College.

[aswedc]

Great thread, makes me wish I didn't have to suffer through two more years of high school. I'd be interested in knowing what schools everyone that has commented is going to...

 

[Burnt]

I had Calculus 4 days a week in the fall, and 5 days in the spring because VT puts your in a special class with 2 more days if you're "Math Readiness" score isn't above an 80, and my score was a 79.8. I wanted to quit school then...but I don't have to take anymore math

 

[Jfur]

Originally posted by: Alphathree33

Originally posted by: Jfur

Seeing as I have a laptop and an 18" LCD, I'm not sure that I'll be wanting to leave my dorm room door open when I'm there so that everyone can see them. It's a single room. No roomates to worry about. None the less, I really don't want anyone knowing about all the expensive tech stuff I'll have with me except friends that I make that I can trust. What do you guys think?

Alphathree33, *please* get one of those computer locks for your laptop and monitor. Even if your roomates are trustworthy (and you won't know for a long while) there are likely to be many, many people coming in and out of your room (and you'll have to take a shower sometime ). Also, be sure to have a reliable backup for your schoolwork. Keep it away from your equipment and update it whenever you can

I stress the part where I said "It's a single room. No roomates to worry about."

The only thing I have to worry about is if someone actually breaks into my dorm and takes it, which is why I was talking about not advertising what I have in my dorm except to friends that I trust.

The advice still stands. Dorm thefts are very common, even if you have no roomates and no friends ever visit you. Why risk it?

 

[rh71]

Our security officer at the office came by today and he made a good point about securing laptops. Even though it's not ours to own, it's a good idea to get a $39 lock for a $1500 laptop.

Anyone else here go to the University at Buffalo? Alumni here.

 

[kami]

Are dorm thefts THAT common? I didn't hear of one single theft in the dorms I lived in last year. These dorms have almost 800 rooms and I didn't hear of a single theft...it might be because of the locking mechanisms. We get magnetic key cards instead of conventional keys...maybe they're impossible to pick? All dorms should upgrade to this

 

[SuperGroove]

Dorm theft's weren't a problem on my floor. Of course, nearly every tenant on my floor was a wholesome midwestern girl. Go figure

The best time I had during my freshman year were the first four days that I was there. The move in period. No nagging thoughts about getting work down, just party HARD! Thursdays are party nights, which means having an early morning class on Friday is pretty impossible to get up for or even go to.

My best friends were people I met through my roommates. Having a quad was the best thing for me. My best friends were my quad buddies, and it really was awesome just to take a break from studying with those guys. Football in the halls, baseball in the halls, breaching doors(doors were open, spare mattress used as door), dodgeball in the hall. Streaking in the hall?

You definitely will see some interesting things. can't describe it...as much as I said I hated CU...I'm really looking forward to going back to school. Say what?! I get to live at a nice dorm, and won't have a roommate. Cool beans

Good luck to you all you incoming freshman. You will become one of the minority that doesn't get onto aol im everynight. You will have plenty of people to talk to whenever you want and many times when you dont want them to be there

Girls? You'll be wishing there were more guys just shoot the sh*t with, it's that good Your gaming will also take a backseat to everything. Might as well not buy a tv or any games.

 

[Jfur]

Originally posted by: kami
Are dorm thefts THAT common? I didn't hear of one single theft in the dorms I lived in last year. These dorms have almost 800 rooms and I didn't hear of a single theft...it might be because of the locking mechanisms. We get magnetic key cards instead of conventional keys...maybe they're impossible to pick? All dorms should upgrade to this

I'm sure it varies by institution and location. I know I have students every year who are devastated by major losses (and not just claiming the "homework got stolen" -- computers, CDs, money, bikes, or mopeds). Laptops are always a major target. Even in my locked office at work I keep my laptops and removable drives chained, and I am the only authorized person in that space. It's really not that hard to spend 5 seconds locking or unlocking it, and the the lock is discreet. *If* someone were to walk in while I was using the restroom or come in with one of the company's master keys (or even break the door down), it would make it that much harder for them to walk off with my equipment and data. I have heard from sooooooooooo many people (at various universities, not just the ones I have been at) about their laptops disappearing, and they are always, "I can't believe it, I thought it was safe [wherever it was]". Dorms are especially dangerous because there are usually people wandering around and people often have a sense of security and community that leads them to take unnecessary risks.

Of course you can leave your stuff unsecured and (for most people) it probably won't disappear. I just think the effort it takes to protect it is so little when compared to the risk.

edit: One other thing to consider for all of your belongings is that many homeonwner's or renter's insurance policies will cover children (that's you if you are under a particular age) living away from home at college. So check to see if that holds for your parents' plicies. Also, whether you are at home or not, you can see if the policy covers computer equipment. Our State Farm policy specifically lists all of our computers (but many policies exclude them) and it does not cost that much, and if we had a child in college it would cover their losses, too.

Not the sexiest of college preparations, but it's worth a thought

 

[Hooligan]

I'm getting sick of binary trees so here's a story of my first year in college.

I lived in the dorms with a japanese friend of mine and a second year Korean fella who snored a lot. It was a rather multi-Asian dorm. After a night of studying until 3:00 in the morning, I decided to hit the hay. The japanese guy tends to stay up late and watch his anime and everything so I went to bed and fell asleep quite fast.

....

The next thing that I remembered happening was that I was awaked by a violent shaking of the bed. At first, I was thinking, OMG, it's a freaking huge ass earthquake and I needed to get the hell under something. I calmed down really quick and looked around my dorm room. That's when I realized that there was nothing else was shaking except for my bed. I looked at the clock I keep by my bed and realized it was 4:30 and it was my japanese roommate shaking the bed.

That's when the second shocker of the night hit me. The dood was probably jacking off on top of my bed. The shaking itself continued for another 5 minutes and ended in a sudden spasm. ....then all was calm....

Several thoughts went through my head, one of which included getting up and yelling at my roommate to stop spanking his freaking monkey when I'm trying to sleep. I figured it wasn't worth it to bother with him and fell back asleep.

The next morning I woke up and went to have an early breakfast with my friend. This friend was a mutual friend the japanese roommate and mine. I told him the whole story of the Midnight Masturbator. He just laughed and when we got back to our rooms he proceeded to tell the story to his roommates.

The roommates and my friend start to talk to him through AIMMER, and the next thing i know they're talking to my Japanese roommate. The conversation proceeds like so:

my friend: So, did you feel that big earthquake last night?
Japanese roommate: No, I didn't, there was an earthquake?
my friend: Yeah, we felt it up here in our room, you should ask [me] about it.
Japanese roommate: Sure ok, I'm asking him now.

He PUTS ON THE DUMBEST FACE EVER AND TURNS to me and asks me "Hey, did you happen to feel the shaking last night, the guys upstairs said it was an earthquake or something?" I'm like ....uhh......no man .... didn't feel a thing .......

 

[Jfur]

Originally posted by: ChineseSkaterNoRice
I'm getting sick of binary trees so here's a story of my first year in college.

I lived in the dorms with a japanese friend of mine and a second year Korean fella who snored a lot. It was a rather multi-Asian dorm. After a night of studying until 3:00 in the morning, I decided to hit the hay. The japanese guy tends to stay up late and watch his anime and everything so I went to bed and fell asleep quite fast.

....

The next thing that I remembered happening was that I was awaked by a violent shaking of the bed. At first, I was thinking, OMG, it's a freaking huge ass earthquake and I needed to get the hell under something. I calmed down really quick and looked around my dorm room. That's when I realized that there was nothing else was shaking except for my bed. I looked at the clock I keep by my bed and realized it was 4:30 and it was my japanese roommate shaking the bed.

That's when the second shocker of the night hit me. The dood was probably jacking off on top of my bed. The shaking itself continued for another 5 minutes and ended in a sudden spasm. ....then all was calm....

Several thoughts went through my head, one of which included getting up and yelling at my roommate to stop spanking his freaking monkey when I'm trying to sleep. I figured it wasn't worth it to bother with him and fell back asleep.

The next morning I woke up and went to have an early breakfast with my friend. This friend was a mutual friend the japanese roommate and mine. I told him the whole story of the Midnight Masturbator. He just laughed and when we got back to our rooms he proceeded to tell the story to his roommates.

The roommates and my friend start to talk to him through AIMMER, and the next thing i know they're talking to my Japanese roommate. The conversation proceeds like so:

my friend: So, did you feel that big earthquake last night?
Japanese roommate: No, I didn't, there was an earthquake?
my friend: Yeah, we felt it up here in our room, you should ask [me] about it.
Japanese roommate: Sure ok, I'm asking him now.

He PUTS ON THE DUMBEST FACE EVER AND TURNS to me and asks me "Hey, did you happen to feel the shaking last night, the guys upstairs said it was an earthquake or something?" I'm like ....uhh......no man .... didn't feel a thing .......

Was he actually touching your bed? My junior year, I came home around 2 am to find my "heterosexual" roommate in MY bed with a WOMAN

 

[Hooligan]

well he was in the top bunk

picture of the perp

 

[Quad]

HEHEH great thread!!

i'm doing comp eng at waterloo.....and i checked out my residence yesterday only to find that my friggin room is beside the washroom AND the ONLY entrance to the entire floor

!@$!#$!$!$!$!$!$

anyways, where can i pick up a lock for my case and monitor?

 

[BD2003]

You dont have to lock anything that someone cant just carry away, but laptops are by far the easiest target. Locking a 27 inch TV is senseless.

Like I said, if you live in a single, you are not immune. Your roomates and roomates friends may steal from you, but most of the time, they are protecting your stuff by being there so other people cant steal from you. Having a single changes that. If you live in a single, and youre not there, there is noone there to protect your stuff.

Theres three easy precautions to take for a single. ALWAYS lock your door, even if youre stepping out for a minute. Always leave your TV or a radio on when youre gone. And set up a webcam security system if you know how. Its not really that hard at all, and $20 for peace of mind is a solid investment.

I wont be able to stop people from stealing my stuff since I live in a single now, but if they do, I'll know about it in 5 seconds, and have pictures.

 

[Alphathree33]

Originally posted by: BD2003
You dont have to lock anything that someone cant just carry away, but laptops are by far the easiest target. Locking a 27 inch TV is senseless.

Like I said, if you live in a single, you are not immune. Your roomates and roomates friends may steal from you, but most of the time, they are protecting your stuff by being there so other people cant steal from you. Having a single changes that. If you live in a single, and youre not there, there is noone there to protect your stuff.

Theres three easy precautions to take for a single. ALWAYS lock your door, even if youre stepping out for a minute. Always leave your TV or a radio on when youre gone. And set up a webcam security system if you know how. Its not really that hard at all, and $20 for peace of mind is a solid investment.

I wont be able to stop people from stealing my stuff since I live in a single now, but if they do, I'll know about it in 5 seconds, and have pictures.

This webcam security business...

What do you do, have your webcam pointed at your door, trigger it to go on when the door opens and send you an email on your cell phone?

 

[BD2003]

Pretty much.

 

[Buddha Bart]

"I have an eight"
"I have AIDS"

Both put a huge dent on your social life

BIG TIP: Most college will auto-schedule you as a freshmen into a bunch of generic courses. YOU DON'T HAVE TO KEEP IT THAT WAY. The first week or two is usualy an "add/drop" period where you can completly change your schedule.

a lot of tips depend on if you're going to a tough school, a technical school, a liberal arts school, etc.

If you want to work anywhere in the IT field, get a job in your colleges IT department. They're always looking to expliot the cheap and very talented labor that students can provide. Just don't be cocky... no matter how good you think you are, you will be blown away by what you learn.

bart

 

[drogue]

so what colleges are you guys going to? i'm heading off to university of west florida as a freshman (move-in only a week away!)
they have a joint degree program with university of florida where i take classes at UWF and get a UF degree (UF slightly more prestigous ) of course i'm doing computer engineering, decided not to opt for dual EE/CE program.....5years a long time and my scholarships are limited to four years.....
i'm gettin pretty excited, all i do right now is work, play volleyball on the beach, cruise the net, and the play the moh:aa demo - ready for a change after 3 months of basically nothing
oh yeah, i've got the schedule from hell:

MWF:
8-850am Chem 1
12-110 Calc 1
210-300 Great Books 1

T:
8-12am Chem 1 lab
2-3pm Intro to anthropology

thurs:
2-3pm intro to ant.


thursday bout the only day i'll get to sleep in...
oh yeah, did mention i move in about a week from now and still dont know who my roomie is?
housing dept here not the most efficient, so far everything else is pretty nice tho!

 

[Foundation]

Originally posted by: drogue
so what colleges are you guys going to? i'm heading off to university of west florida as a freshman (move-in only a week away!)
they have a joint degree program with university of florida where i take classes at UWF and get a UF degree (UF slightly more prestigous ) of course i'm doing computer engineering, decided not to opt for dual EE/CE program.....5years a long time and my scholarships are limited to four years.....
i'm gettin pretty excited, all i do right now is work, play volleyball on the beach, cruise the net, and the play the moh:aa demo - ready for a change after 3 months of basically nothing
oh yeah, i've got the schedule from hell:

MWF:
8-850am Chem 1
12-110 Calc 1
210-300 Great Books 1

T:
8-12am Chem 1 lab
2-3pm Intro to anthropology

thurs:
2-3pm intro to ant.


thursday bout the only day i'll get to sleep in...
oh yeah, did mention i move in about a week from now and still dont know who my roomie is?
housing dept here not the most efficient, so far everything else is pretty nice tho!

I have a smiliar schedule but probably worse

thursday is the day i get to sleep in as well (only 2 hrs of class)

 

[SendTrash]

this is all good advice... I wish I had this when I started.. but now that I think of it.. most of this only makes sense after a few years of college... most of you freshmen wouldn't understand, and will still fall into the pit traps that we all have fallen into, but to the lucky few that take heed to this advice, have a great college experience.

 

[Blayze]

well don't do like I did... I went in and didn't go to class, etc... I quit after one semester.

Now I have been going on and off to a community college full of 'tards since then. I have learned nothing and have nothing to show for my years after high school.

I am actually thinking about saving some money and starting over next year at a 4 year school. I will have to pay for it this time since my parents want help me cause I f'd up before. I should have enough credits to go in as a end of second year/third year student by then maybe if everything transfers, which it want.

Oh well if so I'll be the cool 23 year old freshman next year if I decide to do this.

I don't care though, for the first time in four years Im actually starting to turn my life around. Now if I could get some steady income and a g/f I would be set

 

[Bkas]

Originally posted by: drogue
so what colleges are you guys going to? i'm heading off to university of west florida as a freshman (move-in only a week away!)
they have a joint degree program with university of florida where i take classes at UWF and get a UF degree (UF slightly more prestigous ) of course i'm doing computer engineering, decided not to opt for dual EE/CE program.....5years a long time and my scholarships are limited to four years.....
i'm gettin pretty excited, all i do right now is work, play volleyball on the beach, cruise the net, and the play the moh:aa demo - ready for a change after 3 months of basically nothing
oh yeah, i've got the schedule from hell:

MWF:
8-850am Chem 1
12-110 Calc 1
210-300 Great Books 1

T:
8-12am Chem 1 lab
2-3pm Intro to anthropology

thurs:
2-3pm intro to ant.


thursday bout the only day i'll get to sleep in...
oh yeah, did mention i move in about a week from now and still dont know who my roomie is?
housing dept here not the most efficient, so far everything else is pretty nice tho!

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it very much as well. I've been spending my time with my remaining friends (I'm the second to leave) and reading and surfing and watching movies.

Orientation starts in 3 days, so I can't wait for it.

 

[Kelvrick]

I had the worse day today. But, its gotten better in the last few hours and I'm in a good mood for some reason. This thread also brings back tons of good memories of my first year *last year.

Oh man. If you know computers, make sure everyone knows you know computers. Chicks dig it and will come to you for EVERYTHING! Just flaunt who you are and people will like you for it. I kept my door open all year round and across from me was a 4-person setup with 2 small rooms and a big room in the middle. In that room was a 32" tv, game consoles, couches, and a wooden table. That was more popular and more fun then the dorm lounge and the RA would often be seen/heard at 3am telling us its too early to go to sleep while the other RA is sleeping 3 rooms away.

You don't have to drink or smoke to have fun. If you're even the least bit out-going, then seeing everyone else do stuff will make you feel like doing stuff too. If you drink, don't drive. If you have a car, be prepared to be woken up at 4 in the morning and being asked to drive people to fast food joints. Also learn to refuse them.

Get the digital camera and maintain a website showing the happenings in your dorm building through the year. Maintain a quote of the day system. Trust me, it brings back so many god damned funny memories.

Learn to buy cheap food. Some like me tried to think they can stick to the good stuff, but it don't happen unless you're a spoiled brat. I got no money from parents. Paid for own car insurance and everything.

I'll post more when I think of it. Busy talking to gf.

 

[Bard09]

I'll be a freshman this fall, too... anyone here going to the University of Washington?

So in the pre-classes dorm period, is it kind of just a free-for-all of greetings? "Hi, what are you doing? Is that a...? My name is..." that sort of thing? I'm not shy or anything, but that's probably what I'll be doing, no matter how stupid I feel. I can just imagine the chaos of an entire building full of students doing it!

As for locking up equipment... the only stuff I am worried about is my 21" IBM P260 moniter [HUGE..I'm actually worried about it fitting in the dorm room] and my Antec case. What's the deal with protection accesories? Where do you get them?

Did most of you work through college? I'm finacially screwed after the first year unless I work, so I assume I'll be finding some sort of work close to campus, even if it kills my social life.

Okay, I'm going now.

 

[timmyG]

this thread rocks. i am really looking forward to college now.

 

[Kerouactivist]

Don't go overboard your first semester or yr for that matter, or heck go overboard get drunk all the time, just go to class, the most important thing no matter how messed up you get the night before is that you get up and stumble into class it is important. Alot of people dropout or get kicked out after the first semester or year, usually their problems could have been solved by just goin to class.

I had a wise friend (he gotta a 4.0 in college) who informed me before I went to college that basically you should treat it as a job work 9-5 everyday during the week, after five and on the weekends have fun. I didn't listen to him if I had I would have gotten a 4.0 instead of a 3.2.........

have fun it is a blast, my only other tip, is to not get a girlfriend, I made that mistake and feel like I wasted 3yrs of my life being with here after she screwed me over right after I graduated

enjoy the ride

 

[BD2003]

Orientation and pre-class days are pretty much just meet new people days. Even if you skip those days, you will meet new people. No matter how shy you are, you will meet new people. Because realistically, you cant help but get to know people you take a sh*t next to.

Dont worry about locking up your big things so much. Youll have enough trouble carrying the 21 incher yourself, it wont get stolen unless youre stupid and let it happen.

As far as computers being stolen, write down the MAC address of your network card. It is totally unique to your card, noone else can have the same. Youll have to register with their network, and they will get your mac address as well. If some bonehead steals your laptop and plugs it into the network, the it admins can trace him right to the hall or even room that he's connecting from. If he's using your MAC, he's using your PC.

Work is sometimes necessary during college, but try as hard as you can not to have anything more than a part time job. Anything over 20 hours a week and youre going to hate your life. Working weekends is usually good way to go.