University of Virginia-Main Campus Top Questions

All through middle and high school, I was told that I was very smart. I was placed in all gifted classes and received wonderful grades. However, I didn't always feel that I worked very hard. Occasionally, I felt challenged, but the majority of the time, I did not feel this way. When I got to college, it only took a few low grades to realize that I now had to start working incredibly hard to earn decent grades, and that sometimes, even if I tried very hard, I would not always get a good grade in a class. I wish I had been able to better prepare myself for the fact that I am truly closer to an average student, rather than the genius student that I was always made up to be.

Hey Lauren, it's yourself as a First Year at the University of Virginia! Yepp, you made it to the school of your dreams. All of that hard work does pay off in the end. Now, the first couple of months of your senior year are basically going to suck! That old boyfriend isn't going to last very long though, the man of your dreams will finally ask you out, and he is a lot closer to you than you think. Then, you have to make it through that Physics Research Project you got yourself into. You'll get close to finding the density of pure dry ice, but what you'll really get out of it is that Physics isn't what your really cut out for. God has a bigger and better plan for you. In fact, He even tries to trick you up and offer you a scholarship for Physics at JMU, but don't fall into that trap and don't cry so much over the decision. It all works out in the end! And give Brooke a big hug before you leave, but don't worry. She won't forget her big sister!!

Everything you know is about to change. Your entire life is about to be uprooted and placed in a new, unfamiliar setting. Over the short period four years, you will find you have changed more than you have in your whole lifetime. Don't be afraid, because these four years are the best thing that will ever happened to you. Don't worry about holding on to things that you have been attached to all your life. These things will fade away and new ones will come to take their place. You will transition from the young high school kid into a grown man. This is a lot to happen in the span of four years, so be prepared. Dont hold back from new things. Be sure to find a few good friends and stick with them until the end. I guarantee these people will stay with you for the rest of your life. Learn something outside of school at least every week. Never be content with what you know. Most of all, be comfortable and confident in yourself and in the decisions you make. Only then can you learn to become who man you are truly meant to be.

To listen to myself and do what I want, take the classes that I want, and don't worry so much about requirements, etc.

The first thing i would tell myself is to take advantage of professor's office hours as well as teaching assistants. Establishing good relationships with these people is crucial to academic success and can provide one with so many opportunities as these are the people who give grades and write internship and scholarship recommendations. I waited almost an entire semester before I realized how much these relationsips could influence my academic experience. On a different note, I would also reassure myself that there is no reason to be nervous about meeting people and being social. No matter what, there will always be people around to talk to and simply be with. There are so many students at the university that it is always easy to find people who share common interests.

Learn to separate your schoolwork from the other aspects of your life. If you don't learn to do this, you will only cause yourself extra stress, and it will take away from your overall quality of life. Do not worry about your test grades once you have taken tests because worrying about them won't change anything. It is important, especially while adjusting to college to be on the lookout for lessons to be learned about life in general, not just academic lessons. I think you'll make it further in the long run if you learn as much as you can about life in general, and college is a great time and opportunity to do this. Overall, do not cause yourself more stress than you have to, try to learn from your failures without dwelling on them, do not hold unreal expectations for yourself, and stay true to your beliefs and morals as people will generally respect you for doing so.

Learn to be more outgoing. studying is time consuming, but a social life is important too. take the time to make a lot of friends freshman year.

Do not be pressured by your parents to go to this school simply because of the prestige, ranking, and practicality of the possibility of a career in business. This school is far too difficult for you to gain high marks in because of the disparity between the majority of the students' academic upbringing and yours. These students have a city mentality and you are from a town. You should go to a place that is much tighter knit and friendlier with a much more lower middle class atmosphere. Do not go here simply because the financial aid is so much higher than any other university. Do you really want to substitute money for your happiness? These people cannot begin to ever recognize where you come from. They will never understand how to be humble. Regardless of the friendliness they exude at the campus visits, there is a duplicitous coldness to these people that you should have picked up on immediately. You were never a math and science type of guy. You knew all along since you were a kid that you had talent in artistic endeavors that require a school with more artistic outlets. Regardless of this opportunity, choose wisely.

I wouldn't give myself any advice. I wouldn't want to change my experience at all, these have been the best two years of my life so far and I've loved every minute.

My time as a second-semester senior was full of apathy, in part because I was ready to graduate and head off to college. Part of my attitude, in retrospect, was fuelled by the idea that college would be always great and always perfect. Ultimately, college is a great place; I'm learning incredible things, making new friends, trying new things, and having a great experience. However, there have been bumps along the way, many of which I didn't anticipate when I was still in high school. People preparing to make the leap to college need to know this, because accepting this reality will make overcoming college's challenges much easier. When you hit tough times it's important to not lose track of the big picture. Other than that, it's easy to lose track of the fun you can have in college. Have some fun! Go out on a weekday night sometime and cause some chaos. You might not get another opportunity to have fun like this, because for many people graduating means heading off to the real world and a career-oriented environment.