University of Florida Top Questions

As a college freshman in his second semester at the University of Florida, I could give a lot of advice to myself in the past. I might try to convince my senior version to develop study habits. I might tell him that I should set study times that I must follow, and not deviate from them unless circumstances are critical. Maybe I could say that he should never miss a class, regardless of how tired he is, or if he feels a little sick. Even if class starts in five minutes, he should still go and just be late. I could tell him to be more aggressive when looking for a job, and to be more dedicated when he gains the opportunity to work. I could tell him all of this, trying to make his life different than what I went through by using specific events. However, I can sum everything up into something simple. The thing I would tell him is this: live to the fullest, do everything you can to be happy, accomplish every task you are given, and do not regret a single action. Life is too short, so live it right the first time.

Decide early and quickly which career path you definitely want to go down. Too many students drift around intoxicated by the plethora of vaguely interesting course titles. Remain focused or else you will end up locked in to a major with too many credits to switch to another one. READ what is assigned, most courses outside of science classes are easily passed by simply doing the assigned readings on time. This is because most students do not read and so the professors are forced to teach the material as if no one has encountered it before. Get a job with tips and get it fast: pizza delivery, waiting, and bartending are the ideal jobs for achieving financal freedom in minimal time and they happen to be in very high demand in college towns. Skip out on binge drinking: party whe you want but avoid heavy drinking since it is the number one cause of all student problems e.g. pregnancy, rape, failing grades, fights, death, car wrecks, injuries, losing security deposits, robbery, arrests, destroyed relationships, etc. If you are going to be designated driver get paid. FOCUS ON LEARNING NOT ON GRADES too many 4.0s with no brains.

Now at 25 pursuing a second bachelor's degree, I would say to my young, more fit 18-year-old self just six words: "Don't let time pass you by." Even at 18 I think I would've understood, but in case I caught myself on a slow day, I'd elaborate with the following: "Kathleen, it goes by in a blink. Take more pictures, take more chances. Keep your arms and eyes open to all, and soak up every stream of opportunity that comes your way. Don't worry, you won't drink too much, but you know what? Drink even less. There's too much to discover! If you see an activity that looks even remotely interesting- go for it! When else in your life will you have the chance to attend unlimited numbers of free lectures, seminars, performances, exhibits and so on? Umm, don't park out of your assigned lot. They will give you a ticket, and $20 is way too much to pay for a quicker walk." "And one more thing, naive girl. Save your money! Just because you have it doesn't mean you need to spend it. Save now, stress less later!"

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would encourage myself to gain study habits. Although I didnt have to study in high school, if I would have enforced a routine of at least looking over material that I learned at a certain time of the day, I would have excellent study habits now. Study habits are important in college because the material is in depth you have to truly understand versus just retaining information. My advice to myself would be to really try to understand the material which may include outside research rather than just remembering what I need to know. I would also advice myself to gain orgainization and time management. In college every moment is valuable. You can be spending time with a friend, getting a head in class or practicing for a show that you have coming up for a organization you're in. In high school I took alot of naps instead of taking the time to get more acquaintant with my homework as mentioned above and I missed out on opportunities to join clubs because I was not organized in planning my days.

If i could go back in time i would probaly tell myself how to enjoy the little things alot more. College is the transition between the free life of highschool and the real world. Its the time that you discover your self and what you can be. In high school you stress out for all the wrong reasons. Its the last time in your life you can really on people to push you along. Being pushed to excel to even greater heights isnt a curse its a blessing. Yes you might be working harder then those around you but it will help you in a big way later in life. With all that said though i would have to say the most important thing i could tell my self is that at the end of the day it doesnt matter. To much of life is spend on stressing about this or that when really there not important enough to pass on to the next day. Life is a linear path that always goes forward, dont let the weight of yesterday drag you down.

Applying to college can be an exciting and intimidating time for a high school senior. If I could go back and give myself advice knowing what I know now about college, I would suggest three things to myself. First, I would advise applying for more scholarships. It never hurts to make the effort to recieve some of the free aid that so many organizations are offering, and it helps fund all expenses, from books, to living, to studying abroad. Second, I would suggest getting involved in more activities, and not being fearful of not having enough time for school work. Being involved on campus helps with academic time management skills and it provides a way to meet new people and make new friends, which is essential to adjusting to a new town and college campus. Finally, I would tell myself that it's okay to be undecided on my major in college for a little while. An undergraduate degree is not necessarily the determining factor of what I will use my education for in the future. I would remind myself that college is a time to grow, have new experiences, and discover the person I am supposed to become.

As a big fan of the arts and a self-proclaimed "theatre geek," I had a small, close-knit groups of friends in high school who were all involved in my drama troupe with me. I did not become truly close with these off-the-wall, quirky people until I had a falling out with my initial group of friends- who would have been stereotyped as the "popular kids". My falling out with these people caused me to shun mainstream thoughts, delve into theatre, and change completely. While this transformation helped me discover who I was in high school, it caused me to have an attitude towards those who reminded me of my former narrow-minded companions. If I could go back in time and give myself advice to help me in college, it would be to be more open-minded towards everyone I meet. I would tell myself that everyone is special and everyone deserves a chance to be known. I would tell myself that I could not possibly know who someone is just because of his or her apparel, friends, or community affiliations. Thankfully college taught me these things and it is better learned late than never.

Take advatange of all the resources that college has to offer. The social life may have been a priority in high school but will have to take the back seat for college life. Do not get stuck the same routine of going to class, then heading back to your dorm for studying, with the occasional surfacing in the cafeteria for meals. Take the time to make new friends and be invlovled in campus activities. It will help give you break from all the school work and if you are far from home it may help take your mind off being home sick. Remember just because you declared a major for college application does not mean you are bound by contract for the rest of your life in that profession. Take a few moments to think of what you ulitimately want out of life and what you are wiling to sacrifice or contribute to attain that goal. Make sure the decisions that you are making are ones the you are pleased with. Not just your family's ideal of what you should make you happy. Have fun! High school may have ended but life has just begun.

If I could have known one thing in high school about the University of Florida, I would have liked to know how key it was to get involved on campus. While I have a few leadership positions including Vice chair of College Republicans, I feel like I could have done a lot more with this knowledge. Now it is a little too late to get involved in my freshman year and I feel like I may have wasted too much time. Having known this as a high school senior, I could have gotten more involved in high school, so I could have put more on my resume in college. Though guidance counselors say that you get a clean slate once you get in to college, it isn't true, at least not from other students' perspectives. This is important because students run the organizations in college and are therefore more influential. Employers and graduate schools look at a student's involvement, and if you didn't do enough in high school that can cause you to be less involved in college. Basically, I would have told myself how important high school involvement really is to the rest of my life.

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