University of Washington-Seattle Campus Top Questions

if i could go back i would tell my self to choose a different road cause the one i took was the wrong one. i would tell myself to staying in school and experincing the stuff a senior should. particapate in school activies. Dont stay home go to a foot ball game and school dances.

I would tell my high school senior self that college is when the real work begins. High school is all about being social and who you were as a person was defined by things like the cliques you hung out with, the sports that you played, the clubs you joined. In college, none of that matters anymore. At this point in your life, everyone has their own paths, their own goals, their own dreams that they want to accomplish and it's about how much you want it that will determine whether or not you'll make it. It is through this process of working towards your goal that you find who you truly are as an adult, not who others want you to be. College also means freedom, and with that freedom you have to learn how to prioritize every aspect of your life (when to do homework, when to eat, when to go to study sessions at school) and when to say yes or no to the different opportunities that present themselves to you. You'll learn that the little things in high school that consumed your life is a pebble compared to the college's ocean.

For many reasons I absolutely dispised my high school years. The school I attended lacked racial acceptance completely. If a minority student refused to conform to the "white" ways of thinking and behaving he was ostrasized, pushed aside and labeled a "lost cause." Because of this, I found myself doing only the bare minimum to be considered successful. I followed their rules and did what they said in the classroom, but I lacked any interest in actually absorbing what they were trying to teach. Unfortunately, I became the Native girl that the school made successful. I had to let them take pride in something they did not do, but it only supported their refusal to acknowlege the racial tensions they promoted. This entire experience reinforced a hatred I had already developed about the dominant culture and instead of trying to change anything I just wanted to get out as fast as I could with as little conflict as possible. This was a huge mistake. I missed out on ample opportunities to bridge the gap between conflicting races and promote an ideal community where everyone could live as equals regardless of identity. If only I would have slowed down...

My first peice of advice to past me would be to start applying for scholarships as soon as possible! I would say that FAFSA wont solve all money problems and whatever money you have saved up will be gone in a year. And you can never apply to too many scholarships. Looking at all of the scholarships I see, a lot of them are for only high school students and I just didn't take advantage of that. I would also tell myself about how much I love college and Seattle, WA. I would tell me to be outgoing and say hi to everyone. You never know who you'll end up being close friends with. Since I can't send this message back to myself I constantly repeat it to my little sister, pushing her to apply. She's a junior on high school.

Listen man, I know you've screwed up so far. But the good news is that it's not too late. You need to know that, if you are truly driven and persistent, you have a chance to be successful. But the trick is that you have to REMAIN with this mentality. Keep it with you through the years of college and I guarantee you that you will end up somewhere important. You have so many resources up at college; use them. Don't let a day go to waste. It's all but easy up here and you'll, most likely, encounter a lot of obstacle and hard times. Times where you'll want to quit. But just trust in God, and give it all you've got. Make sure that you're doing the right thing. And know the difference between "right" and "easy."

I would tell myself to try and find a way to live on campus. I would also start looking for scholarships ealier and filling out as many as possible to make it so it is more affordable to live on campus, because something feels lacking from the college experience by not being on campus. Also to try and get invovled in clubs and sports early on and make relationships right away. I would tell myself to make better use of the resources around me, and to not be afraid to ask for help.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a senior, the most important piece of advice that I could give myself would be to not choose a college that is so far away from home. It is extremely difficult to be three thousand miles away from everything that I used to know. I did not think that the transition would be so hard because everyone else makes it look so easy, but being in that situation made me realize that the real world is not an easy place. In addition to that, to be so far away from anything that is familiar makes the transition even harder. I know that as a senior all I could think about was finally leaving my parents and living my life, but the freedom of adulthood brings many consequences. As a high school senior, I think I was too preoccupied with growing up that I forgot to take into account the responsibilities that come with adulthood. Treasure your childhood because the real world is not easy.

Don't be afraid to get as much information as you can--talk to people, get on campus, attend a lecture, just get involved. Picture yourself at each university and ask yourself if you could see it as an environment in which you would be able to not only read, think, learn and grow, but also, have fun, make connections, and develop as a human being. Is this campus going to give you the type of opportunities that you need? This is a period of your life, and not just another requirement to fulfill. Learning needs to be fun! It also needs to be challenging, and you should make sure that your learning style is a good match for the university. New places, ideas, and people will contribute to your personal development. Do you enjoy small or big classes? Reading, writing, or speech intensive? Whatever you do, don't be afraid to make the most of every experience and live your life.

If I were allowed the opportunity to go to myself a year ago and give advice about the college transition, I wouldn?t say a thing to myself. For good reasons: first, fear is good. Learning how to transition to a foreign place, working through anxiety and disorientation, and then becoming comfortable in the new environment is an extremely valuable skill. No one in reality will ever have the assurance of their future self coming to them and offering advice on the future ahead. Once a person can learn to function under the weight of an uncertain or apprehensive future, fear does not have to hinder their life. Another reason I would stay silent comes from the fact I did not need goading to get involved in everything I possibly could, right from the start. Within the first week, I joined the kayak club and found a job; within the first month I had an internship, and by the end of the quarter, I had been on a research cruise. I cannot say I do not have regrets, but the value of adaptability when facing uncertainty is an underrated quality I am glad I had the chance to experience.

I would encourage myself to work hard on my college applications, because having options when selecting a college is one of the greatest freedoms one can experience. I would tell myself to research different out-of-class opportunities, such as volunteering, clubs, etc. before starting school because once fall quarter begins, those things get put on the back burner. I would tell myself to forget about choosing a major before starting school, because the second I stepped on campus I changed my mind. And that's okay. I would tell myself that college will be the best four (or five) years of my life, and to soak up every minute of it that I can.