University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Top Questions

In attending The University of Wisconsin Whitewater, several concepts have become more important in my life. First, I would like to note that the positive aspects of my prior educational experiences in both High School and Community College have been largely overshadowed by those of UW-Whitewater. Attending this four-year university away from home has endowed me with a newfound sense of responsibility and a stronger desire to achieve academic success. The more specific field of study that I have been able to focus on through my Political Science Major has made me more interested in learning and applying my knowledge than I ever was before. I have encountered a more diverse spectrum of individuals than I did back home, and I have become more open to a new world of ideas and a more objectively-humane way of thinking. In a sense, I feel that because the educational stage here at Whitewater is much larger than I am used to, I am more inclined to "rise to the occasion" and challenge myself to work hard in order to reach my full potential as a scholar, a volunteer, and as a positively-productive member of my community.

Even though I have only attended college for one semester so far I truely have learned more than I expected to in such a short period of time. By living in the dorms I have better learned to live and get along with others. I have also had the experience to explore working with a variety of different people that very from age, race, and cultural backgounds as well. It has been valuable to attend this school and learn not only more about what I am interested in doing for the rest of my life, but also to help me apply the life skills and information I have experienced with other individuals to life around me and the lives of others. I hope that when I leave college and live in the real world and come across obsticles of life be my own or those of people around me that I will be able to apply past eperiences and learned life skills to a solution.

I actually went back to my high school and was able to give the students there some of the advice that I never got. I told them to make sure you start with financial aid and looking at schools as early as possible in high school. I also told them to choose a school that was right for them and not to choose where a boyfriend was going or where family wanted them to go. You are the one going to school so you have to make sure you are comfortable there. Make sure you study and go to class because you are there for school first. Don't lose focus. One more piece of advice would be to get involved on campus as much as possible. Of course grades are important, but if you are also involved, employers will see you as more well rounded. You also learn things that you could never learn in the classroom by putting yourself out there and being yourself.

If I could go back and time and talk to myself as a high school senior, the advice I would give myself would be "not to panic." My transition to college was exciting, but not the "scary" sort of event that my parents, and some of my peers tried to make it out to be. The result was that I tended to worry a lot about things like making friends, getting good grades, and even waking up on time. None of those things ended up becoming a problem, so it turns out that I wasted a lot of time in my last year of high school worrying about a bunch of trivial things. Specifically, my advice would have been to take the opinions of other people a little bit less seriously. Most of the people who thought of college as a scary or intimidating experience were in the same position as me: looking towards the future, scared of the unknown, and surrounded by the chaos that always ensues during the last few months of high school life.

If I could go back and tell myself one thing before entering college, I'd tell myself, "Don' worry, it will all work out. Don't be shy! Be open and friendly!" Even though I am a very friendly and outgoing person, I think all the fears and worries I had about college - from the finances to being in a new place and on my own, to the workload I would have - kept me from really being myself and putting myself out there to meet new people. Though I do have my close group of friends, I think having more people to relate to and be with when I was first there would have made the transition a little less bumpy and easier to settle into, and the worries less prominant.

If I could go back in time and give myself some advice I would first tell myself that I should listen to my dad when he says that I should save more money from my job for college. He was right, I would need it. I would also want myself to know that there is no point in stressing aobut college, everything will work out. The most important thing that I would want to tell myself though, is to always follow your dreams and do not compromise that for anyone. It is important to always do what is best for you and not what others want you to do because you are the one that has the dreams to live out. Live the life you want to live and do not let someone else change your mind!

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would probably tell myself to be more outgoing and unafraid of meeting new people and joining student organizations. Student organizations are a great way of meeting new people and making friends, and it's always nice to surround yourself with good people in an educational environment. I would also tell myself not to stress so much in high school and to just have fun because you're still a kid!

If I were granted the opprotunity to go back in time and visit myself as a senior in high school, I would tell myself not to worry so much about the little things that would happen. Such examples would be the Math, English, and Spanish classes are not that hard and are not the end of the world. Don't be afraid to ask other people in your class for help, and that's why professor's have office hours. One last thing would be don't get so homesick. I spent the better part of an academic year being homesick, to which I had a minimal social life. All in all, don't sweat the small stuff and trust your instincts

This is your last chance Joel! I have seen the future and you need to work harder in your classes. With this extra work you will earn free credits for college and possibly et a better score on your ACT. With these free credits you will save money and be ahead when you get into college. You also need to take more AP class so you can bring credits to college with you for waviers. Keep up the good work and dont get lazy, it wont help in the work you have to complete in the future.

Looking back, I would probably tell myself as a high school senior is that I shouldn't worry too much. Everything feels like it has fallen into place now. I shouldn't worry about the transition into college, it's a lot easier than what people make it out to be. Just stay focused on your homework and class, and you'll do just fine. I would tell myself that I need to do all my homework. I can't get away with not doing some assignments like I could in high school. I would tell myself that I should take risks and break out of my shell when I get here. What you get out of college is what you put into it. If you sit on the sidelines and do nothing, you won't make great stories to tell your future children. By becoming an active and outgoing student, you will look back very fondly on these years to come. This is where your true friends will come from. They won't leave you like your high school friends did. You will do great things, and these friends will help you see that. Don't worry.

If I could go back to that time in my life, I would have made the decision to enter college and not join the military. While joining the military was fun and rewarding and allowed me the chance to see the world, once I left the military I really didn't have any college education to fall back upon. I would also tell myself to take more math classes so that I could better understand the various forms of math that are used on a college and business level. Today, looking back, having made the choice to pursue algebra and other forms of math, would have made it easier for me today entering the Psychology Degree program at my current university. By making those preparations earlier on in life, I think that would have made a larger impact on what direction I am taking in my pursuits today.

I would be more careful with my spending, my credit cards especially. Also, travel more, this is the time to do it, take a study abroad class and enjoy your time learning about other countries and other people. I spent way too much time worried about getting the right kind of education that I didn't enjoy the time I had to just explore who I was and what I wanted to be. It took me a while to figure this out, but now I'm back in school doing what I'm finding I really enjoy and that's perfect. But again, my main reason for these scholarships is because I had to spend a lot of my own money to get through school. My parents are amazing and supportive, but not rich.

Entering into the doors of college is not a step I took lightly. My goals and objectives thoroughout high school and then college is to take a rigorous course load, find the area of study that best suits my abilities, and be the best I can be. I am a driven individual. One of the main influences that have brought me to a focused, hard work ethic was my family, also the transition from home-schooling to public school. Attending public school for the first time was a change for my learning style and social life. My teachers were unsure of my prior knowledge: my algebra teacher requested that I meet with him once a week to he could personally evaluate my skills. "How do you isolate the X in this equation?" he asked me. I was so scared that I said, "Just erase it."? I look back and laugh, but it makes me think about how far I've come. Academically I've adjusted well, taking Honors classes and holding a 4.0. Socially, I've made great friends. The only thing I should have done is, learn to do my laundry and cook something more than Ramen Noodles.

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school senior self, the advice I would give would be plentiful; -join student orgs (but not too many that you get overloaded) -leave your dorm room door open (and meet great new people) -talk to your professors and get to know them (believe it or not, they're normal people just like you!) -do something unexpected (join the college's knitting club, you'll meet tons of cool people) -study, study, study! (befriend the library and all the resources within) -say yes to random activities (college is the only time you can go sledding at 1 o'clock in the morning on cardboard boxes and not get made fun of) -call your family (and remind them of how much you love them) -smile at strangers (you never know who's day you might brighten with your pearly whites) -be yourself (find out who you really are and don't let anyone change that) -have fun (it won't be hard) College will be an amazing experience. Just be yourself and enjoy it (and since I'm your future self, I can guarantee you will).

You're a senior in high school and you should make the most out of this time. It seems like an awful lot of hard work, but it is meant to prepare for what is to come, which only gets harder. Try and have a lot of fun during the summer before starting college. Get it out of your system so that in the fall, you are ready to focus on classes. College classes are hard, but they are worth every bit of effort that you put into them. Follow the sentiments of the quote from Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale," which you have memorized since you read the book in sophomore year: "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum" ("Don't let the bastards get you down"). The little tragedies that seem to rock your world now are really only hurdles that expand your horizons, build character, and make you an even more awesome person. Instead of allowing them to crumple you, rise up and claim victory over them, and show the world who's boss. You will never regret standing up to a challenge, but you will always regret turning around and giving up.

I would tell myself that change happens and that there is nothing you can do to change that. If you continue to live in the past or can't accept things the way they are without having the determination to change them you will be deeply disappointed. Even if you want to change things some things are very difficult to change and some times it is in your best interest to let them be. Life moves on whether you do or not and if you ar e stuck in the past you will miss out on a lot. I'm not saying to forget about the past, remember it learn from it, but certainly don't try to live in it. Remember the only thing you control in life is how you react to what life gives you.

If I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, I'd advise myself to pick the school where I wanted to go; not where family and friends wanted me to go. I would go to the school that had the best program, that would suit me. As a senior, there's a lot of pressure to go where everyone else wants you to go, and to pick the school that will be the best for you financially. In the end, you have to be happy at the end of the day. It took me awhile to figure that out, but now that I know that, I would've picked the school that I am now currently at. I started out at another college and it wasn't the right fit for me. But now that I'm at the right college, I am much happier than I was originally. I'd also encourage myself to be more outgoing and to get involved in the silly activities that the colleges wanted you to get involved in. Also, knowing that no matter what, you have to pick a career that you'll enjoy for the rest of your life.

BE YOURSELF. College is the time to find out who you are, and you will never discover yourself if you spend all your time pretending to be someone else. Get active in things that interest YOU, even if that means you might not know anyone when going into a club or a classroom setting. Put yourself out there and get to meet new students and teachers. Don't be afraid to try anything knew, you'll never know what you truly enjoy until you try something new. Make your decisions based on yourself so that you can set yourself up for the brightest and most exciting future for yourself. And never be afraid to try something new or take a risk, it's what life is all about!

I would tell my senior self to simply, be yourself. Making friends and connections takes time. Be paitent and make sure to put on a smile everyday. The cost of college isn't something that can be easily paid off for most people. So be happy that you got the chance to go. Don't be afraid to ask for help either. There are plenty of people there, willing to support you. Join clubs! That also helps with making new friends. And remember that homework is the most important thing, you'll be getting a lot of it, make sure it's done right, and that you allow yourself enough time to do it.

I would tell myself to really buckle down. I would tell myself to save my money and look into scholarships and grants a lot sooner. I would want myself to really look into schools and majors, so when I finally chose what to do, I would be happy with my choice. I would make sure that my little self knows the importance of joining clubs and sports, and tell me not to stress on being 'popular'. I would tell me to actually go to school every day and to try my hardest. To not only get good grades, but to understand what I am learning. Mostly I would again stress the fact that college is so expensive. I would tell me that my parents aren't going to be helping out like other parents, because they have their own finances to control. I would tell myself to start building my credit as well and try to gain more hours at work and actually start a college fund!