University of the Incarnate Word Top Questions

Take it one step at a time. Try community college first to get a taste of college life before hitting the big schools. This will save you both money and time. Make sure that you get everything taken care of before starting your first semester. Find out where everything is around campus and don't be scared to ask for help. Talk to people, make friends and yes, even the professors. College life will be fun but you will also need to work hard to accomplish what you want. If you're strong and dedicated you will succeed in anything you try. Keep your mind focused but have with the experience. Set a goal for yourself and work to get there. Talk to your advisors and ask for their assistance. They are there to help you on your way. Staty strong.

I would most certainly say to myself that it is okay to not know exactly what I want to chose as my major, and that it is also okay to not know what i want my profession to be. I would say to myself that all of these life altering decisions will come with time and experience. I would say that it might not even be the correct decision, even if I do make one. A change might still be in order. I would say that it is extremely important for me to open up my mind, my heart, and my soul to retrieve all of the information that I can and eventually I will get it. I will get to where I need to get to and be successful at it. I started off at UIW as a nursing major, I got into the program and hated it. I then changed to psychology. This was life altering since nursing had been my life, but I opened up my heart and my mind and I am loving everyday of school now. College has changed my life and taught me so much. I would want my younger self to know that.

In order to make a smooth transition from a senior in high school to a college freshman I would have told myself to find the Christian crowd within the first week of school. Stay involved with your church it will keep you focused. Volunteer at least one day a week for two hours because it will make someone else happy as well as yourself. The advice I would have given myself as a high school senior would have been that a college degree is extremely important. It is worth your time and energy. You will be much happier if you will stay in school and finish. Making C?s is not acceptable. Ask questions inside and outside of the classroom to clarify what you are studying. In order to make excellent grades you need to set a schedule and follow it. Allow yourself 3-6 hours a week outside of each class to study appropriately. Strive for success and believe in yourself at all times.

During my years in high school, I always tried to be the perfectionist, the star student, and the overachiever. I never rejected a chance to take an AP course. I continue to push myself in the same manner, but I am finally starting to see the downfalls. While other students are taking time to smell the roses and appreciate what is around them, I have not. If I would have instilled more time for rest, I could appreciate my efforts. I wish I could have told myself to slow down because there is no need to finish school so quickly without a balance of work and play because a person needs this time to grow and discover. I have no regrets, but I wish I could have told myself to divide my time to take advantage of what other parts of college life there are to experience. I realized it a 1.5 years in and plunged into a study abroad program. Through this, I discovered my love for travel and learning other cultures. If I told myself before of the possibilities, I could have explored more of the world sooner, becoming a more cosmopolitan and cultured individual.

If I had the chance to win the lottery or go back in time to knock some sense into myself in high school, I would go back in time. I would tell myself to apply to every school I could, and concentrate more in submitting my essays. I graduated cum lade but I only applied to three schools. I would go back in time as an advisor and be on myself about dealines and important dates of scholarships, and apply for any and every scholarship that I was eligible for. I would stress that finishing college and maybe taking summer classes would advance my graduation date and be able to reach my goals more quickly. Financial aid is crucial process and must be admitted early in the year for review of funds needed. I would definitely encourage myself to complete my FAFSA early and never give up on completing college even if situations occur that might delay completion. I would advise myself as an advisor that college isn't like high school. Yeah you can walk in late or not go to your class, but who are you really hurting. Your grade drops and you end up prolonging your graduation.

With college came a new perspective to ?school?. Because I never suffered severely with grades, there was no ?wake-up call? when I entered college. Rather, the specific event of freshman year was a realization of the forte I had either always possessed or gained inadvertently through high school classes. That being said, I have two pieces of advice to give to the seventeen-year-old me. First, know how to recognize potential. It is a tough feat to find what makes you tick and what gives you wings, but is well worth-the-while. If you have a grasp on how much potential you have, as clich? as it sounds, you can hurdle any obstacle. My second piece of advice is to be a leader. In every aspect you can, choose to lead. Whoever said, ?stay with the herd? was probably also a sheep getting an average education and falling through the cracks. Though simple and sincere, guiding your education in the right direction could be one of the more important things in a person?s life, so why not do it right? These few suggestions are crucial to college life and I wish I had recognized them earlier..

I would tell myself stay away from drugs and alcohol they are over rated. No one who was successful ever said "if i would do more drugs and drink more alcohol, i would be more successful." I would tell myself take charge of my education only I control how much and how well I will learn. I would tell myself....stay away from boys they are the devil.....jk but I would incourage myself to stay focused on the bigger picture not the now but the later. I would tell myself to exercise daily. other than that I would do exaxctly what i am doing now!

To Cassie: College is right around the corner. Hanging out with friends and waiting for graduation is not the only important thing. Don't feel bad when you don't finish the application progress for the Air Force Academy, there are other schools out there and you will find one that makes you feel welcome. I know Momma is bugging and pushing you about applying to more schools and looking for scholarships which gets annoying but she only does it because she loves you and cares about your future. One day your going to realize everything she says is true. Forget all the boys. They can break your heart but they can never take away you education and your future career. It's only high school and you have your whole life for love! Cassie, learn better study habits! Procrastinating is not going to help you through college. Turn off the TV and study, study, study! Study now, play later. Don't work too hard and too many hours, your continuing school to further you education and gain a career. And finally, Cassie, don't be afraid to ask for help. From An Older and Wiser Cassandra

If I could talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to apply for more scholarships. Attending a private university is pricey and takes a lot of hard work. I would push myself to apply to all the scholarships I could. Money will be tight and in this economy, it does not get any easier. Also, I would tell myself to learn to accept failure. I have always been an over-acheiver and in college, YOU WILL GET A C+ eventually. I would tell myself not to take it so hard. College is hard especially when you come from a high school that is not preparing you the way it should. I would tell myself to brace for what is about to come and just to have faith and work hard and to never give up.

Jonathan, I am happy to come back in time and meet myself, please don?t look too dissatisfied at what you will look like in a few years! I wanted to come back and tell you how college life is going. The fun and carefree times that you are told are completely off base from what to expect. I decided to go to the University of the Incarnate Word. You see, this school is not about partying hard every night or trying to find out what kind of trouble you can get into as a new adult. The truth is, Incarnate Word has taught me how to be a great man. Things like integrity and honesty have been implemented into my life and have really developed the character of the man I will be for the rest of my life. I could go on and on about what to focus on academically, but I don?t have much time, and Incarnate Word really supports you throughout your academic career. Any anxieties that you have about not being able to make it in college should just be put away as this school has made it easy to be a great student.