University of Massachusetts-Amherst Top Questions

As tempted as I would be to give specifics to my former self, I'd limit my message to the most profound lesson I've learned since entering my adult life. That lesson can be summed up in the words of Charles Darwin, "It is not the strongest of species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." In college and in life there will be set backs both big and small. Your goals and plans may be completely thrown out the window because of an extreme circumstance - your life plan ruined. So, what? When your world seems to crumble right in front of you, know that there is always a way. Things don't have to go smoothly and perfectly to plan in order for you to reach your goals. Whether it's learning to use public transportation, learning to live on a budget, or something quite a bit more serious - be flexible, have resilience, and do what you can when you can because the worst thing you could ever do is nothing.

Hey listen, I know you've have a hard life and I know you've always said that college is where everything is gunna change. Well, I'm here to tell you that that might not happen. You like the way you are, you like the way you look, but your self esteem isn't going to last. Your lack of friends will turn into a vicious circle which will make you not be able to socialize and stay lonely. This is gunna shatter your confidence. You're gunna develop anorexia, a drinking problem, and a dependency on drugs, particularly pain meds. I know you feel sad and nervous now but your anxiety and depression will take off more than you know. But, I'm also here to tell you there is light at the end of the tunnel. You're going to meet a great girl, you're going to learn to love yourself, to forgive, to accept, and you will get better. Things are going to change in a good way, but this path will give you strength. So just hold on, hold on to yourself because for a while it's going to be all you got.

If I were to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would defiantly advise myself to drop AP Biology so I could focus more of my time and energy on the exams of my two other AP classes, Honors class, and other classes. I would tell myself to improve my time management as soon as possible since computer games, homework, essays, and school projects can get in the way of studying, and thus decreasing my chances of academic success. In addition, I would mention that signing up for scholarships sooner would have helped increase my potential for paying off my loans which I am now struggling with, similar to most other college students. Lastly, I would force myself to choose another residential area on campus that was quieter and less crowded so that I could pay attention on my academic priorities. Nonetheless, the past is over and all I can do is make the best of college life and my finances. As JFK once reminded the nation, ?An error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.?

If could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to take advantage of every aspect there was on campus. I would suggest that I not be afraid to ask for help because this would prove to be the only thing that would help me stay afloat. College is difficult and very challenging but my college offers tutoring, teacher office hours and review sessions to help its students along the path to success. Another suggestion I would give is to try not to stress too much over my financial situation because it freezes a persons body and it honestly makes whomever it is want to give up sometimes and life is too short to worry all the time; just continue to make all the right moves and the help will always be there. Also I would tell myself to talk to my peers about my problems instead of holding them in because I will not be alone and to talking to people who are going through the same problems would prove to be a coping mechanism. Finally I would advise myself to only change for the better and to stay true to me.

The first thing I would tell myself is to be organized. If I was neater with my school work, homework, class work, and papers, I would have been more successful. The things I know now about teachers, how they don?t care if you come to class or not, don?t care if you pass or fail, and don?t see you as a person but just as a other number. I wish I could turn back the hands of time, and I wouldn?t have got that teacher so mad or wouldn?t have told lies to my parents about my grades. The things I see now show me that my teachers and parents were telling me the truth. I know now that I can?t go back, and that hurt the most, but as I drive my Ford Charger to college, I will keep the words of the great King Jesus In my heart. ?These Things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.? John 16-33

The advice I would give myself would have to be to never settle for something you aren't completely happy with. My senior year I had trouble choosing between going to Wentworth and UMass Amherst. I chose Amherst because my father passed away recently and my mother can't afford a large college fee. At first I was a little upset because I wasn't in the engineering program like I would have been at Wentworth but I decided to take matters into my own hands and see if I could sneak my way into the class. With that extra drive I gave myself I was able to get into the class and start my way to becoming an engineer! So, all I would want to say to myself if I could go back in the passed is don't stop pushing yourself if you're not satisified with your education. Do what you have to do to succeed in life because everyones path is always different.

Eyes closed. Fingers crossed. I make a wish upon a shooting star. I wish for Spring of 2009. Bam. I'm back to my senior year of high school. If only it were that easy. Senior year came and went and here I am over a year later sitting in my dorm room at the University of Massachusetts Amherst wishing I could just tell that girl I was in my senior year to veer off her one track mind, to leave home. "Go to Adelphi," I'd tell her. "Think about what really matters, don't leave home. Don't leave your family to be on your own. What are you running from? Your family and friends home are all you need, you don't need to be states away dorming somewhere foreign to experience life. Your parents will still learn to let go and help give you the freedom you really want. You don't need to be hours away to be free. Dorming, hours away isn't all it's cracked up to be. You'll excell at a school close by. Don't leave because everyone else is. You'll be happier home."

I would tell myself that college is about growing; it's about glimpsing who you want to be in four years and forging a path to that faraway self. I would tell myself to jump in headfirst, to embrace the challenges and revel in the difficulties. I would tell myself that these four years are the years that mold you, change you, into whoever you're growing up to be, so take care that you're growing in the right direction. I would tell myself to make every minute count, and to remember why you're at college in the first place: to learn, to grow, to expand your interests and ambitions and talents. I would tell myself to ring in the dawn of adulthood already, because now, this moment, is when the decisions you make start changing your life; not four years down the road - now. BE the adult you want to be, don't just aspire to it.

As a high school senior, I was very anxious about starting college. I worried I would not make any friends, that the workload would be too hard, that I would miss my family too much. When I first entered my freshman year, it was difficult; I concentrated all my efforts on building a circle of friends and almost completely ignored my studies. My first bad grades were a wake-up call. I needed to find a balance in my college career. Once I was able to divide time equally between a social life and my schoolwork, I was much happier and much more successful. I would tell my high school senior self that college is all about finding the right balance!

I graduate a year early from high school (in 2008 instead of 2009) and I wish I had known about more scholarships and grants. Now I am a FAFSA whiz, but before I wish I had had someone to help me. My parents wouldn't and refused to and my guidance counselor was useless. I also wish I had been more stable mental-wise because going far from home was scary. Maybe if my school had better integration methods it wouldn't have been so bad, but I ended up transferring to UMASS instead this year and I love it. My main advice to myself back then? Be comfortable with where you pick and search for financial aid early and often.