University of the Incarnate Word Top Questions

Miranda, you are so very smart, much, much smarter than your family makes you feel. You can do anything that you put your mind to and in fact, you will. You have a great head on your shoulders and you need to trust yourself to make the right choices. You might be feeling a little tired and need a refreshing change, college will be just that. You are going to encounter so many new people and meet some really great professor. Someone is going to ask you to join their club you should do it. Don't sit back and watch your college life pass you by. Put yourself out there and make sure that you run for the Student Government Association President, I think you could win. Also, make sure you try really hard with your time management skills; those are the things that are going to be important to your success. Do the McNair scholars program and make sure you join moot court, you'd be really good at it. Make sure that you never comprimise your goals and also major in education, not theatre. You're going to want to teach after college.

Amanda, college will be the highlight of your life. You will go through certain obsticles, but don't ever lose focus on getting to your goal. Don't forget to study; no cramming the night before. Take your classes serious; don't skip class just because you don't feel like going. Your education should be your priority. Sacrificing a couple weekends here and there will be well worth it in the end. You'll really need a great paying job when your family comes along. You do not want to struggle the way your parents have. You may think they control your life, but they are only wanting the best for you. Please, please, please stay focused. Don't lose track of your future. Never lose the path to your goal. You will be a great succesful woman. I just know it!

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would have a serious talk with myself. Because, I would be the only one to get myself to understand everything I know now. I would tell myself to take my senior year serious but to have fun, and to cherish my time. I would tell myself to pay attention in my English AP class and to stop giving my teacher a hard time about all the work I thought was pointless. I would encourage myself to do the essays and the research she asked because that’s what college is all about. I would encourage myself to participate in the activities and not be so ready to graduate because there won’t be any time to play around in college. I would inform myself that time is limited. There are only so many hours in the day, and those hours should be used the right way, not with pointless stuff that will not help me in life down the weeks, months, and years. I would remind myself that I am worth all the hard work, and ensure myself that it will pay off.

To my former self, I would GREATLY encourage further involvement in extracurricular activities. Being involved with sports, student government, or any other school groups would make it easier to decide on a major. It gives you the chance to know what you like and what you do not. I made no effort to try anything new for personal reasons, but in the end, it was a regrettable decision. It took me longer to develop group working skills which you cannot escape in college or employment. I also missed out on ANY opportunities for scholarships which was a big reason it has taken me 6 years + to obtain my bachelors degree.

Being in high school is alot less stressful than going into college. In my senior class I thought I knew what I wanted to major in, but towards the end I ended up changing my mind. When you enter into college our expectations are much higher, you have to make the choices for yourself, and to make sure this is what you want to do. You do not want to go through half the year and decide that this is not what you want to do for the rest of your life. My advice is to be a shadower in the major you want to study in, so this way it gives you an insight on whats ahead for you in life, and you know what to expect.

If I could go back to high school I would be sure to have done the dual enrollment plan from the beginning. Although I did it my senior year, if I had done it my junior year as well I could be saving a lot of money. Taking the college courses while still in high school allows me to get college credits but without the cost of tuition or books. That is one thing I wish I had done from the beginning and saved myself plenty of time and money.

The advice I would give myself as a high school senior would be to start off at a community college. There are so many ways to save money while in college, however if I had attended a community college, my financial situation would be less of a burden than it is at this present moment. I would inform myself that the transition is not the hardest part. The hardest part was leaving the family and friends I had, and if I had stayed to go to a community college, life would be completely different. My advice would be to not leave the people that care the most and trust those that have been in your life longer than a year. It will take their advice, strength, encouragement, hope, and help to get through every aspect of life, both college life and adult life.

MK, when your highschool counselors sat you down to talk you out of taking the GED before Senior year, they told you that this was the best time of your life and you wouldn't want to miss it. MK-- They don't know you. You have struggled your whole life with listening to your instinct. I am here to tell you, go with your gut. You are the only one that can decide what is best for you. Get a head start on your education, listen to the teachers that told you to keep writing. Take that bull by the horns and lock in for the ride of your life! You can go great places, you are smart and you will become focused and dedicated to your education. Don't wait like me. You will find yourself trapped in a world where you struggle to stay afloat, or get ahead. Take the opportunty to finish your education while you have the financial support to do it and the time free to dedicate. You will be so much happier. Education first. That degree will become so important and not having it will weigh you down in so many ways. REALLY.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that college is not as difficult and overwhelming as some people make it out to be. Teachers in high school tell you horror stories about the all night studying and the lack of lives they had, but if you manage your time correctly you can truly enjoy yourself and get good grades. As William Shakespeare wrote in his play "Hamlet", "Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't." The same can be said for your college experience. Although at times you can feel overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of the work, you can also set yourself up for success by being organized and managing your time.

Wake up. College is going to be a wonderful experience and you are going to make a complete 180 degree change. What you thought you couldn't do will happen because your will power is going to emerge. You will travel and learn so much about yourself that you never knew. At the University of the Incarnate Word you will meet wonderful peopel and become the involved person you thought you could never be. You will also move on to graduate school at the American University of Paris starting the Fall of 2012. Remember to push through the first semester of college and try to do well in your grades. The transistion to a serious student will not be easy but once you become a good student you will earn many rewards.