University of Missouri-Columbia Top Questions

Going back in time I would tell myself to remain focused on the academics. The purpose of higher education is an investment in yourself. There will always be parties and opportunities for friendships, but college is an experience that must be done right from the beginning. Be prepared to make small sacrifices now in order to have greater reward in the future. Most of all maintain an appreciation for the gift of experience being given to you and good luck on your journey.

I’ve often wondered what I would say to myself if I could use the experiences I’ve had later in my life to improve past experiences. More specifically, I often wonder if I would have made different choices in the college application process had I heard from my present self. As the last three years of getting core classes and maintaining a job have challenged me, they have also provided me with invaluable experience that I would never have appreciated unless I went through it. That does not necessarily mean that I would have made the same choices if I had had the benefit of knowing what would happen later on. I would do my best to convince myself that I would be successful regardless of where I went and what I majored in and that I could get ahead with dual-credit courses that were accepted at nearby schools as opposed to the risky AP courses that appealed to my out-of-state ambitions. I would reiterate what I already knew then that money would influence where I should apply, but I should never stop striving to do better and to be smart with my choices.

Introduce yourself to every person you meet because you never know who you may run into and connections are everything. Life is all about networking. The earlier you start your networking the larger your web will become.

I would tell myself that you need to make sure you have good study habits. College is a lot different from high school. You may have been able to not study, in high school, for a test but that will not work in college. I would also tell myself that you need to stay involved in all the activities or at least some activities in college. Being active really helps you stay socially active and academically. I would also say strive to be the best you can and achieve in every field of human endeavor.

Carrie, you are about to embark on one of the most exciting and important learning experience of your life. But, I have some advice for you before you start this new experience. First of all it is very important to keep you priorities in the right order, class and studying need to come first. Extra curricular activities are new and fun but your education is the reason you are there. Second of all, time management is a must. Go to all your classes, take notes and complete your assignments. It is very easy to procrastinate, but if you keep up with your studies you will find that you have more time for those other activities you would like to do. Finally the college environment is a maturing experience, learning to work with others and develop relationships not only with classmates but your professors too. The business world is very competitive and in order to succeed you have to learn to communicate and listen.

Nearly everyone I talked to before heading off to college in the fall said, "college is the best time of your life." Basically no one mentioned all the hard work that was involved and all the studying that is necessary to maintain good grades. I know not everyone relies on scholarships to attend college but if you're someone that does, a 3.5 is pretty average for the gpa you must have to be eligible to receive the scholarship the following year. A 3.5 (depending on your major) is not something that is as easily done as it was in high school. The transition into college classes that first fall is a difficult one and often times it leaves you with a lower gpa than you had in mind. I wish someone would have told me to study nearly every day, even if your test isn't for a few weeks. Study consistently means you won't have to pull an all nighter the day before the test. And trust me, all nighters end up backfiring more times than not; sleep is necessary. So study hard and work hard for that gpa!

If I was to go back in time, knowing what I now know about college, and was able to talk to myself as a high school senior I would advise myself to listen to all the teachers when they say how much hard work goes into attending a university. I would tell myself that it's okay to struggle as long as you know you are doing the best you possibly can. The last thing I would advise myself to do is to form a relationship with the professor and the other students in the class. They are the ones that will help you the most when you need help.

"Listen, Peggy. You know exactly who I am, but don't worry about that right now. You need to listen to me, and listen VERY carefully. I know you hate your life right now. I know you hate going to Leuzinger. I know! but if you don't stay here and just stick it out you will lose the best oppertunity of your life. Later on you will find the college of your dreams but won't be able to go because you don't have high enough math." -"But they threaten my life here! Remember JROTC?" "They don't do anything, trust me. Lean on Melyssa, you can trust her. I know Jason is everything to you right now, but you are losing sight of your dreams. Notice he doesn't stop you and make you do what's right for you? You hate math right now, and that's okay. However, you REALLY need to study it! You also need to study hard for the entry exam into El Camino. Do those to things and you will be much happier. Also, join FYE. They will get you started at El Co. Just do your best!"

If I could go back in time to my high school senior self there would be a lot of advice I could give based on my college experience. My first piece of advice would be to not down play senior year and relax until graduation. Everybody cannot wait till senior year to take all classes known as "blow-off classes" such as art, gym, and cooking but in the long run, those do not prepare you for college. I would have been way better off taking that dreaded physics class than yet another gym class. Another word of advice would be to take advantage of the small class sizes and cherish the relationships that were held between teachers and students because as hard as you try in college, you are sadly just a number. A piece of final adivice I would give is to enjoy it. Don't stress about the small things, the things that are meant to be will work out, as cliche as that may sound.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a highschool senior, I would give myself a good portion of advise I didn't recieve prior to attending college. The first piece of advice I would provide myself is pertains to attempting the ACT/SAT multuple times. This would allow me to possibly qualify for more scholarships. The second piece of advice would pertain to meeting with a financial aid advisor to fully understand what financial risks and liabilities I would be taking on in terms of accessing federal loans. Thirdly, I would speak to various academic department advisors to get the best understanding of what majors entail, and what possible careers down the road I could possibly pursue be aquiring a degree in that specific degree area. Lastly, I would advise myself to treat college as an investment. Protect this investment by making smart choices, while enjoying the experience within itself.