University of Utah Top Questions

I would tell myself to be more involved volunteer work. Everything in college requires alot of social and volunteer work. It would have made my first year in college a lot more successful. Also I would tell myself to be more motivated to study. I always scored very high on tests in high school even without studying, but college is totally different. You need to keep up and you need to study your butt off to pass the classes.

That I would try harder to find a good friend to come with me to college to have a compainion. Also to study study study! Learn alot bet study habits!

If I could go back 2 years and talk to my high school self I would tell me to go to community college and get my associates degree. I would tell myself that the University of Utah is awesome but that if i got my associates degree first then I could have transfered anywhere. I also would have informed myself that my major is going to change so it might be wise to pick a school that specialzes in education rather then in fine arts. Furthermore, I would encourage myself to get involved in as many extracuricular activities as possible (both in high school and in college), and try out for any leadership opportunities that I come across. Finally I would convince myself that making friends is always worth the extra time; they make college far more enjoyable.

If I had the chance to go back, considering what I have learned in college, I would give myself two pieces of advice. First, to use all of my time wisely and not lounge around when I have homework I could be doing. Too often my freshman year I found myself frantically studying or working on homework the next day, which was especially hard because of early morning swim practices. However, this year I have made it a point of taking advantage of down time. This is as simple as reading textbooks during breaks between practices, or pulling out homework while eating lunch. I have found that by taking advantage of these times, my productivity has greatly increased. The second piece of advice would be to get more involved with activities around campus. Too often on the weekends or even during the week I found myself sitting in my room with my roommates essentially doing nothing, when we could have been out getting to know new people, having fun on campus, or a numerous variety of other reasons. College is hard, but it is also supposed to be the most memorable time of our lives.

I would advise myself to prepare with more vigor and declare my major earlier into the school year rather than later. I'd also work harder in school and save up more money instead of wasting it on little things that don't seem as important anymore. Mostly, I would tell myself to focus more on fulfilling applications and such for scholarships as I believe I have not been doing too well in the present.

If i could go back in time to me senior year in high school i would have challenged myself to take more college classes. I did take one class and with that one class i saved hundreds of dollars and i got used to the whole college class experience. I would have signed up for enough classes to have my associates completed so i could focus more on my major classes. With my associates complete would have also allowed me to be eligable for the full ride scholarship to the school of my choice. That would have come in handy.

Don't just "go to school," be involved in school. An education is expensive, money-wise and time-wise. Don't waste your time and money studying something you don't love just because other people told you to. Study what makes you happy, study what will make you excited to go to work doing every day. Being a first-generation college student is a lot of pressure, all those faces watching you. But you have to remember that they are watching with loving and supporting eyes, eyes that only want what's best for you and your future. Make them proud. Senior year is truly like what they say it is in the movies, it's the best year of high school. Get involved and get active. Running for student government was a great choice, a great memory. People say that your high school graduation is "the end of the road." I say, "What end? The road hasn't even started." While high school was great fun, the future is still wide and bright. No one will remember that you weren't head cheerleader. It only matters when they see your face on CNN reporting the evening news.

IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET ALL YOUR GENERALS OUT OF THE WAY FIRST THIS WILL HELP YOU SAVE A LOT OF MONEY AND ALSO DONT TAKE HARDER CLASSES THAN YOUR PREPARED FOR COLLEGE IS A JOURNEY NOT A RACE. ALSO MAXIMIZE ALL OF YOUR RESOURCES THERE ARE A LOT OF BENEFITS AND AID OUT THERE WAITING FOR YOU ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS FIND IT AND GET THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT WANT YOU TO SUCCEED BUT THEY WANT TO KNOW THAT YOU WANT TO SUCCEED FIRST. MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO WELL IN CLASS THIS WILL MAKE COLLEGE LIFE MORE ENJOYABLE AND EASIER.

When I was in high school, I was the kind of student that was afraid to participate in any acedemic classes, like AP or honors. The classes that you could find me in were theatre, choir, and band. I even started my own club, which took a lot of my time. I did these things to help grow my talents but mainly to just have fun in high school. As I've moved on to college, I've come to know a lot of people that took acedemics in high school seriously. I've noticed how much farther along they are than me. I'll talk to some old friends from high school who were in this category and a lot of the times they already have there bachelors degree. What I would tell myself is; "take the acedemics a little more seriously. Your not going to have your head explode if you sign up for an AP class. You might not have as much free time, but you'll save quite a bit of money in the long run."

I would tell myself not to worry so much. The work load is tough, so you'll need it step it up a notch. But it's not as bad as your thinking. Get a job. You're going to want to buy those new shoes. Don't fall for that really cute upperclassman you're going to meet. He maybe totally sweet and a great study buddy, but he says those same sweet things to every pretty girl he meets. Don't listen to your roommate when she explains to you exactly how you're going to fail in your major. She's just worried about failing in her own. You will meet the best and worst people of your life here. Be open to friendship, even with someone who doesn't fit into your normal friend mold. They have something really important to teach you. Make sure you listen. But most importantly, enjoy the journey.