University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Top Questions

High School is only the beggining of your future. I know things seem tough right now but you have only just begun to live your life. Stay strong even though at the moment it seems that no one is by your side remember those few good friends who are. There are going to be hard times and happy times. but don't give in and don't ever give up . Ignore those who put you down and say your dreams won't come true because they gave up on pursing theirs. You are invincible as long as you are alive! When you walk across that stage and finally have that diploma in your hands you will see that all that hard work paid off. And when you come back to the ten year reunion and see all those who brought your hopes down they will finally know what all this time was for.

Lexie, Right now you are sitting in your desk, complaining about your hard school work you have no idea how to do, or how you cannot wait to get out of the town of Antigo; cherish it. When you go to school, you will be miles and miles away from your family, who you will find is the most important people, along with your number one fans. When you attend your first day of class, and have a lecture, where the teacher doesnt ask once if "anyone has any questions abou the lecture", you will wish you were sitting in your desk in high school with a class of 20, and the ability to ask any question at anytime. What I am saying is, even though the future looks so fun, and exciting; it is actually much more hard. Instead of going down your hall to hang with your sister, you will have to go down your hall to hang with a complete stranger. Instead of sitting down for dinner with your family, you will have dinner with a table of friends, and instead of saying prayer before you eat, you will question if your peers believe in a God.

I would tell myself to not be afraid to show who you are and have the courage to put myself out there. It can be very nerve-racking to go to a new place away from home with such a big increase in the amount of students without knowing many. Most people don't know you, but that's alright. You should embrace this opportunity to meet new people, try new experiences to find and develop yourself, and learn something new from every person you interact with. Joining organizations and putting yourself out there may be scary and you may not enjoy everything you try, but it is much better to try and learn then to miss an opportunity and regret it in the future. During high school and the beginning of college, most students are constantly trying to impress others and not fall victim to any ill-judgements. Instead, I would tell myself to be true to me and never be afraid to have a conversation with anyone. Every person has different experiences and different insight to offer.

I will work in the same way like before.

Dear Devin, I know that right now college seems like a big, scary, exciting place and you have no idea what to expect. I want you to know not to worry. You are going to do some pretty great things once you get there. I don't want to give away all the secrets, but trust me. You will experience many "firsts" and things you never dreamed you would do. Believe in the potential you have stored inside of you. Once you are on campus, you will find that it truely is your new home. Here you will make new friends, learn about life, and go on many adventures. Don't be afraid of change, for with change comes growth and understanding. Have patience with Mom and Dad because they don't always know what you are going through. Communication is often the best tool you have; when dealing with roommates, friends, and parents remember that you need to speak up for your opinions to be known. You have some great ideas, so go ahead and share them! Most importantly, you need to remember why you are here and what is truly important in your life. You've got this!

Dear high school me, Oh, how you have it easy. Although cramming works now, you’ll have a whole new perspective next year. YOU NEED TO STUDY IN ADVANCE. Build relationships with teachers so that you’re comfortable to ask questions after class. It pays off. In addition, you should learn how to prioritize. I know you love being involved in sports and clubs (and that’s good, continue doing them), but when it becomes too overwhelming, remember your education should always come first. Moving past your poor studying skills, let’s confront the petty social conflict in high school. I know you realize the drama’s not something you want to be involved in, so you’ll be happy to know you leave that behind in college. With the thousands of people who go to college, you’ll find your niche somewhere. Don’t worry about making friends. Every college freshman's nervous, but the beautiful thing is you’re all in the same boat, so put yourself out there, get involved, and create new friendships. Enjoy high school and its laid back perks while you can, but be excited for what college will bring. Love, Me

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school self about college, I would tell myself to relax. It is a big change and the first month or so is going to be hard but once you get past that and find some friends, college is amaxing. I would tell myself that it's okay to call your family, it doesn't mean you're weak, it means you love and miss them. That's normal. If you really need to talk to someone and you don't want to call your parents, call your grandparents. They love hearing from you and they will accept you and love you unconditionally. Also, send letters to your high school friends. I know they're awkward to write but they will be so appreciated. Finally, don't worry about making great, life-long friends right away. Be yourself and the great friends will come.

I would advise myself to save my paychecks and to better my studying habits. Money in college runs out faster than I ever thought it would. I made the mistake by going shopping alot and buying pointless things I didn't need. I did, however, learn the hard way with having to budget what little money I had for food and other necessities. Along with money is my studying habits, where in high school I had many different ways of studying. In college it is much different and harder to say the least. I would work to better my studying habits so I would be ready for studying for all my exams.

I have thought about people still attending high school and asked myself this question many times. The one thing that I tell every one of my friends still in high school is to take as many AP or advanced placement courses as possible. The advantages to taking these types of classes are twofold. First, you have to potential to earn credits for college through taking and passing the AP test at the end of the semester. Having these transfer credits will help you graduate in four years and set you ahead of many other incoming freshman. Second, the rigor of the AP cources set you up for the workload and overall atmosphere of the general college class. The expectation of having homework every night while in those AP classes develops great habits that are carried over to college. Taking advanced placement classes in high school helped me to achieve nine credits before I had even taken a course in college. Because of the credits I earned in high school I did not need to take a single math course in college. Taking advanced placement classes during high school is the most important decision when preparing for college.

The first thing I would tell myself would be to not stress so much! College is obviously a big step and grades and applications are extremely important for your future, but your future is never set it stone and life will always throw you optsticals. I would tell my high school self to just be ready to roll with the punches and to be ready for adversity- When life gives you lemons make lemonade! The second thing i would tell myself would be to take the AP tests a little bit more seriously. College is expensive and getting those free credits is an easy way to save money. Overall the most important piece of advice that I would give my high school self would be to begin to find yourself and who you truly are as a person. In college, your life is filled with diversity and new experiences which will overall help to form who you are as a person; Starting to discover your true self in high school will allow you to enjoy the roller coaster of college with more self assurance and self esteem! Being more aware of yourself helps you to make that "lemonade"!