University of Virginia-Main Campus Top Questions

Dear Joanna, This is a letter from your future self, who is currently in her final academic year at The University of Virginia. Apply early decision to UVA. You will love this school more than you thought possible; however please reconsider your decision to live off-grounds second year. This will distance you from your friends and from your wonderful social life. Also, really pay attention to the price of on-grounds housing ? it is cheaper than living off-grounds. Go to class and organize your notes as soon as you start your first semester here. Keep track of your books! Sit in the front row of large lectures. Don?t take Chemistry 141 with Metcalf! That lecture is too big and he is a terrible professor who is hard to understand. Try to get credit for you?re A-level chemistry. Apply for scholarships and apply to live in Brown Residential College. Take the classes that seem really interesting, because they might not be offered when you are a senior (a.k.a. fourth year). Have fun! Love, Joanna

"ADVENTURE!" One word summarizes what I would tell myself transitioning from high school into college. Entering a large university at first was enormously intimidating but, looking back now, to my scared and timid self, I would smile and just scream " IT'S AN ADVENTURE!" Meeting new people and learning who you really are is a great challenge for the youth, therefore, by looking at these challenges as an excitement, a journey, an adventure can shift an arduous climb to an enlightening hike. The term adventure, although it implies connotations of danger and unknowingness, pushes one to embrace the transition and a new life, rather than pining for the familiar. The advice I would give myself not only applies to social life and development of character, but also to academical life because discovering intellectual passion is a challenge in and of itself. As such, academic endeavor at a university fits the definition of adventure because I am no longer confined to the structured course schedule of high school and am able to choose whatever I see beneficial to me. It is these academics that will shape the person I am to become.

If I had the ability to go back in time and give myself advice on college, I would definitely reiterate the importance of developing an effective study habit. As a high school student I rarely studied because I knew that the test questions would be fairly simple and easy to answer because they were straight from the textbook, but in college test are extremely different than high school test; professors will take several different concepts from the textbook and form them into one question, and if a student doesn't understand one concept then they can essentially fail the entire test. Another piece of advice I would give myself would be to not confine myself to one group of friends because in college there are so many different people who come from all walks of life and in order to have the best social college experience that I can have, I should associate myself with several different groups of friends and spend as much time with them as I possiblely can. I would tell myself that college is in fact a wonderful experience and with carefully planning I can do well academically and leave with many unique friends.

Hello, there my little friend that is about to graduate high school and enter a whole new world: College. I would like to give you some advices that might lessen your anxiety (if you had any) about college life. In college life, anything can happen. You might meet your future spouse like a lot of people do (it seems like it, right?), you might be the drinking champion of the whole school that everybody respects you (at least in parties for sure), or it might be a sad time because there were so many opportunities out there and you could not grab them. maybe it was because you were not brave enough. There are so many things you can do in college that most of the people are just overwhelmed not knowing what they should choose to do. So what I want to tell you is that if this is how you feel right now, it is totally fine, I'd rather say it is totally normal. The most important thing in college life is to DO WHAT YOU WANT.

There is a lot of inviting people over at college, just make yourself available to talk with other people and find common interests. The people at collge are extremely friendly and are enjoing their lives as much as you are right now. If you find an interest, pursue it because there are many other people that may think the same way and will teach you more than you could have imagined. Dont be afraid to try new things, you are on your own, and can make your own decisions at this point, but always have trustworthy friends that can help you make the right decisions to stay on track, and keep you focused on why you are attending the school, to get an education, and to have a better job when you leave school. So keep your appearance acceptional, and make the right choices throughout college.

Mom?s recipes to frozen dinners, an irritating curfew to constant socializing, sleeping peacefully to listening to your roommate snoring?WELCOME TO COLLEGE! It is apparent that old friends will be missed and newly acquired freedom will be appreciated. There is also, however, a guarantee of homesickness and a drop in GPA. There is so much excitement in thinking about the color scheme of the dorm room that no one really contemplates life without continued nurturing from a parent. The first few weeks of the semester are vexing- new instructors, unfamiliar classrooms and classmates. With time, this homesickness will dwindle away; along with first semester?s GPA. Students at strong educational institutions often come to college with distinguished high school rankings, expecting the same academic results. For most of these bright students, however, that previous GPA is initially unattainable. Despite studying long nights and spending hours at the library, favorable grades do not surface. Although seemingly paradoxical, this is acceptable because first semester is a learning semester. Flaws will be corrected as failures in the fall will certainly reap successes in the spring. Like all great things, college is a phenomenal experience that inevitably involves homesickness and some GPA blues!

Back then, I let fear and the game of applying and waiting for responses rule my college decision. I thought more about academic freedom and prestige than the overall strength and fit of the college program itself. I played it safe because I relied on other people's opinions and thought I would be satisfied because everyone else thought it was a great school. I had doubts about the career-oriented nature of my other school choices, despite the extensive scholarship offers. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would have told myself to not be afraid of being different and to follow my dream of going to medical school. I would have told myself that by traveling on the nontraditional path, I am independent and truly doing what I want to do and not what other people expect me to do. My advice would be to remember my goals and to believe in myself.

My advice to myself would be to not be afraid to branch out more. What I mean by this is that most students in high school are so comfortable with where they are, that they don't try or care to know what life could be like somewhere else, geographically and figuratively. You've got great friends, got a job at a grocery store that you can always come back to, and that's all reliable, but the world is so big, and there's so much that you don't know about it, and why not take college as an opportunity to explore what could be. This could be done by going to a college farther away, studying abroad, or taking a break from school to see what's out there while you're still in your prime. Seeing what the world has to offer is not only a beautiful and exhilirating thing, it also expands your knowledge and makes you learn more about yourself.

Dear 12th grade Emily, Now that you have finished your applications, relax! Next August, your childhood ends and your young adult life begins, so embrace what little time you have left of high school. At the same time, get excited! I know it's hard to wait so long for those acceptance letters, but you at least you can visit every school and buy car stickers! This is a cheap investment, and by putting them on your car, you will have to think about what it would feel like to truly "own" each sticker. Once college starts, make sure you go to EVERY SINGLE social event. You cannot make friends if you sit in your room. Initially, everyone is super friendly, so take advantage of that! People will tone down the friendliness once they form groups, but stick it out and you will meet amazing people. On that note, do not panic when college is not initially all that you thought it would be. It gets better! And make sure you read the chapters before the lectures. Chemistry makes more sense when you have an awareness of the mysteries surrounding the quantum mechanic model of the atom. Love College Emily

If i had the chance to travel back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior after having experienced college life, i would definitely give myself a huge amount of helpful advice. First, i would tell myself not to worry or stress out about making the transition because it only takes a small amount of time to get comfortable with the college life and environment. Before you know it, you start loving the independence and the home sickness you may have had before is completely gone. I would also tell myself to make sure I know exactly what i want to major and minor in, and the type of job i want after graduating from college so that i could be more focused. It is no fun being unsure about your future while everyone else is. I would also tell myself to be 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} confident in my college choice because if you're unsure about it, that unsureness does not go away and you will always be wondering if you made the right decision. The last thing i would tell myself is to always put school work before having fun because with great freedom comes great responsibility.