University of Arizona Top Questions

In highschool, I was the type of student that just did what I needed to do to get by. I was never very ambitious. This played a huge part in my decision to join the Air Force. The only thing that the AF required from me was a diploma, and that was easily attainable. I think if I were to go back and give myself advice, I wouldn't change a thing. My military experince truly shaped who I am today, and was the best decision I made. I would, however, tell myself to study harder, learn more. I feel that I recieved a great education, but it could've been an even better one had I applied myself more. I can honestly say that I now understand the value of an education. I understand the work that is needed and the time that needs to be set aside for my studies. I am a completely different man now at 25 than when I was a young 18 year old boy. I credit that to the path I chose, and wouldn't change it.

If I had the chance to go back in time and better prepare myself for college, I would tell myself to focus my time on scholarships. The amount of stress centered around finances for school is overwhelming. I would tell myself to apply for scholarships and financial aid early and for evert scholarship out there. There are so many different scholarships that it is easy to acquire of the time and effort is put into them. I would also tell myself not to slack off my senior year. Take hard courses and stay focused the entire time. This would of helped my transitions from a relaxed senior year to a hard working freshman year.

As you go into College not everything will be given to you or easy. You may hit rocks along the road but part of this new journey is for you to learn to control you wheel and continue going on. Family and friends are there to support you through thick and thin. Never think you are alone on your new career. Finish everything and do not ever give up. You are the first in your family to graduate now go out there and study hard because in the end it will all pay off. Make schedules and time for all your class work so you do not forget or lose track of anything. Now go and do you absolute best.

If I could go back in time and advice my myself as a high school senior I would tell my old self that I should deciede to go straight to college instead of putting it off for a few years as I did. I would tell her that she doesn't feel ready for college because public schools didn't prepare her for college, so she should go to community college, and to get the most out of it as she can. I would advise the importance of attending class in college. Not only physically being in the classroom; but giving her full attention, listening mindfully, taking notes, and interacting in class conversations. I would get her ready for the reality that she will be paying her way for college. I would tell her how to save up money now, because she won't learn how to for about another 4 years. The most imporant advise for the making the transition into college I would give to my high school senior self would be; if it's 3 a.m. go to sleep, the paper will be better if you write it in the morning.

Being sure about the major that you want to pursue should be one of the top priorities. No student wants to waste their time paying for a course that won't do any good if you decide to change your major. So making sure that that major is the one major that you want to see yourself doing for a while should come before anything else. Also, entering a university fr the first time can be really scary. Adjusting may be hard, especially if you're new to the state and everything around it. I suggest that you take everything easy in the beginning so you won't have to undergo a very dramatic change for your freshman year at a university.

I would tell myself that the transition, socially, isn't going to be as difficult as I thought it would be. However, I would tell myself that the workload in college will be as much as the teachers have warned us. I would say that the work isn't necessarily difficult, but rather it is time consuming and it is a necessity for a good grade. There will still be the people who don't care about class and their grades, but these people will not last long in college. Also, you should try to avoid these people because they can be toxic to your college career. You should surround yourself with people who care about grades as much as you do. Final words of advice, the transition will make itself over time. You will be stressed and distraught over grades, because the tests aren't like they were in college. However, you will need to remain strong and persevere through the hard times. The gratification for getting a good grade in the class will outmatch any of the work that you put into the class.

As a college student time management and getting involved with your school is in my opinion the most important factors to succeeding in college. The work load is tremendously different from that of highschool and community college so I would stress the importance of getting every assignment and task done early in addition to keeping up with a planner because it will definitely free up time to socialize with friends and go off campus to distress from the work load without worrying about any assignments. Time management is a key component to making your college experience much easier because it helps you avoid the struggles and consequences of procrastination that will ruin your college education, thus, your entire life. Getting involved helps students get the full ambiance of the college experience because through different clubs and activities there will be a lot of socializing and getting to know other students with different backgrounds. When you get involved through clubs such as SAE, a baja racing and building club, then you get to experience first hand what it is like to be an engineer and the all around work ethic needed to succeed in such a prestigious major.

Dear Sydney, First off, I would just like to say college is not as scary as you think. Yes, traveling across country, by yourself, starting a new school with thousands of strangers does seem a bit intimidating, however, just remember that every other freshman is walking in your very same shoes. Secondly, stress is apart of daily life, and don't you forget that! Stress will find you no matter what, there's no hiding from it, but do NOT allow it to overpower you; take control. Last but certainly not least, the best piece of advice I could possibly give you is to follow your heart; you know what's best for you. Procrastination will be your biggest enemy throughout your college years, but it doesn't have to be. Go for it! :-) Syd

I would definitely search and try to obtain scholarships as many as I could.

I would tell myself that I made things harder then they were. To keep away from distractions of my goals and to focus. I took to long to graduate and felt as though i wasted alot of time. I would have love to be given a second opportunity to push myself and believe in myself as well. Have confidence.