University of Northern Colorado Top Questions

If I could go back in time and tell myself as a high school senior a few words of advice, I would tell myself to live in the moment and prepare myself for the challenge of your life. High school is a time in everyone's life where they first begin to learn who they are. They find their talents and they find their passions. But for many, the layout of public school is such that you can simply do the bare bone minimum amout of work and still pass your classes. To me, I found this made me develop lazy strategies, and although I set my goals high, to become a physician, and I still earned a 4.0 GPA, my study habits were far from par. If I could go back, I would tell my old self to still enjoy living with my parents and hanging out with the friends that I miss today, but to also focus on what means something to myself, and thats proving everyone wrong and becoming the man I want to be, regardless of how much work it takes to achieve that.

If I could go back and talk to my high school senior self, I would tell myself not to worry so much and that everything will be ok. I would tell myself to enjoy my last high school moments and spend more time with all of my classmates. I would also tell myself to be proud, since I have overcome my illnesses and will graduate at the top of my class. Even though I thought no one noticed, I would remind myself that people did notice my hard work and that giving my best is all I can do. Although I won’t get all the scholarships and academic awards I hoped for, I would tell myself (over and over) that I give it my all and that there is nothing wrong with staying at home for two more years to go to a community college instead of a university. And finally, that I am who I am and I have lots of time to work on my character and decide what I want to do for a career.

I would encourage myself to be dedicated from the very begining. I would also stress the importance of an education and the pride that comes with doing well. If I was to show my current GPA to my teenage self, I doubt that I would believe that I could do this well while enjoying the experience. College requires maturity and organization beyond what I was capable of in high school.

Stop worrying about how the transition for college will go! Stop worrying about being away from your family---there is always Skype! Making friends is really easy (even if you've always been reserved) if you put yourself out there. Step out of your comfort zone and don't be afraid to try new things! You learn from your experiences. Attend school-sanctioned events because it's a great way to meet new people and have fun. As I said before, don't stress about everything. Just let everything happen as it is meant to, and have fun! College is the greatest thing that will happen to you.

Going back, I would have put more effort into developing better study habits and time management skills. In highschool, you may think you know how to study for a quiz or exam, but when you get to college you will realize you have no clue what to do. I would make it a priority to have developed an effective way of studying and managing my time between classes, homework, studying, and a social life. Once you hit college all of the freedom is a little overwhelming at first and it can be difficult to know when are where to draw the line between all aspects of your new life. Those were the only two things that made my first semester difficult. I am still working on the study habits, and hopefully will have a system developed shortly into my second semester.

I would tell myself not to stress out so much. Not to overstress about getting a job or freaking out about maybe not making friends, or if my room mate and I could get along. The added stress was probally one of the resons my senior year wasn't the best it could be, and I was able to alleviate all my fears with in the first week of coming to school. Another advice for the transition, is too study. i know that studying is one of the things in highschool they try to encourage students to do, but in highschool it isn't completly neccessary. In college on the other hand, it is all studying and taking notes. had I worked on my studying skills I would be more confident for midterms.

Knowing what I know now, if I could go back to my senior year there is so much I would like to tell myself. The first thing I would tell my senior self is to wake up and think about my future. I would describe how important it is to worry about the cost a lot sooner than later. I would tell myself to start saving and to start applying for scholarships, so I wouldn't have to drain my savings all at once. I would then tell myself that I need to do some soul searching to try and find some direction in life. I would encourage the senior Amy to start looking at different colleges and degrees to find some that would enhance my life in more directions than one. I would then tell myself not to settle for less and to reach for my stars without wasting years attending the closest and cheapest college in order to keep my low paying job at the local Dollar Store. I would tell myself to be happy and to aim for a life full of challenges and adventures and not to wait any longer.

Life isn’t as simple as everyone makes it out to be. Some people simply know who they are and what they want to do with their life, but it’s okay to not know. Never let anyone tell you who you are. A lot of people I know where forced into a degree or a school that they were unsure about because of the fear of failure. Failure cannot be measured by societal means. In my opinion success is directly linked to how happy you are. Don’t compare yourself to other people. You are uniquely you and this is your life. Ask yourself what you would do and where you would go if there were no money issues and no obstacles, and then find a way to get there. Things will be hard and you will struggle, probably in every aspect of your life. The struggle is what makes your stronger, and helps you become who you truly are. Embrace your challenges and accept them as means of growth. Be yourself and never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. This is your life, so live it your way. Finally, as always, enjoy!

Knowing what I know now about college life, I would tell myself as a high school senior, to not feel over confident about the classes. I took 17 credits the first semester, and it did not go well. I had a false sense of security that made it so I felt I could do it. However I could not, and I would tell myself to not do it, and to heed the advice of others. I would also tell myself to get out there more, and to get to know more people, and become more apart of the campus, and other groups. I did not do that, and I should have, luckily I still have time, and am planning on remidying that next year.

Going back to high school, I would tell myself to try harder in class and to get more involved. There are so many opportunites and scholarships available for students who do well in high school. I tried hard, but I didn't give it my all. Having a much higher GPA would've given me the opportunity to apply for more scholarships and recieve better funding. I also would've told myself to get more involved. Being involved in the community and volunteering benefits you in such a positive way. Students here at UNC are all about getting involved and getting the most out of their education. I wish I would've had more community service projects or involved in other organizations to help with my involvement on campus. Lastly, I would've told myself to save money! College is very expensive and having more money saved up would've helped buy books, materials, etc. High school students now should be taught that saving money is so important and will have high benefit to them in their futures.