University of Arizona Top Questions

If I were given the chance to go back and talk to my high school self, the most important thing I would tell myself about college life is to enjoy it but also to 'work first play later'. It is easy to get caught up in the 'college lifestyle'. Meeting new friends and having this new found sense of freedom can sometimes get in the way of why your really going to school, to get a degree and a career. After college is over, you'll forget the parties, but your grades and accomplishments while in college will forever benefit you in whereever you go in life. I would also want to make sure I told myself that I don't have to live up to anyone's standards but my own. Everyone in college is there for different reasons, some because they were forced and others because they have goals. I'd tell myself to stick to MY goals no matter what, your going to make mistakes, and your going to do great things, so worry more about the great things you've accomplished and instead of giving up, learn from the mistakes. So, "work first play later".

If I could return to my senior year and talk to myself about college life, I would tell myself that it's tougher to earn good grades in college than in high school, and to maintain high grades requires doing more than just attending class and taking notes. I have learned that professors sometimes test students on reading material not covered in class, and that there is no such thing as extra credit in college! Understanding the syllabus and grading system for each class is critical to success. Along with academics, it's also important to reach out to other students and make friends in your dorm and your classes. Good friends can help you through the tough times (and there will be tough times!). Also you should look for clubs and extra-curriculars to help balance out your academics because you can find great friends and faculty through those activities. I would remind myself to get involved in as many ways as possible on my campus, because the more involved I can be, the more I will gain from college. And I would tell myself to have fun along the way, because you're only a freshman once!

I would tell myself to get better grades, take more AP and honors classes, be more involved in school clubs/organizations, and work harder.

I was homeschooled through high school so my transition to college life was different from a lot of my fellow students. Not only did I have to deal with the increased work load, and make decisions for myself for the first time, but I had to begin understanding my fellow classmates, professors, and how their personalities would mesh with mine. If I could go back in time and talk to myself in high school I would tell myself to not care about whose cool or popular, don't right off anyone because their different from you and accept people for who they are. I quickly found in college that the best friends are often not the kids with 1200 friends on facebook but the kids who appreciate me for who I am and respect me for doing the same.

I was told by my mother that being a nurse was an amazing job, so without second thought I spent high school balancing classes, phlebotomy school, and CNA training to begin my life as a nurse. Once I applied to college as a pre-nursing student I had my entire life planned out. One problem, I didn’t truly want to be a nurse. I was passionate about another career but I had already made a plan, and in my mind once a plan was made… it was made for good. If I had the chance to talk to “high school senior me” I would tell myself that passion is more important then any plan I could possibly make. I would tell myself to not be so afraid of change, that college is a time to find who you are and what you want to be; a place of a million possibilities. It’s a place to create your own path, not follow someone else’s. I would tell myself to be confident that everything is going to be ok, even though it might not seem like it at the moment. That is what I would want myself to know.

If I were able to go back in time, the thing I would change is my studying habbits. After my first year of college I learned that procrastination is my worst enemy. I believe that if I worked harder senior year and learned to study weeks prior to a test I would not have had such problems. Highschool did not get me ready for this new adjustment of studying twice as hard, and more often. So if I had to choose to change one thing it would be to teach my self that waiting till last minute to study will not get you far in college.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to be more active. I think there are too many things I missed out because I was too scared to step out of the box. It wasn’t until my junior year that I started doing new things. I wish that I would have done more my freshman and sophomore year. I also wish that I worked harder. Sophomore year I slacked off at school and my grades suffered. I wish I had stayed on track because then I wouldn’t have had to work so hard to bring my grades back up.

If I were to go back in time and talk to my high school self, I would let myself know that you should take you time to decide what you really want. Others cannot make the decision for you. My greatest downfall was accepting a school for everyone else and not for myself. That is the major piece of advice I have for myself: Do what makes you happy. You cannot please anyone unless you can first please yourself.

You cannot always control what happens in your life but you can control how you overcome each obstacle. You may struggle with late night studying, cramming for exams, paying for tuition, balancing your time, and even a broken heart. You will make mistakes and you will feel overwhelmed; but don’t be afraid to take risks by branching out of your personal and academic comfort zones. Just don’t lose sight of your dreams because in the end you will be the first college graduate in your family. Stand by who you are and do not change for anyone but rather embrace and stand by what you believe in without compromising your judgment of character. Smile everyday and allow this phase in your life to be the stepping stone towards becoming a better you. Remember to breathe because it will all be worth it in the end. I promise.

First, I would have to yell at myself for not taking the SAT's or ACT. I got accepted into the University of Arizona before taking either test so I figured I shouldn’t take the test because I have already been accepted. That was one of the dumbest choices I have ever made, not taking the tests cost me AZ Assurance which would have paid for my tuition. That combined with my FAFSA would have also given me a nice little extra amount of money on the side. As for advice on college life the most important thing I can say is "STOP PROCRASTINATING!". I got fantastic grades in high school even though I had bad habits but I learned the hard way that these bad habits will get you nowhere in college. Still, learning the hard way is better than not learning at all. Second, there is a very popular website called Ratemyprofessors.com where students can look up their potential professor to see what the class is like. I would tell my high school self not to rely on this website because the information is inaccurate too often to be reliable.