College is coming...

[Cyrano]

auughhh................ :? collége is coming... i fell a little bit wierd... i think i'm nervous... but i"m also eager... man i'm sure i'll have a lot of work... but at least... i'll be working on something that i like, Languages!! is there a lot of people here qwho will got to college?? do you have any tricks or advices to give me??
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" humans are like monkeys with no shaggies."

[Schala-Kid]

simple! don't slack off. don't let anxiety get the better of you: trust in your abilities, and if you encounter any difficulty, seek help: no one wants you to fail.

do your best in internal assesments (class stuff and papers) so you don't have to rely on blitzing the end of sememster exams (if you have them).

above all: try and get a part time job: companies are said to favour people who can both study, and show responsibilty in attempting to become self sufficient (such as with a part time job), and it doesn't matter if it's just retail, food or bar work. join extra-curricular clubs/societies so when you look for jobs after uni, they see some facets of personality/community involvement instantly. join clubs associated to your field of study (maybe there's a certified language group or something!) so you can network.

University/College's emphesis is overstated i think, it's most likely you can end up getting a job in an unrelated field, and never use the "knowledge" you learned, but rather, the skills in anaylsis and patience and so on. that's what is most favoured.

[Lord Riou]

college huh.....get ready for loads of work , reading books up to godforsaken hours, sleepless nights ( I mean u can't sleep coz there's plenty of work to be done )....and the best part is u gonna see a lot of good looking babes....hahahahaha....Its time to be a man boy.
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Dunan Republic's Unmatched Superhero

[TheAngelicSin]

Hey, I'm going to be a freshman this year. My first day of class is actually August 30th, eek (and starting off the day with German language, coolness)

I took three AP courses in highschool and I really value what one of my teachers taught me. His class was the hardest one I'd ever taken, not only because the subject was completely new to me but also because he was an extraordinarily bright person. I felt like a failure at the beginning (First quiz I got a 20% on and when he explained how to answer the three question quiz... well let's just say the word "ASS" lit up above my head).

I studied day and night for that one class. I wrote notes like crazy, looked for sources online, practice problems coming through my damned ears... I even asked my teacher if I could sit in his lower level classes so I could have a solid backing in the course and wouldn't feel like such a failure (He let me but eventually I realized the class was a little too easy and became his monitor instead :)).

In the end I ended up with a 96% in the class (92% the first semester with him). When I thought about how I was able to pass I realized, even though I was really bad at the subject at first and it didn't quite "click" in my mind, the most important thing was to have determination. If you're not determined to do well you won't. You'll slack off and not read your books. You'll not study your notes or make your own based on several sources to become proficient with the material.

This could go for any class, whether or not you like them. For me the course I just described above was a nightmare at first - but I did have some interest... Hell, look at me now! I'm going to college to major in the same subject I struggled in half my Senior Year (Physics). :)

The thing you have to do is not give up. If you get a bad grade it's not the end of the world. It just means you need to study a bit harder. :wink: This is for the grade portion of your college life - one of the more important parts since it will determine whether you graduate or not and how much money you'll be paying. So best of luck with the classes.

Oh! I also didn't like the core requirements my school had to offer so I checked out their catalog online and clicked around on every link of "alternatives" they gave. So for three (of the five) classes I didn't like... I found awesome classes I can take instead! :D Make sure to look through your course catalogs! You may even find something you never thought existed as a school subject (I found something on "Witchcraft" and "Sorcery" in my school's catalog and the ancient forms of mystism. Heh).

Again, best of luck in college!

[Filipe]

Oh how i would love to go back to college right about now but my only problem is I dont really wish to take out a student loan and the only program that i am interested in getting into costs eighteen thousand dollars. I dont have anywhere near eighteen thousand dollars so I suppose im just going to have to keep saving and hopefully next September I will have enough money to go. If not I guess it's all that much more time to save for it. I know it is going to take awhile for me to save up that much money to go.
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[Sophita]

Well, I'm only a sophmore so I can't give you too much advice. But as a fellow language major (I'm assuming?) and a fellow college student, I will tell you what I wish someone told me before I came in -

- Look for free money. No seriously, look for free money. College is expensive with a capital e. Look for scholarships your school offers and apply for any you might meet - even if the chances of you getting them are slim. Meet with a counsillor and ask them what you can do to keep your finances in check. Do not take out student loans unless you have to. If you have to, make sure to make the best deals possible and try to get one with a low interest rate. Fill out all the federal aid forms.

- Look for ways to save money. Buy used books whenever possible - the price is usually halved. Don't buy your books from the campus bookstore right away - they're usually really expensive. Instead, take down the name of the publisher, the title, the edition (this is really important), and the price. Then go online and look on sites like Ebay, http://www.half.com, and http://www.amazon.com, Textbookx.com, etc. be sure to locate and look at any used book stores in your area, too - a lot of people sell books back there. Try to get it for the lowest price possible, and plan ahead - the first day fall schoolbooks are available, you should go to the campus bookstore and jot down all relevant information. Don't buy things you don't need right away; it's pointless to buy a coffee machine if you're only a casual coffee drinker.

- If you're in any "in demand" field, register your classes early.. Classes fill up fast, and most colleges have a first come, first serve basis when it comes to awarding seats. Any class you take that's popular (just about all undergrad classes, but especially fields like nursing, where there are more people applying for the classes) will fill up fast, so get there early to ensure you get the classes you need.

- Put your schoolwork first. It's great to party, but you have to do it in moderation. If you want to stay on top of things, you have to put your schoolwork first. Otherwise, you'll fall behind and it'll be insanely hard trying to catch up, if not impossible. Study, and learn to do so in the best manner for you. I see so many people studying and having a hard time doing so because the way they do it just doesn't help them learn. If you like to listen to things, record your lectures or record your notes and listen to them out loud. If you like to write, write notes. Find a way you can learn, and use it.

- Ask for advice. Ask friends, relatives, anyone about what teachers to take and what teachers to avoid at your local college. Use RateMyPRofessors.com to see some opinions. (But I would trust your friends - especially if you're on the same wavelength - more than random strangers on in the internet).

- Make friends going into similiar fields. See if your school has any clubs with an emphesis on what your studying. Join groups with similar interests to yours - you'll find new people with similar interests, and you can network which might come in handy in the future.

- Don't get discouraged. If you get a bad grade, it's not the end of the world. Just learn from your mistakes and study harder so next time you can pass. If you have to withdraw from a class, withdraw; there's no shame in doing it.

[kuwaizair]

bleh I go back too pretty soon. I'm going for art. bleh...belive it or not.
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few runes short of a set of 27

[Lunarblade]

I'm going to college in early September...it should be fine. I had to go through a very rigorous college prep schedule in High School. Everyone who goes to college comes back saying it was so much easier. (Which is a good thing, because High School sucked.)
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[Njord]

Sadly I can't give you any tricks or advices regarding college since it is also my first in collage (going to major in computer engineering)... actually I still don't know if I've been accepted in collage or not but I'm really having a positive feeling about it. So all I have to do is wait a little longer until the acceptation results come out on the 1st of September (good luck for me).

From hearing my friends talking about their experiences of their first year in college is really helping me a lot in both gaining some confident and experience on college in general so my advice for you is to talk to older people who already are in collage and believe me most of what you hear from them is really useful.

Anyway, all I can tell you is to have confident in yourself and to never lose hope no matter what, and don't worry that much about college because I'm sure that it is going to be fun.

At last, I just want to say good luck to both of us and every freshmen in college... thank you everyone for your advices because I'm sure that it will really help us a lot in gaining some confident and of course thank you everyone for your kind words. :)
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[Cyrano]

As Njord said, i'd like to thanks everyone who gave me those advices to help me, i got a part-time job sop at least onof the ''pre-requirement'' are met hahaha... anyway i'll remember all your advices, and i'll even put an emphasis on ' i will never give up' indeed, i got in language class and i'll be sure to work hard to learn in that field, i love learning new words and so, and so... .

so in brief thx everyone :D
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" humans are like monkeys with no shaggies."

[Saben]

Actually, depending on the person, for those that ask what to do going into University I recommend "don't". I was at Uni for about 2 months and dropped out- why? Because I decided it'd be better for me to see the world and get some experience first and more importantly (I realise now) I had to grow up. If you want to go through University as a kid, that is fine, most people do it. However I think to get the most out of University (especially academcially) you need to attend as an adult or mature age student, you have to REALLY want it. I think everyone that goes to Uni should have lived by themselves previously and worked for at least a year previously. I moved out on my own when I started Uni and I was trying to grow up and study simultaneously. It didn't work for me, so I pulled out, I came to Japan, I've worked here as an English teacher for 15 months and I'll be heading back to Australia in another 3. Next year I'll be going back to Uni, with totally different goals and plans to before. Now that I have experienced so much more in the last 2 years I really have re-evaluated my initial goals. I'm so thankful for the experience.

[Schala-Kid]

not everyone is that lucky Saben! you were very lucky to have that option available.

[TheAngelicSin]

Saben, I agree with what you say... to a certain extent.

I agree that not everyone should be going to Uni before experiencing life and independence. But some people need to continue through school either because their parents will only help them for so long, or they just know it's the right path. Also, there may be some people wanting to potentially pursue a PhD.

For someone going for a PhD... Well, the years spent in college can be quite a ridiculous number. I know if I decide to go for a PhD my personal schedule would probably go something like this:

BS - Physics => 4 years
MS - Physics => 1 - 2 years
PhD - Astrophysics / Quantum Physics => 4-8 years

So by the time someone with a PhD would be able to get out of school and find a job... well... you wouldn't be as young anymore.

I definitely agree that those that are unsure of what they want to do with life, thos woho want to see more before being confined by the world of work, and those that just don't feel ready should take a year or so to reflect on their inner workings. But if you know what you want to do, are ready, and know what's expected of you... and know your true goal is to get your degree - it's just easier to get out of the way and then do what you want. :)
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[Saben]

In Australia you can get a PhD within 7 years of starting University:
BSc: 3 years
Honours Year: 1 year
PhD: 3 years

And I was lucky, yes, but everyone can still have other non-school experiences! If it wasn't for my uncle I'd be in Aus working in a gay bar, probably, looking to start school next year.

[sybillious]

i've already done my 'world cruising' for the time being, so i can get the schooling out of the way, however, i've chosen to take care of the subject that pains me most *math* one class at a time so i can fully focus my attention on it, rather than split my time between several classes, increasing the chances of failing at one or more subjects.

once math is completely out of the way, i'll apply for my gi bill and go full time while working part time to cover those expenses the bill doesn't handle *books* as well as have some free cash; i might even look into financial aid once i transfer to a four year college.

how you approach schooling depends on who you are, what you want and where you stand; if you're dedicated, have the money *from whatever source* and are mature enough to take it seriously, you can go full time.

if you want to see the world, then do that; do what you need to do first before taking on serious schooling, otherwise, you may end up wasting serious time and money for nothing.
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prinny...DOOD!

gotta gotta get a...SPICE WEASEL!

to paraphrase my fellow mod, parallax:
I hate my job with the passionately burning intensity of a thousand fiery suns.