Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So I will be starting college in the fall! (Yay me!) And I just wanted to know if there was anything I should know before going out on my own. I know I'll make my own mistakes and learn that way, but since neither one of my parents had that experience I thought maybe others who did could help out.
Off the top of my head, probably the most important is to take academics seriously. Not that you shouldn't have fun, but it is far to easy too have too much fun in college. Once you get behind in your studies, even by only a few days, it can be hard to catch back up.
Of course you should take classes here and there to follow your interests but be very careful. I am living proof of what kind of mess you can end up with if you take classes willy nilly and change your major over and over. I am now a student with way too many hours that don't apply to my degree (because I am a transfer student) and in a situation where I cannot mis-step at ALL if I want to finish my Bachelor's degree without running out of Pell grant funds and so on.
If you don't already have a solid plan for what you want to do, step back and take a break. That's what I wish I'd done.
Another thing: study a bit each day. If you have time after a class, re-read your notes and re-write them if you can, while it is fresh in your mind. Doing this makes hardcore cramming unnecessary.
Don't count on professors to remind you of things. Don't let it pile up until you end up cramming for tests. And, if an assignment is given at the beginning of the semester and not due until the end of it, start working on it anyway.
This has been very hard for me because in high school I was the sort who could be absent for weeks and still make A's on tests. I have had to work on my own study skills a great deal. My biggest issue has been procrastination. I still end up getting good grades but man, the stress I cause myself at the end of each semester is beyond ridiculous!
*Be organized. Write down due dates and test dates as soon as you know them, and don't procrastinate getting it done. *Even though you may only be in class a few hours a day, think of it as a full time 40 hour a week job and spend the rest of the day studying and doing assignments.
* Show up for class, even if the prof doesn't take attendance or care.
* Get plenty of sleep and take your vitamins (or better yet, eat healthy)
Is it true that for every hour of a college class you have to study twice as long? Or something like that lol, I don't remember the exact numbers but it seemed a little outrageous
Is it true that for every hour of a college class you have to study twice as long? Or something like that lol, I don't remember the exact numbers but it seemed a little outrageous
At least 2 hours study for 1 hour in class.
12 hours of classes + 24 hours study = 36 hours. This is your full time job, isn't it? Get my drift?
The advice given has been spot on. Here's some of mine:
-Be on time to class (be early), be clean, be respectful. Don't hold side bar conversations-pay attention to the professor. Ask questions if you don't understand. Use office hours.
-Take notes.
-REWRITE your notes. It helps you retain the material.
-Keep up with due dates. Do things early if you can.
-Meet with an advisor every quarter/semester to make sure you're on track to graduate in your chosen major-or to help you choose a major.
-It helps to never get into the drinking scene in the first place. Oy vey, the time I lost in college on beer...
-Boys and girls will make time for each other, and college is a great place to date. Just don't give up your life or major because you're in looooove. It probably won't last out college.
-Make time for the gym or to work out, 4-5 times a week. Take it seriously. It will ultimately help you concentrate if you have good physical health.
-Don't be afraid of taking a class if you're a little afraid of it. Conversely, if you've catastrophically failed in something, don't retake it and hope for a different outcome. I'm thinking about math here. If you can't get diffie-Q's the first time around, it's probably not the major for you.
-Don't be afraid of liberal studies or the equivalent if that's what speaks to you. Too many people consider college a trade school. Major is important, even critical if you want to be an engineer, but most less analytical majors: 10 years from now, you won't remember a single thing you actually learned in class. College is about learning how to think, not what to do-and even engineering is about learning how to think quantitatively and analytically.
-If you can afford it, do foreign exchange.
-Look into something unusual: student government, club sports, ROTC. Just GPA isn't going to get you the job when you graduate.
-If GPA < 3.0 after first semester, something's wrong. If it's < 3.0 after a year, you're in trouble Get help learning how to study and get it up.
1) Don't stress about loans if that's how you are getting to school. Yes, you will pay them off but if you are pursuing a career that can only be had with a college education it's worth the debt.
2) Get a major that has job prospects. Don't choose something like history, Spanish, philosophy, Latin, or something like that. Get something that an employer will care about. If you want to minor or get a double major in something like was listed above, by all means do it.
3) Work hard and play hard. You may make some lifetime friends in school.
4) Don't let professors intimidate you. This is not to say that you should be insubordinate, but approach them if you do have genuine concerns about your grade. Also introduce yourself to the professors in those big lecture hall classes.
5) Live on campus for at least one year. You will learn so much more about yourself and others. It's a great social experiment to live in the dorms.
6) Stay away from fraternities and sororities. It's just like high school cliques.
7) Don't be upset if you don't get to do the road trip, study abroad, or spring break. College is expensive and you are in the majority if you can't afford those things.
8) Be responsible with credit cards. Use only for emergencies. Remember that's money you don't really have.
9) Prioritize studying for the toughest classes and those with the most work. Ignore advice like study for as many hours as you have classes a day or 1 hour for each hour in class, or as many hours a night as credits you're taking. The math doesn't work out and you will burn yourself out quickly. Remember there are only so many hours in a day. Along those same lines set aside at least one night a week where you do no studying at all but have fun.
10) Don't be surprised or upset on your first few visits home that your old high school friends have changed, particularly the ones who are still in town. It will happen.
Get involved in some student organizations, but don't overdo it and stretch yourself too thin. It's better to be an active participant and leader of 2-3 organizations than just be a member of a bunch of different ones. Try a bunch out freshman year, find the ones you like best and stick with them. Get involved early and work your way up to leadership positions. It's also good to have a mix of ones related to your major and general ones.
I never really bought into the whole study two hours for every one hour of class. Unless you're a STEM major that seems a bit excessive. College really wasn't that much harder than high school. You figure out early on how much you really need to study in order to get the grades you want.
Don't buy the books before the class starts. And NEVER buy the books from the campus bookstore. They are crazy overpriced. You can almost always find them cheaper on Amazon. Try BigWords.com. I used that all the time to find the cheapest books available. Every professor I had encouraged us to buy textbooks online and didn't assign anything out of the book for the first week to give everyone time to get them shipped. Look for international editions. Exact same content, just a paperback with thinner pages. Actually, a lot of the time you'll find out you don't actually even need to book for the class.
Similarly, don't resell your books to the bookstores once the semester ends. Sure the promise of cash on the spot is nice, but they will give you a fraction of what their worth. Set up an account on Amazon and sell them there. It's easy to package and ship them and you'll get a lot more of your money pack. I've actually sold books on Amazon for more than I paid for them.
Try not to work your first year if possible. Use that time to get adjusted to college life and hang out with your new friends. You have the rest of your life to work. Working in the dinning hall does nothing for your resume. However, do take advantage of internships/on-campus jobs that are relevant to your major. Those look amazing on your resume.
HAVE FUN! College is such a unique experience. Don't say no to anything (except heroin). Do as much as you possibly can. Trust me, as someone who just graduated in June, those years go by faster than you can even imagine. Go out whenever you can. Obviously make sure you get your work done and are getting good grades, but there's no reason not to go out and experience the social aspects of college. Those will be your best memories.
No one is going to hold your hand. Your professors will ultimately want you to do well in their course[s], but some are going to flat-out not give a rat's behind if you pass or fail. And even those professors that you think are cool, that you actually chat with about this and about that, well, even if you are failing that course, they are not going to say anything about it. Not when you two are chuckling over crazy grandmother stories, never.
If you want or need help, you have to ask for it.
And if you study and are not getting the grades you want, you need to change the way you study.
Lock your door when you are not home. Do not leave valuables unattended because someone will steal them. Everyone at college is not your friend, and there is an element of outsiders who come to campus looking for things to steal.
On campus sexual assaults typically involve an excessive consumption of alcohol by both parties. If you are a female, be very cognizant of your alcohol consumption. Go out with your girlfriends and go home with your girlfriends. If you are a male, if you have sex with an intoxicated female you are wrong.
You do not need to be paranoid but you need to be aware.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
