University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Top Questions

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school self, I would tell myself not to sweat the small stuff. At the end of high school, and at the beginning of college, I was so worried about the small details of my accademics that I probably missed out on various student government opportunities . I love my life as it is right now. I am a graduate student at University of Michigan, I have had a loving relationship with my partner for the last four years, but I was not very involved, socially, when I first began college, and I think that was to my detriment. I should have gotten more involved in campus, and high school, government. I now know that I am now interested in policy, and I realize that if I would have gotten more involved that I would have more experience with policy writing, and governing, in general. I have taken multiple public policy courses, but I feel that more student government opportunities could have prepared me even further. I now want to enact policies for older adults in my community, and I wish I had more experience to fall back on.

Patrick, college is honestly going to be so good to you. It's a time of new discoveries and happiness and finding out who you are. Do NOT be afraid to move on from those ideas you had about what you would do. Change is good. Change is important. I know you know this, but keep it close to your heart. College is the place where you'll finally start feeling comfortable as gay. Comfortable as Latino. Comfortable as YOU. And while I'm not the same person now that I was a year ago, I feel like I'm finally ME. You're going to see a lot of people who know what they're doing and who are on a set path and who are going to make you feel terrible for the academic choices you're making. You need to remember though that God is always watching out for you and that you are doing what you need to do. You're going to help your communities. You're going to make the most of your education. It's going to be difficult and confusing - but you're going to love it, believe you me.

If I could go back to my high school senior-self, I would not have agreed to room with someone I knew from high school. I think one of the biggest mistakes I made initially in college was trying to hold on to my high school identity and social reputation instead of putting myself out there and completely opening my mind. I would tell myself to trust my gut and know that if there is something that interests me, there will be other people who are also interested. And, mostly I would tell myself not to feel worried if I don't have it figured out right away. College is four years of finding yourself, and I certainly continued to grow throughout all of them.

I would advise my younger self to really make an effort to find my place and friends in the theatre community on campus and establish myself as a part of that as soon as possible. Waiting until younger me finds the guts to tell her parents that theatre is where she wants to be career-wise is only going to make that next transition (switching majors) even more difficult.

Dear Jonas, Don’t be afraid. It’s not as scary as you think. Start managing your time now. The responsibilities that you have now are few in number in relation to what you will have when you go to school. Get your priorities straight. Time won’t slow down, and you won’t have someone with you at all times to remind you of all the stuff you should be doing. Cherish these last few days with your family. You’ll miss them once you’re gone. Don’t worry about how things with Emily will fare when you leave. It will be O.K. Get ready for long nights. Don’t kid yourself: this is going to be tough. But don’t give up. God has placed you at this University for a reason. Start cleaning up after yourself. Your roommate will appreciate it a lot. Wash your sheets every few weeks. As much as you can help it, don’t wait until the last minute. All-nighters turn you into a zombie. Put effort into the relationships and groups you are passionate about. Keep going! Your wiser self, Jonas

While it is important, freshman year is not all about meeting new people and finding the best parties on a given night. The early undergraduate years are great opportunities to explore different fields of study and find campus groups with similar interests as you. Learning more about yourself and your interests and finding like-minded students can help immensely down the line. Once you have found a program that you enjoy, do everything in your power to engage with professors and find related research opportunities. This will help to stretch your intellectual capacity while also giving you a better idea if this field is truly what interests you. Lastly, don't schedule early morning lectures unless you know that the topic will interest you and keep your focus. Sleeping through class only makes you look bad and increases the amount of work that you have to do later! Good luck!

You might always say that you could have done better in college. However, the important thing is to set yourself up relatively for success in the future because you will probably discover your passion later in life (maybe even in grad school). The important thing is to network and build friendships with people all over the world. Try new things because in the future many new careers will emerge from a mixture of disciplines.

I would tell myself to be more able to let go of past relationships with friends from home. College is a new experience for everyone and it changes everyone. When you're going to school across the country from someone who was one of your best friends in high school, you're both going to change differently and likely be unable to be as close as you once were. It is much better to accept this, rather than trying to pretend that it shouldn't happen, or isn't happening. Because if you do that, it will just be blatently shown to you later and this will be a lot less fun than accepting it as is happens. So, don't give up on old friends or ignore them, cause you still need them. Especially at the beginning. But understand that your experience is going to be much different than there's and don't try to hold on to the way you both used to act.

Okay here are a few quick things you should know: Don't apply for the school of Dance or take freshman math. They both turn out to be terrible decisions. You're going to make it through French. Even though the teacher is a pain and the course is a bear, you've got this. Take advantage of office hours early on. Teachers really do want to help you. Don't sweat the small stuff. I know it all feels overwhelming right now, transitions always are but there's very little you can do about that except be determined to get through them. Just accomplish whatever tasks you have to and move on to the next phase of your life because something much greater is waiting for you. Don't stress over each and every decision you make. Do the best you can with the information you have and you'll do just fine. Trust me. I was you ten years ago.

Prepare to work harder and fail more often than you ever have before. For the most part, high school classes, sports, and your social life came easy to you. You got accepted to your dream school and the future looks bright, yet challenges lie ahead. There will be classes that will test your academic ability. There will be sports teams beyond your skill level. There will be friends and girls that will come and go, and the rejection will undoubtedly sting. When these moments arise, do not give in to the temptation to give up. You will feel sad, angry, and frustrated as you realize your illusion of the perfect world is beginning to crumble. It is at these moments when you will define who you are. You can decide to give up- the easiest choice - or you can work harder than you ever imagined. Initially you'll fail again, and again as you search for answers. This should only fuel your determination. With your continued work ethic, you will achieve the success you desire and you will appreciate the failures that shaped who you have become. Know failures will arise, but understand they can be overcome through hard work.