College tip thread

[Corporate Thug]

DLeRium, EXCELLENT advice!! where were you 5 years ago?

 

[simms]

Originally posted by: ric1287

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Fridays and Saturdays are not the only party nights. Thursday nights is where it's all at. Schedule your Friday classes so you have it light in case you get messed up on Thursday night.

C-s are the devil. If you're about to get a C-, and you can afford a retake, just fail the final so you get that D or F and then you can retake for a better grade. Otherwise that 1.667 is gonna kill you.

i don't know where you went/go to school, but getting a D or F is NOT better than a C-.

Failing a course, staying back a year, and retaking the class is MUCH worse than a C-.

Also try explaining an F to your employer.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: simms

Originally posted by: ric1287

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Fridays and Saturdays are not the only party nights. Thursday nights is where it's all at. Schedule your Friday classes so you have it light in case you get messed up on Thursday night.

C-s are the devil. If you're about to get a C-, and you can afford a retake, just fail the final so you get that D or F and then you can retake for a better grade. Otherwise that 1.667 is gonna kill you.

i don't know where you went/go to school, but getting a D or F is NOT better than a C-.

Failing a course, staying back a year, and retaking the class is MUCH worse than a C-.

Also try explaining an F to your employer.

Read joshsquall's comment. Just because you fail a class, retaking it won't put you a year behind.

Personally, if I was going to get a C- or lower, I'd seriously consider moving to another major.

 

[Kirby]

Never mix drugs and alcohol. Choose one or the other. Moderation is the key!

 

[ric1287]

Originally posted by: joshsquall

Originally posted by: ric1287

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Fridays and Saturdays are not the only party nights. Thursday nights is where it's all at. Schedule your Friday classes so you have it light in case you get messed up on Thursday night.

C-s are the devil. If you're about to get a C-, and you can afford a retake, just fail the final so you get that D or F and then you can retake for a better grade. Otherwise that 1.667 is gonna kill you.

i don't know where you went/go to school, but getting a D or F is NOT better than a C-.

Some schools only allow repeat/forgive if you get a D or an F.

Also, all of this not skipping class stuff is BS. If you're relatively intelligent, you can get atleast a 3.0 going to 20-30% of your classes.

haha, i would give my left nut to get a "forgive". Where is this at? like a community college maybe?

 

[ric1287]

Originally posted by: simms

Originally posted by: ric1287

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Fridays and Saturdays are not the only party nights. Thursday nights is where it's all at. Schedule your Friday classes so you have it light in case you get messed up on Thursday night.

C-s are the devil. If you're about to get a C-, and you can afford a retake, just fail the final so you get that D or F and then you can retake for a better grade. Otherwise that 1.667 is gonna kill you.

i don't know where you went/go to school, but getting a D or F is NOT better than a C-.

Failing a course, staying back a year, and retaking the class is MUCH worse than a C-.

Also try explaining an F to your employer.

again, i don't know what schools you guys are at, but at mine, an F stands for FAIL, not Forgive. There is no way to get rid of it once it's there.

 

[CPA]

Hit it with as many girls as possible, because once you get out of college and get a job you will most likely get a wife and never see that much action again your entire life.

 

[Mermaidman]

Take a wide variety of courses at the beginning. Don't shoehorn yourself into a major prematurely. I rushed through my pre-med program in 3 yr and regret not having explored other options.

I also agree with the suggestion to live on- or very near to campus.

 

[GoCobbers1]

life on campus...

 

[ric1287]

Originally posted by: GoCobbers1
life on campus...

life on campus....is what?

 

[Schadenfroh]

college in college computer Science / Biology dual major:

1. Dont get arrogant (STUDY)
2. Dont skip class (some teachers get pissed when your not a regular, many like to give random quizzes instead of taking attendance)
3. The library is your friend
4. Dorms are evil (ass hats pulling fire alarm at night weekly, death metal music, people acting like idiots)
5. Cheating is pointless (you are cheating yourself if you do not know it)
6. Studying the night before a test is pointless (you should learn in increments in the time before the test), sleep is superior that night
7. You are there to learn, not to destroy your liver (I have seen many people fail college this way)
8. Dont get a girl pregnant, you might have to drop out to support the child (has happened to people I know)

Also, all of this not skipping class stuff is BS. If you're relatively intelligent, you can get atleast a 3.0 going to 20-30% of your classes.

You sir must not be in a very difficult major. I could not skip my Organic Chem class and hope to do well.

 

[Jeff7]

Buy a vibrating alarm clock and earplugs. Then you can actually sleep, nearly regardless of how much noise is going on outside your room. When you get enough sleep on a regular basis, homework and tests suddenly become a lot easier.

Do the homework. If a professor says, "This is important, you probably want to know this," they likely mean it. This also means that it will be on the test. And if you do the homework, there's that much less cramming you have to do right before a test, because you already know well enough how to do it.

If you must watch TV and you've got a PC, buy a good PVR card. A 1hr show takes only ~40 minutes to watch without commercials, and you've got the luxury of watching the shows after your homework's done.

Originally posted by: joshsquall

Also, all of this not skipping class stuff is BS. If you're relatively intelligent, you can get atleast a 3.0 going to 20-30% of your classes.

It depends on the class and the textbook. If I didn't go to my Differential Equations class, I'd be dead in the water. The examples the textbook gives are meaningless. Other professors teach almost directly out of the textbook, and don't add much of anything else to it. You're basically paying them money to read to you, and then test you on what they read.
It's my 4th semester here, and I have missed a single class. It was a review session for a chemistry final. I really didn't feel that I needed it, and as it turned out, I didn't.

Originally posted by: DLeRium

READ EVERY NIGHT. Don't fall behind. This was why I didn't go to OH. I felt stupid and if you don't know your stuff, you can't just go in and expect to be taught. You need to have SOME knowledge of what's going on so at least you can discuss and ask meaningful questions.

Yes, this is important. When you go for help, you are supposed to have tried it yourself first. If you stroll in and ask for help, and the professor asks what work you've already done, and you've put forth no effort, you can't really expect much effort back from the professor.
I have gone to office hours on rare occasions, but when I do, I bring along the various papers with things I've tried. I agree too, this does help show the professor that you are really trying to do the work and learn the material. Some profs have a "class participation" part of the grade that's worth a few percentage points. If you're teetering on the edge, but you've been in to the office a few times trying to really learn the material, that is evidence that there may yet be some hope for you.

This also applies to things on tests that you wish to argue. You'd better be able to make a good case and prove that you really do know what you're talking about.

Other tip - if a course has a prerequisite, they might actually expect you to know the material from the prereq. But let me tell you, it sucks when you last had that course a year ago. It's not easy getting yourself to go over the notes a month or a week before classes start, but that's a lot easier than trying to relearn it while getting new stuff piled on, which assumes you already know the basics.

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
2. Dont skip class (some teachers get pissed when your not a regular, many like to give random quizzes instead of taking attendance)

That sort of thing amused me. One Friday, hardly anyone showed up for my Dynamics class. The professor wrote the new subject on the board, looked around at the rather minimal audience, and told us we were having a pop quiz. "Write your name and the new subject we're discussing today on the paper, and pass it in."

Or he'd go over a problem on the board, followed with, "On Monday we're having a quiz that will be almost exactly like this. That's your bonus for coming to class today. Have a nice weekend."

4. Dorms are evil (ass hats pulling fire alarm at night weekly, death metal music, people acting like idiots)

Ugh, I know. When the cinder-block walls vibrate from the music, you know it's too loud.

5. Cheating is pointless (you are cheating yourself if you do not know it)

Yup. If you don't learn it on the homework, good luck on the tests. Have fun in higher courses too that rely on that material.

6. Studying the night before a test is pointless (you should learn in increments in the time before the test), sleep is superior that night

Quite true. If I don't get enough sleep, I get stupid. Really stupid. It should not take 2 minutes to figure out how to find the area of a rectangle. Now with that vibrating alarm clock, I get to sleep when I choose to, not when the rest of the apartment finally shuts up.

7. You are there to learn, not to destroy your liver (I have seen many people fail college this way)

And without that constant alcohol expense, you'll have more money.

 

[Gunslinger08]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
college in college computer Science / Biology dual major:

1. Dont get arrogant (STUDY)
2. Dont skip class (some teachers get pissed when your not a regular, many like to give random quizzes instead of taking attendance)
3. The library is your friend
4. Dorms are evil (ass hats pulling fire alarm at night weekly, death metal music, people acting like idiots)
5. Cheating is pointless (you are cheating yourself if you do not know it)
6. Studying the night before a test is pointless (you should learn in increments in the time before the test), sleep is superior that night
7. You are there to learn, not to destroy your liver (I have seen many people fail college this way)
8. Dont get a girl pregnant, you might have to drop out to support the child (has happened to people I know)

Also, all of this not skipping class stuff is BS. If you're relatively intelligent, you can get atleast a 3.0 going to 20-30% of your classes.

You sir must not be in a very difficult major. I could not skip my Organic Chem class and hope to do well.

I was a CS major. You can have tons of fun in college if you know how to study and get work done on your own. You just have to be organized and be able to concentrate 100% for short periods of time. Obviously this doesn't apply if your major has a lot of lab or group work.

 

[Tuktuk]

Originally posted by: joshsquall
Also, all of this not skipping class stuff is BS. If you're relatively intelligent, you can get atleast a 3.0 going to 20-30% of your classes.

With total class time usually only 3 hours per day, why skip? If you have morning classes you're in such a daze that by the time you get back you don't even realize you went to school. Yet you have a notebook full of notes and that day's lesson on your mind, which saves you the added work of cramming at the end of the semester.

Skipping increases your chances at missing random assignments and also makes you fall behind in the course. There really is no reason to skip if you aren't working while going to school, to not be able to handle a 3 hour day is pretty pathetic.

 

[Gunslinger08]

Originally posted by: Tuktuk

Originally posted by: joshsquall
Also, all of this not skipping class stuff is BS. If you're relatively intelligent, you can get atleast a 3.0 going to 20-30% of your classes.

With total class time usually only 3 hours per day, why skip? If you have morning classes you're in such a daze that by the time you get back you don't even realize you went to school. Yet you have a notebook full of notes and that day's lesson on your mind, which saves you the added work of cramming at the end of the semester.

Its true you can get by and get a better GPA than the example I just showed, but skipping increases your chances at missing random assignments and also makes you fall behind in the course. There really is no reason to skip if you aren't working while going to school, to not be able to handle a 3 hour day is pretty pathetic.

I meant going to 20-30% of the scheduled class periods, you would get a 3.0 overall.

Edit: You realized it and edited your post already.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: joshsquall

Originally posted by: Tuktuk

Originally posted by: joshsquall
Also, all of this not skipping class stuff is BS. If you're relatively intelligent, you can get atleast a 3.0 going to 20-30% of your classes.

With total class time usually only 3 hours per day, why skip? If you have morning classes you're in such a daze that by the time you get back you don't even realize you went to school. Yet you have a notebook full of notes and that day's lesson on your mind, which saves you the added work of cramming at the end of the semester.

Its true you can get by and get a better GPA than the example I just showed, but skipping increases your chances at missing random assignments and also makes you fall behind in the course. There really is no reason to skip if you aren't working while going to school, to not be able to handle a 3 hour day is pretty pathetic.

I meant going to 20-30% of the scheduled class periods, you would get a 3.0 overall.

Edit: You realized it and edited your post already.

3.0 is pretty shtty if you're interested in going to a good graduate school, atleast that's the case for medical school

 

[Leros]

C-s are the devil. If you're about to get a C-, and you can afford a retake, just fail the final so you get that D or F and then you can retake for a better grade. Otherwise that 1.667 is gonna kill you.

Be careful about this one. A lot of schools will still factor the D/F into your GPA.

 

[Gunslinger08]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: joshsquall

Originally posted by: Tuktuk

Originally posted by: joshsquall
Also, all of this not skipping class stuff is BS. If you're relatively intelligent, you can get atleast a 3.0 going to 20-30% of your classes.

With total class time usually only 3 hours per day, why skip? If you have morning classes you're in such a daze that by the time you get back you don't even realize you went to school. Yet you have a notebook full of notes and that day's lesson on your mind, which saves you the added work of cramming at the end of the semester.

Its true you can get by and get a better GPA than the example I just showed, but skipping increases your chances at missing random assignments and also makes you fall behind in the course. There really is no reason to skip if you aren't working while going to school, to not be able to handle a 3 hour day is pretty pathetic.

I meant going to 20-30% of the scheduled class periods, you would get a 3.0 overall.

Edit: You realized it and edited your post already.

3.0 is pretty shtty if you're interested in going to a good graduate school, atleast that's the case for medical school

True, but you're probably not planning on going to grad school if you hate undergrad enough to skip 70-80% of the time.

 

[Mo0o]

Here are my tips. I'm a Biology major so my advice might be a little different but should be ok:
1. Go to class. Yes you can read the book but almost every professor pick and chooses from the text, especially in biology courses. If you go to class, you know what to study instead of stupidly trying to read every thing.

2. Take good notes. Same as above. Studying for tests is much easier when you know what the teacher as said. Every prof. I've had has only tested off of lectures and never from the readings.

3. Find your study style. When studying for tests, find what works for you. When I have good friends in the class, I prefer to study with them in a group. What we do is, everyone sits at a table and everyone is studying. If someone has a question, they propose it to the group and everyone discusses it until it's resolved. If you're behind, your friends can help you, if you're ahead, you can duoble check what you think you know. But if you prefer studying alone, it's alwyas a legitimate option

4. Get enough sleep. I need a certain amount of sleep otherwise I'll fall asleep in class. Falling asleep in class is the worst thing you can do to yourself. You might as well just skip and sleep in if you're just going to sleep in class.

5. Do not procrastinate. I personally have never understood why people choose to procrastinate. If you do a little bit everyday everything is manageble. Got a paper? Start doing research as soon as you get the topic. Even if you dont write anything down, atelast you'll be thinking about what you're going to say. I do this quite often and by the time istart writing the paper (about 3-4 days before due date) I already have a working outline in my head of what i want to say. Got a test? Start a week or two ahead and pace yourself. Make study guides that you can carry with you to study whenever you get a break.

6. Be efficient. If you have spare time between classes, have some work or reading ready. Dont just waste time.

7. At least live in the dorms for 1 year. You get to meet a ton of different people and for me it's a great learning experience.

8. Go to office hours. If you dont get something, no need to continually hammer your head, just go ask the professor. Not only will they explain it to you, you'll gain brownie points in the process.

9. Build rapport. This is especially important for juniors and sophmores. For medical school recommendations are really important so build rapport!

10. Have fun. Dont be the guy that's in the library 24/7. Have fun on friday and saturday nights, work in the afternoons during the weekends.

11. Join organizations. Extracurriculars are important no matter what. Find something you like and get involved!

 

[HombrePequeno]

I wouldn't recommend skipping too many classes. I'll skip a class if there is a midterm in another class that I want to study for but even that could fvck you. I missed a midterm for the class I skipped because I did that once. Luckily I got to retake it but I wouldn't want to take that chance again.

Also, make sure you have a nice, loud alarm clock. I slept through one of my midterms because I didn't hear my alarm go off. Luckily my prof let me just skip the midterm and took that factor out of my grade.

Damn I'm lucky.

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: CPA
Hit it with as many girls as possible, because once you get out of college and get a job you will most likely get a wife and never see that much action again your entire life.

This is the best advice in the thread.

 

[clamum]

Like DrPizza said, start things early and make good use of your time. An hour or two between classes can be spent working on homework or starting a project.

Getting drunk or partying once or twice during the week won't kill you but it will fvck up anything good you have going if you keep doing it. Friday and/or Saturday, make sure to go out or party if you don't have work to do. College goes by fast so make use of the social aspects of it cause it won't happen again.

If you're renting an apartment or house, don't feel obligated to room with your friends if you know they won't be able to keep up on bills and help out with cleaning after a party and such. And try to pay bills early. Don't get a bill, tack it up to the board and leave it sit for 30 days, then try to get everyone's money together (I know from experience). If you have the money, pay it right away.

EDIT: Make use of your campus's Career Center if they have one. Go after co-ops and/or internships EARLY.

 

[BrownTown]

I would say a good suggestion when starting college is to be yourself. Alot of people go to college and try to reinvent themsleves, or act like something they are not, but that hardly ever works. Its better to jsut be yourself at first and then if you want to change something about yourself take your time and do it right, if you were lazy in high school ,and suddenly try to be a star student you are gonna burn out. Also, I don't know about all colleges, but where I go to college 50% of the people are in the greek system, and though rush doesn't formally start till the second semester you are gonna end up alot better off going to a bunch of events in the first semester. So decide pretty quickly about whether or not greek life is for you, at least go to a few frat parties first semester since they have free beer for prespective freshman anyways. That was something I never even thouhg about to begin with, and though I am perfectly happy having never joined a frat I can tell you that its aloteasier to make friends and have fun parties etc.. when you join a frat.

 

[TallBill]

Its very hard to pass a class if you dont go to it, as I found out firsthand.

 

[LS20]

befriend classmates, build rapport with faculty, and get involved in school
thats the train to good grades