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I'm 22 and will be commencing college next month in a Communications course. I've always heard growing up that college is the biggest 'network zone' that someone will be in during their lifetime. Nowhere is it easier to get laid, make friends, and network for jobs.
But despite the fun things I've heard about college, I've also heard it's 10x harder academically than secondary school in part because of the amount of work you're required to do as well as continuous assessments that students are subjected to which doesn't happen in high school.
In fact, many students drop out in their first year. I don't want to be like that. My parents are luckily paying for tuition but they say that I should forget about making friends/partying and just focus on education as they'll cut me off if I don't do well. Not that I can't have friends but they say it's way more difficult.
I kind of understand their point of view. Is it really possible for a student to get top grades while still partying/socializing?
Well first of all I don't know what you mean by "continuous assessment". You attend lectures. You have quizzes, exams, final exams, and term papers. How's this different than high school - other than term papers? Scrutiny of students is much less in university than high school. If you don't attend lectures, no one cares, you just flunk out. If you don't turn in homework sets, no one callls Mommy and Daddy, they just give you a failing grade. You are assumed to be an adult and able to manage your own life.
What you do, is you work hard as hell, and then once you get those homework sets in, it's off to the Pub for a couple nights' drinking. Your weekend plans depend on what's due soon. Nothing coming up? You don't have to crack a book till after noon on Sunday. Big whatever coming up Monday? You bury yourself and no one sees you for 72 hours. All your fellow students (except the d%$k head frat boys) are doing the same thing. Everyone understands.
Don't let'em tell you that college is more difficult than high school. College just moves faster.
It's no more difficult, and something anyone of average intelligence can graduate. (I'm talking normal subjects, not engineering or technical subjects.)
Half the battle is getting to bed at a normal time and going to your classes--not skipping. The other half is time management--knowing when to study in order to keep up with the pace of college.
Believe me, there's plenty of time to get out and socialize. Just don't do too much socializing if you have to take out student loans--when you could be working and minimizing the amount of student loans.
Often, it's the socializing that gets you a job in the future. Or, it's your college friends that you use in the future business you've yet to dream up--as customers. I still stay in touch with many of my college buddies.
And don't make the mistake and take a worthless major--like journalism or philosophy. Take the courses that can earn you a decent future salary.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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The mind and body is far more capable than we understand.
Many attend FT college while working 2-3 jobs + have a lot of free time to party / socialize.
Many do college as parents and married + working FT.
Others are in the military or EMS and on-call 24x7.
There is really no other time in life quite like it, when you are mostly free from accountability and responsibility. All you have to do is school / college.
Do it well, walk off the campus with your gold ropes.
Plenty ez to do.
Science / math / engineering are higher input. But I managed (3) of those degrees while working FT + PT jobs on weekends and caring for my disabled parents (buying them a home and taking them to many medical appointments. Still spent way too much time partying.
How do you party in college and maintain good grades?
You don't. At least not if by party you mean drinking and going out all night and assuming you're taking classes that will actually lead to good jobs in the future.
First semester of my freshman year, there were a lot of party hearty types. Second semester freshman year they learned to manage their time better or they didn't return sophomore year. College has a way of sorting out those who are there to party those who are there to learn.
That doesn't mean there isn't time to socialize. You have to know when to study and when to put limits on it. Turf3 gave you best rundown.
The hardest part about college isn't the classes or the tests.
It's the self-discipline.
It's the fact that for the first time in their lives, 18-year-olds are solely responsible for getting themselves up on time, for getting themselves to the places they're supposed to be, and for doing the work they're required to do.
It's SO much easier to just sleep in and skip class or stay out at a party till 3 when your parents aren't in the house with you, monitoring your activities. Even if they didn't prompt you while you were living at home, you couldn't get away with as much as you can when you're living away at college.
A kid has a much better chance at success if s/he's already used to being a self-starter and taking initiative to get themselves through the day.
But to answer your actual question, smart kids are better at maintaining grades while partying because it's just easier for them to scramble and to fake it, and do enough to get by.
The hardest part about college isn't the classes or the tests.
It's the self-discipline.
It's the fact that for the first time in their lives, 18-year-olds are solely responsible for getting themselves up on time, for getting themselves to the places they're supposed to be, and for doing the work they're required to do.
It's SO much easier to just sleep in and skip class or stay out at a party till 3 when your parents aren't in the house with you, monitoring your activities. Even if they didn't prompt you while you were living at home, you couldn't get away with as much as you can when you're living away at college.
A kid has a much better chance at success if s/he's already used to being a self-starter and taking initiative to get themselves through the day.
But to answer your actual question, smart kids are better at maintaining grades while partying because it's just easier for them to scramble and to fake it, and do enough to get by.
Being smart also allows you to learn the information the first time without a lot of practice. No scrambling or faking it required. Then there is plenty of time to party.
The question is whether or not you learned to be very smart while you were very young and your brain was building its capacity. There is only so much you can do in the way of rewiring your neural net once you're a biological adult. I'd suggest learning a foreign language. Research shows that it increases the connections in the brain.
I'm 22 and will be commencing college next month in a Communications course. I've always heard growing up that college is the biggest 'network zone' that someone will be in during their lifetime. Nowhere is it easier to get laid, make friends, and network for jobs.
But despite the fun things I've heard about college, I've also heard it's 10x harder academically than secondary school in part because of the amount of work you're required to do as well as continuous assessments that students are subjected to which doesn't happen in high school.
In fact, many students drop out in their first year. I don't want to be like that. My parents are luckily paying for tuition but they say that I should forget about making friends/partying and just focus on education as they'll cut me off if I don't do well. Not that I can't have friends but they say it's way more difficult.
I kind of understand their point of view. Is it really possible for a student to get top grades while still partying/socializing?
Attack college with an action plan. Forget what other students do, don't do, claim to do etc.
A. If your study skills are weak or were never strong a top priority should be to improve them. Be able to sit undistracted with legit focus for increasing periods of time. Starting with 15 minutes blocks is OK but start.
2. Do not fall behind early on.
D. Go to class. Get your reading done in advance of class.
5. This is old hat but a guy who was an Assistant Dean at Rice taught us a tactical move that works quite well. As soon as possible after each class review your freshly scribbled notes thoroughly, that evening re-write them into another sort-of master notebook per class and over the weekend test/quizz or not review the master notebook thoroughly. When possible all of this can be augmented well with lecture recordings etc.
G. Organize proactivly and chances are you can live a fun filled lifestyle and make good grades.
13. The trick is to become both organized and efficient. It's easy to become a desk drone sitting in the library for hours while getting little done. An organized mind and supporting tools (notes, recordings, highlighted books - whatever) buttressed with a hard-headed attitude towards studying will get it done.
J.1. It's better to study with focus under organized circumstances for 1 hour than hours of desk fidgeting.
Goodl luck.
Excuse the typos.......
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