University of California-Santa Barbara Top Questions

Be open to new ideas

I would say to remain as calm as possible. No one is as judgemental in college as they are in high school. For instance, if someone falls in high school, some people would laugh, but if you fell in college, people would actually show more compassion and sympathy for you. Also, everyone is more mature and social in college, so making friends would be extremely easy compared to high school. Honestly, if I were to see my high school classmates again, I feel like I would be friends with them all since I'm so social nowadays. Sure, there is some social anxiety, but everyone is so social that you don't have to initiate much anyways.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself that grades are not everything. If there was one lesson that UCSB taught me, it was that a lot of the important and practical experience and knowledge does not come from the classroom, but from outside the safe confinements of campus. In addition, if you are interested in something and the school does not provide the resources for the learning you desire, it is up to you to go out there and find it yourself. There are two mottos that I live by and had wished that I had known these mottos sooner. The first one is: "Failure to accomplish any goal is not due to the lack of resources, but to the lack of resourcefulness. " The second motto is : "If you're not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space." The first motto has allowed me to always push for what I desire and to not give up from discouraging setbacks. The second motto always reminds me to push my limits, try new things, and take risks; otherwise, I would just be an average Joe and we have enough of those today already.

The biggest piece of advise I can give is to have an open mind. Do not go into college having numerous expectations, because they will not come true. You have to roll with the punches because you go through a lot within your first year. Don't shut down when you have a bad day, because it won't help you at all. Yes, there are times when you just need to take a good nap, but not all the time! Find people who you are comfortable around. You don't think you will need emotional support because you think you are ready for these new changes in your life? Wrong. I promise that you will have mental breakdowns at 2 in the morning and need a friend to get coffee with and vent to! College is a great experience, but only if you do it right. Don't go crazy because your parents can't tell you what to do anymore. I have seen too many beautiful people in the hospital because they do that! Be safe because there are crazy people in this world that do not care who you are. Love yourself and be you!!!

Your life is so easy right now. You see your friends every day (and let's not forget the fact that you actually have an established group of friends), and you don't have to worry about paying for classes or books. You may complain about the obscene drawings in ink around the borders of you economics textbook, but at least you didn't have to pay for it. When you go to college, take legible notes. I know your writing looks like chicken scratch right now because you want your teachers to think you're paying attention, but none of that will matter. When you sit in an auditorium filled with 600 other students, the professor will not care what you do. So have some integrity and actually pay attention. Don't scroll through tumblr on your laptop or listen to music during lectures. Even if the class bores you to death, you might be surprised and actually learn something if you start listening.

The first thing I would tell myself is not to allow anyone else to influence my choice of college. When I was a senior I had a boyfriend who lived in Santa Barbara, and because of this I chose UCSB rather than the out-of-state schools I had also been admitted to. If I could go back, I would choose differently. Not because I don't like my school, but simply because I came here for the wrong reasons. I would also tell myself to not be afraid of putting myself out there. The transition this year was hard for me because I've always been shy around new people and it takes some time for me to be comfortable with them. While this might have been okay in a class of 175 people, it takes a little more effort to make friends in college. You can't be afraid to start up conversations or ask someone to hang out on the weekend. I would tell my senior self that now is the time to be bold and confident, and that there's no reason to worry.

I would tell myself as a highschool senior to enjoy every minute of the experiences to come. I would not have changed one thing about my four years at UCSB. Everything I learned, all the people I have come to know and love, and the incredible opportunity for education was irreplaceable. I would tell myself to remember every minute of the laughter with friends, the challenging papers to write, the stress of all nighters that strengthened my mind and my relationships with roommates, and most of all the love I learned to have for myself and the people around me. I learned to appreciate hard work. I learned that being vulnerable was okay. I would tell myself to savor every coffee and Freebirds nacho order shared with my best friends. I would tell myself that I was going to be okay despite the period of unemployment that followed after graduation, and that I should never regret that time I invested in my education. I will tell myself that all of those experiences will lead me to finding my partner who has encouraged me to pursue my dreams of teaching and encouraged me to attend graduate school for education.

I wouldn’t advise myself to do anything different as a senior because the choices I made to focus primarily on academics and to ignore a popular social life shaped me to become the determined, hard working college student I am now. Academics in high school could be extremely stressful at times, and it pushed me to grow not only as a student, but as an individual. I would at least advise myself to recognize and respect the determination and resilience I had gained through my rigorous studies, and to use these traits in college not only to succeed academically, but socially as well. I would also remind myself to continually grow as a person and a student by remaining open-minded about the various opportunities that may come my way to learn something new, whether it be learning about another person’s culture or picking up and honing a new skill that will benefit me in the future.

It was completely correct to get involved with as many organizations and activities that you did when you were in High School. Although you would have gotten to "better schools" if your GPA was higher but the foundation that every student should focus on is participating in sports, joining clubs, and doing volunteer work. So honestly, I have nothing to say about the transition to college and say good job. However, I would give you better advice on women and to tell you that you should have just gone out with those girls who liked you instead of being a shy, "I'm too tough for love" type but alas this is about college, not dating. Now I'm almost 30 and still single partially because of you! Silly High School self. But you've done great for the college part.

If I could go back, six years and tell myself about college I would tell myself this. Never say no to anyone who is asking you to do something that will not cause you pain. Attend the club that someone invites you to, say yes to that study group, agree to go to your friends ballroom dancing recital. Everytime you get an opportunity to say "yes" take it. This ensures that you are exposed to every single person that you absolutely can be, and meet a whole variety of people. I do not regret all the things that I did in college becuase I did say yes to most people and most things. However, as time goes on people declare majors and start to hang out in a certain crowd because their career dictates the types of people you interact with everyday. While I can still interact with people with various backgrounds we still all share a similar history at my job. College is the only place in the world where you have direct access to someone who has absolutely nothing in common with you, and you can learn about them without fear.