University of Louisiana at Lafayette Top Questions

Dear Past Nick: Please understand that just because you live in the same town as ULL, that doesn't mean that it's your only option! You're a very dedicated student, who has stuck with his major ever since he chose it, and a lot of schools in the area have great programs. ULL is a "cheap school," but you'll be working your butt off just to survive, and that will hinder your grades. Please apply yourself in applying for scholorships, since you have the grades to back it up. You don't have many extra-ciriculars, but that's because you're constantly studying and workign just to get by. I wish you luck once you get to college, but honestly, you'll do fine. Future NIck

Knowing what I know now, I would advise myself to not put assignments off to prevent me from feeling overwhelmed. I would also suggest that I go to as many free events and make as many friends as I could but avoid dating for a while. I would suggest this because going to college events and making new friends is a wonderful part of the whole college experience but dating tends to create additional stress and can lead to unnecessary drama in a person's life.

Becoming a senior in high school can be very fun and exciting, but it can also be very stressful. Students looks forward to being the students that run the school. Many students stress because they need to assure they pass all their classes to graduate, prepare for all their last school activities and last but not least prepare for graduation. If I can talk to myself as a high school senior I would recommend to enjoy myself and take school seriously. Being independent and not relying on others is very important because in college teachers just asign the work and it is the students responsibilty to complete the work on time. I would also recommend to high school seniors is that don't make friends your main priority, although friends are always great to have, most friends you have in high school will not become long term friends. Just focus on yourself and studies and do whatever it takes so you can have a bright future and succeed in life.

The advice that I would give myself is to accept that college life is a different world from the high school setting. It offers the student independence from parents rules and family obligations such as chores. The college life allows the student to grow and mature into that young adult because the student has so many decisions to make. The college life can be a good or bad experience based on the choices that the student makes such as whether to stay in the dorm and study or go out and party with friends. The college student needs to be well-balanced and a quick decision maker. The student has to know where to go and how to talk to people about the different majors, community involvement, and other available events such as greek life. Overall, the student has to know how to plan ahead and keep organizers such as calendars so that deadlines for test, work, job requirements, and other events are not missed. The college student needs to find time to do volunteer work, which is something that I missed out on during my undergrad years. College life is a different world that goes beyond 8 hours .

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior with the present knowledge that I have about college life, I would advise myself to escape from adherence to the constraint of responsibility. I’m glad to currently be in the process of getting a Degree; however, I am regretful of my decision to attend the University nearly 20 miles away from home. I felt obliged to not worry my parents and the anxiety that I wouldn’t be able to support myself, had I gone elsewhere. Consequently, I feel confined from life-learning exposures and opportunities because nothing happens in Lafayette and no one amazingly famous comes by for a brief visitation. Community activity in the city and even on campus is minimal and people, though friendly and kind, live day to day with firm beliefs and traditions that bore me to the bone. I was terribly unaware of how the matters surrounding my source of education could somehow depress me but now, I recognize that the most practical decisions does not always result in the best outcome. If I could go back, I’d tell myself to just let go and live.

I would say Tina, think about your future. Consider what you really want out of life and measure your actions and behavior against your goals. There will be many distractions and it will be up to you to silence them or allow them to gain large amounts of your attention to set you off track. You'll have fun developing friends and relationships that may last a lifetime but remember to keep your education above everything else. Friends are special but a quality education is priceless. The one thing that can't be devalued by an employer, is the discipline and dedication it takes to be committed to a goal long enough to finish it. So be careful with the decisions you make and never be afraid to talk to an expert or an academic professional about an issue. Many are willing to help if you let them. If you continue trying to succeed and become determined not to give up, you get to your destination no matter how many cracks, detours, wrong way signs, and closed roads cross your path.

Please! You’ve got to listen . I know things seem impossible right now. I know you're homeless because of your Mothers alcoholism, but leaving school is just going to make things worse for you. It is going to send you into a life you never wanted for yourself. Trust me please, I have been there. I know how incredibly difficult your life will be if you don’t finish high school and go on to college. You will marry way too young; and have four beautiful daughters, but your marriage will be very abusive. You will have low paying jobs, and your beautiful little girls will suffer from it. By the time you get the chance to go to college you will be forty years old. Being legally blind and taking care of your girls while trying to earn your degree will be completely exhausting. You are going to look back and wish with all your heart you had stayed in school, and earned your degree. Leaving school now may seem like your only option, but I don’t think you realize that your only option is to stay in school. Do it for yourself and for your girls.

I would tell myself to become even more involved with campus activities and also to become involved early. This would be a great way to meet even more people and to explore and learn different interest. I would also tell myself to not be afraid to try something different and to also stay involve in sports. Staying involved in sports will help you to continue to be healthy and fit. Additionally, I would let myself know that I am smart and I have so much potential to make a change in the campus-community and the community surronding the campus.

I wish I could go back in time and talk to the 18 year old, peer pressured, high school version of myself who cared more about upcoming video games then he did about his own future. In truth, all the advice I would give myself is a recycled version of things my mother tried to tell me. But, like requests to clean my room, it was ignored. I came out of high school with a mediocre GPA and mediocre goals for college. I simply wanted to take the easy route and get a degree to appease my mother. But, as I started to manage my finances, I learned very quickly how much living expenses cost. Aside from living expenses, I began to see how much of a financial drain my social life became. It wasn't until I met a friend of mine in my sophomore year that I learned a valuable lesson. This friend of mine, an honors student, had scholarships aiding him to pay for his tuition. Although short, I would tell my former self about what the future will hold for him, and I would tell him to do everything possible to bring up that GPA.

I have gained more knowledge and it was able to prepare me for the new world post college.