One thing you wish you had known before you went to college?

Question

Academics, Dating, Partying, Residential Life ... any topic

Feel free to give mroe than one piece of advice if you wish.

I'm moving in on Friday. I wouldn't say I'm nervous, I just know that I'll be in a lot of situations I've never been in before.

Answer 1

You are going to make a ton of friends your first year esp if you live in the dorms.  What no one told me is 90% of them won't come back for their sophmore year.  This really startled me.   You might see a few familiar faces, but by the time you are a senior, it will be you and the non traditional students walking across the stage.  It IS really is hardest your first and second years, not that the coursework is harder, its just adjusting to the new life.  

1.  Avoid private student loans.

2.  Don't try to maintain the same lifestyle as your parents or you'll end up oweing a c**p load of money. for what?  Cell phone service and internet in your room.  College student are suppost to be poor.

3. Make a few friends in each class.  Ones that make BETTER grades on the tests that you do.  

4. Surround yourself with people who are committed to graduate.

5. Make sure you do a class that has a practicum or intern experience required for your major.

6. ALWAYS talk to an advisor before you enroll in classes.  It won't matter so much when you are a fresh or soph but jrs and srs esp need to make sure they meet all coursework requirments BEFORE they enroll in them.  It's terribly disapointing to just found out you wasted an entire semester taking classes you don't need because you dont have enough "upper division" courses needed to graduate.

7. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT sign up for any credit card offers no matter how many free tshirts or Red Bulls they give you.  You are likely amassing enough debt by going to college in the first place.  There will be plenty of opportunity for that once you graduate.

8. You must make good grades or they will kick you out.  You can't make it a habit of dropping classes either or they will take away your finanical aid.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I wish someone had explained finical aid to me. You have to pass a certain number of classes that you attempt and hold a certain GPA. I was under the impression that if I withdrew from classes they would not be counted against my GPA (which they weren't they were counted toward my total number attempted).

I ended up losing F/A for a long time. I sat out a few years then went back and now I just want this to be over.

I hope this helps

Answer 3

The older students in your classes are the ones to really try to get to know- you don't have to become best buds, but get to know them and invite them to study sessions- they are more serious about their studies, will have neat ways to remember the stuff taught in class and can encourage you to finish the course even when you're down and out.  They can explain to you when and where you'll use that "stupid finite math class" and can tell great stories about the world of work!

Limit your partying to the weekends- your paying way too much to go to class drunk and/or hungover and miss the important parts of the materials presented in class.

Get involved in Residence Hall Association (RHA) this will look good on your resume` when you get out of college and apply for jobs- it shows that you self motivated and a leader.

Apply for and become a Resident Assistant/Adviser during your sophomore year because this gives you job experience, leadership experience, and most of all a free single room and monthly stipend!!

Do you homework during the downtime between classes- this will allow you to enjoy your evenings.  While your friends are all doing homework, you can be at a job, or you can be relaxing.

Answer 4

I agree to read over one's notes (and chapter readings) right after class or at least after get home and do that each day.  Please try to focus more on academics rather than mostly on the social aspect as one's friends are not going to provide financial support later on ;)  

Don't ever leave one's drink unattended (not even by a 'friend') and come back and take a sip as the glass/cup may have been drugged with rohypnol/date rape drug, ghb/another date rape drug or other chemicals.  

Please don't partake in reckless behaviors to either 'fit in' or self-medicate including Not using inhalants ('huffing' fumes or gas) including helium from a balloon or from a whipped cream dispenser which is nitrous oxide, 'the choking game', not having a water-drinking contest which can result in water intoxication and 'car/truck surfing'.

For more info on the dangers of huffing:  http://www.inhalants.org

'The choking game':  http://www.deadlygameschildrenplay.com

http://waterintoxication.org

Answer 5

Grades ARE important, but parties are more fun. You have to balance well between those two.

All that cafeteria food, booze and late night junk food make you gain weight like crazy so work out as much as you can to stay in shape.

College is all about new experience, bring an open mind.

Answer 6

I wish I would have known what I was majoring in :) . I would have been more focused and prepared, and I would have been able to graduate in a decent amount of time. Major in something you're passionate about the first time around, and college will go so much smoother.

Answer 7

When you leave class immediately do your homework while it is fresh in your mind.  If you wait until the night prior ...you will forget the major points.  That is why I failed Calculus and had to take it twice.

And review your notes at least once a  week.  That way you will not have to read and review 30 pages of notes on history  you took and have to learn / memorize in one night for a history test.

Answer 8

How fragile professor's egos were, and how unchanged from High School the girls were, some, from Jr. High, even into their senior year maturity wise.  Okay that's two things but I wish I had known that; I kinda expected everything else.

1)  sleepless nights

2)  failing a lot and taking 7.5 years to graduate (I was not prepared, as I did not even want to go.....)

3)  drugging yourself with stimulants to type that paper

4)  being raped by a sorority girl and having a huge STD scare "Todd, is that you......"  I'm telling you she was just hammered.  "I'm not Todd you b*tch get the h**l off me!"

5)  books costing an arm.

The first, unnumbered part of this, I really, REALLY wish someone had warned me about that.