University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Top Questions

The advice that I would give myself would be to just let things flow. College life is no different from everyday school life, just enjoy yourself while it last. The one most important thing though is to not lose track of your goals in life. There is so much to do in college that if you get distracted; you tend to forget where you're going in your academic life. College can be a challenge if you make it one. The easiliest way to make college simple is to get to know your professors and fellow students. Lastly, enjoy yourself and stay focus on where you want to go because in the end when you look back on it; you will see that it is what makes you who you are.

If I could go back to my high school self, I would tell myself to learn how to study better and work harder. The school work is tougher than anticipated and it will take a lot more work to get good grades. I would tell myself to learn to like reading. Keep up with all of the assigned reading, and don't assume you know the material if you've done the practice problems. Check the answers and understand how to do the problems right. The window is your enemy. When it's time to study, close the blinds and read! You need to get over that test anxiety or get help. You're going to have timed tests, relax, you will survive and do fine. It's okay to feel stressed, but you need a better outlet so you don't get so crabby. Failure isn't the end of the world. You are going to have bad days, and you will make mistakes. You are not perfect. It's okay to feel beat down, just pick yourself right back up and work hard and keep pushing on. One sentence sums it up, “Keep calm and ride on”.

Get involved! Especially in dorm life. You will be tempted to stay in your room and study rather than chance awkward encounters with other awkward freshmen, but you can really make some great friends this way. You can make some casual friends this way, too! If you introduce yourself to a lot of people you're guaranteed to cobble together a friend group.

i would have to go back to freshmen year and tell my self to stay in school and finish school so college is easyer and to continue on the road im on and take more classes on heavy equipment and automobiles .

If I could back to my senior year of high school, I would tell myself to be more open to following different paths instead of being stuck on just one thing. I think it's better to take your first year of college to explore different interests, meet new people and do new things you would have never done before. Being open minded to new oppurtunities (such as a new sport, new friends, and new classes) is a much safer approach when entering any kind of college than being close minded.

Take running start! The more college credits you can take early without pay the better! Your dreams are worth the money, but your dreams are going to be expensive, regardless of what dream it is. Also, if you are struggling with grades or have some complications with colleges, the more connected you are with advisors and teachers about what is going on in your life and school career, the better. They will be able to pull strings for you if need be and help explain confusing processes in this big transition. Also, I know in most high schools 4 years of math and 4 years of a foreign language are not required, but it really helps out your college credits in the long run. You can take proficiency and placement tests that put you in a higher level of learning and can also help recover credits you never took just by passing the proficiency test! Stay calm, college isn't scary. College is an amazing experience that will teach you an insane amount about yourself. Just be prepared to make life decisions and to stay true to hard work and you'll succeed more than you've ever imagined.

Knowing what I know now I would advise myself to stay focus on my life long goals , because you only live once and the college life experience is something that everyone does not get a chance to explore. Do not wait until you get Thirty Years of age to decide to go back to school, because by the time you reach your early to mid twenties you have to make some life changing decisions. While it may have took me some time to figure many of these things out I also want you to know if you do decide to go off track that it is never to late to go back to school and achieve your dreams. Though it's never too late it is much easier to do before you begin to live life and take on a family and a job. While I don't regret beginning a family earlier I would have rather them not seen me have to work so hard and not be able to be there to enjoy their milestones in life because of work and school, and always remember your children’s first teacher is their parents.

Dear young me, The advice you need, comes in three. 1. Listen. The next 5 years of your life will be a thrilling roller coaster ride. As you begin your ride, know that there will by many "peaks"-- please enjoy them! However, where there are peaks, there are also "valleys." These obstacles will test you, push you, and break you... but ultimately, build you! These valleys are the greatest teachers you'll ever have. So listen, learn, adapt, and grow. 2. Dream. There will always be doubt. Don't let it consume you. By persisting through struggle, strength and confidence shall be yours. A life with no goal, is a life without an identity, motivation, or substance. While your dreams and goals may change, don't stop dreaming to the moon. 3. Enjoy! You only live once, so cherish every moment. Good, bad, happy, or sad; remain on the road of positivity. Life is too sacred and short to be unhappy. Smile and spread your happiness to others. As you take your seat, please choose to Listen, Dream, and Enjoy this rollercoaster. If you do, you will exit content and absent of regret. Yours truly (No honestly, this is you!)

If I could go back to my high school senior self, I probably would have told myself to continue running and to try to get a running scholarship. I was a very competitive runner and regret that I did not continue to run in college. Furthermore, a running scholarship would have helped me pay for undergraduate tutition, and I would be better off considering I am now in graduate school with more loans. However, I know I was stressed about balancing running and school. So, I would have told myself that it is do-able because during senior year of college one becomes capable of balancing numerous roles. Thinking about college stressed me out and brought out nervous thoughts. Now, I would tell myself that I survived and college taught me awesome time-managment because I was able to move on to graduate school to achieve even greater things. In conclusion, I would tell myself not to plan out my entire four years because the road we have planned for ourselves is not always the road we end up taking. After all, we need a few off-course adventures to make life interesting.

The advice I would give myself would be bring less stuff up and don't plan on going home much, there is so much stuff to do at school. Another piece of advice would be to apply for scholarships religiously, every bit of money helps. Also, for my current situation, I would say make sure you go out there, be yourself and just join any club you find interesting; always do a you want during your free time, don't waste any time doing things people want you to do. My final piece of advice would be to study on the weekdays so that you are completely free on the weekends so that you're not stressing out when you start to fall behind.