College: Do and Don't Do

[ktd222]

These questions are for you college students and college graduates:
I'm going to college in about 6 months and I am wondering what I should watch out for :crash: , and what I should go for :thumbs_up .?

I'm not looking for anything specific just opinions involved around the college experience.

[AimusSage]

Watch out for anything that involves having you do anything naked in public. :nod:

All else, give it a try :D

[Bandini]

Feel free to break away from being the person you have been labelled as in your own town - but don't completely re-invent yourself! There is nothing sadder than the tatooed, eye brow peirced, trench coated, para boot sporting freak, who you KNOW was a straight head before they moved away! Be yourself - but better!

[Nightshade]

You know this could be a useful thread(just markng it:D)

[kathycf]

I think the re-inventing idea sounds good as well, but as Bandini says don't go overboard. It is nice sometimes to break away from the old ideas people at home have about you. Also, I changed my major about 3 times, so don't worry if the first you choose doesn't work out for you. Hope you make lots of friends and have fun, but don't forget to study. :)

[Bandini]

Oh yeah - choose a subject you really enjoy - clearly! Oh, and stick to your own moral code - not new friends or old friends/family.

[IrishCanadian]

You'll be fine! As long as you like what you are studying youre markes will be favorable. And socially, as long as you don't worry you;ll be happy. I love University life.

[imthefoolonthehill]

don't drink anything someone offers you... some college guys slip drugs into drinks before date-raping.

[genoveva]

Remember, it is all about grades! :sick: Make sure to get high marks no matter what! Go to the Professor's office hours! Find out exactly what the instructors want you to do, and do it! :nod: Have fun- this should be one of the free-est times of your life! :banana: :idea:

[chmpman]

I'm so wasting my college years preparing for the future. I'm an idiot.

[IrishCanadian]

I'm so wasting my college years preparing for the future. I'm an idiot.
My plan was to not do that at all. Then I realized that I'm utherwise screwed for the future. In one year I changed everything. Well not everything, but I changed my state of mind and goals when it comes to school.
I wanted to go to school to meet people and get smart. But why the heck would I want to get smart? So now I'm in it for a career. Which is silly because if thats the way I started I would have gone to a trades college instead of an academic university. Anyway, I think that your on the right track chmpman, no use wasting your time and money for nothing at school.

[Petrarch's Love]

My advice would be the reverse of what someone above said. I would tell you not to worry too much about grades. By this I don't mean to not work hard in your classes. I mean don't be too concerned about what the little letter on the piece of paper says (as long as it's passing ;) ). I've often seen students who got high marks in highschool get lower marks at university and become all stressed and discouraged. I was given the advice to be happy with whatever grade I got, provided it was passing and provided I knew that I had given it my honest best effort. After all, no one is going to look at your grades again unless you're going to grad school, and even then they only really care about your major subject (although med school may be another story, I'm not sure). I found that not fussing over grades freed me up to really enjoy learning in college. I took upper division courses in subjects like music, which I thought I wouldn't neccessarily earn high marks in, but which I really enjoyed. I also found that what I loved most about college is that there are so many people at university who are much smarter than me in all sorts of interesting ways. After the whole highschool college application thing, where everyone seemed so obsessed with comparing grades and SAT scores, it was wonderful to just throw myself into enjoying classes and conversations with bright people without having to feel like I was being forced to compete with everyone.

My other piece of advice would be to have fun. Don't let it get to the point where your studies are suffering (you do want to graduate after all :lol:), but find the time to make friends and go out and do silly things. Also, if you're staying in the dorms with a room-mate, agree on some basic ground rules (about things like using headphones to listen to music when asked, whether or not guys can spend the night, etc.) as early as possible. It's good to get those things agreed on right when you move in.

[miss tenderness]

ktd, i guess BE YOURSELF is out of fashion now so

just have fun in college , respect ur Docs. , do ur responsibilities.

aske me if u have any trouble , i have just made it(recently graduate):)

[Stanislaw]

well...no matter how annoying your prof is never photocopy your but and staple it to his face as he wlaks in the door...trust me. :D

heh...check out the octoberfests...do yer work...hang out with the geeks...if ye like proggraming and gaming...don't get too stressed...don't kill people...don't eat cafeteria food, unless the cafeteria is a prof. resteraunt...do beat up yer profs! (just kidding...usually a bad idea!)

heh, just do what ye want to do...and if someone challenges ye, or makes fun of ye, or taunts ye...yer an adult now...so just kill them! (or ignore them as some have suggested, but that is not fun) :thumbs_up