University of San Francisco Top Questions

Really think about the location in which college you want to attend. Think if you want to be in a college town, a city, close to a beach, or cold weather. Also, think about the size of college you want to attend. I thought I want to attend a large school but after attending a small school I realized I could never handle a large school. Also, really evaluate how much money you are willing to spend on tuition. Make sure you can pay for the school before you fall in love with it, or just know you will have to take out loans or apply for scholarships.

If i could go back in time and give myself some advice it would have to be to take time for myself and not to over think everything. I should work fewer hours and study a little more often, living on campus instead of an hour off campus would have helped a great deal. To not overload myself with trying to get ahead and just enjoy being a senior.

The one thing that I would want to tell myself is just breathe, going to college is not the end of the world. All of those years stressing about grades and classes is not worth is. College life is a change, but it is not the shock that anyone might expect. Make sure that you put time and careful consideration into what colleges you are looking at. There are thousands out there for you to choose from so you have to be aware of what you are looking for specifically, not what anyone else is looking for you to do. College is your decision, and you get to decide in the end where you want to be. So just relax and take a breath, in the end you will be where you were ment to be, and glad you chose the campus you did.

In April of my senior year in high school my mother suffered a stroke that left her disabled and unemployed. I immediately stepped up as the adult figure; not only my younger brother, but for my mother as well. At the time of my mother's stroke I worked for Champs Sports as a part-time sales associate. I lived my life pay check to pay check paying for my car payments and phone bill. I never really invested in saving my money because I always had my mom to pay for things and I knew that since she was receiving disability checks I was still going to be taken care of when I went to college--I was wrong. If there is anything I learned from my first semester in college it's that I have to learn to support myself; mom can no longer do that for me. So if I could give myself any advice as a senior in high school it would be to put away money in my savings for a rainy day. If I had done that I probably wouldn't have to have the two jobs I have now just to get by.

As a college freshman I know that there are many lessons for me to learn in the next four years. I was a high school senior no less than a year ago, but the thoughts that I had back then about college are still fresh in my mind. I remember being nervous and not knowing what to expect. What I have learned from my first semester here at USF is that change happens for the better. I would tell myself that you've gone through transitions before, and this particular one is no different. Swallow in everything that happens to you and just go at your own pace but keep in mind that fear has no measure to your self-worth.

The advice that I would give is that I should view college as a new chapter in a good book. In order to find out how the story ends. I must be able to turn chapters no matter how sweet or bitter they are, much like in my life. High school, although it came with unforgettable moments and lessons, it is nothing more than a part of a story that is needed to lead up the climax and finale of my life. I should not desperately cling to my high school ways and habits and expect them to lead me to my ending, but I should rather look back on them and use them to let me know how the next chapter is going to get better. In other words, what I am trying say is that I should use my years in high school as a tool to show me how I should improve my academic life. I should take every experience, negative or positive, and learn from them to make my future brighter and to adjust to my college career.

As college begins, you think you have to immediately find clubs and other school activities to join in order to provide proof that you are a well-rounded person. You might believe that participating in these school activities and undergoing sorority and/or fraternity trials will help you blend in with people who "know" what they're doing. That's not how beginning college life is about. I'm not saying to refrain from participating in school activities. Participate in them and see which one you're most comfortable with. The one that makes you feel like they're your second family is the one you want to stick with. As you begin to discover who you can trust and rely on as family, it'll become easier to transition into your of college life. However, don't expect to immediately find your comfortable zone. It takes time and much effort but if you're willing to do it, you will be able to find it. Also, it is important to remember to be who you are and not what others want you to be. Follow your ambitions with determination, resolve, passion, and clear eyes.

An advice I would give high school seniors is give everything you?re complete one hundred percent. College only gets harder. High school was the stepping stone to get into college. When you take the easy way out in high school, such as copy a friend?s homework, cheat on a test, or sleep through a class, you?re only hurting yourself. Also, learn how to manage your time right now. Even though in college you could get pick your own schedule, you have to learn how to manage your time. Between classes, you should study and do homework. In college, when you don?t give your one hundred percent, professors can easily tell. The last advice is to take any opportunity that comes your way. Don?t let the ?what ifs? hold you down. If you have an opportunity that is once in a life time, seize it. College is a learning experience with its ups and downs. It will be the best four years of your life and will mold you to be a better person.

Talking to the Senior me, I would have reminded her that all people change when they go to college. It is important to cherish the time one has a senior because college brings many more different opportunities. When friends go separate ways, they will meet different obstacles and events that shape their being. Recognizing this change and that it is completely normal is one of the hardest things I have faced in my transition to college. I made many new friends in college and remain close to my high school friends, but we have all changed in different ways. If I could go back to senior year, I would have cherished my time with my friends more and accepted each other for who we really are. It is important to remember that even if somebody does change their attitudes and/or beliefs in college, at one time, their friendship meant the world to you.

Univeristy offers the gift of knowledge, take the time to explore your interests and stick with it no matter how distracting life outside of school gets.

Write down your dream; the reason you are going to school, what you hope to achieve there, and what you want to be able to do after you graduate. Nothing is too far-fetched, trivial or embarrassing for this particular letter to yourself. Put the letter in a special box under your bed (or on top of the microwave, or rolled up in the pocket of the coat you never wear ? dorms are awfully squishy). This way, on those particular Mondays when you think you failed the Chemistry test, your roommate kept you up too late talking on the phone, or your just miss the way your mom?s famous chocolate chip cookies taste, you can dig up your dream and remember why all this hard work is worthwhile. And if going to school for a few semesters has changed the way you look at the world, even better ? just add to your letter and remember that with enough hard work and the right lucky penny, everything is achievable.

If I could go back to give myself advice as a highschool senior, I would start off by telling myself not to be so hard on myself. I realize now that their are so many opportunities and different paths of success for people of all skill sets. Everyone has this idea of what a successful person looks like and in highschool this mostly consists of perfect grades and extracurricular activities. I would tell myself that you will go to college, meet new people, become inspired and find your niche. I would tell myself that you will find your passion and be great at it as long as you work hard and you truely love what you are doing and you have an open mind. As long as you love what you are doing and have an open mind to continue learning there will be passion and you will be successful.

If I knew what I do now when I was a senior in high school, choosing a college would have been a lot easier. In terms of my choice of school, I could not have picked better. The transition from high school to college is difficult for everyone, and that is the one area I would have warned myself about. Living alone with no supervision is liberating and exciting at first, but it is important to think about the responsibility that comes with it. I would definitely tell myself to focus on balancing my social life with school, because that was difficult for me last year. Most importantly, I would warn myself about the changes in my relationship with my parents. As a kid, I looked to my parents for answers and rules; now they are here for guidance and advice instead. Although returning to some of their rules on vacation can be tough, I have learned to love our new relationship.

It?s not about the reputation, the prestige, or even the location. Having a great college experience where you?re pushed to learn is most possible at schools with a close nit community. Small liberal arts colleges provide you with opportunities to build close relationships with students and professors. These opportunities are inevitable not sought. In these communities people are there for the same reasons and many you build relationships with care about you, they help push you to do better, but not in a competitive sense. Within the tight nit community you build lifelong bonds. You are forced by professors to discuss, reason, and problem solve. The people that you build relationships with won?t let you fall through the cracks if you show you?re there to learn. I cherish the relationships I made at my small school and will accredit any success I create for myself to the professors who taught me how to reason and think logically, the professors who encouraged me to question the rules and what is generally accepted. They are who taught me how to think not just learn and know. That is what I?ll apply to every aspect of my life.

The most important thing about choosing a school is the location. The school must be located in a place that is conducive to both the students academia and his/her social life. Unwinding from a difficult week is just as important as the hardcore studying. Both are necessary in achieving great grades.

VISIT the school and maybe attend a class; spend at least two days there getting to know the school, people, and surrounding area

Love the city that you are going to, and take every opportunity to go abroad. I highly recommend homestays.

Finding the right college may be difficult, but I guarantee that it's possible. Get as much help from your college counselor as possible because they know what they're doing and just want to help you. My college counselor really helped me choose my college. Make a list of everything you expect from your future college, starting from what state/city you want to go to school in, possible majors, tuition budget, and the list goes on. This will help you narrow down schools. Make sure you do enough research about universities because you want to know as much as possible about them before making your final decision. Get an early start with college applications and don't procrastinate. Start writing your essays, asking teachers for recommendations and getting your transcripts and all that needs to be done. Pretend as if they're due a month before the actual date. That way, you'll get them done ahead of time. As for the college experience, just enjoy being at a new school. Don't take on too much because school is your main focus, but remember to have fun once in awhile!

One day, as I sat around my room trying to figure out how I felt about my college exerience, I had a few thoughts on what I had done right and what I had done wrong in finding a college. Overall, before I came to college, I envisioned myself as an athlete and then as a student. My GPA coming out of high school greatly limited my choice in schools because I relied on coaches and not my own abilities to get into college. After that I knew very little about majors and how to succeed in college. My best experiences in college were doing well in classes and making lifelong friends. My worst experience was varsity sports. To minimize the negatives and maximize the positives I would advise the student to get himself into school and to not rely on anybody else. Coaches can manipulate you but if you are where you want to be then it wont take as much of a toll on your mind and body. Above all take risks by attempting to meet new people and by experiencing new things. Find out who you are, not who everybody else wants you to be.

The environment in which you study is just as important as the institution that you will attend. If you are not satisfied with the people around you and your living situation why study there? College is more than just school, it is usually the time of one's life and it is up to you to chose the best setting.