College, here I come...

Don't do what I did. I took semesters off to work full time. I botched a few classes because I partied WAY too much. I still don't have a degree and I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. I still wonder what happened to my 20s and I'm halfway through my 30s. Don't do drugs, I learned that the hard way. Come to think of it I learned a lot of things the hard way. If my meandering, bass-ackwards life can serve as an example of what not to do then all my F-ups will not have been in vain. Good luck and my best wishes for you.

Frank
 
After some reflection:

Don't do anything irreparable.

You will make friends that will last your entire lifetime. Choose as wisely as you can.

Never, ever, be cruel to anyone. Quietly stand up for victims of such.

Life is becoming cumulative. These years will go on your permanent record--certainly for the first professional job, which will affect the next one...etc.

When you laugh, make sure it is at something funny, not something mean-spirited.

You will have more freedom than ever before in your life. Use it discreetly.



Be well and safe.
 
Make college your "job" for four years. That is...put in 8 hrs. a day between class and studying as a minimum. That will still give you lots of time to party, or whatever, and still make good grades. If you have not worked full-time for long yet in your life, 8 hours devoted to class and study sounds like a lot. It isn't.

Anyway, that is the advice I will give to my sons in just a few years. :eek:

Jeff
 
Lots of good stuff here.

Let me add: be on the lookout for guest lecturers / bands / whatever that are on tour and stop at your campus. That band that you never heard of playing for a party might grow into something Quite Big. And you'll be able to remember when they were nobodies.
 
My wife teaches English at the local university. Sees too many people with great promise mess themselves up. So humour me...

Party, have a blast etc. ... it can be the best of social times. But don't forget why you're there. This is not like high school ... there's nobody there to keep you on track except yourself. For lots of folks, this is their first time being fully responsible for themselves ... and they have some pretty big hiccups at the start. It's common to spend December's grocery money on October's boy's night out ... don't.

The work will be different, and more challenging than you expect. More of it too. Don't let it faze you - you can handle it just fine. It also gets more interesting the further you go. In 1st year, you'll take a huge range of things ... in later years, you get to concentrate on what really turns your crank.

If you're like most people, your grades will be lower in first year than they were in high school, at least at the start. As you sort out what's expected, and focus on what you find you're best suited for, they'll recover. There are some ways to jump ahead on this learning curve ...

Obviously, don't short-change the time your work really requires. It will take longer than your estimates, and you may need to find somewhere other than your room to work. But more important, you'll need to change how you think about learning. You're a participant now in working this stuff out, not just a scribe writing down someone else's ideas. The most important question to ask is "so what?" Why should we care about all those facts ... what do they mean ... what are the implications? Just writing down your Prof's words won't get you above a C, if that. History isn't just history, it's a record of how people have thought and reacted under pressure ... Works of literature aren't just stories ... they're the dreams and nightmares of the age when they were written. Economics isn't just about money ... it's set of theories about how folks see value ...

You're going to have a grand time. But you're paying for this, right? Make sure you walk out with everything you paid for. I've met a few folks who wish they'd partied more in college ... but lots more who wish they'd really milked their college years for everything they could.

Tom.
 
I leave in a couple of hours. The advice here is great. Thanks, guys. Good to have a little inside info. :)


Nam
 
Oooo, Oooo, almost forgot....

Take advantage of the good student discounts for computer equipment!!!!!

I don't know about the PC side, but Apple has a decent discount for students on new computers. Definitely worth looking into if you are a geek like me!!!

Just DON'T get involved with their "student loan" program... it is a HUGE scam.

Good Luck!!!!!

Alan
 
I am currently completing an MSc. in Economic Geology. The best advice I can give you is to utilize your professors and your classmates to learn way faster. Write everything in terms that you can understand and learn what a 'mind map' is. And don't stick your dick into anyone you wouldn't pay child support for 18 years. ;)

Good Luck.
 
I taught college for 25 years, so my perspective is a little different:
College is the best opportunity you'll ever have to stop being who you are, and to decide who you want to be for the rest of your life.*
Treat your professors like real people. Try to get to know the ones who you like, and who seem to like you. A faculty friend can be a very good thing to have. Sit in the first row. Ask questions. Get involved. Do the work. If you hate it, you're doing the wrong work.
Never miss class. Ever.
Take advantage of as much campus culture as you can. Go see films with sub-titles, go to concerts of music you've never heard of before. Meet people from other parts of the world. Read some books that are really hard to understand.
Never hang out with people who are dumber than you. No good will come of it.
Use sun screen. Floss every day. :D


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* I once told a student that if he kept pretending to be an a$$ hole, he would find that one day he has become one. Probly didn't do any good, but it felt right.
 
Just felt the need to say that this is the best thread I have ever read in the Cantina. I'll be starting my college adventure in about two weeks at the age of 22 after four years of military service and so much of this rings true that it isn't even funny (and yet it is). If rep points were still in effect you would all get as many as I have to give. :) Best of luck naamarie and thanks for all of the great advice everyone!
 
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