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.

Upon Finding Myself in the Past (Double Meaning?): Listen, baby. I know you're all content with yourself right now; it's only September, it's your last year in this horrible high school, and you can spend the whole thing thinking about how great college will be. You're taking it easy in your classes and focusing on clubs and friends and fun things. This year is all about what doing what you feel like doing, isn't it? What you should do comes second, is that right? Well, guess what? I am so proud of you. Staying calm and cool like this is exactly what will make the terrifying transition of child to adult much less terrifying. You can trust me on that. So continue to do exactly what your little, easy-going heart desires. It all works itself out in the end.

I'm glad that you'll maintain the good habits that you established in high school at Yale. Continue to work smart and rest well to succeed as you encourage others on campus. You'll continue to make wise use of your professors and Career Services. Keep living your passion to empower marginalized communities. You will do this with Spanish and French-speaking communities in the United States and abroad. After college, you will do this through corporate social responsibility as a lawyer with a finance background. The friends and family that you have now will remain in school, and your compassion for others will develop many beautiful, long-lasting friendships. You'll enjoy cheering others on as you and your friends realize new goals and benefit the community. Congratulations on your success thus far. Enjoy what is to come!

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school self, I would tell myself to make sure that I study harder. I would want myself to develop better study habits so that I would not have to try to discover what study strategies work for me during my first semester of college. If I had established a solid base of study habits in high school, I think I would have had a better first semester of college.

Firstly, I would give a background introduction of each college and university I am interested in attending. Then, I would give a detailed explanation on the university's academic education and the various undergraduate majors offered, and how the programs can be used as a stepping stone in the future working environment or in graduate studies. Besides the academic aspect, I could also talk about campus life, including the people, culture, living residences, food, sports, transportation, costs and virtually everything else that will affect me. If the university is in a different city from that of my high school, I could give a general perspective on living in the city, and even introduce myself to new and interesting places of interest that I could visit, as well as what I could enjoy and what needs to be avoided. These advice will definitely help a newcomer, like my high school senior self, to integrate seamlessly into the college and city community, easing the pressure of adapting to the new environment.

I would advise myself to wipe away any preconceived notions about what it means to grow up in a “normal” environment, as well as what it means to be “normal”. I grew up in a place where the norm was to finish high school and go to college. When people graduated from high school, you did not ask what people were going to do after graduation; you asked where they were going to school. This was normal to me. However, going through college and talking with people who grew up in different environments than me made me realize that there is no normal. People come from all different backgrounds and this shapes who they are. Learning from people of all backgrounds helps give you a different perspective on life. It helps you grow as a person and realize how you want to live your life. I believe people who never learn about lifestyles different from their own will never be able to understand some of the struggles people in this country go through. Because of college, I have a been able to challenge my view of the world and this has helped me have a better understanding of the world.

Some advice that I would give myself back as a high school senior is to take more challenging classes before getting to college. I didn't take easy classes but some AP classes like AP Biology or AP Chemistry really good've helped me do better in some of my gen ed classes I am taking this year. I am taking Zoology 101 currently and it is very similar to AP Biology. If I would've taken the AP class, I would be doing better in Zoology 101 and would have a great backround knowledge of Biology, compared to me now having not taken Biology since 9th grade. Another thing I know now that I would advise to my senior in high school self is learn how to truly study. In high school, I was never forced to study a lot, or study very intensely. My parents would tell me I need to learn to study before I get to college but I didn't know what they meant. College classes take many, many hours in your dorm room or at the library studying just to pass. I had no idea what the rigor would be like at Madison.

Our battle is with the time. My mission is graduating in the regular process, even in the shorter time than the regular graduating. This means to me: To be perfectly organized, to spent the time with highest efficiency, to be very concentrated in studying. At least, to understand that I will be running in all my life. For me, the High School must be the right place where I should have learned how important a good schedule is, and especially, how important the schedule realization is.

I assumed my time at UW-Madison would be a breeze. My first semester proved this wrong. I wasn’t prepared to face the emotional, social, and academic challenges that hit me as soon as I arrived. At first, I clung to friends from high school. When these friends made new friends and I didn’t, I found myself alone. While the rest of my classmates found their place, I fell into the background and my grades suffered. Other students stayed close with their families, but I was always “too busy.” To top it off, I gained the “Freshman 15.” I contemplated dropping out. I’d lost my identity. Soon I realized I needed to step out of my comfort zone and make communication a priority. I developed friendships. Having friends for support, made everything easier. I joined student organizations, got to know my instructors and reconnected with my family. Soon my grades improved. Instead of just another student on campus, I started to feel significant. I’m learning to appreciate communication. The more people I meet, the more connections and opportunities I’ve had. This huge campus gets a little smaller each time I see a familiar smile.

Listen up, you don't have to rush this. Education is about being involved, and that means forming a relationship with knowledge, with your teachers, your peers, and your community. Yes, your parents want you to finish in 4 years and then get a job. Maybe you think it will look bad if you don't, or if it takes you longer or you want to start making money or don't want to graduate without your friends, but this is can be the beginning of a lifelong relationship with what makes you a passionate, cultivated, and self-reflexive citizen. Being educated is a privelege. Attending lectures with 500 other anonymous, voiceless students, never knowing your professor, cramming for tests, and never applying the knowledge as you learn it is, is a shame. This is the moment in life when you are priveleged enough to be given the space, the time, and the resources to really learn something about the world and yourself. Take your time.

Save the money! I worked throughout high school and always spent the money I earned right away on things that I do not even use anymore. The biggest stressor during my college career, other than school, has been money. I would tell myself to save as much as I could because, there are some emergencies that happen that you cannot control. I would also tell myself to stay true to who I am. Once I got into college, there are a couple of times that I have questioned about who I was, if I was doing the right thing, and if I was where I belonged. I would say that get to know yourself as best as you can while you're in high school, because it saves time during college of trying to figure out who you are. The last thing I would tell myself is that you have a blank slate. You are going to a new place where people may or may not know you. Embrace that, try new things, do not dwell on things that happend in high school, because nobody cares in college. You have a blank slate where you can become whoever you want.