University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Top Questions

Dear high school self, Don't worry, you will be able to combine your passions of learning about other cultures and the environment. Don't think being a scientist is your best route. Your open-mindedness, kindness, and outgoing personality will help you make lasting friendships with people of various backgrounds and ethnicities. I know you are very unsure of yourself, most people are at this age, but you will gain more confindence as you come to better understand who you are and what you want through a life changing study abroad experience in Japan. Yes, I know. Your dream is to visit Japan, and guess what, it happens! Your academic and career opportunities will expand, to include possibly graduate school or an internship in Japan. Wisconsin is only a small part of the world, don't let your parent's influence limit you to this place. They don't know of the possibilities elsewhere, but they still love you and support you, even if mom keeps hinting at jobs in Milwaukee. She just loves you and wants you to stay close, but she will eventually accept your want for an unconventional adventure. Sincerely, Future Self

I would not change anything.

Don't give up. College is hard and most students don't know what they want to do right away and that's ok. Keep at it, experience the college life because it is a very important factor in your life. Meet new people, go away to school and leave home to be on your own and learn how to live on your own. You only get one chance to do something like this so take advantage and make something of it.

Dear Erick, Don't go to a college based on its name. Just because it may sound great on your resume in the future wont make a world of difference if you absolutely hate it there and eventually drop out. Don't let others make your decision so they can display you as some sort of trophy to brag about. I cannot emphasize this enough but this is YOUR future, and although they may not be content with your decision for a bit, they will come around and be absolutely PROUD of you when you finish your career. Pick a place where you'd think you'd be happy, whether that's a place that only offers a two year program, or whether it's situated out of state or even out of the country, don't be scared and go to a place that best suits the type of person you are.

I would make sure i took high school more seriously and that i should have worked harder to get into AP classes. Not that i didnt care about my grades or recieved bad grades, i just wish i worked harder to get the best grades that i could. I wish i came out with a better GPA nd a lower class rank number.

I graduated early from high school, it was the best decsion I made. Sad to say I was alone for a while in college, and all of my friends got to atttend and do what high schoolers do. If I could go back, I would say that I should have taken harder classes so that I was better prepared for college.

As a high schooler, especially a senior, everyone looks at you in a different way. As a freshman, they see the child. As a sophmore, the kid that grew up. As a junior, the young adult, and finally as a senior the role model. Being a senior really changes your views on things you never really thought of the three previous years you were still a kid. Things like a career, life after high school, choosing to go to another 4 years of school, graduation, leaving home. What no one really stops to tell you is that while it's good to work hard and get into college, you need to enjoy the little things such as football games, dances, teachers who hound you to get your work done, free textbooks! I wish I could tell my senior self to be more carefree, cheerish the moments with your friends, spend time with your loved ones and be a kid. High school prepares you for college and college prepares you for the 'real world', but there't nothing that could prepare you for the bittersweet ending of one chapter to the next. Enjoy every bit of being a 'senior role model'.

Going back to High School, I would've definitely prepared myself to be more time manageable. In my opinion, time management is extremely essential. It's a lot easier to become overwhelmed in college due to the fact that as college students all responsibilty is on us, meaning no reminders from teachers to complete certain tasks. I would've worked more on preparing for adult life when it comes to handling important situations and/or tasks. Also, I would've better worked on balancing my social and school life. in college it becomes a lot easier to get off task because of the freedom to do so and the eliminiation of the constant reminders our parents or teachers may have given us. while in High School. At the beginning, college was very difficult for me to transitition to because I hadn't gotten these responsibilities mastered. My only advice to transitioning in to college is to remain focused and master the skill of time management.

Volunteer as much of your time as possible when you are in high school. This is the advice I'd give to myself as a high school senior. Volunteering can get you involved in a variety of different situations that prepare you for real life situations in ways that no class really does. Volunteering your time should not be done because it "makes you feel good", but rather for the benefit of others. Another benefit of volunteering is that it allows for personal and professional networking and may give you an insight on what you would like to do as a future career. High school is the perfect time for volunteering because you have a lot more free time than you will later on in college, especially if you're a full-time student with at least one job as well. Take advantage of this time when you don't have as many responsiblities to discover how helping in the community not only will benefit others, but will also help you discover more about yourself and what you enjoy doing.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school, I would most definitely tell myself to not stress myself out, I would tell myself "Don't overthink situations, everything will be fine. Just focus on yourself and work hard and to not procrastinate, do your work on time, turn in all the assignments given to you on time and to study". I would also tell myself college life will be way harder than high school, everything you do in college can affect you, to pay attention, take notes when its needed, to not take things for granted because the difference between high school and college, college is not free. The people in high school that messed with you, tried to start fights/ drama with you will not mean anything when you start college, stressing over them is unnesessary. You may think college is useless and unneeded but if you want a good job and to further your future college is needed. Invest your time and money into yourself to better yourself. Also to apply to colleges and scholarships, don't wait till last minute to do them.

College, an obstacle equivalent to slaying a dragon, is a struggle humanity has faced for centuries. Thus to my past self, know that the eradication of laziness to reconstruct our school mentality is a must! Procrastination is going to be the death of us if you don't formulate an antidote to conteract its deadly symptoms. Tuition will slowly but surely bleed us dry in the future if you don't start looking for a job and scholarships now. Please, for the sake of both our future, awaken the dormant scholar inside. Life is moving faster everyday, and stress is weighing more and more upon my shoulders. The force alone will evetually bring me to my knees. Our bright future is seemingly becoming more and more of a flickering candle. Know that the task at hand will be tough, but I believe in you, as you once believed in me. Take up arms to defeat this monstrousity, change our path, and alter our course in life. Make a great change so that we won't not find ourselves in the depths of night, writing a scholarship on what advice we would give to ourself past high school senior self.

Learning never stops. Being a high school senior may deceive you into thinking the contrary simply because it's your last year in school before you enter the "real world". It's your last year where you can make mistakes before you begin to actually pay for them. "Senioritis" may overcome you and poison you and your learning process to plateau, causing you to strive less in school and focus on having fun rather than on intellectually-challenging matters like schoolwork and college preparation. My advice for you would be to stop what you're doing and aim higher. College requires complete and utter concentration; your schoolwork will have new obstacles and challenges that you must work through to be successful. To be best-prepared for what's to come is to remain diligent and attentive to schoolwork all throughout high school so your coursework in college does not blind-side you while you're in the same mindset you were while slacking off in high school. Always remember that learning never stops and being a high school senior does not mean you are of any exemption.

Listen up I don't have much time but here is some advice about college. First remember to drink hot chocolate, maybe have marshmallows too, the reason being is that we get stressed out and having it around to drink before we go to bed will be crucial to get through finals. In regards to classes, you will make it through them; it may be tough at times but study hard and get sleep and things turn out fine. As I said before stress will get to us so make sure to get out of your room and spend time with friends every once and a while even if it is just to study in the library. Just because you go out to do something other than homework does not mean you are abandoning your studies, everybody needs a break it’s no different for you. Relaxing and spending time with friends is important and part of college is making new connections. One last thing you need to know before I have to go, you will meet great people in college and don’t be afraid to ask them for help; they will be happy to if you ask them.

Don't be scared. Yes, it is an entirely new experience. You're going to be away from Mom and Dad for the first time. You don't know anybody there, and you have no idea how hard it is going to be. You don't have a job, you're already broke and have no idea how you're going to pay for it. Yes you come from a small town, and have no idea what a big city has to offer. Of course you wan't to fit in and make friends but being scared will only keep you from doing so. Everyone else in your class is in the same boat. Make friends. Branch out. Be yourself. Confidence will only get you farther while your fear is going to hold you back from so many opportunities that you will regret not taking. Obviously its okay to be scared sometimes. Like when you drive for the first time, or during a thrilling movie, or even when you mess up. But college is all about making mistakes and taking risks and finding yourself. You can either be a big girl, or sit lonely in a dorm room. Your choice.

Senior Self, You may feel pressured into trying to find a social life and going to parties in the future; just know that you do not need that. You are smart and you are determined. You can and will do anything you put your mind to doing. Do not doubt yourself for being introverted, that is who you are accept it and embrace being just a little bit different than everyone around you. I know you have your parents nagging at you to find more friends, but we both know we are not very good at that. College will be a challenge for you but mostly when it comes to being in the new environment. I will not explain to you how to better deal with the struggles that will be heading your way because that growth and experience is something that you need to make you a better person. I just ask that you always have confidence in yourself and who you are; do not ever question that. While there are so many challenges, there will be so many more benefits and achievements. I am you; the future you. I know you will succeed. Your Future Freshman College Self

I would tell my past self to explore a lot of different colleges. I only applied to one college because I wanted to live at home back then or at least I thought I did. Two years later I regret that because I feel like I've missed out on the social aspect of school and also missed out on the experiance of living in a dorm and meeting new people. Another thing I don't enjoy about my college is the amount of students. I would told myself to look at schools with a smaller student body. Lastly I would tell myself to not fall behide and actually study. I've made plently of mistakes my first couple years that have hindered my graduation date because I thought I didn't need to try so hard. If I would of thought about my future from the very first semesters I would have so many more opportunties going for me then I do at the moment. Even though I got to where I want to be now, it would of been alot easier if I had a similar mind set from the beginning.

Lighten up and have fun! Yes, college is providing the foundation for your future career, but do not forget to have fun on the journey along the way. I still think the decision to become a commuter student was a wise one because of the amount of money it saves (plus being able to eat Mom's home cooked meals everyday is a plus). College can be a long four years if you do not open up and become vulnerable with those around, so quit being so shy and live a little bit. But remember, never take Mom's meals for granted, I laugh at the food students eat on campus.

apply for more scholarships while you can. and look into more colleges

Considering I already was taking a few college courses as a dual-enrolled student, it seems that it gave me a leg up on how college life was going to be. If I were to go back and tell myself about college life I would say, always come perpared, ALWAYS study, and just relax. In high school there was so much pressure to impress and be friends with everyone, but in college there is not that kindof pressure. You can strive to impress people and be friends with who you want but dont feel like you have too. You are doing your own thing and getting your own education so worry about yourself. Make friends, be a good student, and be yourself. There might be more homework than there was in high school and the classes are longer but you have more time to do the large amounts of work and you get to choose when you go to class and it seems that college is a lot like high school. They have their differences but they also have their similarities , which is going to make the transition a lot easier than you think.

Take school more seriously, and study harder. Make sure you are choosing classes that will get you in the college of your choice.