Advice for new college students

[roguerower]

-Go to class sober and if you have the option of either taking notes or paying attention (i can't do both, just copy what the prof says if i'm taking notes), definitely pay attention. you can always go back later and get the notes.

-Don't be stupid about drinking. Friday...OK, Saturday...OK, thirsty Thursdays...once in a while...beer gut by your junior year...WRONG...you'll go bankrupt a lot faster this way too.

-Get at LEAST one internship...you will learn WAYYYY more in the 3 months of the real world than you will in 1 year of school.

-Enjoy yourself...grades are important, but unless you're going for a major that requires secondary schooling (medicine, law, etc) don't stress out. Once you get your first job those grades are worthless. Your past job performance is all they'll (employers) will care about

-Chase tail...goes w/o saying

-Borrow books from your friend...free vs. lots of money, you do the math

-Learn what classes actually use the books and which ones don't

-Get some good friends to hang out with, it'll make the difference

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: ModerateRepZero
- Take good care of your computer, get to know at least 1-2 computer-saavy people, and make use of your computer (ie searching online for used textbooks).

At least buy said computer savvy people a drink or something when you bother them at 2AM to fix your PC because you downloaded Paris Hilton porn.

Originally posted by: slsmnaz
go to class

I skipped class and played World of Warcraft... and still made Dean's List every time :shocked:!

Originally posted by: Gibsons
Avoid 8am classes if at all possible.

I had one 7:45... I think I went to it maybe 3 times. Best yet, I was the tutor for the class too .

Originally posted by: Gibsons
"fun" roommates aren't necessarily good roommates.

They typically make the worst unless you really don't give a shit about school.

Originally posted by: Deeko
-major in what you want to do, not what someone else thinks is going to make you money (direct contrast to invidia's post)

Ya... hating what you do for a living really makes every waking morning (except those without work) a real bummer.

Originally posted by: Deeko
-only work as hard as you need to, don't obsess over your grades to the point of having no social life. You learn a whole lot more at college than what you learn in the classroom

Some may disagree with this, but I agree to an extent. Personally, I rarely ever studied, because I could get an A without doing so as I have a really good memory ( except for things that matter usually :laugh: ). Of course I made stupid mistakes that maybe a little studying could've helped solidify, but spending 1-2 hours reading over a bunch of material or raiding a fricken' dungeon in WoW? Hell yeah for the dungeon!

I think the worst mistake I ever made on a test was forgetting the prof's rule of never writing 'T' or 'F' but putting the full word. Yeah, I kind of forgot in haste of finishing and leaving early, so I ended up getting every single one marked wrong. I hit myself for that one .

Originally posted by: Deeko
-do not live at home, live in the dorms at least one year then move to an apartment. If you have to take out student loans to do this, so be it

So definitely agree. It's such a different experience actually living at college. I had some commuter friends when I was at college and one thing they talked about was living at college for a semester or two just to get that experience.

Originally posted by: JohnCU
2. don't drink on weekdays

Dude, one does not pass up 25 cent cup Wednesdays!

EDIT:

Originally posted by: roguerower
-Get at LEAST one internship...you will learn WAYYYY more in the 3 months of the real world than you will in 1 year of school.

It even looks good to future employers regardless of whether you necessarily learned a lot or not... just make it sound like you did .

 

[FallenHero]

get involved in SOMETHING. Sports, club, anything to take up some of your free time. yes, you will have TONS of it. Future employers are going to ask what you did in your free time besides drink like a sailor. You have no idea how impressed my interviewers were when they read that I worked as an EMT, played ultimate frisbee, worked for the campus police, and still maintained good grades. Seriously, it shows good time management as well as ambition. That being said, find time to have some fun.

 

[dbk]

Don't drink during your freshman year.

 

[johnjohn320]

Don't put off til tomorrow what can be done today. It's a cliche, but I mean this in terms of work as well as social stuff. When you show up, you think you have all this time and you're gonna do all this stuff. Next thing, four years has passed up pretty quickly and you haven't done a lot of the stuff you could have. If your friends are going out, don't pass it up just cause you're not in the mood or feel kinda tired, etc. If something's due soon and you have the time to work on it now, but you think you'll have time in the coming days....do it now.

I just graduated. I very quickly (freshmen year) settled into a serious relationship that's still going-obviously I don't regret this, but I'd be lying if I said I never wondered what would have happened if I had "chased more tail" as others have advised.

I made good grades and everything, but I wish I had kept on top of the readings more. It would have made studying a lot easier when exams came around, but it also would have probably developed my attention span for reading (I end up spacing out a lot lately, and I have shitloads I need to read for various things).

When you meet your group of friends (and you will, quickly) don't feel like you ALWAYS have to hang out with those specific people. Freshmen year I went out with the same friends every time for a long time, turning down invitations to do so with others I didn't know as well. In later years, I became closer with the "other" group of friends, and hearing them regail tails of freshmen year makes me realize I missed a lot of fun times with them.

Oh, and house parties are waaaay better than the bars.

 

[FallenHero]

Originally posted by: johnjohn320

Oh, and house parties are waaaay better than the bars.

I disagree, as house parties are where you are going to get into ALOT more trouble. However, that's probably just my point of view. YMMV.

 

[Gibsons]

Originally posted by: FallenHero

Originally posted by: johnjohn320

Oh, and house parties are waaaay better than the bars.

I disagree, as house parties are where you are going to get into ALOT more trouble. However, that's probably just my point of view. YMMV.

The things that make them more likely sources of trouble are the things that make them better...

 

[Umberger]

Get to know your professors. Go talk to them for help. They are glad to talk to you, and them knowing you can never hurt.

 

[johnjohn320]

Originally posted by: FallenHero

Originally posted by: johnjohn320

Oh, and house parties are waaaay better than the bars.

I disagree, as house parties are where you are going to get into ALOT more trouble. However, that's probably just my point of view. YMMV.

How? If you go to bar, you're gonna have to show a fake if you're not supposed to be there. If you get busted, you got the fake ID + consumption of alcohol. House party? If they give you a ticket it's just for drinking. I've been to more busted up parties than I can count, and they've just come in, told everyone to go home, and written up a noise violation. People only got drinking tickets if they started being dumbasses.

Also, the police can't come in unless someone lets them in. It's pretty awesome to be at a party, suddenly the music shuts off, everyone shuts up, we turn the lights off and sit there in the dark. The cops will always keep knocking a long time, sometimes for a reeeeaaallly long time. But eventually they give up, leave a notice on the door, and go away. Works really well if you got underagers and/or any drugs going on.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: johnjohn320

Originally posted by: FallenHero

Originally posted by: johnjohn320

Oh, and house parties are waaaay better than the bars.

I disagree, as house parties are where you are going to get into ALOT more trouble. However, that's probably just my point of view. YMMV.

How? If you go to bar, you're gonna have to show a fake if you're not supposed to be there. If you get busted, you got the fake ID + consumption of alcohol. House party? If they give you a ticket it's just for drinking. I've been to more busted up parties than I can count, and they've just come in, told everyone to go home, and written up a noise violation. People only got drinking tickets if they started being dumbasses.

Also, the police can't come in unless someone lets them in. It's pretty awesome to be at a party, suddenly the music shuts off, everyone shuts up, we turn the lights off and sit there in the dark. The cops will always keep knocking a long time, sometimes for a reeeeaaallly long time. But eventually they give up, leave a notice on the door, and go away. Works really well if you got underagers and/or any drugs going on.

That's what search warrants are for. :evil:

 

[AleleVanuatu]

My advice is better than anyone else's.

Fuck all the tail you can. Boys, girls, whatever. Do it. Have orgies.

Screw around, learn some stuff, then dropout and become a dotCOM millionaire. Oops 10 years too late. LOL

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: AleleVanuatu
My advice is better than anyone else's.

Fuck all the tail you can. Boys, girls, whatever. Do it. Have orgies.

Screw around, learn some stuff, then dropout and become a dotCOM millionaire. Oops 10 years too late. LOL

who are you?

 

[FallenHero]

Originally posted by: johnjohn320

Originally posted by: FallenHero

Originally posted by: johnjohn320

Oh, and house parties are waaaay better than the bars.

I disagree, as house parties are where you are going to get into ALOT more trouble. However, that's probably just my point of view. YMMV.

How? If you go to bar, you're gonna have to show a fake if you're not supposed to be there. If you get busted, you got the fake ID + consumption of alcohol. House party? If they give you a ticket it's just for drinking. I've been to more busted up parties than I can count, and they've just come in, told everyone to go home, and written up a noise violation. People only got drinking tickets if they started being dumbasses.

Also, the police can't come in unless someone lets them in. It's pretty awesome to be at a party, suddenly the music shuts off, everyone shuts up, we turn the lights off and sit there in the dark. The cops will always keep knocking a long time, sometimes for a reeeeaaallly long time. But eventually they give up, leave a notice on the door, and go away. Works really well if you got underagers and/or any drugs going on.

Trouble with the law aint the only trouble around. I've seen more fights and stupid drama come from house parties then anyplace else. Plus, police are MORE likely to show up at house parties then bars, and not everyone is intelligent enough around cops...there is always gonna be a smartass that talks his way into letting the cops in. Believe me, coming from a former college student and now a cop, house parties are FAR more dangerous.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Deeko
-major in what you want to do, not what someone else thinks is going to make you money (direct contrast to invidia's post)
-only work as hard as you need to, don't obsess over your grades to the point of having no social life. You learn a whole lot more at college than what you learn in the classroom
-do not live at home, live in the dorms at least one year then move to an apartment. If you have to take out student loans to do this, so be it
-try to have fun once in awhile

I might have majored in Philosophy.

"Hello. Do you want to know why you ordered fries with that?"




- If you go to a professor for help, do at least attempt to resolve the problem. If you can demonstrate that you've already put some effort into the assignment, the professor will also be far more willing to invest some effort into helping you to fully understand it.

 

[MovingTarget]

Wikipedia is cheaper...

 

[Eeezee]

1. Go to class, unless you already have a truly good understanding of the material. Always go to the first several lectures. If you are then certain that you can get an A without going anymore, only go when you want to go and have a friend to keep you updated as to whether the next lecture will be useful

2. Get laid as much as possible, unless you've really found someone special; don't cheat, and do hold onto a good catch (anonymous tail is not nearly as good as consistent, perfect tail). This shouldn't happen until your 3rd year; freshmen are stupid and sophomores usually aren't much better, so do whatever you want for your first two years.

3. Don't be afraid of doing things that may get you in trouble, just be careful and stay away from the more hardcore drugs

4. Choose a major that matters and will help you. You really can't go wrong with science or engineering, because in society there will always be a need for more scientists and engineers

5. Don't mooch off of your parents, do get a part-time job. Avoid student loans if you can, but seriously, don't just mooch

6. You're allowed to drink heavily on weekdays if you're a sophomore or freshman. College is supposed to become difficult around Junior year, so knock that shit off when you start detecting that college is challenging

7. If at any point you feel like you're doing poorly in classes, you have to go to all of them, stop drinking, and start studying. After a year of this you'll probably be pretty good at school and can start partying on the weekends again without harming your grades

 

[Corporate Thug]

drop a class before you get a bad grade.

 

[johnjohn320]

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: johnjohn320

Originally posted by: FallenHero

Originally posted by: johnjohn320

Oh, and house parties are waaaay better than the bars.

I disagree, as house parties are where you are going to get into ALOT more trouble. However, that's probably just my point of view. YMMV.

How? If you go to bar, you're gonna have to show a fake if you're not supposed to be there. If you get busted, you got the fake ID + consumption of alcohol. House party? If they give you a ticket it's just for drinking. I've been to more busted up parties than I can count, and they've just come in, told everyone to go home, and written up a noise violation. People only got drinking tickets if they started being dumbasses.

Also, the police can't come in unless someone lets them in. It's pretty awesome to be at a party, suddenly the music shuts off, everyone shuts up, we turn the lights off and sit there in the dark. The cops will always keep knocking a long time, sometimes for a reeeeaaallly long time. But eventually they give up, leave a notice on the door, and go away. Works really well if you got underagers and/or any drugs going on.

That's what search warrants are for. :evil:

Which they won't have...they're responding most likely to a noise complaint, not a possible murder.

 

[johnjohn320]

Originally posted by: FallenHero

Originally posted by: johnjohn320

Originally posted by: FallenHero

Originally posted by: johnjohn320

Oh, and house parties are waaaay better than the bars.

I disagree, as house parties are where you are going to get into ALOT more trouble. However, that's probably just my point of view. YMMV.

How? If you go to bar, you're gonna have to show a fake if you're not supposed to be there. If you get busted, you got the fake ID + consumption of alcohol. House party? If they give you a ticket it's just for drinking. I've been to more busted up parties than I can count, and they've just come in, told everyone to go home, and written up a noise violation. People only got drinking tickets if they started being dumbasses.

Also, the police can't come in unless someone lets them in. It's pretty awesome to be at a party, suddenly the music shuts off, everyone shuts up, we turn the lights off and sit there in the dark. The cops will always keep knocking a long time, sometimes for a reeeeaaallly long time. But eventually they give up, leave a notice on the door, and go away. Works really well if you got underagers and/or any drugs going on.

Trouble with the law aint the only trouble around. I've seen more fights and stupid drama come from house parties then anyplace else. Plus, police are MORE likely to show up at house parties then bars, and not everyone is intelligent enough around cops...there is always gonna be a smartass that talks his way into letting the cops in. Believe me, coming from a former college student and now a cop, house parties are FAR more dangerous.

Probably true, I guess I just had a weird experience.People tried to start shit at bars a lot more than house parties that I went to-I think the parties I went to were filled with a lot of chill, laid back people doing shots and smoking weed. Bars were filled with frat boy meatheads who just loved to try and kick some ass.

 

[yoda291]

Learn to approach strangers and say hello. I'm amazed by how many grown adults have not mastered this most basic of skills.

 

[ManBearPig]

Originally posted by: JohnCU

2. don't drink on weekdays

BOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[Bignate603]

Avoid debt as much as you can. Money can be pretty easy to get, but it will be extremely hard to pay back.

 

[ArmchairAthlete]

The longer you're there, the more tricks you learn to avoid buying books.

Don't purchase a book until you know that's your last option. Many books are online. Some are on the syllabus but aren't necessarily used, wait to see what happens. See if a friend has the book. If you only need it once or twice, just take a look at it in the bookstore and then put it back when you're done.

Meet lots of people early on. Don't just worry about grades! This is probably equally or even more important.

Do internships or co-ops. See if your major is really for you. If you don't like the work, you might want to change majors or maybe try a different job you can get with the same major. Too many people find out a year or two after the graduate that they just don't like their line of work.

 

[Mide]

1) Get as much ass as possible.
2) Find a long term GF towards the end of your college life
3) Drop a class before you get an F or D. It doesn't matter if you get a W.
4) Pick the right major...think what you really want to do after you graduate.

 

[onlyCOpunk]

bring plenty of rubbers and extra money for drugs