Any advices for college?

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by Alairia, Jan 5, 2021.

  1. Teadragon

    Teadragon Book Wyrm

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    Office hours are the most underutilized resource of any college/university. Best way to use office hours is to come in with a written list of questions. Try to finish as much of your assignment as you can before the scheduled office hour, because then you can bring it with you along with any questions. Professors/teaching assistants are people too. They will treat you better and give you far more help if you show that you have sincerely tried.

    Treat your professor (and teaching assistant if the class has one) as real people. What I mean by this is say hi to them whenever you see them (both in and out of class), be willing to chitchat after class and during breaks if the occasion presents itself. Casually remind them of your name (you have a handful of profs to remember, they have dozens to hundreds of students).

    You are your own scheduler in college. There are no bells in most colleges, so getting to classes on time is entirely on you. Get a scheduling app that lets you determine the days of the week for each schedule. Set reminder alarms at the beginning of a semester/quarter for the entire semester/quarter. This can include reminders of when you have to leave to get to class, and reminder notes the night before asking if you finished your homework. If you school has a different schedule during finals week, then set your reminders for that week as soon as you get the schedule.

    Give yourself freedom to play (and read novels!) by doing your assignments first thing instead of last. Goofing off when you are done with all your work means you can fully relax in a way procrastinators never truly can.

    Be aware that some classes will require FAR more out of class work than others. Check out classes in advance so that you can schedule a mix of low work versus high work classes. If you schedule a full load of high work classes all at once, you will regret it... In most countries one credit hour legally means the professor can give you 3-5 hours (depending on country) of out of class work per week. Thus a five credit class could have 15-25 hours of out of class work per week. Most classes never get close to that, but be aware it is possible.

    Utilize the student network. Your fellow students know which professors are horror stories waiting to happen and which ones will light up your day with an engaging lecture.

    Look for paid research opportunities in your field, especially during the summer. Research credits: you pay the school. Undergraduate research work: your professor/school pays you. One of these things is way better than the other ;)

    Get proper sleep. Your long term memory sets itself during sleep. Running on little to no sleep is a great way to get bad grades.

    Eat protein on test days. Protein helps feed your brain, and will not give you the carbohydrates slump.

    Give yourself treats for good study habits. Come up with a bigger treat for the end of the semester/quarter if you reach your desired grade point average. Do not give yourself the treat if you fail so that they mean something. These treats do not need to be expensive. It could be something as simple as giving yourself several days of doing nothing but reading novels.

    Be willing to switch your major early if you realize it is not for you. If you are not having any fun with your major classes, you will not find joy in your job after college.

    Live a little, but stay safe. It is not worth dying over an evening of fun. I don’t just mean covid by that. Alcohol poisoning is a real thing that can kill you. And finally be willing to go to the doctor. I knew two people in college that died because they did not think it was that bad. One died from the regular flu, the other pneumonia.

    However a safe level of silliness is a required thing for a fun college life. Find at least a few friends that enjoy the same level of silliness as you and you will be much happier.
     
  2. ExcitableFoci

    ExcitableFoci Well-Known Member

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    Depending on your interests and the course you are studying for, you probably won't meet people with the same interests as you. And that´s fine. No one is gonna die just cuz you can't talk about yaoi with these new friends.

    I went from a school where ¨¨introverts¨¨¨ (for a lack of a better word) were commonplace to a massive group of normies that smoke weed & party every fucking weekend.

    It will absolutely feel like a pain to deal with these people but if you are studying something worth its salt, it means that most of these people will be intelligent as well even if they don't look like it. Ex: a cliche bimbo scored fucking 10s in all subjects lmao.

    If you assert yourself well, you won't feel left out or have any problems asking the people you will get to know for help about stuff that will eventually come out.
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2021
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  3. Beren

    Beren Holy Saint

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    • Consider your university/college choice. Is it worth going to a better ranked one? Consider your major/area of study and pick the most suitable based on that rather than overall reputation. Look at employment rates of graduates in your major and look at the uni's industry partners/networking.
    • Go to class and take notes, even if it's at 8 am and you're a night owl. It will save you time later on when you're revising. If you're bad at time management, make sure you don't skip classes thinking you'll catch up on them later by watching online lectures. That's never going to happen.
    • Go to office hours and make sure your tutor/lecturer knows your name/face. It's beneficial for networking and work experience. Whenever my lab has intern slots available, if I already know a competent student, I'll ask them if they're interested first and get them in.
    • Don't be afraid to ask questions but if they're not relevant to the material, save it for after the class. Don't waste lecture time by asking asinine questions about something we're not covering.
    • Use the services provided by your uni/college. If you're feeling stressed, go to the counsellor or student advisor and get help. Likewise, if you're feeling overwhelmed by your class, talk to your lecturer - I'd be more willing to give students advice and assignment extensions if they come to me earlier than on the due date. If you're falling behind, tell me early so we can come up with a catch up plan rather than having a meltdown in my office a week before the final exam.
    • Labs and practicals are important in STEM. Don't miss them.
    • Make friends. It gets harder to make friends after you enter the workforce.
     
  4. FIEND

    FIEND i eat crayons

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    use anki when ur studying . make it ur religion. i never even went to the classes unless it was mandatory just use anki and ull be set
    hail anki gods
     
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  5. FIEND

    FIEND i eat crayons

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    prob the best advice on this forum yet
     
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  6. c.decora

    c.decora Holy Cardinal, Ascended Mouse

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    • There are benefits to living on campus your first-year... Even if your home is already nearby and it's commutable.
    • Try and find your comfortable niche and start setting up a support system.
    • Figure out what resources come with your tuition and utilize them, you've paid for them already.
      • There tend to be a variety of free events, food, etc. Though the thing with the food, if you're not that interested in the event itself, usually you can swing by at the end instead.
    • Depending on your institution, your professors might not actually be good at teaching. But they are much more understandable during office hours >> go to office hours if you feel like you're stuck with a topic.
    • Remember to eat, stay hydrate, and sleep.
    • It's okay to say 'no' to people, regarding their requests or invites out if you're not interested/not close.
    • Find an activity that will be your go-to relaxing 'me'-time activity.
    • It's okay to fail a class.
    • It's okay to switch majors your last year.
    • Use the experience to grow yourself and understand yourself.
     
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  7. melomarl

    melomarl Burning Red

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    Just chill and have fun, mate. Don't be hard on yourself but don't slack either. Attagirl
     
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  8. Cream

    Cream Cream

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    I'm impressed by how much effort many people put into writing advice. Touching.
     
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  9. Coffea to Ell

    Coffea to Ell 【❀ Sleepy Bunny ❀】

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    • don't skip class unless it's very urgent or you sick
    • join club or formal college in uni. it's one way to widen your social network and gain more experience in the field
    • get to know important prof and staff
    • make friends with your seniors. you can ask advice from your seniors and know which prof classes is good and what needed each classes. sometimes you can save money by borrow your seniors books blobmelt_thumbs
    • make friends outside uni too. a good thing if you can make friends with the already working people, they will boarden your knowledge outside campus live because they directly experienced everything in the field. :blobpopcorn:
    • make a lot of fun memories.
    • be crazy but know the limits
     
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  10. ALth3A

    ALth3A 【Farming lv14】【Cooking lv30】【Crafting lv18】

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    Your parents suggestion if you cant pick your course is a free trial... dont be afraid and just always attend the class.. if you think you dont lile your course.. then tell your parents..
     
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  11. Ai chan

    Ai chan Queen of Yuri, Devourer of Traps, Thrusted Witch

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    Try your best to get a good GPA. Anything about 3.5 is fine. Anything above 3.8 is good. You don't need to be the best of the best, GPAs work for you. It shows that you work hard enough for your degree.

    If possible, don't take loans. But if you absolutely have to take loans, get to know what you're getting yourself into. Make sure that what you're learning is worth that loan, every single dollar of it. Don't be like the millions of graduates who came out poorer than before they entered college. It is absolutely essential that you make every dollar count.

    You want to take drugs? Where would you get the money from? You want to party, drink booze, go on vacation? Where would the money come from? Don't use your student loan for leisure. That student loan is not your money. That money belongs to your future. Use it only for your studies and nothing else. If you don't have money for food, go find a part time job.
     
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  12. Okay

    Okay Active Member

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    You have to be organized and to never procrastinate. I still lack in these aspects, but it is better to learn these abilities fast af
     
  13. JrX

    JrX Well-Known Member

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    Always show up to your class on time.
    Also make sure that your presence is known by your prof and your not just some name on the list.
    And lastly make sure that your prof know that your doing your best on his class even if the truth is you don't care.
     
  14. Deleted member 310141

    Deleted member 310141 Guest

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    don't late, make friends, update any college news and have fun
     
  15. Joker13

    Joker13 Sleep Deprived Fool[Sheepiest sheep to ever sheep]

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    Make sure you learn time management
    Don't be afraid to ask for help
    If you're having trouble in class see if anyone wants to start a study group
    If your like me, set 20 alarms
    Finish homework early so you can have guilt-free laziness
     
  16. InuAnubis

    InuAnubis Well-Known Member

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    1. Be organized with your time, assignments, and schedule (I suggest to get a planner to help you organize, remember important dates, and jotting down on specified notebooks for each subject, trust me, it will make your life easier)
    2. Always be early/on time and present even on the first day of class (Because there are teachers who give big announcements or start the lessons immediately and also give extra graded points for attendance)
    3. Don't be afraid on asking your teacher for help
    4. Be careful with teachers who seem sketchy or dangerous, if they threaten you about lowering your grades when they ask you a favor that makes you uncomfortable, report that teacher (don't forget to have a cellphone recording the act)
    5. Don't forget to eat breakfast! There are usually people who say that it's ok to skip breakfast but it's literally the important meal of the day because it literally gives you energy to get through class
    6. If the teacher allows it, you can listen to music during class if it helps you focus (it helped me a lot before)
    7. Don't forget to join organizations/clubs because it will broaden your social network or you'll make new friends
    8. Finish your assignments early because the pleasure of finishing those early will be worth experiencing and you'll find a lot of free time you have so you won't cram.
    9. Get as much sleep as possible (being a college student makes you have all nighters all the time but do get some sleep so you'll have enough energy to finish the following days)
    10. Give yourself a break sometimes to relieve the stress because you've earned it.

    Have fun in college!
     
  17. Isaac20

    Isaac20 Dark Lord | RS

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    Wow, these tips seem to be the most courageous. I'll also remember to accomplish these things when I go to college. Hahaha...
     
  18. Mnotia

    Mnotia The Trash Man

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    Dont?


    Only go if youre trying to get some fancy shit like idk a ph.d in physics or some shit but if youre just going for some bullshit like an art thing just dont.


    If you do go just know that the dollar store is youre best friend and dont waste money/times on parties if you cant afford to.
     
  19. justmehere

    justmehere Well-Known Member

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    It is not high school

    Pick a useful major with high employment rate and useful to society (gender studies is not it).

    Don't go into debt.

    How? Go get a job if you don't have the money. Or join rotc to finance your college.

    Whatever you are learning, it is outdated.

    You have to be actively interact with professors to get a project that you are interested.

    By making that project, you will learn new stuff that is going to be useful in the future.

    Do interns before you graduate.

    Use those interns to pick a minor or 2.