University of Florida Top Questions

Don't be scared, or at least don't show it. That's it. It is understandable to go into such a drastically new experience with a certain degree of fear, but to a point where it consumes your life, you'll do nothing but resent everything and everyone around you. College is when you will find yourself. You'll learn of your passion for animals, your fear of the cubicle, and your passion for thinking and learning. College teaches much, much more than the facts and information found in textbooks. College also teaches about who you are as a person, what you want out of life, and how you want to achieve that. You'll learn that the jaded and detached nature of your high school experience was a function of the mundane and reduntant nature of the process, but in college, you are the master and commander of your own ship, you hold in your hands the roadmap to our destiny. My last piece of advice is this: when you pick a major, don't pick it for the attractive paychecks, the stability, or the dental plan, do what you love and do it well.

Oh goodness, there are many things I would like to tell my high school self. The first thing I would say, is not to skate by in the easy courses. Take a risk, you and I both know you would do well in AP courses. Stop being lazy and put in the work required, you'll be kicking yourself when it comes time to apply for colleges. Instead of doing nothing, get on it as soon as you can. Watching all your friends start college while you keep working at Marshalls will make you feel like a failure. Don't let that happen. Do the work, put in that extra effort, you will be glad you did.

If I could go back in time, I would urge myself to go out and meet more people! I went to college with my best friends and through the duration of my first year of undergrad, I barely made any new friends. When you are embarking on this new journey, it is so important to put yourself out there and embrace new people and new cultures. College is the time to discover who you are and who you want to be. I was so afraid of being seen as "weird" by trying something new or I was too afraid of failing at these new things-- That is not the mentality any college freshman should have! Take this time to try something out of the ordinary and take every opportunity that is thrown your way, because you really do only live once! Go to every random club meeting and enjoy every minute of it. Don't spend all your time with your nose in the books either. You only have 4 years in college, take advantage of every aspect college has to offer-- clubs, sports, strange classes, you name it!

If I could talk to myself when I was in high school, I`d tell myself to have fun every now and then and blow off much needed steam. Studying is important but releaving stress is also important. Short term stress is good,and long term stress is bad. Even if the stress is getting to you and is practically eating you alive ,always rememebr the importance of what your doing and how good it will feel once all that hard work has paid off. Also a tip on studying is to rememebr each part of the study guide or notes correctly atleast 5 times in a row before moving on to the next section or taking a break, otherwise keep keep trying until you can do it 5 times in a row without any mistakes or stalling.

After explaining the logistics of time travel and calming down my high school self, I would tell him (me?) how I learned to survive my freshman year. College was a kick in the stomach; coming in I had illusions of college created by the ridiculous movies that National Lampoon makes. I thought classes were a joke, I could sleep until noon every day, and that I would never have to study. I would administer a swift slap and explain to myself that none of this is true. You need to buckle down and get ready for classes that will cram more into a day than your previous classes had in a week. Chemistry will be no joke; in fact, you’ll fail your first exam (something that has never happened before) and you’ll have to work your butt off to scrape out an A. Don’t put yourself in that situation, past me. Yeah friends are great, and volunteering is rewarding, but at a certain point you will need to lock yourself in your room and stick your nose in a textbook. Just before leaving, I’d say “it’ll be hard, but I guarantee you can do it”

Learn study skills now, before you get into a class where they are desperately needed. Be vocal in your education, if you have a question do not be afraid to ask it. Make as many friends as possible while you are in college. The more friends you have the better your experience will. Last, but not least, do not be afraid to try new things BUT do not lose yourself in the crowd.

Dear Jose, don't even think about going out during school nights! Stay in and study, study hard! It may seem your alone at first but there are resources in school that can help you! Form study groups and apply for as many scholarships as you can! Do not worry about getting a job or going to the gym twice a day! What counts is your education and it will pay off in the long run! Don't get distracted by all of the parties and girls that'll come later with life. Now you have all the time to focus on yourself development and school will make you a better person in the long run! Build a connection with the professors, make sure they know who you are. And another good tip that I know is as much as you study you can still enjoy youself. What has helped me with exams are study all you can and the night before go out and watch a movie or hangout with friends. Trust me it seems crazy but it helps a lot with the stress. Good luck, you have a lot of potiential! Love you!

The main advice I would tell myself as a high school senior would be to enjoy the people around me and take every opportunity presented to make new friends. UF is a huge school, and it can often be very lonely. My freshman year I met new people and made good friends, but I was still dependent on my friends from home. Sophomore year brought a complete change that I am eternally grateful for. I moved into a dorm with three random girls, who I would now consider my best friends. I also met their friends and formed close relationships. The main thing I realized through this experience is that people here are open and excited to meet others. Being so introverted can become a negative thing when there are thousands of opportunities to not feel like a small fish in a big pond. Had I known this before, I would have taken a bigger initiative to meet people last year, rather than settle for the familiar. The friendships made in college are life changing, and it would be a mistake to not take advantage of the possibilities to meet people. Live every moment. Laugh every day. Love beyond words.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself in high school I would tell myself two things. One would be to look for more scholarships. When I was applying to colleges I didn’t look for scholarships outside of what the colleges had awarded me and when I got a scholarship to my dream college I thought I was set. I had a great first semester and loved the atmosphere, the challenge and the teachers, but when it came time to look for loans for my second semester I couldn’t find anyone that would help me. On top of the scholarships I had already received I needed an extra $8,000. I was devastated when I wasn’t able to go back, but then I just took a breath and made a new plan. Breathe is another piece of advice I would have given my high school self. Make the best of what you’re given. Once I learned to do this everything came more easily to me. I made a new plan. I would go to the community college and get the classes I needed and then transfer to a school and pursue my future.

The advice I would give myself is to have learned better studying habits and techniques. As I have progressed through college I have come to the realization that the studying techniques that were ok for high school won't cut it in college. I would also tell my self to apply for more scholarships even though they weren't needed for the school where my AA was attained.