Admissions

Be ready for a different demographic of students with many students of Asian and Pacific Islander decent. Some of the classes can be difficult and some of the professors can be hard to understand because of accents, but if you have tutors or form study groups with other students in the class, then you will be ok.

There are lots of things to consider before choosing University of Hawaii. Transportation issues are one of the big ones. You cannot drive your car here and although the public transportation (bus) system is pretty good, you have to factor that in. Also you will be far away from family and friends and can't easily go home to visit and do your laundry. You must be independent and self-sufficient and able to function well without your support system. Be prepared to save money any way you can and deal with the higher cost of living. But if you like the college programs (and there are some good ones) and living in paradise while learning, there are few places that compare.

Take a tour around, sit in a class and see if you like the atmosphere

Join clubs as soon as you can! If you are a Christian, there are a lot of groups in which you can get involved. If you like Japanese or Indian culture, there is also a place for you. Be willing to explore beyond the familiar boundaries of your high school lifestyle.

If you like to have fun there is always something happening here but as a word of caution the parties are very different here. The parties are not like all out dancing, drinking, being with a million people type. They are more like in the dorms and more laid back. There are clubs but it really isn't like the mainland. Also the things you can do off campus is really unlimited here, there is always something to do. But most importantly do your research on this school and every school you are interested in. if you don't have anything specific that you know you want to do, then see if this has a lot of options that you are interested in. This school has a lot of options, see if they are the options you like.

Get a job as soon as possible, everything you do in the city cost money. Also, if your planning on living on campus, decide if you want to have a meal plan or not, most of the dorms require it. If you want to skip the meal plan and pay for your own food, look into the apartment options, which come with a kitchen and a small living room. They give you little bit more space, which I know is important to some people.

Check out the general education requirements and try to complete those early if you aren't sure of what you want to major in. If you know what you are going to major in look at the major requirements and try to get some of your heavier major classes out of the way early so that you don't have to deal with all major classes your junior and senior year.

If UHM is a school that you would like to attend, make sure to send your application on time. Also, if you're not sure that you'd be able to get into the school try the College Opportunities Program which will allow you to spend a summer taking a class while getting the freshman experience by being able to dorm with other freshmen. Link to COP: http://www.hawaii.edu/cop/

make sure to leave a little early to class because the walk across campus can be long and tiring.

If you don't already live in Hawaii, make sure you take advantage of all the things Hawaii has to offer, (especially beaches).