University of Mary Washington Top Questions

First thing I would say is Do Not Quit. My biggest mistake was quiting before I completed college the first time. I would also tell my high school senior self to join as many organizations and societies as possible. I realize now if I had surrounded myself with common minded people I would not have quit in the first place. I would tell my self that when going away to college that is several hours away from home, I should surround myself with a second family. That second family will help me not be so homesick, and would give me the support I needed to complete college.

If I was in High School once again, I would advice my self many things. One of them would be to get A+ in all my classes since my freshman year. If I would've done this I would've become a part of the Top {4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}10 of my class or even a Top 10 student or even better a Valedictorian. A+ grades in all my classes would've gotten me many scholarships and I wouldn't have to worry about the money. I would also adivce myself to be in many extracurricular activities, these would've been very helpful to me and would help me get many shcolarships as well. And last but not least I would advice myself to save money for college because it is very expensive and the more you are prepared you are for it the the more succesful you will be; money plays an important part in college life, not only for tuition and fees but also for food, textbooks and many extra thing that come out every now an then. Conclusion is, good grades, getting involved and being economically safe is the importantest thing so we don't struggle when going to college.

Be more outgoing: talk to your professors and your fellow students more. Ask and answer questions more often and better. Make conversation with strangers and always remember that everyone else feels awkward too. Be yourself and assert your feelings because you never know who will love the weirdo that you are, and if you don't ask for something the answer will always be "no." Don't be too afraid to make mistakes that you don't do anything; you WILL regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did. Speaking of which, study more. A lot more. I know you have motivation problems, but it will pay off in the long run and it's not like you have anything better to do anyways! Also, save even more of your money than you already are, and this applies to Sophomore year too because you'll have some problems with the IRS and your financial aid will get screwed up Junior year and you will need it desperately. Other than that, don't stop being awesome. You're great. I may regret your actions, but I love you. Sincerely, your future self.

If I had the opportunity to talk with myself as a high school senior I would turn it down. The best part in knowing what I now know about college life was experiencing it for myself. Living in a dorm room followed by an apartment, I was finally able to make my own choices and inevitably mistakes. Life will always hand us great risks, but without risking possible failure we will never succeed, we will never have the opportunity to better ourselves or our world. I have also learned that much of what I value about college is not my final grade or even my paper diploma that now hangs on my bedroom wall, but it is the journey through the college maze. Within it I found friends, professors, and family to lead me through. I also figured out how much I could rely on myself for strength. Even though I might be able to make some of my choices easier by visiting a younger me, I would hate to take away what I learned from the difficult times. And without them I would never appreciate the best times. College made me the best version of my high school self.

I would also tell myself that the most important thing to take with you is what you believe and your confidence. I would tell myselft to not rush growing up. It will happen in time. Don't waste time trying to be older, because when you get there, you wish you were younger to have less responsibility, worry, and grownup things to deal with. Lastly would tell myself to not to stress out about or be so dead set on going far away or going to "popular" or "big-name" college, because when you get here, you realize that popularity was for ameteaur high schoolers, the "biggest" name here is the lady in the dining hall who every knows and loves, and you realize that you miss your family like crazy. College is just another season in life. Every season has its significance so cherish the season you are in and treasure every moment!

The biggest advice i would give to myself as a high school senior would be to just relax and enjoy my last year of high school. As a senior in high school, so much pressure is put on by parents, friends, and even oneself to get into the best school possible, to get into the same school as a friend, or to just get out of the house! No matter what college a student ends up in, he or she will get a great education and will be able to have fun and prepare themselves for the next step in life. Friends come and go, and the friends you make in high school you may have to leave behind. However, there are thousands of new people to meet in college and beyond and it is very easy to have fun and be yourself. There is no real need to feel stressed about the college process, just relax and enjoy it.

If I could give advice to myself as I high school senior, I would remind myself to be open to new experiences. As a college freshman, I retained many loyalties to my friends at home and my family. Meeting new people made me feel insecure, and so I focused on my old friendships instead of making new ones. I used academics to further shield myself from social life, as I tried to complete all homework before going on social outings. Due to my actions, I isolated myself from many people who could have become good friends, and delayed other friendships which later became amazing relationships. Thus, I would go back in time to tell myself that academics are not everything. I would say that homework can be done any time, but that friends are only available at certain times. I would remind myself that I am an interesting person with whom other people will want to build a relationship and that I should balance my priorities. The balance between social life and academics which I achieved in my later years in college led to a wonderfully satisfying lifestyle and memories I would never want to lose.

I would tell my high school self not to waste time and to take responsibility for my own education. I wasted time applying to schools as a senior that I had no desire to attend for any other reason than that I had friends that attended. The schools that I applied to were not as well suited to what my goals turned out to be as they could have been. Do not worry about not making friends, just go where you will get the best education. I would also tell myself not to rely entirely on counselors or advisors. Do not expect them to tell you exactly what to take without doing any work yourself. Faculty are not you and if you are not sure what you want to do with your time in college, you can bet they have no idea. Advisors are there to set you on the right path but you have to have a general idea of where you want to go. Do not be afraid to seek out better in your advisors. In order to appreciate your success in college, take personal responsibility for it and worry about your path, not those of your friends.

Set time aside to become used to setting daily, weekly, and monthly calendar. This will help you a lot for keeping track of the many things you have to do; especially if you work and study.

The advice I would give myself would be to study more and focus in school. During high school I focused on the activities which were great for my social life but as far as academics I was not the best student that I know I could be. Organization is a huge factor to when you get into college. You must be organized with all your school work in order to complete all assignments on time and effenciently. I would also tell my self to be more responsible. When you are in college you must be responsible for all your actions and have discipline to go to class and eager to learn while in those classes. As far as a social life in college you must be able to balance a healthy social life and be able to focus on your academics for your future.