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High School Students
Words of Wisdom
The following tips are provided by students of UAA’s Native Student Services.
- “Picking a school is a lot like buying shoes…you want a really good fit.”
- “The first day of college starts on a different day than high school does.”
- “My underwear will turn pink if I wash it with my red shirt.”
- “It sounds simple, but don’t sign up for 8:00 am classes if you are not a morning person.”
- “Books, surprisingly enough, are not included in the cost of tuition.”
- “I should have looked at a map of campus before scheduling my classes.”
- “Bring cash with you to cover start up costs like books, rent, deposits, food, new clothes, going to the movies, having fun…”
- “Deadlines are REAL, if you miss them you miss out…and may be left with the bill.”
- “My class schedule will vary from day to day. Some days I may have 4 classes and other days I may only have 2.”
- “Go to class, study, meet new people, have fun, try new things…and do it in that order.”
- “Balance is the key.”
- “For every hour of class time, I am expected to study 2 hours outside of class.”
- “Food left out and forgotten will quickly mutate into scary new life forms that can rival the X-Files entities.”
- “I got two F’s my first semester because I didn’t fill out the paperwork to drop the classes, I just stopped going. I learned the hard way…there is paperwork for everything - registering for classes, dropping classes, getting your ID…”
- “Don’t Panic!”
- “Stressing out happens to everyone.”
- “Go to class, go to class, go to class – even if you don’t have all your books, your assignment is not done, you are too tired, too confused, it is too cold, too late, too windy…Whatever the reason not to go, GO to class.”
- “The computer will become one of your best friends.”
- “Keep copies of EVERYTHING – all your college records, book receipts, grade reports, scholarship papers…because others will lose them.”
- “In life, sometimes you are in the driver’s seat and sometimes you are in the passenger’s seat…the key is that you make the choice; don’t let others make it for you.”
- “College students consume more pizza in their college career than the average person does in a lifetime.”
- “I am totally responsible for making all the deadlines even if I am unaware of when they are; no one tells me these things, they expect that I have read every thing.”
- “If you remember only one thing – don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
- “I have college, college doesn’t have me.”
- “The friends you make in college stay with you long after classes have ended.”
I would like to thank the UAA Native Student Services (NSS) staff for allowing me to publish these “words of wisdom” from their students, which were published in a NSS 2002 brochure entitled “Kick Off and Aim High: Steps and Tips to Preparing for Your College Experience.”
This page was last updated by Janice Troyer on April 19, 2007