University of Wisconsin-Platteville Top Questions

When I was a high school senior I had no idea what was ahead of me. If I were able to go back and tell myself advice I would have a book on what excatly I should have done and what I did right. I would tell myself to make sure I'm happy with my decison. Make sure that I look into other colleges and not just make a decison based on sports and whether or not I could play at a certain school. I would tell myself to really start the school year off right. Don't slack in the beginning and make sure that you stay on top of your school work because it college is very different from high school. I would also tell myself to spend more time with my family during the summer before college. It's really hard to make a transition when you regret how much time you spent with them and when you wished you had spent more time. Those are the tidbits of advice I would give myself if I were able to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior.

I would tell myself to stay in college and not let other things get in the way. It is so much harder when you return later in life. It is better to go to college or stay in college when you are younger. The longer you wait the harder it is. Education is very important and should not be put aside.

I would tell myself to be open to opportunities and change. Upon graduating, I thought I had everything planned out. I was going to this university, taking these classes and had the next three and a half years worth of classes figured out. It never occurred to me how somethings can seem so perfect and once in the situation, you realize how its not as perfect or figured out as you once thought. I would tell myself that it is not possible to plan every detail for the next how many years because things are going to be thrown at you that throw it all off track. And the worst that happens once that occurs, is stressing about it and trying to get it back on the right road. I wish I had known that it is okay to not have to know exactly who you are because that is part of the college experience. College is trying new things to see what fits with you and what does not. College is meeting friends and keeping in touch with the ones from home. College is making connections and experiences that are keeping your life on the right tracks.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a senior, I would tell myself to work more on making friends. During school, I always stayed with the same group of people and never tried to meet anyone new. Now everyone I know is going to different colleges and I don't know anyone else at Platteville. Since I am not used to meeting new people I don't have many friends at college. If I had better social skills I could end up enjoying college even more than I do now.

When I was a senior, I didn't want to go away to school. I was worried about leaving behind my friends who weren't going away and I wanted to start a band and get an apartment with my best friend. If I could talk to my eighteen year old self, I would say "Megan, I know you don't think you're a good student. But college is a new playing field with different rules. No one cares what you wear or who you're friends with." I would tell myself that what you put into classes is what you get out. I graduated high school with a C average. But I was so excited about picking my classes that I ended up graduating college with almost a 4.0. I never had a problem with partying in college. I've always made my own fun; I don't get drawn into trends like partying too much. But I would tell myself that bright people lose control and mess up because of alcohol. Going to college empowered me to feel like I can change the world, and today as I teacher, that's what I'm doing.

I would encourage myself to stay strong in knowin who I am. In college people are always trying to get you to try things that may go against morals and gut instinct. I would also say to study, study, study. Even when I feel I know everthing, you can never study to much. lastly, time management is very important. Not managing time properly can lead to many disasters in college.

It is very important to have excellent time management skills so that you allot enough time to your studies as well as your extracurricular activities. It is not like high school where you have teachers constantly reminding you what is due and when - it will all be your responsibility. And, it is very easy to get distracted with everything that is going on at a college campus to think you will "do it later" because later will never come soon enough. A lot of classes are only graded on a few assigments/tests, so if you screw up on one or two, you can ruin your grade for the whole semester. You will also need to get involved in some of the clubs and sports on campus, otherwise you will quickly become bored with college (especially when you have to live on campus). You will have a lot more "free" time in college than you did in high school, so you need something to keep busy. And, most importantly, make sure you have a big TV screen so you can watch all of the sports on cable. :)

Knowing what I know now about college, I would tell myself a few things. To start off, I would tell myself to take higher level classes in high school because they come in handy later when it comes to credits; every extra credit will help. Also by taking the exta higher level classes in high school, will make things much easier for you going into college especially your freshmen year. With so many new things being introduced into your life, it would help you in the long run, and make you overall a lot more confident going into college instead of being overly intimidated. The next thing I would have told myself would be to put more time into my acedemics. I know I didn't put nearly as much time into my studies as I needed to because I was one of those kids who just wanted to get high school over with. I knew that was not a good choice by all means. By being more into my studies in high school could have helped me establish better study habits as well as more of a drive to learn. Putting more time in would help out a lot.

Learn to not overentend yourself and know your limits. College isn't the same as high school and you can't do everything. School requires more time in college and you need to adjust for that. Extracurriculars are still important, but school comes first.

As a high school senior, take advantage of the days allowed for college visits. Getting a personal feel for a college campus and its atmosphere will greatly influence your decision. Also, listen to the advice your high school teachers give you. They've been through the process and are really trying to help prepare you. As a senior, it's easy to become consumed with the idea of being on top of the world. But remember, you are simply completing one minor step in your staircase of life. Don't procrastinate filling out the million scholarship applications, even if you only receive one acceptance letter, it's 100 percent worth the extra effort to fill out as many as possible. Finally, set goals for YOURSELF. Take the time to sit down and figure out some personal goals. Write down all that interests you and what you could see yourself doing and then write out plans that will get you to that goal. This will help with advising appointments and getting yourself balanced and on track. Granted, things will not always go according to plan, but with the right preparations, you'll easily have a backup that works just as well!