University of Wisconsin-Madison Top Questions

I often clashed with schoolmates at school. Paired with my unfailing honesty and over-active mouth, my cantankerousness and determination caused recurrent foot-in-mouth disease. Consequently, classmates physically and emotionally bullied me through 11th grade when it climaxed after ostracization due to fictitious rumors. Accepted to university, I rightfully feared a childhood repeat. My roommate, a drama queen and avid gossip, spread hyperbolic hearsay about me based on shallow first impressions. I sunk into a depression during my first semester away from my best friend, my older sister. A resultant eating disorder and insomnia impaired my academic performance. After four years of spiritual inquiry and personal maturation, I have learned that people's false assumptions should not overpower the caring and capable person I am. If I were to speak to my high school self, I would say, “Don't disrespectfully misjudge others as others have you. Never give up the promise and love you have for fellow humans, because through openmindedness and realistic idealism you will help those who experience similar and more demanding difficulties. Spread the knowledge that many have granted you, in and out of the classroom, in hope that kindred spirits will continue the chain.”

I would go back to myself a few months prior to my senior self. I would tell myself that I should take the leap and live with my sister in the state that I wanted, and now am attending. This would make my college experience much more affordable. I would be spending my senior year at a new school anyway, so why not go to a completely new area that will later benefit my college experience. I would also tell my senior self that I should take as many college courses as possible, as long as I knew they would transfer. I would also tell myself to take all of the challenging classes possible because knowing how to study is vital in college. Then, I would go on to comfort myself that you WILL meet people in college that get you and you just click with. Just be yourself and everything will fall into place.

Dear High School Self, I know that you are anxious about whether or not you made the right decision for your future. You are boldly stepping out into the world, just three days after graduating high school and it is okay to be fearful. There is a grand possibility that life will not go the way that you envisioned throughout your younger days and I am here to tell you that is perfectly fine. Rather than fearing what will not go your way, focus on the things that are going well and the people that are beneficial to your daily life. Work hard when you have to and soak up the time that you have to relax. Do not create busy work for yourself; do things that you really want to. Enjoy yourself and live each moment to the fullest, even if that moment includes a nap. Make time for your family throughout your college years and focus on setting good habits; this time can be greatly beneficial to your future. Love boldly. Live for others. Take criticism in stride and never forget the importance of play and fun in life. You will be fantastic. Frankie Lynn Larson

As a senior, I would tell myself to be more confident in myself. Making the college decision is difficult given the variety and the realization that this will forever make or break the future; however, what I didn't realize is that that is true for every other decision I made in high school and beforehand. The difference between the decisions is making a college decision is one that you cannot avoid or people hype it up to be much more difficult than it should be. There are colleges that are wrong for a person, but there are more than one or two colleges that will function as appropriate places for the next four years. So, instead of waiting and attempting to avoid a decision, be confident in what seems right for the time and then decide to make it work without looking back at what could have been.

Do you have any idea of how different things are going to be for you in college? Let me tell you something. I know you have had a lot of trouble making friends and the bullies do not make things much easier. Trust me, you will find out that there are people that are just as 'quirky' as you. You can be yourself! Once you see that you are your own solution, the confidence will just blossom. Friendships will be made and some will be lost, but you will learn from them so don't beat yourself up. Your family will see an old side of you that will help your little sister feel better about herself as well. Money will post a hinderance but like dad always says "no one is going to help you like you" so keep looking! You will find that there are people out there that will want to help you. Most importantly, love yourself. The only way you will experience any good out of what your going through right now is to love yourself. Mom will thank you for it.

My main piece of advice is: don't hesitate to get involved. While academics go hand in hand with going to college, going to school is not all about academics. Extracirricular activities are beneficial for you as a student in academic, social and psychological ways. First, you can get involved in study groups. It is important to vary study techniques to enhance learning and one of the best ways is to get to know others in your class by forming or joining a study group. This way you are able to teach others which in turn teaches yourself. It also provides a helpful group to bounce questions off of. Secondly, getting involved in student activities such as sports and volunteering helps keep you well-rounded. It also helps provide you with real-life experiences that you don't receive from a textbook in addition to just being plain fun. Lastly, do not be afraid to get involved in things that you may not have tried or heard of before. Going to college is all about furthering your education and gaining new life experiences. Being involved academically and extracirricularly is a sure way to ensure your satisfaction and success in college.

I f I were able to go back in time and tell myself what I know now, I’d say resist the urge to put college on hold for any length of time. Although I finally did get motivated to enroll in school eventually, taking that year off after high school broke the momentum I could have maintained to help me stay on task. I'd say relying on my Mom to get financially prepared is not a good idea. I would tell my 18 year old self, to get it in gear. There are many scholarships that were available to me at the time, if only I had applied. Those same scholarships are even available now, but are not accessible to me now. When I had the chance to attend Howard University, I had no idea how to complete any of the financial aid documentation, so when it came to it, I didn’t have the money or the knowledge to even apply for other funding. I’d tell myself to just push through the struggles because harder times are ahead, and maybe not study Music Education and listen to my uncle and find an area in computers instead.

Meet your BFF (Math)The person I was in 2008 is not too different than the person I am now. One major piece of advice I wish I could give myself though, when I was a high school senior is to focus more on math. Because math has been my biggest hurtle in my academic life thus far. Math and me have never gotten along, but I wish I had tried harder to build mathematics and I relationship, I wish me and him (Math) were best friends. I am happy to announce that our relationship is growing. I hope to tell my past self that Math and me have gotten engaged, but baby steps right now.

Dear Stacy, The first thing I would like you to know, is that everything you do from here on counts towards your future. I know that many of your fellow classmates and even teachers have told you how hard AP classes are, and that you shouldn't take them, but trust me you won't know unless you give it a try! From now on with everything that you do, make sure you have a plan A, B, and C. Dont let the words "you can't" affect you in any way, shape or form. Though you may not have the highest test scores, I still want you to apply to all the schools of your choice, no matter if you do not think there is a possibility that you will get in. I know you are working and playing tennis in addition to school, but remain focused! Lastly, and most importantly save your money! I know there is a lot of pressure being a senior, especially with all the activities happeneing. However as you will exit high school you will find your needs to be higher than ever. Books are no longer free nor are they cheap. Sincerly, Stacy

I would advise myself not to be so worried about making friends, academic performance, and the overall transition. I would tell myself to just act naturally and find the people that I can connect with and have similar interests. Finding clubs and activities are a great way to meet people with somethings in common and look great for future applications. Also, I would inform myself that college is much more intense than high school when it comes to classes. You don't have to be the best or get the highest grade all the time, but it's still important to do your best work. The standard for doing well is much high and it will take more time and concentration to do well, but that doesn't mean that impossible to do well. One bad grade isn't the end of the world. Lastly, I would inform myself that the transition will take time and things will feel tough or uneasy at first. However, about halfway throught the first semester, you will find your niche, discover what works for you, and feel like an actual college student.