University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Top Questions

If I could go back, knowing what I know now, I would first tell myself to enjoy highschool while you can. Enjoy the worry free life style when everything is easy and you get to see your friends every day because once in college you arein a sense forced to grow up. Make choices based on your future and not your friends, because in the end you have to know what you want. No one is looking out for you except yourself. Also I would tell myself to be more greatful of my family and all they do for me and cherish family events when everyone is there. Once in college, getting the whole family together on holidays and special events is rare. In the end, the greatest advice I could give to myself, is to slow down and just take time to enjoy everything around me, and even though things won't stay the same, be glad they happened.

First, get to know your professors sooner. Professors carry untapped knowledge and advice that students neglect until junior or senior year. Not only is the advice valuable, but networking is becoming one of the most important pieces of success in this job market. Second, be yourself right away. College life and students are more accepting of differences and individuality than are high school counterparts. If you act as yourself you will be more comfortable and better be able to stand up for what you believe in. Third, stay connected to who really matters. Keep friends close and family closer. It is easy to get caught up in schoolwork and new friends who come and go like the seasons, but your true friends and family will always support you. Last, live your life! It is perfectly acceptable to skip a class, bomb an assignment, make a mistake, date someone who is wrong for you, splurge on an expensive purse, give an incorrect answer in front of a class, etc. as long as it does not become a habit. All these things are part of living an enjoyable and balanced life. Find balance and enjoy life.

I would tell myself to just choose Eau Claire to start with instead of transfering since it is such a pain! I would also tell myself to pay more attention to my grades my freshman year, college is not like high school at all. It is good to have a social life and taking a break is healthy, but that first year is just as important grade wise as any up-coming year and this first year will effect all the hard work you put in for your GPA in the future. I would remind myself that life goes by too fast and to slow down, go do activites with friends a little more, although school is important, so is living.

If I were to go back as a high school senior, I would try not to slack off and do scholarships as much as possible. Another thing is, try to manage my time, and of course finding a job and save up to pay for college.

If I could go back and talk to my high-school self, I would tell myself to take more risks. As a freshman I was always so afraid of how people would look at me if I acted a certain way or said something different than others. If I would have been myself I would have made more friends and had more fun. As a sophomore it is a lot harder to make friends. I would do just about anything to go back and relive my freshman year at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire.

College is a lot different than high school. Get a job, start saving money, because you're going to need it. Take challenging classes (AP or college level courses if they're available to you), because when you get to college, everything is fast paced and your professors will have high expectations for the amount of work you need to complete, in often short periods of time. Start developing good time management and study skills, because your instructors aren't going to give you classtime to get all of your readings and assignments done. Try to be more independent with your money by budgeting and thinking before you spend, because you will wish you had that money when it comes time to pay tuition. Develop good relationships with your parents and other family members; you never know when you'll need them, and there's no one better to call than your mom when you're having a rough day and just need to cry. Take advantage of every resource made available to you, and fill out all of those scholarships! Don't stress too much about college, believe in yourself, and you can be successful. I know you can.

Learn to study smarter! I was a pretty good student, I made mostly B's and some A's. However, I could have performed significantly better if I learned to study smarter and apply myself. My first semester's GPA fell a bit below 2.5, and it was the result of being overly confident in my study habits, which wasn't a very good studying routine. Looking back on that, I realize I could have spent more time focusing on subjects I struggled with (primarily math) rather than watch netflix for an extra few hours. That being said, in addition to studying smarter, learn to work better with others! It's a huge trait that is critical in the business world.

If I was given the opportunity to go back in time, I would definitely give my high school self a big scolding. At that time, I was lost in all the minutia of the high school atmosphere. I could attempt to tell my high school self to be more mature and ignore all the teenage drama. But what would that do telling an immature teen such a thing? Instead, I would like to take a more practical approach. Looking at my life now, I know that it would have been beneficial to have started planning earlier; during my last years of high school. I would convince my high school self not to wait until my first year in college to start making that difference. I would choose to focus on my school work and grasping for any new opportunities for knowledge that came my way. Instead of spending long hours working, I would suggest doing such things as studying to receive better SAT scores, rather than attending football games. Though I have been able to make great successes thus far in my college career, it would have been handier to have prepared myself for the workload and expectations.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would first tell myself that everything is going to be ok when you go away to college. The three hours from home may seem very far away at first but you mangage. I'd also let myself know that people will be much more accepting at college. People are here to improve on their studies, as well as, improve on themeselves. I'd reassure myself by showing the senior me a picture of all the friends I've made, as I'm sure there will still be many more to be made! I think by letting the senior me know that everything goes well in making the transistion, I will feel much more relaxed. I had a lot of anxiety prior to making the transistion, when in the end it seemed to be for unimportant reasons.

Assuming I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would give myself very little advise. I believe learning and experiencing things on my own teaches me more than if someone had told me in advance. Not knowing what to expect before college except that it was alot harder than highschool gave me a great mind set. I had no idea what new things were going to be thrown at me, and thats what made everything so exciting. However, I would tell myself to not be so shy at orientation because that is when everyone first starts to get to know eachother. It is important to be yourself and be friendly to everyone that makes the effort to talk to you because they might end up being your bestfriend. Other than that, I would give myself no other advise. I am very happy with the way things have been going so far, and I cannot wait untill the future years of adventure to come.

I would tell myself to relax the change is good and an important change that needed to be made. I would have reminded myself of all the things that are important to have such as tennis shoes and an umbrella and would have not left them at home. I would have also told myself to apply for more scholarships because whatever you do is not enough. You can always fill out more applications.

Don't worry, it's all going to work out! There's going to be ups and downs, but remember whats important. God's going to grab onto you, and He's not gonna let go. I know how you're feeling. Insecure and helpless and confused, without hope. But don't take everything you hear as truth, seek after the Truth with all you've got, as if your life depends on it, because it does. You've been looking for the perfect circumstances to find happiness, and you'll never stop looking because you'll never find it, you'll never be satisfied with this world, because you weren't created to be. Look at the facts, don't be intimidated by the philosophies of this world, you're surrounded by the evidence for God. Stop chasing after something that's going to pass away, and look for something eternal, whether or not He fits your preferred reality, because Truth's more powerful than your ever-changing dead fantasy. Don't forget about eternity, because you're not guaranteed tomorrow. Work hard, do your best, cry out for God until you find Him, you won't regret it.

Get a job, you lazy hippy!

If I could back and give myself some knowledge about college life I would tell myself not to be afraid, to take the interesting classes, but to also find out what is required to transfer to a 4 year college. I would tell myself to take more volenteering oppertunities and find things that interest me, and pursue that path and see where it might lead. I would tell meself to look into finding scholarships, and ways to avoid taking out loans, to find the money because I know it is out there its just a matter of finding it! I would tell myself to travel and experience new places even study abroad, there are plenty of places to see. I would say even when times get hard or you don't like a class or a professor, to try your hardest, go to office hours, and make the best of the sitution. I would say never give up on your hopes and dreams of getting a degree and finding that something you are passionate about!

College is a lot different than high school. The transition to dorm life and classes isn't going to be the easiest. The best advice that I could give is that it is going to be okay. Get to know the people on your floor and in your classes. And also, study hard. Go to class because it is easier to get better grades and understand whats going on. You might not make friends right away but be patient, they will come. Learning to be independent was one of the hardest things that I had to learn and that is also a very important thing to learn right away. You need to learn how to depend on yourself and keep yourself healthy and on track. Another thing is learning how to budget. You will have a lot of expensive tuition bills to pay. You can't just go out and buy a bunch of clothes and things that you don't need. You have to save your money. Another thing is time management. You now make all of the decisions. Make time to study and do your work and also make time with friends. It will all work out.

College is an exciting and liberating experience. Acting as a pathway into adulthood, college can also be confusing and challenging. Knowing what I know now about college life and the transition that accompanies it, the advice I would give myself would be: have a plan B. As a freshman at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, my plan was to follow the family footsteps, get on the pre-dentistry track, and major in Biology. It was all going according to plan until the end of my freshman year when I realized that I had not once questioned whether I saw myself in this career. I came to find, through the help of career services and independent research, that the answer was no. I had simply conformed to the expectations of my family without consideration of my interests. It was a tumultuous and chaotic time—a time of complete uncertainty without any sense of direction. I had no plan B. I could have avoided considerable stress had I known that it's okay to have a plan B—that's what this time is for. Find yourself in college—find what you love, and everything else will fall into place.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, there are a few tip I would give in regard to the transition into college. First, I would say to relax. I was worried about how everything would work out but that's not what I should've spent my time doing. Everyone is in the same situation that you are in so there's no reason to be worried you'll do something wrong. Second, I would have told myself to forget everything about high school cliques because they don't really exist in college. You might have a specific group of friends to spend most of your time with, but in college, you have the opportunity to start over and meet people you never would've talked to before. Finally, I would've told myself that in general, I should be open minded about the entire college experience. There are endless opportunities in college that should be taken advantage of, no matter what your interests are. Open mindedness is the key to success in college and in life, and I wish I could go back and tell myself that.

Try hard to make friends right away because it only gets more difficult as time passes. Also, be ready to network. I know that sounds scary, but talk to your professors and join organizations. As a psychology major, it will be extremely important for you to be involved.

From my perspective, two of the most important things to know in college is time management and financial budgeting. No matter how hard the classes were or how many extracurricular activities I had, I would still want to go back and tell myself to pick up a job so that I can at least learn to start earning money. Because when you start working and earning the pay for your work, only then do you realize the important value of money, and you will learn not to use it recklessly. I would also go back to tell myself to learn to get into a routine in order for it become a habit so I would not have such a hard time adjusting my play time versus my work time. Time management is critical in college, it is important to be social and make connections, but it is also important to study hard and stay on top of your academics since it will be one of the criteria potential employers will look at. So I would telly my past self to get into a routine of homework first, then play afterwards.

Dear Felicia, As a high school senior, you probably have a lot on your plate. Let me tell you something that will take a bit of your load off: space out all of your tasks from most important to least important. I assure you, this will help because we both know that if there is no set agenda then at the end you will feel way too pressured. My most important advice to tell you once you go into your first week of college is: get started on your homework and studying for future exams. You will not regret this!