University of Connecticut Top Questions

1. Go to UConn. It's a great school. 2. Learn some study habits. Seriously, you started me off with NOTHING. 3. You'll transition to college fine, don't even worry about it. 4. Don't stress so much. 5. You'll love that job you applied to on a whim more than anything. It gives you more self-confidence, and great group of friends. Oh, yeah: Lauren isn't there to scare you.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would let myself know that college is going to provide many open doors and opportunities. When I was in high school I remember being motivated and I thought I could go on to college and pursue a profession in anything. Little did I know, college life is very competitive and you cannot succeed by giving 99.9{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} effort. The important thing is to be yourself and and give it 110{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. I would also tell myself not to worry because it is okay not to be completely sure what you want to do in life at 18 years old. College is about experiencing things you didn't know you could do. Through my general education thus far in college, I am learning that I have an immense passion for Psychology and I would not have known that if it wasn't for my general education at my college. Thanks to my experiences in college, the last thing I would tell myself in high school most imporantly is to be yourself and know you are capable of great things.

The advice I would give my former self is to prepare for college before graduating. It becomes harder to stay motivated to go back to school after so many years of holding off. I would shake myself and tell myself that if I don't start now then I'll just keep getting lazier. Also, I'd tell myself to quit being stubborn and to listen to the people that are only trying to help me. If I knew then what I know now, I would've been able to avoid a lot of disappointment.

Dear Amanda, College is very different from what you are expecting it to be. You will be attending a college online in your second year, and be able to work with other students who may be in the same situation as you are. As a single mother, you will not have as much time as you may think. Instead of taking four classes and going to school full time, you will be going to school half time in order to spend more time with your son, Parker. Your first semester in college, however, will be at San Jose City College where you will study to be a teacher instead of the biology major you are looking forward to getting now. At San Jose City College you will meet many great friends that will last throughout the years. There will also be teachers you meet that will change the way you perceive the world and children you will work with in the future. Although college is challenging at times, it will be the most rewarding time in your life. There will be many great memories and knowledge you gain as you acquire the skills you need to become a great teacher.

Don't be timid or intimidated by the students, professors, size, or facilities of the campus around you. Going into college you often hear the term that you are now going to be a small fish in a big pond. However, what I've noticed is that you can make the pond any size you want, no matter what the physical size of your university is. The most important thing to realize is that you are not inferior to those students who have been here for more years. You are as important as you make yourself. Many times you may think that some experience can't be done as an underclassman; although this may put you at odds with a situation, you never know until you try. Email a professor if you are interested in doing research with them, talk to the president of a club you are interested in, and take charge of your college life. Being thrown into a new setting with the thought that you are just a tiny insignificant figure won't get allow you to experience all that you can. Remember, even the smallest fish can make a ripple in a still pond.

As I look back on my high school senior year, I was very comfortable, had a personal relationship with all teachers, won scholar adwards in all subject areas, was ranked 13th out of 469 students, and life was good. Having completed two years at college, I don't think that high school really prepared me for college life and the academia world. I went from having 30 students in a class to 350 students in a lecture hall. I am quiet by nature, so the transition to college life was a bit difficult. If I had the chance to go back and give myself advice on college life, I would definitley say to visit the campus area more than three times, get to know your advisor really well, keep a journal, and make lots of friends that have different likes and dislikes. Getting to know the rigors of being on a varsity team and the travel involved might have made a difference in whether or not I chose to participate in a varsity sport. It really takes great time management skills, something I never had to worry about in high school, as things always came easy, and find a mentor.

If I had the chance to go back in time and talk to my high school senior self, I would tell her to have a detailed plan for any goal. I would tell her that just having a goal(s) is not enough. She would need to plan out the steps to reach the goal and to have a back up for each steop so she would not waste time later planning a back up. I would also tell her to trust her instincts and to not be afraid to change her goals when she realize that her originals goals does not suit her ideal for a happy life. If I have known of these suggestions back when I was a high school senior, I probably would be enjoying a career as a nurse practioner right now; however, the mistakes that I have made up to now have helped mold me into the better planner that I am today as a purse a career in nursing.

Stay on campus, even if the campus is not far from home. It's the first time you'll be able to spread your wings, and be stupid but also be able to deal with the consequences without parents breathing down your nexk. True friends will always be there for you, and they'll love you more for the person you become when you allow yourself to take time and find yourself. My only regret was not staying on campus, and commuting instead. I missed out on clubs, sororities, and all the new friends I could have made.

I would advise myself on two things- social life and academics. A social life is important in college, learning how to meet new people and make new friends. I found this difficult but I probably would have had an easier time if I tried to be more outgoing in my freshman year. I was afraid to attend social gatherings because of the pressure to drink. It's important to not be afraid of that pressure and not to try it because everyone else is doing it. In terms of academics, remember that you are there to learn and build your future. Work comes first, play comes second. I've seen too many people fail because they didn't take their work seriously. Also, be determined. Don't quit something because the work is hard. If you are going to quit, do it because you don't like it or you can't do it. I didn't give up even though there were several times that I wanted to quit my major. Be resilient and don't give up. And if you get down and think you can't do it, your family is always there for you.

Every freshman should know that Uconn Stamford is a great campus to start their uconn career on. You receive the same quality education as one would at Storrs but the tuition is cheeper, and it allows you to work and save money. Freshmen should also know that transferring to Storrs is almost a necessity after 1-2 years at Stamford, because the Stamford campus is limited by the amount of professors they have and size, and cannot offer as wide of a variety of 4 years degrees that Storrs can.