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Fun Stuff => CHATTER => Topic started by: IronOxide on 18 Jun 2008, 17:48
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So, in the fall, I will be entering a major university for EDUCATION.
I have nearly two and a half months with which to prepare.I am asking the relative wisdom of QC: What I should know or do before I head out into the somewhat-adult world? Anything in particular that was a major misstep for you? Any hilarious early college stories?
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http://a1259.g.akamai.net/f/1259/5586/5d/images.art.com/images/-/Animal-House---John-Belushi-College--C10112414.jpeg
I own one, you should too.
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We had a similar thread last summer: Dorm Life (http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,17016.0.html)
My suggestion: Don't be a hermit. Get out of your room once in awhile! Otherwise you will make no friends, have no life, trip on a video game cable or something, break your neck, and no one will know until you start to stink up the hall.
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I fuckin' love that movie.
I would say "get a job and save save save," but I am assuming you have already done that as that is a logical step.
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Is it bad that I am usually urged to say Robot House instead of like, Delta house or whatever the principal says in that movie?
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No, you're pretty justified there since Animal House isn't nearly as good as it's made out to be. Not giving due respect to Lambda Lambda Lambda would be a whole different matter though.
When going to university, make sure you know how to cook, wash clothes, clean and pay bills. I am always horrified by the vast number of people who turn up every year unable to do these simple things.
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Ugh. I am 20 now. I need to get in school. Not trying to over take this thread or anything, but has anyone gone to any art schools? I have a couple I'm looking at, but I was curious if anyone could recommend some others./Joe Hocking what school did you go to? And would it be a terrible idea for me to major in either printmaking or graphic design?
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Be discerning about your friends!
The opportunity to make new friends is really important and you shouldn't fuck up like most of us did in school! Get to know a large variety of people, before figuring out who you actually like to hang around! It doesn't always mean people who have the same interests as you, but it does mean people who you won't find annoying or mean later on!
It sounds simple and probably a bit boring, but I think this is actually pretty important. There are a lot of new people to get to know and hang out with, but only a handful you will hang out with for a long time into the future! Forging strong relationships is important for when people are in different classes and it's harder to hold on to friendships!
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Learn to make a grilled cheese sammich with an iron, not really necessary but a pretty cool trick
Learn to tie a tie
Buy a three button dark suit and red tie, you never know when you'll need a suit and a red tie is perfect for every situation
Don't worry if you don't know what you want to major in, you're still young
I'm in the same situation as you, except the university I'm going to is in my city and I've already dropped out of another college.
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Learn how to cook at least two dishes. Learn how to make at least one cocktail. If you're sharing a house, read He Died With a Felafel in His Hand and take heed.
@Emaline- My lady friend studied printmaking at an art school. She liked it; it's one of the more practical art disciplines, while still giving a pretty wide range of technical options in artworks. However, from an employment point of view, she's still wishing that she studied more computer-based graphic design subjects, and is actually going back to school to do so.
Basically, I guess I'm trying to say that if you want a better chance of a job afterwards, you'd be better off getting a fair bit of graphic design subjects in, rather than printmaking (although the two can overlap a fair bit).
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Ugh. I am 20 now. I need to get in school. Not trying to over take this thread or anything, but has anyone gone to any art schools? I have a couple I'm looking at, but I was curious if anyone could recommend some others./Joe Hocking what school did you go to? And would it be a terrible idea for me to major in either printmaking or graphic design?
I went to the Rhode Island School of Design. (http://www.risd.edu/) It's one of the top art schools in the country, but then there are a lot of really good art schools all over the place, so it depends a lot on where you want to be. Like, here in Chicago one of the places I teach at is School of the Art Institute of Chicago. (http://www.saic.edu/) In Boston choices like Massart (http://www.massart.edu/index3.html) abound. If you want to live in New York, there are schools like Parsons (http://www.parsons.newschool.edu/) or Cooper Union (http://www.cooper.edu/) (from the website of the latter: "The College... awards full scholarships to all enrolled students.")
The schools in California that jump to mind are mostly known for film and animation (eg. Calarts (http://www.calarts.edu/)) but that mostly reflects me having less familiarity with schools in that area. Meanwhile, I'm only talking about specialized art schools here; there are lots of great (http://www.tisch.nyu.edu/page/home.html) programs (http://www.art.cfa.cmu.edu/) at universities (http://art.yale.edu/Home) too, so don't only look at art schools.
Meanwhile, whether those majors would be a good idea for you is a much more complicated question than simply a list of schools. I hope you have a good guidance counselor!
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http://a1259.g.akamai.net/f/1259/5586/5d/images.art.com/images/-/Animal-House---John-Belushi-College--C10112414.jpeg
I own one, you should too.
Please no. Do not be yet another person with one of these posters.
Also: Advice may differ depending on what kind of school and if you are living in dorms.
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Owning that sweater would be pretty cool, though.
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Don't buy that Klimt poster either. Or the one of the two chicks kissing.
Also, don't be shy. It's fucking college! Get laid!
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I own one, you should too.
Please no. Do not be yet another person with one of these posters.
Seconded. The Animal House poster thing is incredibly played out and lame.
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Learn to clean the bathroom more than once in two years. I have just done this and my eyes sting from bleach fumes and my back hurts.
Fuck cooking two things, learn to cook stuff that is easy, nice and not terrible for you and learn as many new things as possible, cooking is awesome fun.
Also to add to Fatty's advice, learn to accept that some people will be your friends simply because you are there. When you stop having classes with them don't be surprised if they fall out of your life completely. You don't need to be friends with everyone you ever meet.
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Buy a communal toothbrush for cleaning the grout between the tiles in the bathroom. You can get away with doing it once a week.
Rice, potatos, frozen vegetables and condiments can go a LONG way. Remember this.
In your first week, don't try too hard to get noticed. Nobody likes an attention grabber. Conversely, for your first week or two, dress nicely, but casually. First impressions are lasting ones. At the very least, you want your first impression on people to be that you know how to dress yourself. Try getting a nice haircut a week or two in advance.
Classes are VERY important, as is striking up a familiarity with your tutors. You're better off if your teachers like you. If they don't know who you are, it could bite you on the ass one day. Show up after class one day with an intelligent question and maybe an interesting hat or piece of jewellery. If they ask about it, even better, because then you can tell them an interesting story about how you acquired it and they're sure to remember the student who inherited a fedora from an illegal immigrant who was shot crossing the border. This technique also works well for job interviews. It'll make you stand out from the crowd, which is something you desire when it comes to authority figures.
Finally, the best and most important advice...
Budget. Sounds obvious, but so few people do it. Write a plan, plot allowances, stick to them. Time is money, so having a time table on a noticeboard might be a good idea. College is where you learn to stop procrastinating. When something shows up, get it out of the way as fast as possible. Put it on your time table at the earliest date you can. Get it out of the way. Time is the only thing you have, and you need to start acting like free time it the most important thing in the world. Work on having as much free time as you can in case anything else ever shows up.
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Do not overextend yourself.
Figure out your means and what you are able to do without overloading your brain, body and emotions.
My first semester at college, I worked a thirty-five hour job that was forty minutes away while dating a girl who lived over and hour away. This led to a really swift collapse in my overall social life and my ability to function properly in ANY of the multiple things I was trying to do at once (Which snowballed into me having to drop out after about a year). I wasn't a partier, I can't imagine how fucked up I'd have been if I was on top of everything else. Don't do that, Adam.
Budgeting is important as mentioned. Get used to living cheap, because you're a lot better off having very little to your name than overexerting yourself by working too much. It's not just money you need to budget, but time. Obviously, classes should come first in everything. If you've got a job that starts interfering with it, quit. If you run with a crowd who start interfering with it, ditch them. The only thing you'll be doing in college that will likely stick with you past graduation is getting that degree. Everything else is expendable and you can get new ones after you're done.
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Chug it
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party with your professors
I know you were being ironic, Sam, but this one actually isn't a bad idea.
Oh wait yes it is.
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I suspect the best £20 I have ever spent was membership to my university's fencing club. Do something exciting and new, this is probably your best chance to do it. Plus, joining a club or society or something will give you a chance to meet other new folks in the same boat as you. I kept myself way busy with clubs (I did sports ones, but there will be loads of others I imagine) all for my first couple of weeks which a) made me friends outside my dorms b) was fun and c) stopped me panicking about omgmoneylecturesawayfromhomeomg etc.
Take a doorstop and leave your door open at all times unless you are actually naked or asleep.
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party with your professors
I know you were being ironic, Sam, but this one actually isn't a bad idea.
Oh wait yes it is.
Well, especially considering that they can lose their tenure because of this.
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at Knox, there are many, many rumors of professors sleeping with students, some rumors more credible than others
I actually have partied with a professor. it was one of the music teachers, and she is in her mid to late twenties. it was raining, and she showed up at the Jazz House (one of the campus theme houses with permanent status), looking wet and drunk. she then conversed with us about how great it was at Knox when she went there (I can't say "here" right now because I'm currently being bored out of my skull at home in Georgia)
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It depends on the kind of party.
Dinner party as profs house to get a chance to know all her advisees better: good.
Cook out for all of the majors and profs in a given department to calibrate the end of a semester with burgers and softball: good.
Normal college party with one embarrassingly drunk professor: kinda awkward.
Professor inviting two freshmen girls over to watch movies and cuddle: really bad.
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That is a very good point. My initial reaction was "um no" but then I remembered how I've played touch football in the backyards of professors having end-of-year cookouts and that was cool.
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Sox made an excellent suggestion to budget; I suck with money and it took me 3-4 years to not be calling my parents asking for 50 bucks here and there when I had blown all I had for the month.
Never drink the vat, especially not the "girls' vat."
Finally, something I wish I'd done: check out a lot of organizations early and get involved with the ones that appeal to you. Right now I'm an editor for Tulane's Literary Society & Review and on the mgmt board for the 1718 Reading Series, but I wish I'd been where I am now two years ago. As it is, I only have 2 and a half semesters to work in these groups and I could have had at least that many years.
(Also, Hi forums! Long time no write stuff on you!)
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Yeah, it's a good idea to get to know your professors. Show up during office hours and ask questions about the material, that sort of thing. Grades tend to be better when you communicate with your professors. Also, you'll be less inclined to skip class and shirk coursework if you think the prof will be disappointed.
Also, it makes it that much easier to get a good recommendation out of them when you're applying to things.
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After my philosophy final we went over to the professers house and drank like 6 bottles of wine, ate snacks, and talked about philosophy. Partying with teachers is not a bad thing. And be nice to your roommate, or he wont leave when you want to have sex.
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oh yeah, the biggest thing I wish I'd taken seriously my first semester:
GO TO CLASS OR YOU WILL GET BAD GRADES.
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Learn how to cook at least two dishes. Learn how to make at least one cocktail. If you're sharing a house, read He Died With a Felafel in His Hand and take heed.
This is really just good advice anyway, college be damned. How To Be A Man by the same guy is another great book to read for this sort of thing, even if you're a lady.
I don't feel qualified to give advice in this thread because I do my best work with a load on or a raging hangover so I do not know how you'd approach university if you are not the same.
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Don't spread yourself thin by taking too many classes and extra-curricular stuff at the same time.
I tried to be on the swim team, be the executive producer of the Student TV station and carry a part time job all at the same time. It was too much.
Don't live with other people in a big house unless you REALLY know them. Just hanging out with them is not a good indicator of what they will be like as house mates.
If your first major doesn't work out don't sweat it. I started out a Bio Major, changed it to liberal arts, changed it to History and then finally added a communication major and ended up with with a dual Major in History/Broadcast Media. I still managed to finish it all up in only four years. (a huge mistake not taking my time though) So it's not the end of the world.
Don't sign up to be a tour guide for the college. I tried that once. It didn't work out...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xk_qdUs7EA
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Probably not the "right" place to say this, but join a frat/final club/eating club/etc if you can at all stomach it. The post-college life is basically modeled after this lifestyle, and it gives you a group of contacts post-college and a bonding group during college.
The get good grades/party/goal-oriented socializing routine really works well at getting you read for 9-5 life.
Yes, they're filled with douchebags, but douchebags make up the majority of life so you might as well get some advantages from it.
oh, and take as many competitive internships as you can... the point of college is to get a better start to working life than you would have had otherwise.
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Do not join a Fraternity unless you are excited about a culture that glorifies poor treatment of women, and occasionally sexual violence. I am not saying that all members of fraternities do this, but it is part of their party culture, and their power hierarchy.
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Join a social group that has an external reason to exist, optimally a reason that you're deeply interested in.
Make friends with your professors.
If there's anything you want to do but don't want to get in trouble for, do it in college, you'll never have a legal safety net like that again.
Drinking a ton will probably not make college into something great. Get it out of the way early if you have to.
I joined a frat and it was probably the best decision I made all freshman year, but my frat's a bit different from what you're likely to encounter so that's really not something I'd recommend to anyone who isn't a student at UPenn (or Drexel, or Temple, or UArts ... we don't really care what school you go to. Or what gender you are. Or if you're a student at all, in extreme cases.)
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Times have changed a bit, but my grandfather has told me to join a fraternity, he says that some of his best friends to this day (over 60 years) are people in his former fraternity. I would surmise it depends on the people somewhat.
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at Knox, there are many, many rumors of professors sleeping with students
Both a blessing and a curse.
Definitely try to make a lot of friends in a lot of different groups of people. I had my core group of friends, my improv/theatergeek friends, my literary friends, and my musical friends, so if there was a lot of friction with one singular clique I was a part of, it was okay if I just avoided them for a while.
Unpack and try to keep things tidy, in case your roommate hates messes. Passive aggression is something you really want to avoid, especially when you're just starting out at school.
And remember, you're a freshman, so it's okay to make a mistake or two.
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Don't spread yourself thin by taking too many classes and extra-curricular stuff at the same time
i wasn't too involved with extra curriculars in high school, so i thought well, here's my chance to reinvent myself and become the sort of person that's a member of a wide variety of clubs, including a sorority. i also tried to find a part-time job on campus.
yeah that was dumb. i should have focused on my classes.
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Don't spread yourself thin by taking too many classes and extra-curricular stuff at the same time
i wasn't too involved with extra curriculars in high school, so i thought well, here's my chance to reinvent myself and become the sort of person that's a member of a wide variety of clubs, including a sorority. i also tried to find a part-time job on campus.
yeah that was dumb. i should have focused on my classes.
Yeah as important as a part time job can be for extra cash sometimes you just have to give yourself time to do the stuff that really matters. There are many ways of scoring free food and fun at college and you can always save up by working during summer session.
Focus on your classes and activities you are really interested in. You have to make tough decisions. I personally wish I had quit the swim team after my second year. The new coach started a very competitive a program (6 AM extra workouts on top of normal workouts). I was a great swimmer but I am not a very natural athlete. I could have focused more on my interest in the Student TV station and my term papers. Instead I spread myself too thin and tried to work part time on top of it.
I suppose you just have to ask yourself if what you are doing now is really going to help you out when you get into the real world.
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College is for dumb people. Snarf knows. All Snarf's friends pay thousands of dollars for piece of paper. Snarf generates on on computer.
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Snarf can't make proper sentences. All of Snarf's friends probably can.
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In relation to what Caleb said, a friend's father gave him the following advice on entering school:
There are 4 things available in school: grades, friends, a job, and sleep. You can have any 2 of them. I don't think this is entirely true. I managed to have 3 of them, but I never held a job while I was in school. I survived on a budget of about 100 dollars a semester after books and meal plans were paid (I had both scholarships and a lot of help from my folks). I performed well in all of the classes I cared about, I had good friends, and I never pulled an all nighter, though I would occasionally go to bed at 1 AM and then wake up at 5 AM to finish a paper.
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Don't do drugs in the dorms. You'll most likely get caught and dragged out of your room by a cop while everyone in the dorm watches. Drinking in the dorms isn't the best idea either, but easier to keep under wraps. If you have a low alcohol tolerance, beer is your friend, shots can be a quick ticket to pass out town.
Don't piss off your RA, chances are you'll need their help at some point.
Stay for the summer, don't go home to Mom and Dad. Some of my favorite times in college, hell my life, have been in the summer in college. If your parents bitch, get a job or take summer classes, summer classes are usually easier than their regular semester counterparts and can get you out of college early (but why anyone would want to do that I have no idea) or let you take it easier during the regular semester.
If you live in a state that has free college edumacation as long as you keep a certain GPA, do your best to keep that, it'll save you tons.
Learn to cook and dont spend all your money on going out to eat or drink, it can get expensive.
Grades are important, but so is having a life. Have fun, its college, its what its really for. All my friends that have graduated say to enjoy it, so fucking enjoy it. But life after college doesnt have to be the soul crushing life some make it out to be.
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All good advise, except for the Summer thing. It depends on what classes you want to take in the summer. Most universities and colleges have an 8 week summer schedule, that means you do a 16 week course in half the time. Some teachers are good with that, but there are some who still want you to do the same amount of work in that amount of time.
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Well, the logic there is that you aren't (or at least shouldn't be) taking as many classes at the same time and thus can devote more of your time to the class. Otherwise, summer classes wouldn't teach you as much!
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It really depends on the classes I suppose.
I got really good marks in all my summer classes and felt that they went at a much easier pace.
Then again I was used to taking 15-18 credits every semester (also a mistake).
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I really like summer classes, especially if they're ones I want to take anyhow. Meeting more frequently helps you retain information and having fewer credits lets you really focus on doing well in a few things.
Also, on the subject of frats:
Pledge if you want to, but be prepared to hate life for a while and then pay dues every month to have a pre-determined group of friends. Other organizations often serve the same purpose, but without the hazing and bullshit.
That said, rush all the frats even if you don't plan on pledging, it's a great way to get a week of cheap or free booze.
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i am currently taking three summer courses, which is something i've been doing since high school to make my life easier during the academic year.
the majority of my experience with summer courses has been positive.
i mean, in grade 11 i took film during the summer which was pretty snazzy and didn't even feel like a class sometimes, since the focus was on actually making movies, not studying film history. and the people i met there were awesome.
however, in grade 12 i had to take calculus, and i happened to have a teacher that i'm pretty sure has never taught summer school before, because she would assign the exact same amount of work that you'd get in a regular class, and just expected us to finish it faster. we had tests practically every other day. that was slightly ridiculous. so was the fact that she expected us to do presentations. uhhhhhhhh it's a math course can you use common sense instead of just rigidly sticking to the educational board guidelines? fuck.
but yeah, as long as you don't get one of those types of professors, college/university summer courses aren't too much harder than high school ones, and the pace is decent.
they're not a place to meet new people for me though, since all of my current courses are online-only. and the campus is pretty empty most of the time, so i'm unlikely to strike up conversations with strangers there.
also, wtf, frats get free booze during rush week?? where?
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Try to eat at the school cafeteria as little as humanly possible.
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also, wtf, frats get free booze during rush week?? where?
You're a girl, it's different. In your case, they give free beer year round, but it's not smart to accept any unless you are there with a protective group of friends.
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i am obviously at the wrong school because no one offers me free beer, drugged or not.
maybe it's cause i look too intimidating.
and i disagree with the cafeteria thing. i had some delicious cafeteria pasta earlier.
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Solution for the cafeteria is to go in there and load up on a lot of free food, if it's buffet style. Take some stuff like cereal and maybe a loaf of bread if you're really good at sneaking things around. Technically it's not stealing if you're paying for it!
[/fuzzylogic]
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One friend of mine smuggled a full gallon of ice cream out of the cafeteria.
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You zany RISD types.
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Actually that was at Carnegie Mellon. No way I was on a meal plan in grad school.
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There's a lot of good advice in here.
I'd like to echo the one about not over-extending yourself/spreading yourself too thin--be it financially, socially, emotionally, or academically. It's very easy to do that in the first semester, what with all the new friends, the new opportunities, the freedom to reinvent oneself, and everyone encouraging you to squeeze the maximum amount of stimulation out of the College Experience... you might need to constantly remind yourself of your priorities, what you're there for.
I'd suggest having your studies/career and your health as your two top priorities. Neither of those mean that you have to live in pain and boredom during college :) but they'll both require discipline and moderation.
Make the effort to structure your life as well as possible, esp. when it comes to time-management and money. Be the man with the plan, it really beats the hell out of being the other guy.
Re. friends, befriend people that you not only like, but that are good for you as well! Socially, emotionally, academically, etc. I'd esp. like to emphasise the last of those--a few good study-partners can make your life so much better, even if you're the kind of person that's totally convinced he can't study with others.
And try to meet different kinds of people doing different things (easily done if you'll be living in dorms)!
I'm just going to summarise everything I want to say, with:
1. Keep your eyes on the prize, and make sure you progress towards it
--> Don't lag behind, if you can at all help it. Try to get ahead when you can. Your professors can be a huge asset in this!
2. Take care of yourself, so you can accomplish 1
--> Your physical and mental health, and your finances. Make sure you at least eat well (learn to cook, it will be fun!), sleep well, and get some exercise!
3. Don't overextend yourself, or you'll blow 2
--> Some trial and error may be required in order to determine what your limits are.
Enough out of me. Take care, and good luck! :)
-- P
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so was the fact that she expected us to do presentations. uhhhhhhhh it's a math course...
This is actually a really useful thing. So many maths types are completely terrible at explaining what they're doing. Being able to be coherent as you solve problems is useful for when you're writing papers and you end up with arguments that follow each other in a sensible and readable way, and not just in a strictly logical way that will probably be tough to follow for anyone who reads it.
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eh, i didn't find it helpful, but maybe that's because i'm actually not a "math type" (this is the last year i have to take it, and i'm quite happy about that) and tend to be fairly coherent most of the time.
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Oh, if you're never going to have to explain to your supervisor or students what the hell it is you're doing, or discussing with people why your model of something only you and two other people care about isn't giving you sensible results then it might not be so useful.
I suppose teaching people in lower years or helping your classmates while you're doing the course will help you consolidate what you know and remember it later. You might just get a mark for what you yourself have done, but that doesn't mean you can't work as a team to get good marks (plagiarism is pretty low though). Make friends with people who are good at things and stay aware of deadlines and suchlike, but be actual friends rather than just raping their knowledge. That's a bit of a dick move right there.
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Try to eat at the school cafeteria as little as humanly possible.
I disagree! Belgian waffles are fantastic.
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I must say I've found this thread quite useful as I am also going off to university in the fall. Though I must say all the bureaucratic crap is already pissing me off.
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Is American College the same thing as our British universities, but much bigger?
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I am not sure precisely the differences, but what I have gathered is that it is similar to university. Both our colleges and our universities are really the same thing, I'm not sure if there is a hard and fast rule as to how a school is categorized. College usually starts after 12th grade, so for the most part, freshmen are 18, though some people take a year off between the end of high school and the beginning of college.
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Sounds pretty much the same as Universities over here. Although some people will still be 17 when they start.
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I sort of really like our system. I liked not having to decide what to study until I was at least 18 (though from what I've gathered, the first years of college are, in general, much more "free" in the US than here, but I may just be confused. However, if that is the case, I wish it'd been like that here), and the whole free-part (well, almost. I think I pay about $80 per semester to the student welfare association) is pretty damn great.
Sure, it has its flaws, and it seems like quality wise, it may be going down the drain, but the system itself I like.
As for college tips:
If you're used to mostly just surfing through school and still getting good grades, college is a good time to forget all about that and actually work consistently. I learned that the hard way, and I'm still struggling, after two years, to actually change my study habits from "show up, do required work, chillax and maybe skim the chapter before a test" to "show up, do required work, study throughout the semester so that you have actually read all the chapters and done enough work by exam time".
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I have to reiterate Ladybug's point. Natural talent will not carry you in most cases, you do need to do some work to achieve more than just a passing grade. Passing university is easy as fuck, doing well is hard as hell.
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I am not sure precisely the differences, but what I have gathered is that it is similar to university. Both our colleges and our universities are really the same thing, I'm not sure if there is a hard and fast rule as to how a school is categorized. College usually starts after 12th grade, so for the most part, freshmen are 18, though some people take a year off between the end of high school and the beginning of college.
college is a specific school of study, ie the college of medicine, and a university is an school with a range of study programs. We misuse the term college a lot.
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Not really.
A college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general intellectual capacities
At least that's what I'm talking about, don't know about the rest of you. I'm definitely going to a college rather than a university.
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Man, I need a fake ID.
I think an important thing to keep in mind about college is that there is a whole world outside of it. There are so many other things you could be doing; be aware of that fact, and be aware of why you're in college.
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I am not sure precisely the differences, but what I have gathered is that it is similar to university. Both our colleges and our universities are really the same thing, I'm not sure if there is a hard and fast rule as to how a school is categorized. College usually starts after 12th grade, so for the most part, freshmen are 18, though some people take a year off between the end of high school and the beginning of college.
college is a specific school of study, ie the college of medicine, and a university is an school with a range of study programs. We misuse the term college a lot.
Not mine, says community college right on the logo. Teaches lots of stuff, just only to an associate's.
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Man, I need a fake ID.
The asian student organization back at CMU had a drawer in their office of the IDs of former members. When people were heading out for the bars, they'd just grab a random card from the drawer. This actually worked lol
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So in America I need a fake ID when I want booze?
America is fucking lame.
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I'd say that just proves that the people who check ID in those bars were either lazy or racist. On the other hand, they were the ones getting snuck past by people with fake IDs. So who's the winner?
I think the main difference between US and UK college/universities is that over here in the UK, you choose a subject before you go and stick with it for three years, usually. I'm about to start applying for entry in 2009 for a Law degree and it seems scary and really hard. I have to get it all done before October 15th if I want to apply to Cambridge, although all other universities except Oxford are much more sensible and their deadline is in January.
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Passing university is easy as fuck
depends on the university and the program
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So in America I need a fake ID when I want booze?
America is fucking lame.
Man, you should've added that into your calculations when you decided to stay.
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I have to reiterate Ladybug's point. Natural talent will not carry you in most cases, you do need to do some work to achieve more than just a passing grade. Passing university is easy as fuck, doing well is hard as hell.
This is basically true, although the horror stories I sometimes hear from people in more demanding programs would suggest that there are exceptions to the easy-to-pass rule (ex: medical school). I just graduated but I did it with a cumulative 2.4 GPA because I didn't do any more than the bare minimum of work in most of my classes.
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The easy-to-pass rule definitely doesn't apply to the 5-year integrated masters degree (I have no idea what the integrated-part means, maybe that it's a "direct" master without having to take a bachelor first) in computer science that I'm currently trying to get through, so yeah, there are definite exceptions, and I would guess that there are quite a lot of them.
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Man, you should've added that into your calculations when you decided to stay.
I did! It was under the pro column: "treated as an adult." A certain someone viewing this said "great, now we just have to wait for you to start acting as such!" And followed it with a bah-dum-ptsh.
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I'd say that just proves that the people who check ID in those bars were either lazy or racist.
Not necessarily. It turns out that your brain will generally not pay attention to individual differences in people's idiosyncratic facial features if that person is of another race/ethnicity/nationality/whatever you want to call it. Basically unless you are paying attention, which most bouncers do not, then anyone who is different from them will pretty much look the same. It's not racism, it's just your brain grouping people together to make things easier when you're not concentrating.
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This was my Dad's advice to me: if you're going to make some mistakes (like crazy drunken night mistakes), make them in university. Obviously, try not to make too many of them though.
Also, I want to emphasize the know your professors thing. Most profs won't fail a student by one or two percent; they'll either bump your mark up to a pass or lower it to an obviously. ( If a pass is 60 and you get 58, you'll either be given a 60 or a 55). If your prof knows you, and knows that you've made an effort during the semester, you're more likely to get bumped up to the passing grade.
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This article may be interesting to some of you: The Disadvantages of an Elite Education (http://www.theamericanscholar.org/su08/elite-deresiewicz.html).
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I'm almost through with what you silly English speakers call undergrad. My school was hella small and in a town which offers little distraction so by default I knew pretty much everybody and got my work done okay. This was not true for the exchange semester I spent at a really really big school.
I just realized this is a really long post. If you want the short version - don't be a dick, don't jeopardize what you went to college for in the first place, don't throw away the great chance that's given to you, try new things, make friends, have a blast.
Important things:
- Yes, there is slacking off and getting stoned and doing everything you hoped college would bring. But there's also the degree you're working on and your parents sitting at home worrying if you'll get it done and future bills to pay, family to support etc. So don't believe your cool slacker friend who say they never work and get by okay. They either work secretly or they will fail.
- Yes, there is work and a career and getting sweet grades. But there's also the friends who you'll see less and less if you blow them off all the time. And all the nice activities you can do at college without any hassle but which are almost impossible to do once you have a job. Everything in moderation, I guess.
- Take the time to travel around. Whether it's a day trip with some good friends or getting away over reading break / during a slow break. As with cool college activities, the time to get this done is now. Not when you're 30 and have a mortgage.
- Be social. Being a hermit is very easy and especially when you're new somewhere it seems like the logical thing to do. But it's a habit that's hard to break. Who is going to drag you out of your room for a dorm social / a friend's house party / a sweet show you didn't know about if you don't know anyone on your floor, you don't have any friends or you don't know anyone who shares your taste in music?
- Bring tons of fun stuff there. The obvious things are the musical instruments you play (or want to learn to play), a gaming console, all the sports equipment you deem necessary. But don't overdo any of them (unless you're studying music or are on a full athletic scholarship or earn a shit-ton of money with gaming). There is always the guy in a dorm / circle of friends who can school everybody else in a certain game *cough HALO *cough*. But if I had to put money on whether he/she is a prodigy or just spends too much time holed up in his/her room, I'll go with the hole theory.
Also, don't play the guitar in public places if you're not very good at it. Nobody wants to hear you suck.
- If you live in a dorm, it's not like living at home. There is more partying (hopefully) but there is probably also more house work to be done. And no mom to clean up after you. Unless you form a pact with your roommates to tolerate the filth that negligence will earn you, clean up every once in a while. Plus it's pretty embarrassing to bring home a girl / guy and have her realize she/he is about to have sex with a slob. If for some reason cleaning up isn't for you, keep out the lights when you bring your guests in ;).
- Get into trouble. Many of life's fun things are illegal anyway. But don't jeopardize staying in school / dorm for it. In my first week in my exchange semester, we smoked pot in my roommate's room and accidentally left his door open. Which opened up to the commons block which opened up to the hallway where the next door neighbor was our RA (resident advisor). He was written up and couldn't afford any more shenanigans or he would have been kicked out.
Needless to say, we shenaniganned anyway. We just had to be sneakier about it, and pot + justified paranoia = less fun.
- Find a sweet spot which not too many other people know to hang out and bring friends. I discovered a lot of nice places just because my friends had discovered them. I would never have found them (or even looked for places like them) otherwise.
- BE NICE TO EXCHANGE STUDENTS! Yes, they and their customs can be fucking annoying. But they're also far far away from home and everything they know and you can make their day / week / semester if you include them in activities which they could probably not do by themselves as easily.
That said, be wary of exchange students (and regular students as well) which only hang out with their own nationality *cough* CHINESE GIRLS IN CANADA *cough*. You don't have to include people if they don't want to. I know exchange students who are perfectly content with just hanging out with other exchange students and taking eleventy billion pictures of themselves. But asking once don't hurt nobody.
If cosmic karma applies in some way or shape, once you go on exchange people will be nice to you as well.
- Booze is fun but also expensive. And yes, every day of the week there's a special or a fun activity or something. If you go out too much, you lose time by staying out late and bumming around the day after. If it becomes a habit, it's painful to kick it once you really have to work. Spread it out a little.
- If you have a roommate who has a car and you don't, don't piss him/her off too much. If you have a car and your roommate doesn't, offering an occasional ride goes a very very long way.
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After reading evernew's excellent synopsis I was reminded of the biggest trap I fell into in college.
Lets say you meet a girl that suddenly wants to hang around you all the time and doesn't seem to want to make any other friends. Guess what?
She has a boyfriend at home and you are just a substitute boyfriend! She doesn't need/want to make any other friends she just wants to take up all your time. She will resort to pretty much everything except having a real relationship with you to keep your attention focused on her. And the funny part of all this is that she doesn't really like you at all and after a year of long conversations about her life, extreme flirting with you and *almost* offering sex she will stop talking to you, break up with her long distance boyfriend and go hook up with some random guy.
I don't know if this exact scenario would happen to girls as well, but it's probably never a good idea to let a needy person attach themselves to you right after they just met you.
You will never get much out a situation like this and it wastes time.
Time is the only thing that matters in college. Don't waste it.
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Qualifications/materials for this prank:
1. The ability to run super-fast.
2. Trashcan that can fit through the dorm doors. The bigger, the better.
3. Dorm doors that open in towards the room.
Prank:
Fill up the trashcan as much as you can with water. Wheel/carry the trashcan over to the target's dorm door. Lean the trashcan up against the door so that, if opened, the trashcan will fall into the dorm room. Knock on the door and run for your life.
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That's horrible. As hilarious as that mental image is, I really can't get behind a prank that could easily destroy thousands of dollars of someone's property. I mean, bearing in mind how tiny dorm rooms are, they could easily have a microwave, refrigerator, TV, and worst of all their computer all in the path of this deluge.
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Better put tampons in, then?
:-D
(my last two semesters of schools had kind of lame people with no sense of humor in them)
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How about a slightly less-damaging prank, then?
You will need:
1 shoebox
1 can of shaving cream
1 ill-fated room
Take the shoebox and remove the top (lid). Cut off one end of the shoebox (preferably the shorter end). Fill the shoebox with shaving cream (note: be sure to leave yourself some room to work, here...this is going to get interesting). Replace the shoebox's top. Flatten the end of the shoebox that you cut, making the end capable of being shoved under a doorway. Carry your disaster-in-a-box to the ill-fated room. Shove the flattened end of the shoebox underneath the doorway, but quiet enough so that the person on the other end DOESN'T HEAR YOU! Knock on the door. Once you hear someone coming to the door, promptly jump up and stomp onto the shoebox. If done correctly, your imagination should be able to paint a vivid picture as to the color of the victim's face.
Note: if no one seems to be coming to the door, feel free to jump and stomp anyway! There's nothing like a surprise when someone gets home from class!
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Don't do destructive pranks, it makes you an asshole. No good person thinks to themselves "I am going to hide rotten eggs in peoples shoes! That's bound to end well." If you do an asshole prank, you deserve everything you get.
Don't respond to a prank with another prank. That starts a war of escalation. Make it clear that you're not game, and that the asshole will regret it if they continue. By walking into their room while they're playing their games console and pouring water all over it. That should get the message across.
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I think an important thing to keep in mind about college is that there is a whole world outside of it. There are so many other things you could be doing; be aware of that fact, and be aware of why you're in college.
Yes. Always examine yourself and your surroundings and try to figure out why you're there. Do not fall into you university's bubble, explore the town around you. Do not fall into your undergraduate degree, explore the life around you.
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Man, why can't you just Dixie cup someone's dorm room? Get yourself a bunch of Dixie cups and a room near the water fountain. When the person is asleep, fill the cups with water and set them all outside the door in a large enough group that the person cannot jump over them. Then they are forced to pick up every cup of water and find something to do with it. Drink it, dump it down the sink if they have one, or something else.
Hilarious and not destructive!
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(my last two semesters of schools had kind of lame people with no sense of humor in them)
Lame people are lame, true story.
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Ugh. I am 20 now. I need to get in school. Not trying to over take this thread or anything, but has anyone gone to any art schools? I have a couple I'm looking at, but I was curious if anyone could recommend some others./Joe Hocking what school did you go to? And would it be a terrible idea for me to major in either printmaking or graphic design?
I know this is old and Joe's post is a good answer, but he has a point: universities have good programs, too. I went here (http://www.daap.uc.edu/) and it has one of the top design and architecture programs in the country. (Last time I heard, masters in arch was #1 and the design program was #2.) If you want printmaking, though, U. Wisconsin-Madison (http://art.wisc.edu/graphics/) is the best, but I've also been looking at grad schools here (http://www.uarts.edu/) and here (http://samfoxschool.wustl.edu/), in addition to the ones Joe listed.
Also, I majored in printmaking and I'm having a hard time finding a job. I would recommend finding a program that allows you to do both (I can tell you now, if you major in art here, you can't do design, but if you're in design, you can take art classes). Also find a program that has a co-op program, because this is SO awesome because you can become familiar with several design firms and will make your resume look outstanding. It will make finding a job a whole lot easier. The only thing you should think about is if you think graphic design is/is not the job you want.
Hope that helps!
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http://a1259.g.akamai.net/f/1259/5586/5d/images.art.com/images/-/Animal-House---John-Belushi-College--C10112414.jpeg
I own one, you should too.
I wish there was one of these for grad school.
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party with your professors
I know you were being ironic, Sam, but this one actually isn't a bad idea.
Oh wait yes it is.
Last semester I realized that i went to a girl's school and lived in a shitty dorm with morons, but my teachers were an ex-war correspondent with great stories, a nice writer who was only four yours older than I, an adorable young guy who was great at exchanging sarcastic comments with me while I failed at lab, and an entertaining history and sci-fi nerd of a fellow. Plus, I missed my ex-best history teacher ever who has a frightening amount in common with me.
Basicially, yes. I spent the whole semester annoyed that all my teachers were cooler than my fellow classmates.
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i'm finally transferring to real college this fall after years in CC, and reading this thread is making me more stoked (stokeder?) than i previously had been. really lookin forwards to meeting new people, getting involved in various activities n whatnot. that and the general book nerdery that comes with being an english major.
...Go Bears!
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Congratulations! I'm a transfer at Cal too, it is pretty awesome. Do you know where you're going to be living yet (apt/co-ops/dorms)?
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Congratulations! I'm a transfer at Cal too, it is pretty awesome. Do you know where you're going to be living yet (apt/co-ops/dorms)?
I actually found a room with a family on Warring St. Get myself a bike (a fixxy if I wanna fit in [hah!]) and I'm setttt. The presentation at CalSO made the co-ops sound awesome though. I hope to live in one of those at some point. What about yourself? Major?
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Ah, college. I miss it. A lot.
First off, get it out of your head that you're joining "the real world". College is about as far removed from the real world as is possible without being under the influence of one or more psychotropic substances. In college, starting your weekends at noon on a Wednesday is considered normal. In the real world, if your weekends start at noon on Wednesday, you're either unemployed or will be shortly.
Go to class. GO TO CLASS. Whatever you do, go to class. It's why you're there. Everything else is secondary.
Join a club. There are lots of them. They're usually free, and callout meetings always have free pizza.
You need to know how to make three things: ramen noodles, mac and cheese, and soup. Don't get Easy Mac, it tastes like ass. You need only know how to boil water. It opens up more options than you think.
A case of beer is more economical than a six pack. Also, you're too young to be a beer snob. That's reserved for people with paychecks.
Never directly ask your parents for money. Hint that you're doing okay, but missing out on a lot of "other opportunities" because you're budgeting so well and staying under.
If you have to get a credit card, only get one. ONLY ONE. Don't get two, or five, or eight (true story: I knew a girl that graduated with 8 credit cards and $20k in debt. She declared bankuptcy at age 22). If you don't, don't.
As a former fraternity man, I wanted to respond to this:
Do not join a Fraternity unless you are excited about a culture that glorifies poor treatment of women, and occasionally sexual violence. I am not saying that all members of fraternities do this, but it is part of their party culture, and their power hierarchy.
Frankly, it's crap like this that perpetuates the stereotypes of Greek Life. I'm not going to say it's for everyone; it's not. However, it's not nearly that bad. When I moved to Chicago, I had an instant support network of former fraternity brothers. They helped me move, showed me where to eat and drink, and introduced me to a lot of people. When I was in school, there was always someone to split a pizza with, and the shared experience made it a little easier to live with 60 other dudes. Moreover, when you meet people from other houses, especially in the real world, there is a certain camraderie because, truthfully, the experience from house to house doesn't differ a lot. If it's something you're interested in, don't let misguided opinions based on old stereotypes color your judgement. Give everyone a chance. If it's right for you, it'll be clear immediately.
If you have a car, be careful about offering rides. People will take advantage of you whenever they can.
One last piece of advice:
If it's free, you must drink it.
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Never directly ask your parents for money. Hint that you're doing okay, but missing out on a lot of "other opportunities" because you're budgeting so well and staying under.
telegram home:
no mon
no fun
Your Son
response:
too bad
so sad
Your Dad
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im happy to find this... im going to university in a week... but im going with a schoolarship and to another country...
and so that this post is not worthless, ill write the only advice i´ve seen proven time and time again.
my grandad once said: you´re only as good as your enviroment is... and you're in college to graduate, the rest is expendiable (sorry for bad spelling... users with english as second language FTW) bad friends lead to skip a class, ditch em'; bad job leads to skip a class, ditch it... and so on and so forth..
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If I ever do decide to go to college, I'm joining a fraternity for no better reason than that it will teach me the Greek alphabet for way less money than taking an actual class would.
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You know, you could just read up on it on wikipedia or somethin'.
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Should I be ashamed of the fact that Wikipedia already provides the majority of my education?
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Someone may have said this before, I was skimming, but here is a hard-earned bit of advice from Freshman year's second half:
Friends first, Significant Other later--If a wonderful young woman/young man falls into your lap the first week of school, great. But your first social priority should be figuring out who you want to hang with in a completely nonromantic fashion, because if said girl/boy leaves you/leaves the college/whatever it's your friends that you're going to need to fall back on if you ever want to leave your dorm room and hang with people that aren't total strangers (or mere acquaintences, if you go to an ass-small college like my alma mater).
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Making friends is pretty easy guys. Just don't be a complete knob and try to be a little outgoing. Nobody is going to invite That Guy in your seminar who you've never heard speak for a post-class pint.
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words
I agree with you, pretty much. Except the food. If the dorm has a kitchen, it's good to actually cook every once in a while! (But yes, those are your basic college staples, even though I've still never eaten ramen and I'm done with college.) Also, cooking for several people on your floor is a good way to make friends! One of my friends was an RA and he started a weekly food party so that the people on his floor could get to know each other better and they seemed to enjoy it from what he said.
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Should I be ashamed of the fact that Wikipedia already provides the majority of my education?
No, I learned more over a year slacking around looking stuff up when I was curious than I did in two years at school. You want to double-check stuff you learned on wikipedia, though. It has mistakes, though at least one study found it only slightly worse than the encyclopedia britannica.
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That post was phenomenal. You just tickled me in the most wonderful of ways.
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And you didn't even get him drunk.
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Also, you're too young to be a beer snob. That's reserved for people with paychecks.
Agreeing with everything except quoted and frats (divisive subject). A case of good beer may cost a tiny bit more, but it will likely be a higher ABV and therefore you will get drunker faster and tastier.
Buy less, but higher quality beer, and you will be happier!
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No, but I've taken a few sociology classes and thought about it. The whole subject is pretty interesting to me. You'd probably like it.
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i'm a sociology major and social psychology minor.
i chose to major in sociology because i find people interesting and therefore figured school would be really easy for me. it pretty much is. it's a bit of a useless degree on it's own, though, so make sure you have a pretty solid plan for what you want to do after school. i'm probably going to end up getting an MA in criminology at some point and most schools ask only for a undergraduate degree in some kind of social sciences, so i figured this would be a pretty easy route. if you're not planning on going to graduate school, try to have a good idea of what kind of work you want to do after school and then get a lot of experience in that field. also, if you want to do anything related to social work it's good to know in advance that this will leave you pretty poor for a long time because it requires billions of hours of experience to get into, all of which will probably be volunteering and/or very low paying, and your job in the end will also probably not pay that well. which is still fine if you don't care about money, but i mean i figure it's good to know what to expect before investing time and money into that kind of career.
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Take some anthropology classes too. If you like history and sociology you will really enjoy them.
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I don't know about across the pond (the British and American university systems seem very different) but my brother has just graduated history and did a lot of the whys and wherefores and not much of the whens. I could get on with history if it was all "and then this happened in this year and then this guy did that" but apparently the higher studies of it are not much of that at all. There is a lot of opinions involved, which I find frankly abhorrent in a degree.
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Take some anthropology classes too. If you like history and sociology you will really enjoy them.
Agreed. Sociology pairs up nicely with both anthropology and history, especially if you want to teach.
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Take some anthropology classes too. If you like history and sociology you will really enjoy them.
Don't take any if you like history and hate sociology though, or do hard sciences, anthropology and sociology will frustrate you to no end.
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I don't know about across the pond (the British and American university systems seem very different) but my brother has just graduated history and did a lot of the whys and wherefores and not much of the whens. I could get on with history if it was all "and then this happened in this year and then this guy did that" but apparently the higher studies of it are not much of that at all. There is a lot of opinions involved, which I find frankly abhorrent in a degree.
The problem is, history is not fixed. My view on the Russian Revolution will be entirely different to Eric Hobsbawm's, which will be entirely different to Orlando Figes'. The enormous complexity of human interaction, the paucity of information, the lack of pretty much anything which comes from the working class/peasantry from before 1800, all this means that there are so many different interpretations of what went on that history without this it'd mean nothing. Far more important than what is why and how, and when is pretty much irrelevant except as a locator. Anything that tries to make out that history is fixed or resolute - like history books for secondary school - is lying or wrong.
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hard sciences are the bane of my existence.
This.
I had neither sociology, psychology, history or anthropology at my school.
When I was on exchange, though, I sometimes sat in my friends' lectures (ancient philosophy, russian history, religion). Sober or not, they were usually highly enjoyable.
Hard sciences are for people who cannot get laid. Or don't want to.
To the beer thing: You'll have one staple beer after a few weeks. And it'll probably neither be horsepiss nor anything exquisite. Decent middle ground is good for your wallet AND your head.
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Hard sciences are for people who cannot get laid. Or don't want to.
Sorry, but that won't do as a description of me or any other scientists I knew. If you know people like that, it's just them, not the science!
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I agree with Paul. Despite the fact that there is a slightly higher than average density of socially awkward/mildly insane people in my department, they're all still totally gettin' some action.
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I'm a sociology major Sam! I like it a lot, only the problem is that sometimes it can be really fucking depressing. I made the mistake of taking Social Inequality, Minorities and Race Relations, Sociology of Sex Roles and Social Problems in one semester. I said the words "Matrix of Domination" every M-F for 4 months. I became that cynical asshole who decided that nothing I do will ever make any difference ever; those with power will always and forever take advantage of those with less power; that my ideals and morals and opinions are all wrong. Everything is gray, nothing is black and white and the world sucks. But I got over that pretty quickly once I realized how annoying that was.
The thing with soc though is that it piles on with everything, so it'll be applicable to a person studying history or ancient civilizations or psychology or marketing and mass media--any field that has anything to do with people.
It's tricky going from a straight up sociology perspective to the real world though. I come from a very research oriented background, so doing interviews, leading focus groups, doing studies etc., is a lot different in the "real world" (so far) than in school.
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Hey, I'm majoring in International Relations. It's a lot of fun to learn information that will probably be of no practical use after graduating from college, unless you work for the State Dept or an NGO.
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You could always be one of the 'experts' they have on The Situation Room.
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I'm a polisci/phil major/minor, so I probably shouldn't talk, but the sociology classes I took grated on me. Sociology tries to pretend it's a real science, but don't let it convince you.
Anyway, back to college advice!
What to do if someone gives you a drink.
If you are a guy: Drink it, be kind of grateful. Try and take more of their booze, they're giving it away!
If you are a girl: Make sure you kind of know what's in it, be careful!
e: I have learned something thanks to my joke post. Ignore the above, see below.
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There is a vast and increasing number of urban myths that surround college, university, being young, drinking in town, and drinking in general. One of them is the idea that men do not get their drinks spiked. Accidents, malicious dicks and shitty jokes do happen.
I have three anecdotes for you. A friend, who's birthday fell in the first week of university, got his drink spiked with viagra. Unfortunately I was not there to witness it but I gather it was hilarious. I had my drink spiked in the university bar (what with, I do not know), became very ill and had to go home early. A third friend has had his drink spiked with something that made him at once very drowsy and incredibly confused. He wandered out of the bar, went to the car park where his motorbike was, and fell asleep there with his crash helmet on. He was woken up in the small hours by a kindly tramp who warned him that if he didn't leave he would probably get stabbed.
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i know a few guys who have had drugs put into their drinks while at bars. i gather what usually happens is that someone sees a girl set down her drink with a bunch of other ones, spikes one of them thinking she's there with her friends, and it doesn't occur to them that maybe some of her friends are guys. it is a pretty good idea to know what is in your drink regardless of gender.
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I am not absolutely certain, but I'd like to point out that it would be pretty easy to spike a big bowl of The Punch, so if you really want to be on the safe side, get your booze directly from the beer keg. Can't really spike one of those suckers, seeing as how the tap is a one-way street.
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Alright, so a lot has been said already, but I'd like to put in my two cents and see if I can conglomerate a lot of it into one thing with a bit more.
If there's anyone here who did everything to fuck up their first two semesters, it was definitely me. I hardly did homework, I stayed up all night and slept all day, dated some large number of women, drank some ungodly amount of alcohol, skipped a majority of my classes, wasted away all of my funds in the first half of the first semester on ridiculous things, and a bunch of other stuff. So since I've cleaned up, here's my advice:
As far as friends go, you can either meet the best friends that you'll have the rest of your life or you'll just meet some good friends for a few months. Friends can be amazing in College, but friends can also be extremely temporary. Especially if you're a freshman, people tend to drop out, transfer, go through drama (yeah, you haven't escaped it), or just altogether move to other friends and just stop hanging out with you. Don't get too attached with people, but that doesn't mean to be a recluse and not bother making friends at all. Just have a good time no matter who you're with, try and get together the skill of liking people that you don't like. If you can do that then you'll be able to enjoy what you're doing no matter what it is, and you'll be able to cope with stupid and annoying people which will be an amazing skill once you get a real job or do most anything. Also be able to make friends very easily, if you go with a friend to a party where your friend is the only person there that you know, just talk to people as if you've met them before. By all means be as friendly and open minded with as many people as possible, and get in to as many new things as possible. I started getting into all sorts of stuff like Fencing, Rock Climbing, Cycling, there's so much you can get into that you'll find out is super fun and end up making you much more well rounded. But don't make your entire life about socializing because...
You have to do work. My father told me something very important after I had screwed off in college, "Self Discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you don't want to do." Now sure, that's obvious, I even understood that before he told me that, it's just something you don't really take into account whenever you're not doing something because you don't want to do it. I'm not going to say go to every class, because in college there are indeed classes you don't have to go to. I had two Political Science classes that worked like this: Everything from the tests came from the notes, the teacher put the notes up on his web site and that's pretty much all he went over in class, the syllabus he gave us on the first day told us all the test dates and when all the homework was due as well as what the homework was. If you have a class like that DON'T GO TO IT! Do the homework, show up at the beginning of class and turn it in and leave. Study the notes a day or two before the test several times, take the test. But don't go to class regularly, it'll actually be a waste. Spend that time that you could be spending in class doing homework for other classes or studying. BUT! If you have a class where everything relies on information given during class or that they take attendance in. GO TO THAT CLASS EVERY DAY! I had a technical writing class that I accidentally missed several classes which brought my grade in it down a whole letter, I would've made a B. I also didn't do a lot of the homework for that class, or I would've made an easy enough A. Also, I'm taking summer classes right now, one of them is a history class where the teacher gives lectures and you take notes on those lectures and that's what the test is made up of. We have a test every week and only two classes a week. I missed last thursday to go to a concert, and consequently missed half of all the information on the test this tuesday, I was panicked trying to find notes and nearly didn't get all the information for the test. Also, it's important to do your homework, so many classes I could've done that much better in if I just would've done more of the homework on time.
But above ALL of that, I have one super secret to doing well in college. This is the one true thing that will keep you from doing badly, and will make it so that you have an awesome college experience: Sleep. That's right, sleep. Go to sleep at a good time so that you get enough sleep so that you can wake up in the morning feeling great and not conk in the middle of the day. This will give you enough energy to actually want to go to class, and not feel too tired to do your homework. Don't feel bad about going to sleep early on your friends and missing out on whatever happens at IHOP at 3 in the morning. You will have plenty of time for hanging out, believe me, don't devote all waking and possibly sleeping hours to hanging out, it will ruin you. And sleep at night too! Don't sleep during the day, don't stay up all night doing homework, don't pull all nighters for tests, get plenty of rest at night, and wake up early in the morning to have a full day of full energy. And believe me, I got an award in my dorm for having the worst sleep schedule. I would stay up all night and sleep through most of my classes. Sometimes I would get sort of back on a regular sleeping schedule, then stay up until 4 in the morning or so, then when I woke up the next day I would be too tired to get out of bed and just succumb to sleeping through my class. I would actually have to argue with myself whether it was worth it to wake up just to turn in my homework, even if I could leave right after doing it and go back to sleep or just go ahead and not turn it in and sleep! One time I even ended up accidentally sleeping through a test! If anyone takes any of my advice, be sure to take this one: sleep plenty, sleep regularly.
Of course, you have to realize that none of this will work out, not the sleep, not the going to class, none of it will work out if you don't have the motivation for it. Period. If you don't want to do well in school deep down in your subconscious, you're not going to. If you don't have the drive to go to class and do your homework, then you're not going to do well in school. But if you want to do well, but you just can't seem to make yourself go to your classes and everything, try and find some motivation. Be it your parents, be it a goal (goals are amazing things), be it anything, just have something that gives you a reason to get up in the morning and go to class.
I'd also just like to make a quick note, that an amazing idea whenever you go to college is to start working out if you didn't before. Most colleges have free gyms for students, take advantage of it. Working out makes you feel amazing. If you're nervous to do it because you've never done it before then get some friends to go with you, and don't be afraid to just get in there and start working out on the machines or doing whatever, no one is going to judge you.
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The people who give you advice, "academic counselors" are, by in large, useless. If they tell you anything, ever make sure you have them write it down and sign it.
PROFESSORS DO NOT WANT TO TEACH YOU. And, they will fail you. Always expect to do it yourself.
If you ever have to do a research paper, just look up a well written second hand source (e.g. college text book, journal, etc). Do NOT copy or directly paraphrase it, but just steal their bibliography. Continue to do this until you have an impressive list of first hand or second hand sources. Then, just go hte internet and download all you can. If you really need to, goto the library and get the rest. This is NOT against any rules of doing research. It's just the lazy way. And, those people did a lot better research than you ever will between videogames, drinking, and getting STDs.
SHOWER: GET SLIPPERS
An eclectic kettle will be your best friend.
The secret to sleep isn't amount per se, but consistency. This means getting up at about the same time everyday. Yes, everyday. Yes, on the weekends. This will naturally force you into better biorhythms. Some people need 4, some need 10.
Don't let college ruin your body. Work out if you can.
Make a pattern. Force yourself to do homework/etc before you go and have fun. College is nothing more than time management.
Make friends in your department. This won't apply really for the joke years (freshman/sophomore), but when you get into the real stuff you will appreciate having friends in the same major.
Don't pick a major because you're lazy. Pick one that's useful. If you pick a liberal arts major, make sure you're a goddamn wizard at it.
(http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/2706/brendledx1.th.jpg) (http://img237.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brendledx1.jpg)
Lastly, just ALWAYS remember why you are there. Put up a picture of how much you're paying if you have to. Girlfriend, friends, social networking, etc are all important---but secondary.
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If you have a class like that DON'T GO TO IT! Do the homework, show up at the beginning of class and turn it in and leave. Study the notes a day or two before the test several times, take the test. But don't go to class regularly, it'll actually be a waste. Spend that time that you could be spending in class doing homework for other classes or studying. BUT! If you have a class where everything relies on information given during class or that they take attendance in. GO TO THAT CLASS EVERY DAY! I had a technical writing class that I accidentally missed several classes which brought my grade in it down a whole letter, I would've made a B. I also didn't do a lot of the homework for that class, or I would've made an easy enough A. Also, I'm taking summer classes right now, one of them is a history class where the teacher gives lectures and you take notes on those lectures and that's what the test is made up of. We have a test every week and only two classes a week. I missed last thursday to go to a concert, and consequently missed half of all the information on the test this tuesday, I was panicked trying to find notes and nearly didn't get all the information for the test. Also, it's important to do your homework, so many classes I could've done that much better in if I just would've done more of the homework on time.
I'm really in doubt as to the universality of these claims. I don't think I had a single class that I could have ditched and gotten as much out of as I did. Admittedly, I went to a teaching university, meaning that professors were encouraged to focus on their teaching rather than their publications and research, and I only had two or three classes larger than 30 students (and none of those were over 120 students). Also, I majored in English, which is perhaps a good deal more about one's approach to the texts than the texts themselves. Still, though, your professors are smart people. They're probably not out to get you. Some of them will find undergraduate students irritating, maybe. Keep in mind that, unless you're at an extremely large university where you're only in connection with the professor by CCTV and a grad student (I know Berkeley does this sometimes; I'm sure other places do, too), even name recognition could mean the difference between a B+ and an A-.
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Yeah, pretty much most of your classes are going to be "must go to" classes. The classes that weren't exactly go to classes had 500 students in them and even though I didn't go to class every day I still learned a lot by just studying the notes over and over. It really just depends on how much you care to retain about the subject.
And as gospel said, a regular schedule, or just an every day routine is 100x awesome for college.
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An eclectic kettle will be your best friend.
The best thing.
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Mr. Weasley, is that you?
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PROFESSORS DO NOT WANT TO TEACH YOU.
:?
Are they just in it for the chicks?
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It depends on the school. I went to what is generally considered a "teaching school." This means that the professors mostly consider education to be the larger part of their job and research to be the smaller part. Liberal Arts schools have a higher tendency to be like this. Other schools are "research schools." Here, the professors regard research as their job and teaching as an obligation connected to that job. This is more common in universities, though most large universities will have a few people who are in it to teach, just because they have so many professors.
It also varies considerably by field. In the sciences, the wealthier the school the more likely you are to be learning from researchers. If you're a scientist and you choose to stay at a smaller school, it's usually because you love teaching. This means that science departments at small liberal arts schools often have terrific teachers. However these terrific teachers don't have as much funding for research, so the likelihood that you'll get a chance to take part in any is greatly reduced.
In the humanities things are a bit different. Undergrads are rarely needed as research assistants anyway, so that's not a factor. They also don't need labs, so they need less money from the school. What they need is time. So researchers tend to go to the bigger schools anyway, partly because it's easier to take sabbatical if there's more people in the department. Also, big schools make their name on research, so paying someone to teach 2 classes a year and then write books the rest of the time is a worthy investment. Smaller schools tend not to have that luxury. So here the trade off is that you'll be able to say "I took a class from such and such big shot." But really, you'll have taken the class from the big shots grad student and occasionally bothered to go to a lecture by said big shot. At the smaller schools, you'll have fewer big shots, but the teachers will really teach you themselves.
Ok, so I work in academia. I know these things.
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You must just have crappy professors, then. Seriously. Out of four years, I had only one professor who sucked and she was in my senior year. Her lectures were horrible and she blamed the class for most of us failing our midterm. (It was her damn fault, because her fucking syllabus was wrong and she wouldn't admit it. And she tested us on stuff we hadn't learned yet.) But the rest of them actually wanted us to learn something. Granted, I was in art school and the professors in my program were brilliant, but even my non-major classes had good professors. And yes, a lot of them were doing research and/or writing books and whatnot.
Also, my school was a public university. Really, I think it is up to the person teaching and whether or not they give a damn about teaching. There are those who absolutely loath teaching and therefore hate all of their students. Those who like teaching, even if they are researching, are usually better teachers. And then you get profs like the one I had who is just a shitty teacher and doesn't know how to lecture worth a shit and you still get a C when you do all the homework and the readings.
Sorry, I just really hated that prof. Mostly because I didn't go to her head of department like I should have and told them how crappy she was being to us. Oh well, I know her evals were pretty crap, because, well, everyone else hated her too.
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Yeah, we had a Pre Cal teacher kind of like that, some students made a complaint and passed it around for anyone who wanted to sign and gave it to the head of the Math Department. Surprisingly, she's teaching my Calculus class next semester.
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Out of four years, I had only one professor who sucked and she was in my senior year. Her lectures were horrible and she blamed the class for most of us failing our midterm. (It was her damn fault, because her fucking syllabus was wrong and she wouldn't admit it. And she tested us on stuff we hadn't learned yet.)
This is somewhat off-topic, but your post relates pretty directly to the evaluations I got from a course I taught in the spring. Those evaluations were shockingly polarized, with the range going from the person who rated me 110% to the person who commented that "he have to stop." Among the things I deduced from those evaluations, and thus a change I intend to make in my future teaching, is that I really need to prepare a better syllabus.
Putting it in terms of the advice people are giving here, well blakejustblake's comments about classes that you don't really need to attend to get anything out of, where everything you need is already in the syllabus/course website? Well, I tend to take the opposite approach, and my problem is that I'm too extremely the opposite.
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Joe Hocking: He have to stop.
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You must just have crappy professors, then. Seriously.
I actually had brilliant professors for the most part. My experience was great. I work in academia though (basically, I train college professors to use learning management software), so since leaving school, I've met plenty of profs who's attitude is "teaching is just a hoop I have to jump through to get funding." I've also met plenty of professors who were passionate about teaching. There are good and bad teachers everywhere, but some institutions encourage people to emphasize teaching over research and some do it the other way around. Going to a teaching school means that you'll have a higher proportion of professors who are really passionate about teaching. Going to a research school means that you'll have a higher proportion of teachers who are really well known in their fields and (if you're in the sciences) it might be a little easier to end up assisting on original research. Of course, it is also true that it's more of a continuum then a binary. Most schools balance the 2 to some extent. But if it comes down to a situation where you need to hire a new professor, and you've got 2 candidates, and you look at their CVs and you're thinking "well, this one has more teaching experience and the class really loved the test lecture he gave but this one is involved in some really exciting research which she'll bring with her if we hire her," which one you end up hiring says a lot about where the school's (or the department's) priorities are.
I probably sound more cynical then I am. I tend to view the system from the perspective of administrators and professors more than from the perspective of students these days. I love the academy and again, there are great professors everywhere. There are also duds everywhere.
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I do want to throw out one counterpoint though that, while not affecting the basic truth of the situation you describe (some schools prioritize teaching, some prioritize research,) does complicate the situation as far as teaching effectiveness. One has to keep in mind that the more classes a given teacher is running simultaneously, the less they can focus on any specific class. It is possible for too much teaching focus to dilute how effective people are at teaching.
Or more to the point and looking at things from the other direction, it is perfectly possible for a person who avoids teaching too many classes and who focuses on research to like teaching and be good at it.
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I do want to throw out one counterpoint though that, while not affecting the basic truth of the situation you describe (some schools prioritize teaching, some prioritize research,) does complicate the situation as far as teaching effectiveness. One has to keep in mind that the more classes a given teacher is running simultaneously, the less they can focus on any specific class. It is possible for too much teaching focus to dilute how effective people are at teaching.
This is true, but I think it comes from schools being poor more than anything. Schools that have the money and want to emphasize teaching will try to keep their student body/professor ratio small so that each student can get a lot of attention. Schools with no money force people to teach 4 or 5 classes a semester and penalize for having too few students in a class.
Or more to the point and looking at things from the other direction, it is perfectly possible for a person who avoids teaching too many classes and who focuses on research to like teaching and be good at it.
This is very true.