University of Wisconsin-Madison Top Questions

I would tell myself some simple and obvious things if I could go back in time to give myself advice. I would tell myself to be brave. Transitioning is hard, and still to this day can be hard no matter how many times I do it, but it's important to know that the transition is much easier when you open yourself up to it. Don't come too full of grand expectations, just live through each moment and take each opportunity as it comes and make the most of it. Don't doubt yourself. Trust your instinct and your own sense of direction in order to guide you, and most importantly do what you love. Don't waste a day of your life doing something miserable. Chase every one of your dreams because it's worth it.

The advice I would give my high school self would be to enjoy being around my family, apply for as many scholarships as you can, and enjoy every moment you're given with your closest friends. Going away to college, I found myself missing not only my immediate family, but my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and everyone else in my family. I would tell my senior self to cherish our family reunions because you'll see those family members even less now that you're going to be in college. Next, apply for as many scholarships as you can becuase college is so expensive. Scholarships will help lessen the burden on you and your parents. Lastly, I would tell myself to cherish every moment I have with my friends because unfortunately, life gets in the way and you will naturally grow apart from your friends. You will make new friends, and your friends will make new friends, but it is important to never forget who went through childhood with.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to never sell myself short. I would say that while finishing out senior year on a good note is important, the most important thing is focusing on setting up a bright future for yourself through applying to colleges and scholarships early. I would encourage myself to fully take advantage of every service offered to aid me in the process of transitioning from high school to college, be it through my high school, potential university, or an outside party. Most importantly, I would tell myself to enjoy every minute of this process and to put in as much effort as possible, because it is a key turning point in every person's life and deserves lots of care. Work hard and enjoy it all, and at the end take it all in and go where you feel you belong--in the end, that is the place of education that you will gain the most from.

Senior year, for me, was the first year that I got a small taste of adulthood. I cherished that year because I finally felt on top of both my academics and the rest of the school. But if I could go back in time and give my seventeen year old self any advice, it would be to challenge myself more and to apply to colleges where I could actually see myself. My high school career wasn’t at all easy—I took four AP classes and practically all honors—but I wish that I had slipped in at least two more AP classes. Now that I’m in college, I was forced to take two extremely hard classes that most of my colleagues avoided thanks to their AP scores. I also wasted many late nights in high school applying to fourteen universities. I was not only draining my parents’ bank account, but also exhausting myself with the many essays and boring work that comes with applications. And now that I’m happily attending the best school for me, I know that there were at least five schools that I applied to that would never feel like home to me.

As a high school senior, I would have told myself how important it is to follow my passions and interests (to study fashion design), what I'm truly interested in. I wouldn't have wasted my time as a completely unhappy engineering major. Making that switch has entirely altered my overall happiness here at school. Jumping right in and pursuing my dreams right away as soon as I had the chance would be the advice I would give myself.

Take as many AP (advanced placement) classes as possible! They aren't hard if you work hard and bringing all those college credits with you is a huge plus! It's a great background to getting started and sets you up for any career direction you plan to had in. You will have delevoped great study skills for college course, making your freshman year easier! I took three AP classes in highschool, but in hind sight, I wish I would have taken them all!

Rachel, You think you know a lot, but you really do not. Remember this as you go through your first semester. Constantly pay attention to everything going on around you, as it will pay future dividends. You are a smart person but college will show you what failure is all about. You have never failed at anything, but you will in college. The key is to learn from your failures and move on. Failure makes you a better person. Failure will get you to take tougher courses, or courses that you have no clue about the curriculum. College is going to round you out girl! You will not come back home after the first year as the little coddled suburban girl, but someone who is a little tougher, a little stronger, and a lot more confident! Welcome to the stage of your life where it all really starts to come together! You will succeed and you will love every minute of this exciting stage of life! Go Rachel! Go Badgers!

I would love to be able to tell myself that it's important to give yourself time to be a novice at certain things. Jumping into new things that you're interested in is a big part of college, but it's impossible to do that when you expect to be good at everything the first time around. The same principle applies to finding friends. Leaving high school, you are used to having an immediate social support network with people who you've known for a long time. In college, you have to give people time to show who they are, and let that relationship develop.

I would tell myself to learn how to study better. Though it seems like a very common theme for college students, it truly is what seperates those who struggle through a class and those who excel. In highchool it was easy to procrastinate until the day before a test or not even study at all, but in college making sure you understand the material is mainly up to you. Those who take their education into their own hands outside of class and make the effort to understand the material will certainly find their college experience to be less stressful and more rewarding.

I would tell myself that while I should expect change, never forget who I am, because it's easy to get swept up into the craziness that is transitioning into college. Also, don't forget to keep in touch with home. Call your mother more often, too.