University of California-Irvine Top Questions

I spent four years in community college after graduating high school, because I left clueless about what career I wanted to pursue and wanted to gain a sense of direction before attending a university. I spent two years at community college completing general education requirements before I discovered my passion for biology, and then another two doing biology prerequirements for transfer. If I could give myself high school self a piece of advice, it would be to not feel underwhelmed with my choice to attend community college. At the time, most of my classmates were sending off applications to impressive schools, and I only sent out the one. Even though I spent a long time at community college, I've never regretted it. I was given so many opportunities during my time there that have made me into a better student and a better member of the community. I had the chance to tutor biology on campus for two years, I got to work in the gardens on campus, I got to explore all kinds of majors, and I don't think I would have gotten to do that if I had went to a four year college right away.

Stop caring about what other people think. Stop comparing yourself to others. Just because you see their many achievements and you see you have none does not mean they are better than you as a person. If you envy them so much then stop being lazy and learn to be like them. Stop slacking off and procrastinating. Complete everything way before the deadline and don't be afraid to ask questions or talk to other students, chances are they are as clueless or as scared as you. Don't be afraid; take chances.

Having come from a mostly Hispanic and low income community, I was not ready for the amount of diversity in the student population I encountered at UC Irvine. The experience of being around people from different cultural, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds was really new to me. Although I always have been, I would advise myself to be open-minded. The best way to learn is to accept all new ideas. I would also advise myself to accept the sacrifices I will have to make, such as financially. I believe I must do what has to be done, whether it may be loans or picking up a job, because all sacrifices will be worth it in the end. Most importantly, my advice would be that everything happens for a reason. I will have to make decisions that might seem permanently binding but, after consulting with advisors, the answers to those big decisions will lie inside of me. I would remind myself that I know what is best for my own future. If I could go back and give myself some advice, I would tell high school senior Alexandra to not be nervous about what is to come in college.

Knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition, I would have encouraged myself to take more challenging courses, especially AP courses, during my senior year and I would have told myself to apply for scholarships much sooner. In addition, I would have told myself to set aside certain materials that are necessary in my dorm instead of just giving them away, to apply to more UC schools, and to cherish all the activities and events throughout senior school year because high school will end before I know it.

Do not get so cocky about your high school accomplishments. Most of them do not matter once you step foot on campus. This gives you an opportunity to start over and make a name for yourself again. Do not get lazy, so join a few clubs and organizations to have fun and give you something to look forward to during the week. You may also think that since you did so well in high school, college classes will be a breeze. It won't, not because the work is any harder (some of it is, though) it's mostly because the grading is tougher, so you have to step up the work anyway. Do not underestimate the professor's ability to make you life a living hell, but also do not underestimate your own ability to overcome that.

If i could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself a number of things. First, I would tell myself to avoid all distractions of any kind, because they will affect your academic performance and self-value. Second, I would tell myself to work harder and do the best I can do and to not compare myself to others because my abilities and talents are far different from the rest. Thirdly I would tell myself to believe in myself and to not doubt myself because everything is possible regardless of the obstacles because hard work and suffering always pays off. Fourthly I would tell myself to join a sport, join clubs and volunteer at a hospital because later you will regret it later when you are filling out college applications and scholarship applications when you have nothing. Finally, I would tell myself to always sit in the front of the class the very first seat if possible or close, ask all the questions that I have and anything that I am not sure about and study until you understand everything that you must know and also do not procrastinate at all.

I would tell myself to just let it happen, but get a job and save my moeny wisely.

Stop using the internet so much. Do all of your assignments for your classes. Study for AP tests sooner.

I was never someone who let anyone down, never someone who gave up on people, sports, academics, etc. But when high school came around, I really did start to give up on all those things. It became difficult for me to fit in, be myself, and not get judged for it. I played 3 sports and took as many AP classes as I possibly could. Let's just say I LOVED to overachieve. I was also really competitive, and sometimes, that affected my friendships/relationships with others. Now that I am in college, I see that a lot of those things hurt me, and a lot of those things helped me. Going into college I wasn't thinking that the people weren't going to change much, and that things weren't going to get any easier for me. So if I were to go back in time, I would tell myself to keep at the hard work. The people you went to high school with will probably not even talk to you when you go to college, and the people who matter most are the ones sitting on the couch watching movies with you right now.

I would tell myself to start researching ways to improve my studies and experiences in college. For example, if I want a job, I should have started looking for opportunities in the campus that were being offered for the fall quarter. Also, I would tell my high school senior self that I should continue researching the different majors and job opportunities in the schools that I am looking to get into. It is always better to know more about the outcomes and information of the educations you will be recieving before actually going through the education. And finally, when I have already chosen what college I will be heading to, I would look for the various major and minor options that are being offered at said college. I regret not knowing about the classes that I have to take before going to college, as well as the different minors that are offered.