University of Vermont Top Questions

Dear Amanda, You're about to leave for college and it's going to be hard. College is not just a big party. You no longer have someone to take care of you and pick you up when you stumble. You will have to organize yourself, your time, your life and you will have to do it all on your own. You may think that you can get away with sleeping through classes and skipping on homework assignments, but the truth is that you won't. You have to work hard. You have to want to work hard. If you don't want to work hard, I suggest taking a year or two off to work before you go to college. Nothing will make you more interested in doing well in school than scrubbing dirty dishes for two years. You are insecure. It will be easy to get swept up in the drinking and partying that goes on because you'll feel less self-conscious when you drink. Don't let it consume you. Know that you are okay just as you are - you are smart and capable and friendly. Most of all, have fun and be safe! Love, Amanda

I would say to myself, "Timely - I know high school seems like a cake walk, but college is going to be a completely different experience. If you do it right, you will have the time of your life. But you have to start preparing yourself. I know you don't think you need to study for that calculus exam coming up, but if you develop strong study habits now, you will be more likely to ace those tests in college. And I know you'd rather hang out with your friends and play basketball rather than study, but you can do all of those things! You just need to practice managing your time. It may not seem like you need to do it now, but if you start early, you will do great in college. It's hard, but it's not impossible."

Find a school you really love. Care about your grades for financial aid. Don't live with a friend from high school. Join as many clubs and meet as many different people as possible. Try not to go back home as much as possible. Be yourself. Study! Enjoy the night life and surrounding area though.

I would tell myself to not look at college as something to be afraid of. Think of it as an adventure that will have it's challenges but that there will be benefits and experiences outweighing every challenge that's in your way. Look at college as an opportunity for learning, experiencing and becoming anything you want. You've already learned the basics so college is now for expanding the things that interest you, discovering new things you want to do and see and for gaining valuable life experience while still in a safe environment. College isn't as hard as you might have been told, don't think of it as something scary cause it's the most fun time in your life. Keep an open mind, work hard and have fun.

If I could have given myself one piece of advice as a high school senior it would have been: relax. So many high school seniors spend so much time stressing out about college. This myth gets planted in your brain that the moment you go to college, you are magically morphed into a whole different person. So much time is wasted worrying about something that is only four years of your entire life. There?s a nagging unspoken pressure to have the "perfect college experience" .Your whole life, you're bombarded with movies showing you THE college experience. It becomes ingrained in your brain that if you don?t have the experience depicted in the movies, you are a failure. By the very nature of it, there is no way single way to experience college. Who you are shouldn?t have to change to fit an ideal crafted by the media. It took me about a month in college to realize that I would be much happier having my own, personal college experience than trying to cram myself into an unattainable ideal. Therefore, my advice to myself would have been plain and simple: relax.

One thing I wish I knew was just how important and helpful it is to take AP classes in highschool, and do well on the exams. THe credits transfer easily and it is really nice to already have a head start on credits upon entering school. I also wish I knew that college, if you are willing to work hard and put in the time, is not necessarily that much more difficult than highschool, the class types and your scedule in general is just a lot different. I was really nervous going into college, but I have found that as long as I keep working hard and staying organized it is not difficult for me to be successful.

My advice would be to work and save as much money as possible the summer before school. I didn't have any money saved and since my parents can't afford to give me any spending money I had to get a job right away. It really affected my transition process because when all of the new freshmen were going out and meeting each other I had to work. I also couldn't do a lot of stuff because I didn't have enough money. It also hurt my academics as well. Any free time could have used for school work I was busy at my job.

As a high school senior, and still today, I was very ambitious and spontaneous. I went to Hawaii Pacific University fall semester before I transferred to UVM my freshmen year. I would advise myself to be prepared because I was about to move to a place that simulates a lifestyle change, to truly take advantage of my surroundings because that's why I'm going to college- immersing myself in new opportunities, finding out who I am as a person and what I want to do with my life to make me a healthy, happy individual that goes out into the world doing what I love to do- helping animals. I would tell myself procrastination can easily lead to defeat, meet with my advisors several times each year, get to know and become familiar with the faculty, make study groups, make time for my social life- it's just as important as my academic one, get involved in winter sports, find out requirements for vet schools from the start, continue with undergraduate research, and to dedicate myself to my school work over my waitressing job. I love UVM and can't wait for the next chapter in my life.

If I could go back and talk to myself senior year I would tell myself to keep my head up and follow my heart. I would advise myself not to get too stressed about things, that life goes on, and keeps going, whether you mess up a calculus test or not. I would support myself in the decision to go to the University of Vermont, tell myself how happy I will be when I walk to class inbetween the lake and mountains. How good I will feel when people smile and say hi to me, and then listen for answer. I would tell myself to study hard, but not be to hard on myself, and to remember to breathe.

I would tell my self to be much more condfident. I would tell myself that all freshmen sturggle to find friends, and get situated with their roommates and it takes time to adjust to school. I would also tell myself not to panic and worry about small things because everything will always work out in the end.