University of Oregon Top Questions

If I could talk to my high school self about college, I would be sure to encourage high school me to apply for scholarships and work hard in school. The most important thing I learned about applying for and attending college is that college is an investment, and if you make a smart investment, it will pay off. If you invest in yourself before attending college, you will be in a better position to receive scholarship funding and get into your school of choice. Another word of advice I would give to my high school self is to not be afraid to be alone. As a teenager it can be difficult to imagine leaving your friends and going somewhere where you do not know anyone. In college, I learned that pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is the only way to grow, and the only way to learn to face difficult situations.

The best advice I would give to myself is, "What I do today, affects my tomorrows". Had I followed my advice, I would have not slacked off during my freshman year of high school. I had to dig myself out of an academic hole (2.1 freshman G.P.A to 3.4 graduating G.P.A.). I would have been able to earn more college and scholarship choices had I had my act together sooner. I take that experience to heart as I am now preparing to enter college.

Be more confident and follow through with your dreams. Don't be afraid.

I would tell her that your college years are the best years of your life, and not because of the parties; they are the best years of your life because you come to find your confidence and your strengths and weaknesses – you truly get to know yourself, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself evolving. I would explain to her that communication with your professors sounds intimidating, but is absolutely crucial in succeeding in college because they will gladly assist you if you are willing. I would tell her to not give up so easily and that even though she comes from a low income family, she has always been strong willed and should start taking initiative in applying for scholarships and grants like a mad woman right now, as opposed to relying on loans once college comes around. I would warn her against trying to find a boyfriend immediately, and instead focus on building genuine friendships – because that is what truly matters and is what will get you through hard times. I would hug her and tell her everything will be okay, because that is what she needed – to let go of insecurities and soar.

Imagine that high school is a game of Monopoly. Whether you win or lose is decided on your tactical skills and little bit of luck from the dice. If you land on a bad square, things are hard for a round or two, but you can always rely on ‘Go’ to pull you up again, just as you can rely on your parents and teachers to help you when you fall. When high school ends, however, the game isn’t over.Instead, you move on to round two. There is no board. You are equipped with the knowledge you gained from round one, but the spaces that you became so familiar with are gone. You become your own ‘Go’ space. When the board is not there, and when there are no limitations, many people panic and begin to doubt themselves. My advice to you is to not fear the independence you will experience, but to embrace it. Yes, the game gets harder when the board is taken away, but use that opportunity to explore. Create your own rules. Have fun. But please avoid the ‘Go directly to jail’ card. You can’t get out of jail for free.

If I could sit down with myself I would say, "You don't have to be a science major to be successful." I would say that just because you're the first to go to college in the family does not mean that you cannot pursue a humanities, social science or art major. I would tell myself not to be ashamed of wanting to major in something I am passionate about because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. I would say that I can change lives in other ways than just medicine. I would make sure to tell myself that I have the power to change the world no matter what my major is and that being successful is not what will dictate my happiness. I will reassure myself about how smart I actually am as opposed to how smart I don't think I am. And lastly, I would say this: "You can be anything you want to be, but don't forget to have fun. College is the only time you will have to be a little selfish, but never use it as an excuse. Remain humble, stay selfless and.. good luck my friend."

I would tell myself not to stress out so much, especially about the transition from high school and living at home to college and living in a different state. You can handle anything that comes your way, and you'll be good at it besides. Don't let your anxiety get the better of you.

Graduate earlier! You had all the credits you needed to do so. So why didn’t you? Taking those extra classes senior year may have made you smarter but they are not accredited like college credits. Sure celebrating senior year was fun & graduating with your fellow high school comrades was exciting, but had you graduated a year earlier you could have been a year further in college by now. But for the most part, do everything like you are doing now. Take those AP and advanced classes. Take calculus and join all those clubs. Participate in decades, pep rallies and sporting events. Be social, enjoy high school and study hard. You will look back on it all with fawned memories and even greater so fawned-ness the harder you work for it and the more activities you participate in.

College is a wonderful experience, and It is almost your last scholar experience if you go to the university or other special school. As an advice, I will keep my same goals. First, be steady because of the constance depend how far and succesful you will be. Second, be always optimistic, what give me the positive aptitudes and encourages to be successful. The last, but not least is that always try harder. Despite sometimes you do not get the grade that you want, do not see this as an obstacle. The right advice in these situations is that next time try harder, with more love and do not get stress. Over all, if you fall three times, wake up four times.

It is your last year of high school: work hard but have fun. Although high school seems all-important now, you don’t have to be sad to leave it behind. Enjoy yourself and prepare to be amazed by the diversity of students, activities and opportunities that await you in college. Contact the admissions office and make contact with other students from Alaska who are also attending your college; invite them to a meet and greet so you will have some familiar faces when you arrive. Attend Greek sorority rush; you get to live in the dorms for a week so you can get a feel for that and you also get to see what life would be like as a sorority member. Living in the house affords a social network and access to more-experienced upper classmen. Academically, always go to class no matter what. Don’t take any classes before 9:30am. Buy the books and do the reading before class. Don’t work – let learning be your only job. Use the GERs to explore topics that you know nothing about. Don’t be shy; go to your professors’ office hours. Get to know them and ask questions.