be done and give them a positive role model to have in their lives.

As time has passed through this past year I have found that there have been many trials and successes of social and acedemic tests. At times I wish that someone could have given me advice to get through stressful events. If I were to go back to my senior year high school self I would have much to say. However the most important advice I would give is that although the library can be intimidating it is the best study location. At times dorm halls can become noisey and filled with people wanting to talk and spend time with you, so the best way to avoid these disturbances would be to take advantage of the library.

I would advise myself to continue through general studies and not take time off.

I would tell myself to just roll with it. It is not the end of the world if you don't get into your first choice school. You can make good experiences out of disappointment and you will ultimately be happy with the local, second-choice school and the money you saved by going there. You will make some great new friends and strengthen ties with old ones. You will meet the love of your life and the great faculty you will connect with will push you to succeed and develop your career interests. Everything will be okay!

If I was able to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would say that the most important thing to develop before college is a study habit. This would be the first thing I would tell myself, the reason behind this is that college is leaps and bounds more difficult then high school and without the proper study habits your going to struggle. Once you find the correct study habit then college becomes a whole lot easier. I learned that the best study habit for myself is by using notecards. Not only would I tell myself to develop a study habit, I would also tell myself to read! Reading the books in high school was not as important as it is in college. The professors do not just make you buy the book just to have it, they make you buy it to use it as a resource while studying. Many people at the beginning of their first semester, myself included, believe that reading isn't important but I quickly learned that was not the case.

I would tell myself to be way more prepared when it came to applying for college. I was a little slow filling out my applications and missed almost all early decision deadlines. I feel that had I been more on top of these things, my odds of getting in to every school I had applied to would've increased. I probably also would have told myself to buckle down in my classes and try not to catch "senioritis" because my grades were not as great as they could've been. Another thing I would have told myself was to go into my freshman fall semester as an organized student with self-discipline. I was too lazy my first semester and I paid for it when grades came around. I would tell myself to utilize things like office hours and supplementary instruction.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, there are are several pieces of advice that I would impart. Firstly, I would tell myself that, overall you did a very good job preparing yourself for college. I am now excelling in all my classes and have been able to find a healthy balance between and school, exercise, friends and school organizations. I can credit much of my success largely to the hard work and preparation you made in high school. Second, you have a lot more free time in college than you did in high school, so don't worry about being too stressed out. There will be plenty of time to balance classes, studying, extra curricular clubs, volunteering and hanging out with friends. One of the most important pieces of advice I can give you is, try to get in the habit of waking up earlier each day, your sleep schedule has been a bit erratic, and you need a more consistent schedule of sleep.