University of Wisconsin-River Falls Top Questions

If I could go back and give advice to my high school self is the importance of learning how to create a budget. In high school the personal finance class isn’t a requirement so I didn’t take it. Once I got to college I realized I was spending more money than I was taking in. When you have that freedom to swipe your card without a parent guiding you it becomes a lot easier to spend money you don’t have. I had to learned very quickly how to create a budget for myself. The real world is more expensive than I ever realized in high school. My next piece of advice is to experience all you can your last year. My senior year I was mostly going to a technical college because I only needed English to graduate. But because I mostly taking college credits I passed on a lot of high school activities. When you go to high school you don’t realize how many memories you are making. I would say don’t pass up those chances to hang out with your grade because you never know when it will be the last time.

I would tell myself that I shouldn't take advantage of the resources that I had at my disposal while I was in school. I was an art major and I had access to fully fuctional studios with all of the expensive equipment that would take me decades to save up to own. Being able to work in those spaces whenever I needed was a true blessing and I believe I created some of my best work in the studios at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

High school was a nightmare for me. I didn't get along with students or the teachers and I was always in trouble with someone. All I could do was pray college was going to be better and you know what, it was. The biggest thing I wish I would have done over the past few years is relax and trust yourself. I spent too much time uptight about things that didn't matter and the rest of the time I was too worried I would do something wrong. If I would have just relaxed and been myself sooner I would have liked my freshman year more. However, every experience I've had lead me to where I am now. From being bullied to being in a sorority officer, from severe depression to counseling those who need it, from an abusive relationship to meeting the man of my dreams. College has been amazing and I almost don't want to leave!

1. Teach yourself how to study. I understand, it's boring. Nobody likes it. You wont regret learning how to study while you're still in high school instead of trying to figure it out in college. 2. Don't drink underage. Your freshman year in college you will watch people around you spiral downwards. Friends from your new school, friends from home, your roommate. They drink underage, get caught, get in trouble, and you're about to see many of them drop out. Alcohol can wait until your 21. It isn't worth the risk. 3. You CAN be a pharmacist. There are so many days full of struggle, so many times you wonder if it's the right major for you.. It is. You are smart enough. You will have to push yourself, but you will make it. I will make it. Push yourself for the next 6 years and you won't regret it.

To my former self I would try to be more involved in campus life. Do not spend all your time working and enjoy being a college student.

You need a back up plan. I know you're excited to get a softball scholarship and all, but you need to leave room for change. You're going to change; you're going to grow, and you need to allow that to happen. Don't be scared of new experiences. Start looking into scholarships now. Don't assume that softball will take you all the way through college. Also, people are no different. There are tons of people who still revolve around high school drama. Don't get caught up in what they have to say. Be you. Oh, and don't pack so much crap! You're not going to use half of it!

I would tell myself to plan ahead in every way possible. Nothing is going to happen in the way that I expect it to, and I have to be open to the changes that are coming my way. A whole new world is opening up, but it's okay to still love the old one. There is nothing wrong with realizing that I loved high school, even though I would never have admitted it. College may not be the brand new beginning that you were looking for, and a few unpredictable factors are going to come into play, but I am going to learn so much about myself that it will all be worth it. There is no need to be afraid, for I really underestimated myself when I first got to college. However, I would also tell myself to remember that the people at college do not care how cool I think I was in high school. As a new freshman, you have to rebuild your way to the top. Overall, I would make sure that I know that there are people who will always have my back, and that the journey is incredible.

There are many things that I wish I would have known going out of my senior year and into my freshman year of college. First of all, I would tell myself to more adamant about applying for scholarships and different financial aid opportunities. I pay for all of my tuition and room and board and have been able to save up just enough money each semester to pay it off, but now I am transferring to a 4 year university and will need more money to pay off my fees and it would have benefited to have applied for more scholarships that I am not eligible for now that I'm in college. I also would have told myself to drastically change my study habits. I did successfully adapt to the college workload, but it was like bending a metal bar. If I would have known what to expect coming into college and had practice spending more time doing school work I would have been more prepared. Lastly, I would have reminded myself that this is just the next step in life and to not spend time worrying about what is coming next, but embrace and take each moment captive.

I would tell myself its not so scary, and to relax and connect with people. I am a very shy person, and I think I would have benifted more if I would have jumped in to more school activites right away. I would also have told myself to go out and see the world sooner. There's so many great oppertunites to take advantage of.

Making the transition from high school to college is deceptively difficult. At first, I believed I had an easy time adjusting to life in the dorms and to the new class structure. My classes weren't that difficult and I already had a plan in place. But because I never had to work much in high school to get good grades, I fell into some bad college habits early on. I let the social side of college become too dominant, and it led me to skip classes and miss assignments. My first semester I earned the lowest grades I've ever had, all because I didn't take the education side of college seriously enough. Even though I turned my behavior around for the rest of my college career, the mark doesn't go away. Meanwhile, the things and people I did focus on are no longer a part of my life. My advice would be this: never forget that the reason you're in college is to get an education. Everything else is just frosting on the cake.

If I were to go back to my High School Senior self I would start by telling myself to take college more seriously and get it over with. You have a scholarship for a short period of time that will pay for school, don’t wait and waist free money that you worked so hard at in high school to earn. It is not as easy, or cheap, as it seemed at the time to go back after taking a long break. Starting a family early is not the best idea and waiting until you have completed college to do so will lead to the most fulfilling life for not only you but also for your future children and the whole family. I know that you think you know it all right now but in reality you don’t and you will fall much harder if you don’t realize that this is fact. With that, try to give you mom a little bit of credit she has lived a lot longer than you and has a lot of life lessons that she can teach you so that you don’t have to learn for yourself the hard way.

The biggest and most advice that I would give myself is to continue on applying for as many scholarship I possibly can in order to not make my parents be the one who is helping to pay for my tuition right now. I could have listened to my parents about taking the oppurtunity to apply as much scholarship as I can so that I won't have to apply for loans that will create more interests for me in the future. As for right now, it is hard to find a decent job that will pay a good amount of money to work and because all I want to do is focus on is school, it is very difficult to find time to work and earn money. Motivation is one of the key things about being a high school senior transitioning into a student who is attending college. Without motivation, there is no way to become successful in life and in doing so, we students should not have to worry about money for college, but to have strength and motivation to apply for as many grants and scholarships out there in order to work harder in life.

If I could go back in time I would tell myself to speak with a career counselor before leaving high school becuase they are there to help students figure out a career goal. I would tell myself to live in a dorm, even though I cringed at the thought. Get involved with as many activities and clubs as possible, its the easiest way to meet people with your interests. Early on in college take advantage of the research opportunities, internships and study abroad programs. They are great learning experiences and look great on your resume. Ask as many questions as possible, ask for help. Make myself stand out. its easier to come back from making mistakes in college than in real life.

For starters, when looking into a laptop and printer, get one that suits your needs right away instead of having to go back and puchase something else. Also when you are at college, the professors make you print out alot of notes and stuff. Don't be afraid of using too much paper. It's normal to print out a book's worth of notes. Also, make sure to bring all of your clothes. There will be some classes that you will need to dress up for in a business, professional type manner. Lastly, there is no such thing as being too prepared. It's one of those things where you would rather have too much than not enough.

Dear Richard, When you get to college there are a couple of things that you should start doing right away. First of all, you should start studying for the GRE from day one. By the time you are ready to take the test they will be realising a new version. This being said it is very important that you sign up to take the old version. Second, it would be very beneficial for you to take a latin course. This should help your verbal GRE score. In addition, you will have many opportunities to conduct research. It is important that you take advantage of all of them. Finally, do not ever give up! Stay resilient! You are smart and will do great things do not let little things, or big for that matter, stand in your way. I will not say where, but I do want you to know that you accepted a Phd offer from a division one school. In turn, stop stressing out. -Richard

I would tell myself to buy a planner and be organized. There are times when you become overwhelmed and forget to do things like assignments and socail activities. Not only do you feel guilty but it also gives you a bad reputation.

I came to college unprepared and not knowing what I was about to get myself into. If I could go back in time to when I was in high school, I will tell myself to prepare more for college. In high school, I did many college visits but I never had the chance to join a pre-college program that supported financial aid. If I could I would definitely go back and make myself join a pre-college program that would get me ready for the challanges of college. I would also take more challenging classes and study harder to obtain good study habits. My first year in college I had several problem with finances. If I knew that I would be providing myself with my own class materials I would have saved more. I would have told myself to set goals for what I want to accomplish in college and start them as soon as possible.

Meet as many people as you can right away, spend an hour a day at least reviewing course material

Having completed my freshman year of college, I wish that I could go back to senior year and give myself a few pieces of advice. First, I have always been an extremely hard working and dedicated student. This is something I am very proud of. However, I would recommend to myself to not stress. This is something much easier said than done. I am a perfectionist, therefore, I often stress easily over projects, finances, tests, and assignments. When other students study the night before, I start studying and preparing weeks before the assignment is actually due. This past year though I learned that it does not good to stress. Another piece of advice that I would give myself would be to not take “senior classes”, but rather intense courses that would prepare myself for the college load. Like most seniors, I chose to take a variety of courses that did not greatly challenge myself. I experienced the result of this during my first year of college. To all high school students, I recommend taking advantage of College Prep classes and not take one-minute for granted, all too soon High School will be over and you will enter real world.

If I could go back, the first thing I would say is don't procrastinate. I have had way to many late nights attempting to finish homework and big projects. This then leads to falling asleep in class the next day, so I would advice myself to get enough sleep and pay attention in class, even though I know all the material. College isn't just about the grades and classes, so I would tell myself to get out of my comfort zone and meet new people. I would say get involved in as much as possible right away. The more people you meet and can connect with the better. I would say it is good not to have a job the first semester. The workload picks up in about a month and I am glad I had that time to study for tests and finish homework. Overall I would say not to worry about it because change can be a good thing. College is part of growing up and discovering who you are. Don't sit in your room waiting for an oppurtunity to arise, go out and make them yourself.