University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

Be yourself, become more involved by volunteering and try out for sport teams like you wanted to. Take more chance and challenge yourself more. Follow your dreams and always do your best. Do something different every day, and actually live life to the fullest. Look for the best in yourself. Bringing smiles to those you know is what you love the most, so why not try to make someone new have a brighter day every day. There is always going to be struggle, theres no way around that be even so, live for today and look forward to tomorrow. Just be yourself and you'll be fine. You will miss high school's simplicity once you're in college so be grateful for the time you are giving here. Depend on yourself first before relying on others, you can always count on yourself to follow through. Create better study habits thats for sure. Also, get a job and start saving up, believe when I say, you would have wished you had done that earlier, a lot earlier.

Don't be afraid of the unknown but embrace it! I was really homesick as a freshmen but I’ve learned the best way to overcome this is to get out there! Do something to pass the time. You will meet new friends, who will eventually become your “home away from home.” Go out there, join organizations, volunteer, or even find a job! The opportunities are endless when you are in college; it is a time of self-development (there is no one to tell you what to do, the choices you make are yours). So, use this time wisely, have fun, challenge yourself, learn new things, and expand your horizons. Have fun but at the end of day, don’t forget to call your parents, let them know how you are doing. Not only do you embrace the unknown but never let failure knock you down. Follow your heart. You may be rejected five, ten, or even hundreds of time but don’t let that discourage you. Pick yourself back up. Believe in yourself. Know that you can win by following your passion.

Try harder in AP classes! Take that test, so you don't have to take an entire semester of the class again! Also, start networking NOW. Put yourself out there, shake hands, and keep in touch with EVERYONE. People like helping other people, it makes it much easier if they know you!

Realize that college will change you. You may end up doing things you never thought you would do, but take everything as it comes with the best sort of attitude possible. College is what you make of it, so make it worthwhile.

I know it feels like the whole world is finally unraveling before you and you are basically the master of it all, but take a step back and look at the bigger picture. It is difficult, I understand, because you have just finished 12 years of schooling and you feel invincible. However, be open-minded. Don't think you know exactly which degree you will earn or which friends will follow you to graduation. Do not think you're above the Freshman 15, or that you will be able to cram in a semester of material the night before each of the three tests that will make up your entire grade for a class. That stops in high school. Be aware of college debt. It exists-but it is okay. College is the best investment you will ever make. Love the time you spend in college. Take classes that make you fall in love with learning. Take a risk and get involved on campus. Step up and be a leader! Your resume will thank you. Make friends that will be at your wedding. Meet the person you'll marry. Truly treasure each moment; it'll be gone way too fast.

Two girls, young women really, sit down at a table and study each other. They look the same, although one is a younger, more sullen version of the other. After a moment, the slightly older woman leans forward and says urgently, “Jasmine, listen to me. What I say next will shape your life immensely. The younger person begins to listen as she is told to be more present in her senior year. She listens as the older woman tells her that although things might seem bad and difficult, they are actually valuable opportunities for growth. She’s told not to retreat into herself when she feels that she doesn’t fit in, but to instead make an effort to learn about herself and others in the times that she is ignored and shunned. Instead of being prideful, she should ask teachers for help, because they will explain things far better in one-on-one situations. Above all, don’t take AP Chemistry, but take something fun instead. This will set the precedence for her class taking habits in the future, and she won’t use Chemistry later anyways. The older Jasmine says a lot, and hopefully, she will listen.

Grasp every opportunity you have. A university is filled with resources to learn, connect and improve. Don't wait until you are half way throught to explore these options. If you see a club that is vaguely interesting, join it. Chances are, you will be captivated by the people you meet. If you see a job opportunity in your freshman year, apply. Working is a great way to instill discipline and time-management capabilities. If you find a field of study more enlightening to you than the one you chose, pursue it. Your heart sometimes know better than your mind. A university is a place where you meet the most opportunities, but it can also be the place you form the most regrets. The people you meet and befriend should be the people you keep in touch with for years to come. The lessons you learn will be stepping stones to the full of your aspiring career. The most substantial thing universities offer is choice. You have a choice to make the most out of the four years and come out as a radically and wonderfully different individual.

" The value of a quarter" Looking back at myself in high school, an myriad of suggestions comes to my mind but something that hits my head the most is to somehow take my driver’s seat out and recover all the quarters I have lost over the years, I mean what is college without quarters. You need quarters for everything; laundry, parking, vending machines, printing and countless other things, without which you can’t even survive a week on campus. While all these quarters might not cover the college expenses very significantly, it definitely establishes the true meaning of the phrase “a penny saved is a penny earned”. Living on campus meant that I had to keep record of every dollar I spent in order to have spare money in my pocket every time I had to leave my room, which taught me the ‘true value of a dollar’. So going back in time I would only have one suggestion for myself; to save as much as I can, yes that would mean I would have to skip a fancy latte every morning but the money I save in high school could mean a lot more to me in college.

You have confirmed your acceptance at the university of your choice. You attend summer registration with your major decided, and choose all your classes for your first semester. You get there in the fall and immerse yourself in classes and activities for your major. You're doing everything everyone has ever told you you are supposed to be doing. There's just one problem: you hate it. This is certainly not everyone's experience, but it was mine. And even if you don't hate your major, everyone at one point or another experiences a bit of doubt. Sometimes what you expected isn't the reality. If I could talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to explore all of the possibilities. Before summer registration, peruse the list of majors on your university's website. Select the ones that interest you, even if you think you are positive of your major. Look for gen eds related to those majors that you can take during your first year. Explore related activities (but don't overwhelm yourself during your first semester). Try anything that might interest you, even if it scares you. ESPECIALLY if it scares you.

Be nice and talk to everyone. Everyone wants to make as many friends as possible. Exclusivity ended with junior high. In junior high, if your parents won't buy you new jeans and you grow 3 inches you're in a tough situation. By high school, you already have more power over your destiny than you realize. Tear down walls by asking a question, any question. Get people talking. Don't be afraid to admit you don't know something and show vulnerability and ask for help. People want to help, and you're opening up an avenue for them to ask when they are in need. Humans aren't meant to live in isolation, everyone benefits from knowing as many people as possible. Talk to those who are outgoing and the quiet ones, too. Get everyone talking. Your social circle will be huge, you will get such a sense of satisfaction from the network you built for yourself and others, and the dynamic of the environment becomes entirely different. Everyday, every person, every room: get talking.