University of Tulsa Top Questions

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.