University of South Florida-Main Campus Top Questions

I would tell myself to take a look at what I really wanted to do in life. Look at what I'm strong at and make my decision based on that. I switched my major a few times and lost opportunities to enter competative programs because of my indecisions. I would also tell myself that I would meet some of the best people I know, and to treat them with care and respect. Also, you will lose some of your high school friends; it's part of the process of growing up. I need to accept and move on. I spent a lot of time working to repair friendships that had just grown apart. Also, stay close to God; He will lead you through anything. Times will be hard, especially when it comes to money. Know that you will get through it. And lastly, just remember to enjoy yourself; these years are an opportunity to grow and expand. I didn't utilize my time here, and wish I had known to do more and expand my horizons.

?Live on campus.? That is the most important piece of information I could provide if I were able to go back in time and have a chat with myself. That would be among other things like, don?t hesitate to take morning classes, sign up for classes early before they are all taken, be outgoing and make many friends. Definitely the number one piece of advice I could give myself, though, would be to live on campus. Living in the dorms allows a new student to become independent, teaches responsibility, allows them to make friends that they may keep for life, gives a student the opportunity to become social, and provides a great study environment. I think living on campus was the best choice I made when beginning college. I made my transition smooth because I was able to join study groups, study late into the night, and study with friends. It also provided me with an open door to a social life that I might not have had the opportunity to have if I did not choose to live on campus. Not only would I give myself this information, but I would tell all my friends too!

Knowing what I know now, I would tell myself to continue to work hard, persevere and never regret. Working hard allows you to reach your goals while perseverance reassures you that your goals are attainable and they are what you desire most, otherwise they would not have been considered to be goals. The last, never regret, is simply just a good mind-set to have. By doing so, you learn to accept for the way things are, realize they will not change and move on, having learned a lesson from everything. Telling myself this then would give me the reassurance that nothing is impossible if I want it badly enough.

All throughout high school I was not involved. I didn't attend football games or school dances. I just didn't care. I went inot college with that same mentality my first year - I went to class and went home. Nothing in between or after. I started to realize how much I regret that so my second year at USF I began to get more involved. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to get involved and meet new people at USF right off the bat. I would explain how fast time goes as a college student and that I didn't have time to spare. I would also give the advice that every assignment matters, unlike in high school. In college every single assignent is worth completeing to its full potential because you never know at the end of the semester what could've happened if you had completed all of the work. In college there are less assignments than there are in high school so every single one is important.

If I was able to go back and talk to my high school senior self, I would tell myself to think about what I really wanted to do with my life and not let others tell you what I SHOULD do with your life. I wasted many of my college years tryng to please my mother and trying to follow HER dream. She wanted me to become a doctor, like my bother. I was never very good in math, but still tried for six years to become what she wanted. It has now left me in a position where I no longer qualify for any tution aid and am having to work full time while trying to finish my B.A., much later in life than I had planned. I would tell myself to follow my dreams and not someone else.

The advice I would give myself as a high school senior would be to not let ME stand in my way, as doubting myself held me back from three things I have found to be very important in college; the scholarships I could have applied for, the friends I could have made, and the organizations I could have been apart of. Having those things as a freshman in college makes the transition smoother, as a ton of stress comes from a lack of those things. Transitioning doesn't just mean moving from one place to another; to successfully assimilate into college life, bad habits need to me dropped, while picking up better ones. So I would also tell myself to learn how to manage time better, because I learned that time flies in college!

In high school, the discrepancy between the level of the material and my intelligence was large. Now that I am at college, my advice to myself would be to remember to get to work early in the semester and not to procrastinate. It has burned me a few times and prioritizing is now an important aspect of my learning style.

If something can be lost I will lose it (even if I find it later)! I also have a tendency to appear as though I?m always rushed to get somewhere. This past fall, in response to a dialogue with fellow dancers, I began a journey to calm my soul. I began this journey in the hopes that my semester would seem less stressful and so that I could better interact with those around me. It was surprising that the feedback I received from my faculty members at our year end conferences was that I seemed calmer and that there had been a change. Looking back now the best advice I can give myself is to breathe?sure you will get frustrated, you might get betrayed, but it?s part of life. Take hold of every opportunity, those chances are given for a reason. Have more optimism than you want to, a path is being laid?follow it, but feel free to detour every so often. Always pursue your passions.

Rosena, when you start college try not to focus on friends and boys! Your purpose is to do well and become something of yourself. Mom and dad work so hard to get you where you are, the least you can do is make them proud. Not once have they asked you for anything or pressured you into becoming something you didn?t desire. College is a different ball game then high school. The tricks you used to get away with in high school, will not fly in college. Studying last minute, cramming before an exam, and staying out passed curfew will lead to your failure. Since you were 4 years old you wanted to become a doctor and those dreams have never changed. If you take my advice, you will succeed! If you don?t, you will indeed fail! Play hard, study harder! Spend the extra time to learn and live the material. Trust me, you?ll thank me later! Each person is given life and with life we are given chances. Chances and opportunities to achieve greatness? This is your chance to achieve greatness, make the right choices! I believe in you, you?ll do just fine.

In hindsight, I lacked a clear set of priorities and goals coming out of high school, and it cost me. I saw college more as a means of getting a decent job than I did a place to learn and develop as a person, and once I realized I could find work in my chosen industry without a college degree, my schoolwork suffered to the point where I dropped two entire semesters worth of classes. If I could go back with my current perspective, I would either delay going to college until I felt I really wanted to attend, or I would have to make sure I was enrolling for the appropriate reasons. Participating in discussions in class and meeting professors and fellow students have been some of the most rewarding experiences in my life thus far, and I wish I had realized that it would be that way seven years ago.