University of Wisconsin-River Falls Top Questions

If I could go back and give advice to my high school self is the importance of learning how to create a budget. In high school the personal finance class isn’t a requirement so I didn’t take it. Once I got to college I realized I was spending more money than I was taking in. When you have that freedom to swipe your card without a parent guiding you it becomes a lot easier to spend money you don’t have. I had to learned very quickly how to create a budget for myself. The real world is more expensive than I ever realized in high school. My next piece of advice is to experience all you can your last year. My senior year I was mostly going to a technical college because I only needed English to graduate. But because I mostly taking college credits I passed on a lot of high school activities. When you go to high school you don’t realize how many memories you are making. I would say don’t pass up those chances to hang out with your grade because you never know when it will be the last time.

I would tell myself that I shouldn't take advantage of the resources that I had at my disposal while I was in school. I was an art major and I had access to fully fuctional studios with all of the expensive equipment that would take me decades to save up to own. Being able to work in those spaces whenever I needed was a true blessing and I believe I created some of my best work in the studios at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

High school was a nightmare for me. I didn't get along with students or the teachers and I was always in trouble with someone. All I could do was pray college was going to be better and you know what, it was. The biggest thing I wish I would have done over the past few years is relax and trust yourself. I spent too much time uptight about things that didn't matter and the rest of the time I was too worried I would do something wrong. If I would have just relaxed and been myself sooner I would have liked my freshman year more. However, every experience I've had lead me to where I am now. From being bullied to being in a sorority officer, from severe depression to counseling those who need it, from an abusive relationship to meeting the man of my dreams. College has been amazing and I almost don't want to leave!

1. Teach yourself how to study. I understand, it's boring. Nobody likes it. You wont regret learning how to study while you're still in high school instead of trying to figure it out in college. 2. Don't drink underage. Your freshman year in college you will watch people around you spiral downwards. Friends from your new school, friends from home, your roommate. They drink underage, get caught, get in trouble, and you're about to see many of them drop out. Alcohol can wait until your 21. It isn't worth the risk. 3. You CAN be a pharmacist. There are so many days full of struggle, so many times you wonder if it's the right major for you.. It is. You are smart enough. You will have to push yourself, but you will make it. I will make it. Push yourself for the next 6 years and you won't regret it.

To my former self I would try to be more involved in campus life. Do not spend all your time working and enjoy being a college student.

You need a back up plan. I know you're excited to get a softball scholarship and all, but you need to leave room for change. You're going to change; you're going to grow, and you need to allow that to happen. Don't be scared of new experiences. Start looking into scholarships now. Don't assume that softball will take you all the way through college. Also, people are no different. There are tons of people who still revolve around high school drama. Don't get caught up in what they have to say. Be you. Oh, and don't pack so much crap! You're not going to use half of it!

I would tell myself to plan ahead in every way possible. Nothing is going to happen in the way that I expect it to, and I have to be open to the changes that are coming my way. A whole new world is opening up, but it's okay to still love the old one. There is nothing wrong with realizing that I loved high school, even though I would never have admitted it. College may not be the brand new beginning that you were looking for, and a few unpredictable factors are going to come into play, but I am going to learn so much about myself that it will all be worth it. There is no need to be afraid, for I really underestimated myself when I first got to college. However, I would also tell myself to remember that the people at college do not care how cool I think I was in high school. As a new freshman, you have to rebuild your way to the top. Overall, I would make sure that I know that there are people who will always have my back, and that the journey is incredible.

There are many things that I wish I would have known going out of my senior year and into my freshman year of college. First of all, I would tell myself to more adamant about applying for scholarships and different financial aid opportunities. I pay for all of my tuition and room and board and have been able to save up just enough money each semester to pay it off, but now I am transferring to a 4 year university and will need more money to pay off my fees and it would have benefited to have applied for more scholarships that I am not eligible for now that I'm in college. I also would have told myself to drastically change my study habits. I did successfully adapt to the college workload, but it was like bending a metal bar. If I would have known what to expect coming into college and had practice spending more time doing school work I would have been more prepared. Lastly, I would have reminded myself that this is just the next step in life and to not spend time worrying about what is coming next, but embrace and take each moment captive.

I would tell myself its not so scary, and to relax and connect with people. I am a very shy person, and I think I would have benifted more if I would have jumped in to more school activites right away. I would also have told myself to go out and see the world sooner. There's so many great oppertunites to take advantage of.

Making the transition from high school to college is deceptively difficult. At first, I believed I had an easy time adjusting to life in the dorms and to the new class structure. My classes weren't that difficult and I already had a plan in place. But because I never had to work much in high school to get good grades, I fell into some bad college habits early on. I let the social side of college become too dominant, and it led me to skip classes and miss assignments. My first semester I earned the lowest grades I've ever had, all because I didn't take the education side of college seriously enough. Even though I turned my behavior around for the rest of my college career, the mark doesn't go away. Meanwhile, the things and people I did focus on are no longer a part of my life. My advice would be this: never forget that the reason you're in college is to get an education. Everything else is just frosting on the cake.