University of Tulsa Top Questions

I would tell myself to not pick a major right away, to take my basics first and then decide what I want to do. Also I would tell myself to not be afraid to go out and have some fun and to be more friendly. I would also tell myself to make sure that academics come first

Even though your classes are easy and you don't really have to try to ace them, study. Start forming that habit now - it will save your life the first semster. Practice your instrument more - the competition is fierce at TU. Apply for more scholarships and start saving more money. You're going to pay for college yourself, and it's not fun having to pay off loan interest every few months. So put a little of every pay check in that savings account. It will pay for books and the fees that scholarships don't cover. Most of all, don't worry about having your entire life planned out. No one else in college knows what they're doing, either.

If I could talk to my high school senior self, I would definetly say that a smaller college would benefit me. I spent two years at the University of Colorado at Boulder and I just could not focus on learning what I needed to in such huge classes. Being able to know who your professor is and only having a small amout of other people in your class is extremely benificial to learning. I would also tell myself to balance running out with putting more effort into my studies. I run track and cross country for the university and I put my grades in the backseat, which I regret now. Another thing that I wish I would have done was to involve myself in more on campus activites outside of running and met more people through different outlets. It's so much easier to meet people in the dorms and through other freshman events than it is after freshman year.

If I could give any advice to my younger self, it would be to enjoy life. I had the best semesters when I did nott stress about grades or my social standing. When you live every day to the fullest with the goal of better understanding youself, life becomes amazing. College is a social transformation with a few important classes thrown in, not four years of learning hell. I went on a limb and talked to Omanis, Brazilians, and Indians; these people from halfway across the world are now some of my dearest friends. In the classroom, I stopped stressing out about who the smartest student was and about my grades; now, I have a beautiful GPA and feel smarter than ever. When you stop comparing yourself to others and relax, life unfolds in a very beautiful way. Also, your number ten school may give you the best college experience. So, do not worry if Harvard rejects you. They are the real loser!

I wish I could go farther back than that. I didn't take High School seriously enough. I was depressed for my first few years in Tulsa, having recently moved from my home town of 12 years. I didn't pay attention in class, and I didn't give my high school education the respect it deserves. I realize now that I could have done so much better, and could have entered college with a better understanding of where I want to go in life. I'm better now, of course. I've fallen into place as a Computer Science major, and I do very well in my classes, and have fun with them. I'm much more involved in leadership roles as well. But I lack the financial support I need to not leave college with a lot of debt. My advice to my senior self would be: "Get it together. This is the last chance you get to do well and ensure better financial aid. You are going to love college so much, it would be a shame if you had financial issues looming overhead the whole time."

If I was able to go back in time and give my high school senior self any advise about college life and the transition to college the advice I would give myself would be to actually take classes that will not be "blow off" classes the last year. I got so lazy considering I only took one normal class as a high school and it has reflected in my first year of college. Going into senior year you get "senioritis" yes, just get over it and actually learn and make good study habits. Another piece of advice I would give to myself is to make the most of your time with your family and friends. College life is difficult and it is like being thrown into the big world by yourself, but if you just take care of yourself, and remember where you came from, and keep in touch it will make the transition easier. One last thing is to have a great senior year and make lots of memories.

I would tell myself to take different classes than the ones I chose in high school. I also would tell myself to apply for more outside scholarships because within the school, tuition waivers are unstackable. Be prepared for the ethnic diversity, there will be times where you feel like the minority even in your hometown. Plan out your college career before you get there.

Having experienced two full years of college, the main thing I would emphasize to my past self is that it is okay to fail sometimes. This was the one thing that I struggled with when entering college. In high school I was always accustomed to doing well in basically all subjects, so when I transitioned to university and realized that this was not always the case, I went through a phase of major frustration. I developed an inferiority complex when I saw others excelling in the same subjects with which I was struggling. This gave me intense anxiety, which only led to me continuing to struggle. Thankfully I had a decent support system to guide me, but at the time I was miserable. So to the high school senior Zeinab Hassan, I just want you to know that not everyone gets it on the first try. Different things come easily for different people and just because you struggle a little on a subject, it does not mean that you are a failure. It just means that you have to make the commitment and put in the extra work for a better outcome, you will see the results.

I would tell myself to enjoy my year more and don't rush too much into wanting to go to college so fast. once you leave you can never go back. You leave your friends and family which isn't easy at all, and you miss them way more then you would ever expect. Enjoy the little things in life because you'll realize what you had when you go to college. Take advantage of your resources, I know it's more easier to be lazy and get the minimum done but you should try to go above and beyond.

I would tell myself to really look at all the options for school. Don't just settle because you think you"re not smart enough. Also take all the oppertunities that are given to you and sont forget to follow your dreams. Don't think that no one is there to help you and that you have to do it alone. Listen to the advice from your parents, they've done this before and succedded.

If I traveled back through time and met my high school senior self, this is what I would say. “Hey, it's me. I mean it’s you. Anyway, there are some things you need to know about college before you pack up and move in to your new life. You should consider making a checklist of your personal goals and expectations of campus life. Why, you may ask? It's simple. You need to write down your goals so that you can stay focused on what you want to accomplish in your studies and personal development. You need to make a list of expectations so that you can evaluate how campus life has measured up. This is more important than it sounds. There are many opportunities to try new things and a vast list of important dates. This makes keeping focus of your personal goals and expectations difficult. If you could keep track of what you expect out of your campus experience, then you can do something about the missing experiences by keeping your eye open for similar opportunities or creating your own opportunities if necessary. If you do this for me, buddy, I will thank you later.”

I would tell myself to start much earlier. That the advantage of applying and creating as many opportunities as possible is astounding. I would inform myself that working hard to apply to as many schools as I could, and as many scholorships as I could now would make my life easier later. I only applied to one school, and now I know I should have given myself several options. I would tell him to work on his writing skills, and improve his ACT score. I would also tell myself that even though this last year of high school seems long I should cherish the time I will spend with my freinds. I may not see some of the people I have gone to school with all my life ever again. I'm sure I would appreciate the advice.

If I could go back and give myself some insight about college, I would start by saying that it is going to be a lot harder than high school ever was, but I'm going to love everything about the experience. I would continue to advise myself by giving these words: College is going to be the best time of your life, but you need to remember the main part of it, and that is your education. You are paying a large amount of money to be here, so make the most of it and study hard. You will have time for friends, but your homework should be priority. These times/classes are preparing you for your future, so don't waste a single minute. Take advantage of all the study opportunities and help offered to you because they are guaranteed to positively affect your grades. You want to finish with a strong confidence that you are going to succeed in your major and the only way to do that is to take college seriously while learning to balance work and play. You will be fine as long as you never give up. Never, never give up.

To a high school senior, choosing a college can be a daunting and stressful task. Choosing where to spend the next four years of your life seems like a big decision, and it is. But it is important to realize that there are many good options. There are many fine colleges where you can get an excellent education and form lasting friendships. Once you have narrowed down your choices to a few choice options, don’t let the decision process cause you too much stress. Weigh the options and choose the one that makes the most sense based on what appeals to you, what you can afford, and how you liked the campus when you visited. Once you’ve chosen, go forward whole-heartedly and don’t look back. You will have a wonderful college experience at the school you choose. You won’t regret your choice.

If I could talk to my high school senior self, I would have told myself to push even harder to get the Presidential Scholarship from the University of Tulsa. The scholarship I recieved was great, no doubt, but I know I could have done better in order to get a full ride from my favorite school.

I would tell myself that college is a major decision that will ultimately affect the way the rest of my life financially. From a financial point of view, colege is a very lucrative investment of both time and money. College classes will range anywhere from three hundred dollars to a thousand dollars depending on both college, and area of study. However, the long term advantages of getting a degree, make it all worth while. A typpical high school graduate will make anywhere from minimum wage to between nine and ten dollars per hour, while a college graduate will make roughly twenty dollars per hour as a starting pament. This figure also will vary greatly with the area of study a student chooses. Computer scinece makors earn a starting pay of between twenty-two and thirty-three dollars per hour. So the adivce I would give myself is; Though college takes a great deal of time, effort and money, the benefits it offers make it worth your while.

If I could go back to my high school years and give myself any piece of advice, I’d tell myself “get involved”. High school is the perfect atmosphere to get involved in extras curricular activities such as Honors clubs, Athletics, Student Government etc. Getting involved helps build character as well as giving you the opportunity to discover your strong points. During high school I spent more time socializing than actually participating in any school activities, and once I entered college I found that it was difficult for me to find my so called “click”. It took me about a year to muster the courage to get involved in school organization’s as well as well as volunteering within my community and I found the experience was quite rewarding. Had I had the right mind set to be more “involved” within my high school career, it would have been much easier for me to know exactly where I fit in within my college life. Networking as well as being part of groups and organizations has helped plenty in my effort to expand my social life within college, opening opportunities for me everywhere.

I feel that I made a wise choice after high school by going to a junior college first. It was the smartest transition for me! I enjoyed the internships and that was smart to get hands on experience. My advice to myself would have been to stay in Florida and get a job at one of the four places I interned while in school.

I would tell myself to check out more schools, and to try and focus more on getting outside scholarships! TU gave me the best scholarships for their price, but I didn't shop around colleges as much as I should have, especially because I ended up switching majors in my Freshman year, and TU doesn't have a very well-rounded English program. Moreover, I would let myself know that it is really important to know about your money situation---for example, I lost my Federal Work Study for this coming year, my Junior year, because I wasn't on top of getting my FAFSA completed and submitted. Also, don't be afraid to look for outside scholarships! You don't always get them, but putting in that extra work might get you a few extra hundred dollars, and while that doesn't seem like a lot now, it'll be a lot after paying off a bunch of student loans. I would also tell myself that it is alright to look at schools in my own state. Change is good, but remember your family is important, too.

The first thing I would tell the high school version of me is that as she transitions from high school into college, she should pursue her interests and make plans; dream. I would tell her to think about the future and take it seriously, but to not be afraid of it! My first two years of college have helped me with learning how not to live in fear. There are countless times in life where we are motivated by fear, and it does nothing but limits us and keeps us from becoming the person we aspire to be. We are afraid of doing poorly on our work, afraid of the future, and afraid of what others think. I have spent too much of my life worrying about pleasing others at the expense of my own happiness. I would tell her not to live like that. The last thing that I would tell her is to be thankful for everything, even upsetting experiences. Our responses determine the effect that they have on us, and they help shape who we are. I have learned that even sad times can instill compassion and joy in our hearts, bringing us happiness and fulfillment.