University of Massachusetts-Amherst Top Questions

The one thing I would tell my high school self would be not to give up on subjects I didn't like. Just because you find math and science difficult (unlike literature or the social sciences) does not mean they can't be interesting. In college, subjects aren't restricted to basics like Biology or Algebra. You have courses such as Astronomy, Math for Life and Social Sciences, The Science of Food, or Microbiology: Cancer & AIDS. Don't limit yourself to what you know. Try to challenge yourself with things you don’t know. The point of college is to further expand your knowledge and diversify your interests in all subjects.Thats what makes you a rounded, individual. Don't forget that.

The main advice I would give to my high school self in the past would simply to be study more. In highschool I pulled straight A's and B's with doing either homework for 10 minutes a night or none at all. If I were to study around an hour or two every night during my senior career in high school, I would have easily had a higher GPA and I would have most definitly received some academic scholarships.

If I had the ability to travel backwards in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would say a number of things. I would say, “You’re accustomed to living in a small town. You’ve grown up and gone to school with the same sixty kids since you were five years old.” The population of UMass Amherst is extremely diverse compared to the relatively homogenous population of my small town high school. The population of UMass Amherst is six times that of my entire home town. With this new environment filled with so many new and different people comes the importance of maintaining an open mind. This is no problem at all for me but it is important nonetheless. In freshman year, the people you meet are just as important as the classes you take. There will be people from very different backgrounds and stories. It may not be advertised as such but you go to college to immerse yourself in a diverse situation to learn to be more open-minded going forward in life. Last but not least I would say, “Keep a balance between your school and social life and you will excel.”

If I could go back to myself as a highschool senior I would tell myself to look into what types of classes I could take to best mark off requirements for college. I took 3 different APs (not all senior year), all of which knocked off general education requirements, but I wish I had the desire to take more instead of taking classes which would not benefit college. If I had taken just one more AP class, it would make college schedualing so much easier. I would also tell myself not to apply to colleges that I wouldn't want to go to. I applied to colleges I didn't like just because I wanted a safety net, but I should have just focused on the colleges I would want to go to. Also, I would tell myself to search colleges not on the common app, and to find colleges with better scholarship offers.

The hardest part of the college transition for me was dealing with the financial difficulties of staying in college. I would tell my high school self that no matter which college I chose I would still be happy, thus it would be in my best interest to choose the college with a lower tuition. But even if I chose a college that turned out to be too expensive it would not be the end of the world. Everything happens for a reason. All experiences are life lessons. As a second semester transfer it’s ok to feel out of the loop as if everyone has already established their friend groups. Keep in mind however, that there is a place for you. In fact, there are several places where you will not just “fit in,” but thrive. Take every opportunity presented to you, especially those that scare you. It may sound cliché but it’s true that stepping out of the box is when you’re going to really challenge yourself and grow as a person. Lastly, be conscious of each moment. Today will never happen again.

Be prepared to push yourself farther than you thought you could go! College is a time to really get to know yourself, while still having the ability to fall back on a safety net of close friends and family should you need to, so don't be afraid to reach a little higher. Even if it seems like it'll never work - and even if it doesn't in the end - you'll never regret trying things you haven't before.

I would tell myself to enjoy every minute of life and to enjoy the changes most of all; change is so inevitable and how you handle it defines you. Enjoy the change instead of stressing about it and don't be scared to let life happen.

Stick with astronomy, do as much research as you can, and remember a good person will show they are good when you need someone there.

Adjusting to the new lifestyle was difficult at times. You’re given a new set of freedoms, without parents or teachers willing to help a freshman navigate their adjustment into college. College is very different from high school. If you never had to study or spend much time on homework in high school, I guarantee that changes in college. My advice to myself as an incoming freshman would be to keep my door open. I met my best friends by just introducing myself to the people on my floor. The first night away from home is the hardest, but once you start meeting people, it gets better. In the end, don’t worry about it too much - it’s not as scary as it seems. Also, if I could go back in time, I'd tell myself that college is nothing like orientation. Orientation is by no means representative of college life, so don't be scared. It goes by really fast, so enjoy it before you’re putting on another cap and gown.

If I could go back, I would tell myself to be as pro-active as possible from the beginning. I would tell myself that college is not like the movies. I would tell myself that college is a business and a system that you will need to learn how to work with. I would tell myself that all of my sacrifices would not go unrewarded-that it would all be worth it. It wasn't until my junior year that I started to really take charge of my educaiton and stopped complaining about not getting the educaion I had anticipated. I thought of myself as a customer of the University and was severely disappointed when I had to fight for my grades and for my education from professors that appeared uninterested. It was a lot more difficult being pro-active, but it ultimately allowed me to get the results I was looking for.