University of California-San Diego Top Questions

Make the time to discover not just what you're good at, but what makes you feel good to be a part of. Make the effort to meet and engage people of similar interests, even if they seem to be at cross purposes to yours. Never underestimate the importance of true friends. Be wary of anyone claiming to be a 'true friend'. The goal itself is not half as important as the means by which you attain it. Exercise regularly, in ways that you'll find rewarding over the long term. Pick your habits carefully; they will not leave you half as easily as you'll want to leave them. If she (or he) really loves you as much as you think they do, they'll stick it out with you to the end, and they'll be dissapointed if you don't.

Make sure you try to secure all of your past relationships with friends, because once you get into college, it'll be so much harder to keep in close touch with them. Value every memory with every important person in your life, because the year will pass by quick and memories will start to become a bit hazy. Push yourself both academically and creatively as soon as school starts, don't get too sucked into socializing because as the year goes on, you'll eventually meet the great, creative group of people that you are comfortable and belong with. Take risks, as long as it doesn't have too great of a negative impact on your health, because you don't want to live the rest of the year, or maybe the rest of your life, in regret of what you could have done. Guard your heart, because there will be wars. Opportunities will rise, seize them.

If I could go back in time, I would advise myself that it is alright to have high, and sometimes almost impossible-sounding, dreams. I would not have dissuaded myself from applying to a lot of schools in which I had realistically little or no chance of entering. Even though I had been denied by many schools, having my dreams shot down is better than never having any dreams at all. In addition, I would also tell myself to apply to as many scholarships and financial aids as possible so that I would not encounter problems funding my education later on. I had degraded the importance of money, and didn’t apply to the smaller scholarships because I didn’t think the reward was worth it, but now I know that every little bit helps. I would advise myself from being haughty so that I may be saved from the many problems, worries, and bad consequences that had happened as a result of it. I wish that I had not been afraid to make any outrageous decisions and to have more confidence in myself to do whatever it was that I wanted so that there would be no regrets.

Know what you want to do and be very orginized about how you do it. If you don't know what you want, find something you enjoy and take the classes that will get you there so that it won't feel like a waist of time and money in the end if you change your degree. Be smart about studying! Don't put it off if you don't have to because trust me, it'll hurt in the end when you realize it's on your next major exam. Don't take semesters off if you can help it because when you come back it's hard to get back into the habit of studying and testing. Just try to have fun and enjoy yourself. You'll find it alot easier to get through the semester if you look at things positvely and have fun! Once you realize your not at school to hold yourself back and take away your fun, but to give you a chance at a great future and a happy life while having fun, it just turns into a matter of keeping your eyes on the prize!

Hey, I know you think you're going off to a prestigious school and your mind is set on declaring a biology or chemistry major so you can take the MCATS in 4 years. Let me tell you, GE's are GE's no matter where you complete them. Slow it down, think about your options, and consider going to a two-year community college near home so that you can save money and the headache of competing against GPA-driven people just like yourself. Once you get the straight A's, you'll be a great candidate for UCs, not mention, have a better GPA so that you can get to your goal. Also, be wary of who you befriend. Just because girls claim they are Christian and Holy, that doesn't necessarily make them the best roommates. Most of all, just breathe. School can be overwhelming and it could be a giant mind-game. Once you get on the right track and get that first A, you'll be driven to get more. Don't forget to take chances and open up. Oh, and take fun classes!

I didn't know much about college when I applied because I started my college-prep school later than everyone else did. It was mandatory to take certain classes in high school and it was also mandatory that we applied to 4 University of California campuses and 5 California State schools. Because I didn't know what to base my choices on, I made a lot of decisions on the accounts of what other people suggested. My advice is that it is okay to go into college undeclared because at 18, you don't always know what you want to do with your life and college is a place for learning different things and finding out what you're passionate about. I was told to major in psychology, a field I knew absolutely nothing about. Though it is interesting, I found out in college that I'm more passionate about art history and international studies. I suggest that during the first year, take the necessary general requirements but also leave room for classes of interests.

If i could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would definitely stress the importance of getting involved in more extracurricular activities aside from research and volunteering at hospitals. I would tell myself to go outside of my comfort zone and to particpate in clubs to find new hobbies and new friends. However, the greatest thing I would stress would be to engage in an activity that would be extremely rewarding. I recently had the pleasure to become a counsler for Camp Kesem (a camp the students of UCSD setup and raise money for children whose parents have been affected by cancer). It has been one of the most gratifying and amazingly fun experiences I have ever had. The only regret I have would be that I can only do it for one more year before I graduate. In this regard, I would tell myself to find more clubs or organizations that help the community because this kind of particpiation is mutally beneficial to both an individual and the community. Affecting lives for the better is truly an amazing and satisfying experience. Truly, these are the important aspects I would tell myelf.

One of my biggest concerns with going off to college was getting far away from where I lived and trying to go somewhere that everyone knew about. If I could go back, I would tell myself that a lot of the criteria I had for a school really does not matter that much. Financially speaking, going to an out of state school costs tremendously more than an in-state tuition. Realistically, I would tell myself that no matter where I decided to go, I would get a very good education if I put in the time and effort into my studies and applied what I knew to the real world. It would save me a lot of time and effort trying to convince myself otherwise. Basically, I would say that staying in the state would be a better choice because I would have less financial issues to worry about. In the end, a college experience will be what ever you make it to be and as easy or difficult as you push yourself. So dream big, but don't forget to be realistic, because in the end, you will benefit more. :)

If I could travel back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell her that college is one of the greatest times in your life, but it is also one of the greatest growth times in your life. College students get wrapped up in the social aspect of college, and I'm not just talking about parties. Some students believe that it is important to live on campus to get the full "college experience". But, as I learned, that is simply not true. You can get the full college experience by hanging out with friends and still focusing on academics. Colleges offer so many opportunities that you don't need to live on campus to get them. But above all, I would say that the best advice is to find an even balance between academics and friends/social life. You don't need to drink to make your social life fun, you just need a good group of friends. But it is important to find that balance because that's what makes college useful (academically) and memorable. That's what helps you become the person you were meant to be.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to take a couple more classes during Running Start so that I could have gotten more credits while my high school was paying for it. I would also tell myself to try and get more hours at work to save more money for college. While I saved up quite a bit of money, it certainly would have made things easier if I had saved up even more money. I would tell myself to take another year of American Sign Lanuage so that I would know enough to actually communicate with the deaf community. Lastly, I would suggest that I do more volunteer work while I had the time to do it, because now that I am working full time, it's difficult to do very much volunteer work, and I feel guilty that I can't help others more.