University of Vermont Top Questions

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself, "Although you will go into college with a declared major, take a variety of classes. Do not be afraid to take a science course that involves a lab or a crazy philosophy course. College is really a place for finding out what you want to and what you want to be a part of. Do not be afraid of the different people here and join clubs and groups and apply to different types of community housing. Make friends with everyone and if you do not stay friends with everyone, that is okay. Things will change at a faster rate than they ever have before in your life, but you just need to hop on the roller coaster and enjoy the ride because it will go by faster than you could have imagined. Most of all, make sure you have fun and make memories that will last for a lifetime because it is your life to live."

It is the atmosphere of a school that cultivates your personal experience. You are completely able to create a great situation for yourself regardless of the university. You can always find niches and silver linings that fit with the person you are looking to grow into. That said, the atmosphere of a university is the single largest impact on you. Inevitably, being submersed in an environment for years will influence you. Therefore, choose a school with an atmosphere that you believe will force you to expand in ways you would like to grow. For example, if you would like to become more involved in the environment, look for a school with a strong focus on being environmentally responsible. Or, if you would like to transition into being a serious student, find a university with a rigorous student body. Essentially, look honestly into yourself right now and think about what your goals for school are. In what ways do you want to grow and change? Ideally, how do you envision yourself upon graduation? From there, pick a school whose atmosphere fits best with your personal goals. Go to school and be whole-heartedly open to everything it has to offer.

Dear 2008 Shauna, Wow, you must be excited to be going to college! You're finally leaving home, you?ve bought all your supplies and you're ready to move in! Well, before you get too excited, allow me to let you in on a secret: you're going to leave for Christmas break at approximately 5pm on December 19th {don?t ask how; I just know) and you're going to unplug your fridge and close the door and leave. This is a MISTAKE. Your RA won?t warn you about it because they probably figure you're smart enough to leave your fridge door open, but you're not. Nope, you?ll leave it closed and while you're gone, mold will grow in it. Yeah, big colonies of wet, brown mold?lots of them?and when you get back you're going to have to scrub it out. You're not going to like it, I promise. So dear, na?ve freshman Shauna, if there is one piece of advice you take from me: keep your fridge door OPEN when you leave for Christmas, please, for both of us. Thank you and good luck! Sincerely. 2010 Shauna

While Grades and SAT's are important, extracurriculars and finding outlets are just as significant. I found a large school that actually read my application, and although it's not wher I thought I wanted to go originally- I consider myself so lucky to have wound up here. Apply to school near and far, with different sizes and communities. Then visit the ones who accept you- you'll know where you belong.

If I could go back and talk to myself I think the best advice I could give is the same advice a friend gave to at the beginning of high school and that is "live in the present." High school goes by so fast and college goes by faster. I think we have a tendency to always be looking ahead so much that we forgot about whats going on right now. If you just focus on the present -- on your current classes, friends, living situation, clubs, etc. you will be so much happier and do so much better. If you're constantly worrying about whats to come your going to have a really hard time adjusting to college life, or to any changes that life throws are you. The future is always going to change and we really have no control over that. The present is a present and we should really treat it as such and just enjoy it while it lasts, the futures going to be our present soon enough anyway.

There is only so much that you can learn through books and manuals about a school. Sure, you can go on campus tours or stay overnight too- but that won?t help much either. What?s important in the selection process is uncovering your passions. What is it that you enjoy in the barest sense of the word? If you are capable of making a list of interests, for instance if you enjoy good music and nature, then you are already better off than following all of the survey mumbo-jumbo. What I have found is that college is college. All across the globe college students are pretty much doing the exact same things. Sure the atmosphere may vary from a desert poolside in Arizona to icy slopes in Vermont, but, when it comes down to it, people are learning, eating, drinking, socializing, lounging, and being active wherever you go. It?s important to decide what you are passionate about and don?t worry about the rest. If you are true to yourself then the location and transition don?t matter, because you will naturally just surround yourself with good people and the environment that is most suitable to you.

As a senior I looked forward to college for reasons any typical teenager would. I was excited to go out on my own and have some fun. Once I decided to go to UVM, I did what any senior did and developed senioritis. My friends became more important than school and I took no pride in my school work. If I could go back and talk to myself, I would tell myself that what is best to look forward to is not partying; the best part of college is actually the reason why you are sent there, to learn. At UVM I have learned to take pride in my work, my academic integrity has grown. In high school there seems to be more fooling around then getting work done. But I've learned that listening to lectures is very enlightening and interesting. My classes are much more challenging. My high school self would have considered more work a hassel and a chore. Therefore if I could go back in time; I would tell my high school self to keep working hard, to take pride in my work, and look forward to my college education with eagerness instead of indifference.

The advice I would give myself is to have a really good idea of what college I want to attend before I go and visit many of them. I spent way too much money applying to schools that were too expensive or far away. I would tell myself to look at the underlying reason I am going to a school (instate tuition makes UVM the cheapest, and it is close to home). I would tell myself and others that you think you want to go as far from home as possible, but in the end, people always want to go back home. Also, pick the school that fits these criteria, and is best for your major or field of study. Another piece of advice, pick the school that is moderately difficult to get in; I needed a challenge, and UVM was the perfect challenge for me. Another thing, SAT and ACT scores are not the most important aspect of your application. I did not get the best scores, but I was still accepted to 5 out of 7 schools I applied to. What's most important is your High School involvement.

I think the best advice I could give is to obtain the required class materials as early as possible. Send an email to the professor if clarification is needed. Find as many scholarships as possible; do every one possible.

Do your absolute best in high school and don't get so worked up abuot which college you go to, you will make the best of wherever you go and love it. Good luck! Have fun and enjoy.

Dear Amanda, You're about to leave for college and it's going to be hard. College is not just a big party. You no longer have someone to take care of you and pick you up when you stumble. You will have to organize yourself, your time, your life and you will have to do it all on your own. You may think that you can get away with sleeping through classes and skipping on homework assignments, but the truth is that you won't. You have to work hard. You have to want to work hard. If you don't want to work hard, I suggest taking a year or two off to work before you go to college. Nothing will make you more interested in doing well in school than scrubbing dirty dishes for two years. You are insecure. It will be easy to get swept up in the drinking and partying that goes on because you'll feel less self-conscious when you drink. Don't let it consume you. Know that you are okay just as you are - you are smart and capable and friendly. Most of all, have fun and be safe! Love, Amanda

I would say to myself, "Timely - I know high school seems like a cake walk, but college is going to be a completely different experience. If you do it right, you will have the time of your life. But you have to start preparing yourself. I know you don't think you need to study for that calculus exam coming up, but if you develop strong study habits now, you will be more likely to ace those tests in college. And I know you'd rather hang out with your friends and play basketball rather than study, but you can do all of those things! You just need to practice managing your time. It may not seem like you need to do it now, but if you start early, you will do great in college. It's hard, but it's not impossible."

Find a school you really love. Care about your grades for financial aid. Don't live with a friend from high school. Join as many clubs and meet as many different people as possible. Try not to go back home as much as possible. Be yourself. Study! Enjoy the night life and surrounding area though.

I would tell myself to not look at college as something to be afraid of. Think of it as an adventure that will have it's challenges but that there will be benefits and experiences outweighing every challenge that's in your way. Look at college as an opportunity for learning, experiencing and becoming anything you want. You've already learned the basics so college is now for expanding the things that interest you, discovering new things you want to do and see and for gaining valuable life experience while still in a safe environment. College isn't as hard as you might have been told, don't think of it as something scary cause it's the most fun time in your life. Keep an open mind, work hard and have fun.

If I could have given myself one piece of advice as a high school senior it would have been: relax. So many high school seniors spend so much time stressing out about college. This myth gets planted in your brain that the moment you go to college, you are magically morphed into a whole different person. So much time is wasted worrying about something that is only four years of your entire life. There?s a nagging unspoken pressure to have the "perfect college experience" .Your whole life, you're bombarded with movies showing you THE college experience. It becomes ingrained in your brain that if you don?t have the experience depicted in the movies, you are a failure. By the very nature of it, there is no way single way to experience college. Who you are shouldn?t have to change to fit an ideal crafted by the media. It took me about a month in college to realize that I would be much happier having my own, personal college experience than trying to cram myself into an unattainable ideal. Therefore, my advice to myself would have been plain and simple: relax.

One thing I wish I knew was just how important and helpful it is to take AP classes in highschool, and do well on the exams. THe credits transfer easily and it is really nice to already have a head start on credits upon entering school. I also wish I knew that college, if you are willing to work hard and put in the time, is not necessarily that much more difficult than highschool, the class types and your scedule in general is just a lot different. I was really nervous going into college, but I have found that as long as I keep working hard and staying organized it is not difficult for me to be successful.

My advice would be to work and save as much money as possible the summer before school. I didn't have any money saved and since my parents can't afford to give me any spending money I had to get a job right away. It really affected my transition process because when all of the new freshmen were going out and meeting each other I had to work. I also couldn't do a lot of stuff because I didn't have enough money. It also hurt my academics as well. Any free time could have used for school work I was busy at my job.

As a high school senior, and still today, I was very ambitious and spontaneous. I went to Hawaii Pacific University fall semester before I transferred to UVM my freshmen year. I would advise myself to be prepared because I was about to move to a place that simulates a lifestyle change, to truly take advantage of my surroundings because that's why I'm going to college- immersing myself in new opportunities, finding out who I am as a person and what I want to do with my life to make me a healthy, happy individual that goes out into the world doing what I love to do- helping animals. I would tell myself procrastination can easily lead to defeat, meet with my advisors several times each year, get to know and become familiar with the faculty, make study groups, make time for my social life- it's just as important as my academic one, get involved in winter sports, find out requirements for vet schools from the start, continue with undergraduate research, and to dedicate myself to my school work over my waitressing job. I love UVM and can't wait for the next chapter in my life.

If I could go back and talk to myself senior year I would tell myself to keep my head up and follow my heart. I would advise myself not to get too stressed about things, that life goes on, and keeps going, whether you mess up a calculus test or not. I would support myself in the decision to go to the University of Vermont, tell myself how happy I will be when I walk to class inbetween the lake and mountains. How good I will feel when people smile and say hi to me, and then listen for answer. I would tell myself to study hard, but not be to hard on myself, and to remember to breathe.

I would tell my self to be much more condfident. I would tell myself that all freshmen sturggle to find friends, and get situated with their roommates and it takes time to adjust to school. I would also tell myself not to panic and worry about small things because everything will always work out in the end.