University of Delaware Top Questions

There are a few important things that I know now that I didn't know as a senior and wished I had known prior to starting college. First off, I would tell myself that saving money, however small, is a great endeavor. I recieved small scholarships from my high school and other sources. Within the first month of college, I was down to less than $100 due to books and room supplies. I would tell myself that college is a extremely different place than high school. In college, your success is based on your actions. There is no one there to force you to go to class, or constantly behind you telling you what to do. Many of the poor choices that you make have lasting consequences. Lastly, I would tell myself that college is an environment in which everyone has different goals, therefore not everyone acts in your best interests, so choose friends wisely. Many students have a different view on the college experience. Some view it as a place to drink and have sex, others as a place to get good grades and a great future. The people you surround yourself with determines how you view this experience.

If I could talk to my high school self, I would try to prepare myself for how difficult it would be to be so far away from home. Growing up, I prized myself on being able to live a wholesome life with a clear conscience. But as you get older, it seems that making the right decisions gets harder to do. If I could go back and tell myself anything, I would warn myself not to see the world as strictly black or white. Grey is a huge part of life. Things won't always be clear all the time. As you get older, right and wrong, good and bad all begin to blend into each other. I would urge myself to be less judgemental and more lenient towards others but especially myself. The world judges you enough without your help. Ultimately, I would emphasize patience, because thats the only thing that will get you through any transitional phases in your life.

If I had the capability to go back and warn myself in my senior year about transitions with college, above all I would say to relax. I remember having spent my senior year worried about every possibility no matter how improbable it would have seemed. I remember far too many sleepless nights, wondering when I would receive a response from the only college I applied to. This concept also falls into the amount of self confidence, if I was aware of the fact that I was a strong student and capable of achieving any goal. The second warning would be for the need to develop studying skills. Unlike high school, studying every night would be a necessity. These studying skills would also have to coexist with time management. Time management would be imperative when paired with work friend and family. I would truly have to tell myself that I am far more prepared than I could ever believe.

Knowing what I know about the college life I would give myself as a high school senior, plenty of advice. I would definitely tell myself that I would need to be safe and be aware of all of my surroundings. You never know what could happen especially to females. I would also say that "I" should have time to enjoy myself because times do become stressful. Learning how to balance time and to be organized is a big key in college. If someone is not organized it is easier for them to get overwhelmed and stressed out. Also a big thing is to stay clean and wash your hands whenever you can. This can help prevent you from getting sick or the flu. Another huge part of the transition is to beware of the tests. In most classes the grade is the tests that you take. Study as much as possible. College is fun but it is also a major part of life so make the best of it and make sure you keep your grades and get involved.

The first two years really aren't as important as your last couple of years in school because you're just getting the basic classes out of the way. I think you'll make the right decision by choosing to stay in Dover for your first two years rather than moving up north for the next four. You're going to save yourself and your parents ALOT of money and you'll get more time to grow and mature as person and to save all your cash for those last couple of years. Always give yourself time to decompress but also know when it's time to buckle down. Continue to prove the doubters wrong by managing your time wisely towards your son, your future job, and your education. You will be great and do great things, not only for you and your son but for plenty of other people.

Going back in time to talk to myself as a senior would benifit me so much. When ariving at school I realized that I am totally on my own and I needed to learn how to make dicisions and prioritize my things to do. With that learn different ways to study and not procrastinate oin my homework so that I can be the most successful student I can be to achieve my life goals.

After completing my first semester of college I have already learned and grown so much since my high school senior year. In high school the priority for many students is to look better than their peers, be the sports superstar, or be the most popular. I've learned these past few months that once you get to college none of that matters anymore. You're no longer the most popular girl in school, where everyone knows your name and watches your every move. In college you're just another face in a crowded 300-person lecture hall. You have to start all over; make new friends, learn the campus, and acquire new study habits. I wish I could go back to my high school years and tell my self not to be so worried about what other people think of me and focus more on school. College truly is a big step up from high school and your senior year you should do everything you can to prepare yourself.

As a high school senior, the thought of being thrown into an unknown world is extremely daunting. One has no idea what to expect and advice does not change that. However, if I were to give myself I would say that your experience will be different from everyone else's, that is just how it works. But take every event, test, occurrence, and let yourself enjoy it. College opens your mind to so many new things and you must be willing to learn and change based upon them. In a matter of months, your life changes drastically; be prepared for new friends, extremely challenging coursework, and the fast paced life of a college student. But most of all, be prepared for how these factors change you as a person. College undoubtedly alters a person, but you must stay conscious of these changes and ensure that you come out as the person you want to be. Nothing can truly prepare you for college except an open-mind and a strong sense of self.

Think about what kind of contribution you want to make to the world. Are you satisfied with graduating from college and working at a menial job for the rest of your life, or are you interested in making a difference? Going to a big school, it's easy to get lost in the crowd, and it can be hard to make the connections you might want to really make a difference. In a big school people tend to stick with people just like them, because it can be difficult to get to know people from other backgrounds. If you are interested in meeting all sorts of people, going to a small college where everyone knows everyone else will probably end up being a better fit. Once you get to college, make sure you are yourself from day one. If you aren't, like I wasn't, you will end up in a group of friends that you don't fit in with, and you may miss out on opportunities you will later regret. The bottom line is to always be concious of what you are doing, what you want to be doing, and where you want to end up.

The first bit of advice that I would give myself would be to look closer at the curriculum of my major of choice so that I can plan out the classes well beforehand and eliminate the any issues of scheduling classes. The second thing that I would tell myself would be to learn as much about as many programming languages and their core principles that I can before graduation. I would tell myself this because this would give me more time to enjoy programming than deal with the bothersome steps of learning how program in a specific language. Finally I would tell myself to remember that as serious as college is, it is not a life or death situation and all things pass in time.