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.

My main advise to myself would be to stick with what you are passionate about regardless of what others may think. My freshman year I became so caught up in my friends' choice of majors of business, pre-med, or economics, I forgot what I was actually interested in. I am not very strong in math or science so obviously those three majors would not have been a good fit for me, but I decided to try the pre-rec classes. They ended up dropping my GPA, gave me a terrible platform to start my college career, and drained my enthusiasm for school. It was not until the spring quarter my sophomore year that I enrolled in an art history course and fell in love with a subject. But, I didnt want to major in art history originally because I thought it was a "joke major." But, the deeper I got into the classes the more passionate I became and realized that it is truely an intellectually challenging major. As soon as I became an art history major my GPA skyrocketed, I have made Deans List every quarter since, and I recently applied to go onto graduate school.

There is a difference between dreaming of your future, and working to achieve those dreams. My habit of introversion is not easily broken, yet social adroitness is one of the most prominent aspects of my college career. Even when I was a high school senior, college seemed years away. The idea that I would soon be transitioning into a school with thirty-three times the number of students at my high school didn't click until I entered my first (enormous!) college classroom. Now I am slowly learning how to make my voice - so minute among the masses - more voluble; how to become more involved in my classes, to plan for my future, and join the groups that capture my interest. I come to these activities an opsimath, and it makes me feel like I'm on uneven footing with the rest of my peers. Volunteer work, community involvement, positions of responsibility in clubs and school government; all would have helped me integrate into the community and prepare for the 'you're on your own" college mentality, before I was forced to fend for myself with my nothing more than my puerile high school mentality and gauche social skills.

I would look for and apply for more financial aid earlier on. I would also make sure that I got housing secured earlier on.

As scary, confusing, and mind boggling the transition from High School to college may be, I would not go back and give my high school self any advice. Because I was clueless to the situation I was forced to learn and grow on my own. I was forced to make choices for myself. This type of growth truly plays a part in the person that one becomes and I would not want to have done a single thing differently. I would not tell the young me anything because I wouldn?t want her to miss out on any life experiences that my advice may have given her. At best all I could do is over her some reassurance or an encouraging phrase but as for advice, I could never.

I was able to go back in time and for some reason, I was back in my senior high year. It felt strange walking down the hall again when I spotted a girl sitting in a classroom. "That must be me..." I whispered. Suddenly an idea struck me, why not give my highschool self some sound advice about college life. I approached my former self and explained to her who I was. "Listen, college life isn't going to be easy, especially when you're far away from home. What is important for you to keep in mind is that when you're in college is to expect the unexpected. You might become homesick, but don't let it get the best of you and stop you from being acquainted with your surroundings, finding some way to get involved, and making new friends." "I know that..." My former self said as if things were easier said than done. As I walked away, I wondered, 'Man, why is she so stubborn! Oh, yeah because she's me, but she'll keep what I said in mind.' "One more thing," I said "Cherish the life and people you have right now."

Given the opportunity to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would give myself some serious advice. The first being, it will be hard. I was enlivened by the idea of going off and becoming my own person, especially in such a large city with so much to offer me. I would warn myself of the unnecessary spending that occurred days before I left for college, at the time I did not realize that I would no longer have an income and additionally living in Seattle is like living in the middle of inflation. I would prepare myself to live in small and cramped conditions with two other girls who I did not know. But most of all, I would challenge myself. Challenge myself to go and do what it is I had set out to do: become my own person. To not waste any opportunity thrown my way, living in the moment and searching out the best that life has to offer. I would urge my younger self to make the best of every situation in order to get the most out of college and out of life.

The two most important things I would tell myself would be to be less shy and to get as much practice in high school as possible. First, navigating the social scene, especially at a large school, is very difficult. I would encourage myself to have fewer reservations about getting out and meeting new people. Learning to get along with roommates is also important and can be tricky--I'd remind myself to be flexible and empathetic. I would also stress that it is good to keep in close contact with friends from high school and family. It's great to fall back on those relationships when you start to feel overwhelmed. Second, academic practice in high school is valuable! Don't cram, actually study! If you remember what you learn in high school, you won't have to pay to re-learn it later. This is especially true of essays. They are tricky, so get feedback and practice while it's free. You'll also do better in your classes with a solid foundation of knowledge.

My senior year in high school I became very distracted by an unhealthy relationship I was in. Honestly, if I could go back now and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to stay focused on my academics and to let anybody who incessantly brought me down out of my life. I'd also tell myself to get a job as soon as summer started so I'd be more prepared for the financial burden university brings. Finally, I'd tell myself to be more outgoing and to start studying as soon as school starts, not as finals roll around.

If I could talk to myself as a senior, I would convince myself to live on-campus. As a senior, I wanted independence and freedom, so decided that living in an apartment while in college would make me happiest. However, now that I am living alone in an apartment while going to a huge school, I find myself feeling isolated and missing out on the very important college experience of living with others and meeting a diverse student body. The University of Washington is very large, so meeting people around campus tends to be difficult. Combining that with living alone, I find that I am not meeting as many new people or making as many new friends as I hoped to. If I lived in a dorm, I would meet a wider variety of students in a non-academic setting, the perfect environment for forming relationships. While living by myself off-campus increases socialization difficulty, I am not giving up, and instead make extra efforts to let my guard down and meet others. However, if I could speak to myself in high school, I would convince myself to live on-campus to ease the transition and expand my social circle.

This is what I would say: Be ready for many distractions and temptations to come your way. You have been sheltered with your parents around to look out for you, and now it is time for you to look after yourself. It is easy to put off homework for a parties and to skip class. Whenever you feel tempted to do so, you must avoid this at all costs for college is expensive, and your parents are not paying more 30,000 dollars a year for you to mess around. You are an adult in the real world now and you act as such. Be sure to look at all the opportunities that the University of Washington provides, as you can have an experience of a lifetime. This is the part of your life where you develop social networking skills that will prove invaluable for future careers. Be sure to establish contacts, as you may start a relationship that can last a lifetime. Enjoy the college experience, but always remember the privilege that you enjoy attending this university and the sacrifice that your parents are making everyday for you to be successful.