University of Arizona Top Questions

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would give myself some useful tips about college. First of all I would ensure my high school self that college is a whole new experience like nothing you could imagine, but there is nothing to be afraid of. Tons of people are going through the same thing and are just as nervous, so relax. Another thing I would tell myself is to be more outgoing towards people and in order to make friends you really have to go outside your comfort zone and put yourself out there, but it will be well worth it! Finally I would tell myself that I need to study, hard. High school work is next to nothing when it is compare to the workload and difficulty of University level college work, but time management is the key to earning top grades. If I had known some of these things when I was a senior in high school I probably would have been more excited about this experience and less stressed.

Start looking at colleges today! Figure out if ou want a large school or small, private or publice and so forth. Also, ask around and see what others have to say about college. It is never too soon to start figuring out where you want to spend the next few years of your life and what you are looking for in a college. College is an important time in life and people grow and learn a lot while off at school so when picking a school it is key to find one that works well for you. Also, first semester will be hard. Figuring out what is expected in college, adjusting to a new life and for some a new living situation are just a few examples of all the challenges to be faced in this new and exciting time of your life! Enjoy every moment for college truly is some of the best years of your life.

I would tell myself as a high school senior, friends truly do not stay in your life forever. One can only live for themselves. So I would tell myself to do more things that would benifit my own future. Stop worring so much about what my friends thought and worry more about where I was going in life and create a better plan of action for myself. The senior life is not going to last; however, your college career is what builds the rest of your life. Take college applications, scholoarships, and money more seriously. It really doesn't matter who makes your jeans, just as long as you are wearing a pair and you still have money to put in your account for later. Instead of going out to a class party or out the the beach, write a paper to attempt at getting a scholarship. That way, at least I could say that I tried. Last but not least, I would submit as many applications as possible to all the schools I was interested in. Its better to have an overwhelming about of options then no options at all.

Dear me, I am writing this letter to you as a means to tell you of things to come, new and exciting. First of all, congratulations on your upcoming graduation! It was definetly a close one with chemistry- but you, we did it, we pulled it off. Now to the main part...Yes you will get accepted to the U (better get used to the saying "Bear down"). However, this will be no easy task- and I must warn you that you will commit a very big mistake during your freshman year- you will lose sight of the task at hand, and you will instead focus on other irrelevant things that can wait. It is my hope that you will take every precaution to avoid this, but just in case history is already written, never give up- not even in the face of armageddon. Your friend in time, you P.S: I would give you more advice but the scholarship folks threatened to kill our family if I did.

I would let myself know to not get too over-involved on campus during my freshman year. It was interesting, but overall not good for my academics. Also, I would tell him to get more involved with the cultural centers and to major in Spanish and Mexican American Studies from the beginning (with a major in Latin American Studies) and to not spend time thinking about majoring in Nursing as the science classses were hard. Finally, I would tell myself to take some community college classes while in high school, mainly English. That way, I can get some of those early courses out of the way and focus more on what I want to study.

Now is the time when most adults you encounter are going to say two things. First, they'll warn you in foreboding voices that you're about to make the most important decisions of your life. Then they'll cheerfully ask who, what, and where you want to be for the rest of your mortal existence. Right there on the spot, as if you would know. If that makes you want to cry, GOOD! It's okay. You're not supposed to know yet. College is a voyage of exploration rooted in the art of adaptation. Everything will be new, but realize that there's nothing bad about that. Here's what high school is actually for: learning how to learn and learning how to work. Hard. Between orchestra, AP classes, clubs, and life in general, high school gives you a chance to learn balance. College will force you to balance, so learn well and set out at a comfortable pace. It doesn't really matter where, as long as it is forward. Remember that an object in motion has an easier time staying that way. So explore, don't fear mistakes, and be grateful that thorns have roses.

I would tell myself that college is an altogether different experience from highschool. You can't survive college by being the shy,reserved person you were in highschool. You need to "break out of your shy shell" and grow into a "social butterfly" because college is a huge step in your life and you need friends there to support you and help you make that transition. Also, aside from being more social, you will definitely need to apply yourself and develop study habits. This is crucial in the college environment. Other than telling myself to be more open to making friends and applying myself more, there isn't anything else I can think of to tell my past self about my journey through college thus far. I'm fairly pleased with my transition and I wouldn't change much.

High school was so easy for me and university is so hard. I stay up at least two times a week to do projects for Architecture. But high school was the easiest time of my life. If I go back to high school I will take more advance classes to get ready for university level. Another thing that I would do is to take my electives at night in community college so I don’t have to take them in university and I don’t have to pay as much.

GET TO KNOW PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO THE SAME SCHOOL, and leave your door open the first week. Do all your homework don't allow yourself any slides just because the professor is going to drop the lowest one. Also, your grades in high school matter a lot, all four years; just because you are in an honors class and the grades are weighted doesn't mean it is okay to get a "C". Colleges look at your unweighted GPA, the only time your weighted GPA matters is in your class ranking. Apply for scholarships as soon as possible and don't procrastinate doing them because you have to write an essay; you will end up missing out on a lot of potential money. Get a job now so that if you do need loans you can start paying them off right away. Just because you don't think you need anymore of a particular subject doesn't mean you don't have to listen when the professor introduces the next level; you never know you might end up deciding to continue studying in that particular feild. Overall, don't stress but think about your future.

Knowing what I know now, I would give myself the advice that being an adult is not as difficult as I made it out to be. As a high school senior I was extremly naive and assumed everything would work out magically. Not true. Adulthood can be a very difficult transition since society expects us to conform to a certain standard in which we don't fully understand. Moving away from home, bills, tuition, insurance, can all be confusing and scary. I would go back and tell myself to not think too hard about what being an adult means, to not focus too much on what my parents would want, but on what would make me happy. I have to make myself happy, but also understnad responisibility. Life moves on, move with it. We quickly learn that we have to work a lot harder to get where you wanted to accomplish. You can't let the real world kill your spirit. Even though you have to work hard to get what you want, if you believe, you will get there. I will tell myself "Claudia, just keep your head up. Believe in yourself. You are smart and special."