University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Top Questions

College did not seem like the best choice for me right after graduation. It seemed like a ball and chain, like a new list of unwanted obligations to my high school self. I remember being told a handful of times that "college is not for everyone". I remember hating the connotation of that stinging statement being directed at me. I spent August of 2013 feeling like an absolute failure. I was never the student to not try, to no excel. It felt so wrong that I did not want the natural extension of high school success. If I could have told my high-school-self anything it would have been reassuring words that this semester break is necessary, now is just not the time for college. I wish I could have shown my past self my email from the Dean's office saying that I have made the Dean's list or my straight A's on my transcript. I would tell myself that being eighteen is scary and now is the time to explore. Wasting time being upset and frustrated with yourself is not helping you to grow as a person.

If I could go back in time to my early high school years I would tell myself to work harder and take on as many opportunities that were given to me. I would have challenged myself more academically and should have studied alot more then what I had originally intended.

Dear Mai Cheng, You are an amazing person. I know you are. Do not worry about friends, boys, or whatever you are going though. I know you will make it out fine and become a lovely person. You should work hard in school and do your best. Keep going strong. Keep taking notes and studying for those exams as tests. But most of all, keep your motivation strong and alive! Keep being passionate about your education because YOU my dear will go far. I just know it. I love you, and stay well. Sincerely, Future Mai Cheng Her

As a high school student, I would tell myself that I am more capable of completing a degree than I realized. I came from a family where no one had earned a bachelor's degree. My father even attempted to discourage me from attending a four year college. I had to overcome negativity and push forward. As I high school student, I would tell myself to not take everything so seriously. I would tell myself to learn how to balance my course work, social life and need to earn money. My strategy would be learn from others and every class offers knowledge that was not known until the experience had been completed. Goals are important, yet not everything works out in a rigid plan. Life is too short to be too serious and you will end up where you are suppose to be at the end of your education journey, yet it is up to you to make things happen. To sum it up, "Don't sweat the small stuff."

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to relax and not worry. Campus life is something that one cannot prepare themselves for ahead of time, rather one has to experience it first. In addition, I would try to tell myself to put my classes as a priority during the first semester, learn to manage time better, and take better care of myself. Try to meet others on campus, actually participate in events that occured on campus, yet still find time to focus upon my schedules. Remember, University life is where one begins to learn even more about themselves and get to claim a bit more independence. Don't be afraid to do so. My mother actually came to campus one time, in order to yell at me to take better care of myself and work hard in class, not spend my freetime online gaming. The first semester was a trial and error, despite the fact that I never failed a single course, it allowed me to realize how campus life worked. From there, I began to learn better studying habits and taking of myself efficiently.

Stay focus, pay attention, and get as much information you need to prepared yourself for college. My teachers always said well when you get in college it's gone be different and harder. I was a little hard headed so I really didn't listen. Don't get me wrong I did all my work and got good grades, but if I could go back I would listen. This my second semester of college as a freshmen and i'm not doing to good, but I'm not gone give up because in order to get somewhere in life you have to work for it, nothing comes free.

I would make sure that my mini-me is done with their ACT's/SAT and Financial aid. I would stress the importance of completing finacial aid early, because it is a first come first serve. I would also inform him on scholarships and college pre-preprograms. The reason why these things were mentioned first, is because they are needed to attended the college of choice. Doing your financial aid on time will make sure you know how much you are recieving. Once recieved, you can budget your semester accordingly because BOOKS are expensive. After reminding myself about the expenses of college, I would go into the social life. I would remind myself to not get so carried away with friends. Having friends is a good thing in college, but you need those other friends that you can have awesome study days with. I wish I could have more of those instead. Another thing I would explain is how to use the tutor centers and professors. They're always there and they are willing to help. You have to be willing and get off your butt to actually reach them. It's all up to you.

If I were to go back to my high school self, I would make sure to tell them that life turns out better then this. I suffered from depression throughout a few years of my high school career and it was really hard to keep focused. I was a pretty good student, but boy did I have to crack down once I came to Whitewater. I would tell my past self, "to sit down and study more and not procrastinate". I met so many life long friends when I moved to college, but my first semester was a LOT harder then I was used to. It was a fun, but hard transition and I think I'm still trying to get in the swing of things. But, I would let myself know that college is awesome, and I would do it all over again!

The advice that I would give myself would be to save as much money as possible, and to remind myself that attending college is not cheap; everything costs. Knowing what i know now I would be able to share future expenses with myself, such as food, text books, gas money or bus money to be able to come home on breaks. I would also tell myself that you should look for a job as early as possible and to not wait until you are on campus like so many students choose to do, but to have a job as soon as possible so that you are able to pay for all of your expenses and responsibilities that you may have. These are things that some high school students fail to notice before getting on college, so I would prepare myself by knowing them early.

One thing that I have not been able to overcome , and I don't think it will happen anytime soon, is my problem with procrastination. If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would make CLEAR to myself to finish my papers and assignments as soon as I get them or atleast work on it a little bit at a time. The feeling that you get after spending hours of dedicated time on an assignment from school and finally finishing it is way better than coming to class and realizing that you forgot to do something that was due or didn't spend as much time on something as you could have. I would also advise myself that if I need to study or get something done, to go to the library and leave my phone in my room to shut myself off from the world so I can concentrate better. The last thing I would tell myself is to relax and not get over-stressed when there are many things to be done and not enough time to do it. Keep calm and prioritize.