Advice for Incoming Freshmen

[jaybird2001wi]

Its the middle of May and some high school seniors are still deciding what school to attend and are busy with Prom preparations, Graduation parties and saying Good bye to classmates they have known since kindergarten. As a 26-year-old on and off college student, I have noticed some trends the last eight or so years. These incoming freshmen need to be prepared for life as an adult. Anyone with college experience post your advice to them.

 

Dorm Life

1. As the only male graduate from my high school that went to UW-Whitewater, I had to basically start over my freshman year. New friends, new roommates and moving on. Don't dwell on high school life too much by creating a collage/montage of pictures of your time in high school on your dorm room wall. I spent the first couple weeks my freshman year hanging out with the few girls I graduated high school with who went to my college until I got to know people around my dorm. Some dorms have an open door policy, so walk around and say hello to random people. Chances are you will make friends.

2. Sometimes rooming with a random guy is better than a friend. In my experience, I roomed with friends and we ended up turning into enemies later on. It goes back to the old, "What is mine is yours and what is yours is mine." Sometimes too much comfort can create disrespect of the other's property. A random roommate and you will be able to create compromise. What is weird is that I became better friends with former random roommates than my actual friends after we all moved on.

3. Its okay to "Say No" when a bunch of fellow freshman knock on your door asking to join them in an off-campus party once in awhile. Take advantage of the easy GenEd courses because these will boost your GPA when you begin taking harder courses later in your college years.

4. As UW-Whitewater was a "suitcase college," there were times when I was one of the very few students left on my floor on weekends. This is a good chance to meet the people who live too far away to make a commute home every weekend.

5. Don't take EVERYTHING you own with you when you move into a dorm. Through several dorm moves, I ended up losing stuff because of the constant packing and unpacking.

 

Lifestyle

1. Don't rush for a fraternity your first semester. This first semester is your semester of self-discovery. No offense, good or bad to fraternities, but its important to know who you are first.

2. Take a shower daily and clean up after yourself. No one in your dorm will like you if you smell like crap and the smell easily filters through. Clean up after yourself because then your whole floor will blame you when there dorm rates go up because you were too lazy to take your garbage to the dumpster and instead threw it in the bathroom.

3. While on campus work-study jobs are easy money, they pay is pretty much minimum wage and in the long run it may not help you. I was given a $2,000 allotment of work-study and I never made close to that in any term. Try to find out where the majority of your classmates work off campus and apply there. Some businesses cater or like hiring students. At Whitewater, the job market is not great so look at neighboring towns if you have a car.

4. Study hard, as said above. Classes will become harder. If not for my early high GPA, I would have been suspended later in my years. GenEd classes may be a pain, but they are the easiest classes in the long run. Early success will pay off once you hit the Golden Age of 21 and will be able to go "downtown" simply because you can.

 

Money

1. Book Buyback is a scam. I spent $60 on a brand new history book my freshman year for a GenEd course with its original factory plastic wrapping on it. After one semester of use, they only offered $3. Hold on to it and see if someone in your dorm is taking the class the next term. Offer it to them for half the price. I hardly ever opened the book and it will help the both of you. He/she gets a new book for half price and you make a better profit.

2. Only apply for additional loans as a last possible resort if you are close to being strapped for cash. I took out a ton of loans and didn't care. But once you see your bills in five years, you will be stunned.

[jaybird2001wi]

Also, if you bring your XBox 360, don't spend all day playing it and forget to go to class. Its too easy to skip classes in college, Profs and Lecturers don't take attendance for the most part.

And don't set your alarm and "plan" to make it to your early morning class and end up using the snooze button all morning leading you to miss the class. Nothing annoys a roommate more than that. I wanted to break a roommates alarm clock by the fifth week.

And since you are a college freshman, there are times where you may have "that high school girlfriend" back home. Don't spend all day talking about her and calling her every day. There were a couple of them on my floor freshman year and they ended up getting made fun of or they simply became "creepy."

Academically, during my later years I realized essay tests were much easier than multiple choice. If you make it to class on a consistent basis, chances are you will do better on essay exams because its all based on class lectures. On each multiple choice question, you are either right or wrong. If you at least get the concept of the question on an essay, you will at least get partial credit.

[jjkoestler]

1. Live ON campus. Do not commute. The extra money you spend on a dorm/meal plan is well worth the experience you will have.

2. Do NOT live with your best friend from high school. A random roommate is the best way to meet new people.

3. Go out. Have fun. This will be the best 4 years of your life.

4. Do not take early AM classes. I had a 2 hour gen ed class "History of the Hebrew Bible." I never went.

5. Don't obsess over grades. Grades aren't that important unless you plan on going to grad school.

[ccbrew]

5. Don't obsess over grades. Grades aren't that important unless you plan on going to grad school.

Going to have to disagree with this one. In some lines of work, anything under a 3.0 will get your resume sent straight to the bin. GPA is quick and easy screening for recruiters when you're hunting for that first job out of school.

[jjkoestler]

I'm sure it matters in some lines of work, but it never was an issue for me. I applied for hundreds of jobs after I graduated (business/econ major), and only one asked for college transcripts. You're all good if you have a 3.0.

[Invader3K]

1. Go to those campus and dorm "mixer" events, even if they seem lame. It's a good way to meet people.

2. Get involved. Join your residence hall association, or other campus organizations. Again, it's a great way to meet other people, and do something meaningful with some of your free time.

3. Be yourself. Don't pretend to be someone you're not, and you'll fit in just fine.

4. Don't go home every weekend (unless you really have to). Campus can be a lot of fun when it's less crowded. Go to sports games, weekend events, etc.

[JJHardy7]

Going to have to disagree with this one. In some lines of work, anything under a 3.0 will get your resume sent straight to the bin. GPA is quick and easy screening for recruiters when you're hunting for that first job out of school.

 

I second this. You need to put something on your resume in regards to your GPA or be ready to have questions asked why you didn't get good grades. I've heard from friends in the recruiting business that a high GPA sometimes gets an 'instant interview' at companies because it shows them something tangible and not just a 'good interview' type person. I would try hard to get a high GPA and to be honest it's not that hard if you go to class and try. You're in college to get a degree...you might as well give it your best.

[thebruce44]

If you are worried that you wont have anyone to hang out with when you get there, just remember that everyone else is feeling that way too. Sure, some people will have a social group built in if they are from a nearby highschool, but there will be countless people on your floor who know nobody else when they arrive. You wont be alone for anything your first week, as you will probably end up going everywhere with a group of 5-10 people.

 

Leave your door open and you will make lots of friends. The one exception is if you are on the end of your floor. If that is the case, walk down the hall and meet people. If you want go get food, head down the hall a few min before most people will go and see when people are going, otherwise a group may go and forget about you. That happend to a girl on my floor my freshman year (I found out the next year when I became good friends with her). She thought my group on the other end of the hall near the elevator was very clicke, but really we would just leave to do stuff and not walk down to her end. The great thing about college though, especially at the beginning, is that anybody can be friends with anybody (except the jocks and nerds of course).

[JimH5]

I don't know why anyone would recommend that a student not focus on academics.

 

To that I say, work your tail off academically. Don't accept being anything short of the best student every single day. Pour yourself into the material and become smarter and more disciplined than the next guy.

 

At graduation, you'll be the one more likely to be able to chart your own course and be the pursuer--not just another resume that blends in with the pile.

 

Even if you slacked off in high school, this is a chance to change that and become an achiever.

 

The best thing for you to do is study, study, study. You're forging the new you. Get serious with your life and don't spend those years slopping around. There's too much at stake.

[jjkoestler]

I didn't suggest that a student shouldn't focus on academics. I said that a student shouldn't obsess over grades. There is a big difference.

[rm121978]

Those who say to party and have fun because college are the best 4 years of your life are the same ones who don't focus on their academics and end up with $7/hour jobs and a lousy future after college, so for them, sure, it was the best 4 years of their life as they had nothing left afterwards, lol.

[jjkoestler]

Wow. I thought we were giving advice based on our college experience. Not taking shots at fellow Brewer fans. I partied, had fun, and graduated Magna *** Laude. College is about growing up, finding yourself, socializing, and getting an education (in and out of lecture halls). For most of us its the last time you will have no major responsibilities. Enjoy it!

[lodiness]

Those who say to party and have fun because college are the best 4 years of your life are the same ones who don't focus on their academics and end up with $7/hour jobs and a lousy future after college, so for them, sure, it was the best 4 years of their life as they had nothing left afterwards, lol.

Just so you know, I was one of those people who didn't put academics first, and I make well over $7/hr. The education part of college was a joke to me. Most of my professors were idiot's, and didn't challenge me enough. The teachers in my lower levels all had tenure, and just didn't want to teach. I also didn't get the point of taking a bunch pre-requisites that had nothing to do with my major. The people that I met at the parties have given me lifelong business and personal connections. It's not so much what you know, but who you know. Take this however you want, but if you just stay couped up in your dorm, you'll be missing a lot. My advice is simple. Do what you feel is right, because your the only one that will know what's right for you. If you wanna stay up til 3am drinking, and then go write that history paper due at 7, do it. I did a million things in college that I thought I wouldn't do, they have made me the person that I am today, and I regret nothing. Don't close a door because someone tells you that you should. Have fun!!!!

[hawing]

I agree that academics should be a college student's "first job," but you don't want to be a studying robot either. A super GPA can be outweighed by a lack of social skills.

So socialize, but in enough moderation so your academic work doesn't suffer (whether in terms of what you learn/understand, GPA, or both).

 

You have a better chance of living harmoniously with a roommate if you have similar living habits (like neatness, night-owl vs. morning person, and study habits) than if you were buddies prior to being roommates. The best roommate I had matched up with me in those kinds of habits.

 

Also, if things aren't going quite right for you in college, don't suffer in silence. Colleges and universities have tremendous support services of all sorts - academic, emotional, medical - definitely more than existed in the 1980s. It's OK to ask for help.

[JonnyLungs]

Those who say to party and have fun because college are the best 4 years of your life are the same ones who don't focus on their academics and end up with $7/hour jobs and a lousy future after college, so for them, sure, it was the best 4 years of their life as they had nothing left afterwards, lol.

That's not true at all. The ones who end up working $7/hour jobs are the ones that dropped out freshman year.

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with partying too hard in college if you can get by academically. The key is to tone things down after graduating. As for grades, they may get you in somewhere, but after that you need to perform your job.

 

For the record, I did party plenty hard in college. I had a great time, and met lots of great people. My grades were not very good, but I'm definitely not earning $7/hour now and am quite comfortable. The key was realizing that the four (in my case five) years were over and to get on with things.

 

Not everybody can handle the path I took, but there are plenty of people that can. Not getting the best grades does not doom you. Eventually you'll be judged by the merits of what you do outside of academia. Some people are just not a fit for academics but can excel outside it. Some people can excel at academics and usually stay in academics because that's all they know how to do. And there's nothing wrong with that.

[JimH5]

I gave my advice based on the experiences I had as an undisciplined student, and on the observations I have had in the 24 years since my graduation. I'm also now living in Asia, which is cranking out thousands and thousands of graduates who are ready to take the reigns in a global economy. They're not on the hose end of a beer bong wondering how to get an advanced copy of the final exam.

 

College should be the best 4 years of a student's life--up until the point in which college is over. After that comes the next 50 years, which should in fact be the best 50 years of your life. And the course of those 50 years can largely be developed by the way that a student spends the 4 years in school.

 

I'm not saying to never have fun--but understand why you're there, and also understand that your degree comes with no guarantees.

 

And especially in this economy, when jobs are scarce and great people remain unemployed or underemployed, for someone to recommend that a student not give it their all academically is bad advice.

[JJHardy7]

I agree a lot with JimH here. If you are graduating soon, don't sit on a bad GPA. That won't help you get a job.

 

I'm also saying never go out and always study. I am saying get your school stuff done and done right and then go out. I had a lot of fun in college, but I also focused on school. You can do both. UW-M for example has a terrible rate of freshmen (at least a few years back) that fail out their first year. You don't want to do that. And again, it's not that hard to get good grades in college your first few years. Go to class and study a bit and there's no excuse to not get a 3.0 IMO -- if you're taking the general classes. Companies do care about GPA -- imagine that. If it's not listed, they wonder why and if it's listed and not high they wonder why. In today's economy, you need any edge you can get.

[JonnyLungs]

If you are graduating soon, don't sit on a bad GPA. That won't help you get a job.

I'll agree it'll probably help get a job, but it doesn't mean a whole lot in the long run.

[gypcasino]

Go to class. That's about all I've got. GO TO CLASS. It can't be stressed enough.

[PlayerHader]

Second gyp wholeheartedly. You'll get as much out of a 50 minute lecture as you will studying on your own for several hours. In fact, you can save yourself from a lot of reading by just going to class. GO TO CLASS!

[Blancofan1]

Academics are important I will give you that, but they just aren't the be all end all of college life. I believe that if you take classes that you are interested in and actually care about, it's a lot easier to go to class and do the work needed to succeed. As a couple of people have said, go to class--almost more importantly, go to class early in the semester and get a syllabus for each class. If you aren't going to attend every class, pay attention to what days you can not miss. Don't ever miss exams because you didn't remember about them. I saw a lot of that at UW-Oshkosh.

 

One of the other best tips I've heard is to use the tools provided to you free from the school. Have someone help you setting up your schedule and signing up for classes, both your freshman year and nearing the end of your college career. I know a few people who went in and asked for help with their schedules and found out they only needed to take one or two more classes to earn an extra minor or double major. Also if possible take the interim classes if they are offered. Three weeks of class for three hours a day can really help you keep on track for 4 years, or it can really lighten your workload during the rest of the semester if you need to work to support yourself.

 

Lastly I second the opinion that you just need to be yourself. Don't do things just because you think you are suppose to or because they will make you cool. Have integrity, do the right thing whether someone else is watching or not. Hang around with all different types of people early, as others have said, most really don't even know who they are as people when you start college so don't eliminate possible lifelong connections because you don't think you could be friends with someone right away.

 

My personal experience: Went to college for three years and it just wasn't for me. I couldn't handle the going to class and not learning anything new. I did well in classes within my major and really enjoyed them, but the basic gen ed classes taught by professors who really couldn't care less just didn't work for me. I "dropped out" with about 3 semesters of work left with over a 3.3 GPA and don't feel bad about myself for it at all. True it sucks to be paying off student loans when I didn't get a degree, but I learned a lot about life and myself in those three years and am a better person for it. To me developing into a better person overall will help you lead a more fulfilling life and get you a job you enjoy, than just studying all day and night to get good grades.

[Blancofan1]

rm121978[/b]]Those who say to party and have fun because college are the best 4 years of your life are the same ones who don't focus on their academics and end up with $7/hour jobs and a lousy future after college, so for them, sure, it was the best 4 years of their life as they had nothing left afterwards, lol.

Not to personally attack rm121978, but this way of thinking is one of the biggest reasons that I didn't like college and I hate this attitude with a passion. There are a lot of very successful people who didn't graduate college. This sense of entitlement associated with doing well in college is one of the biggest problems facing this country right now in my opinion. Just because some people have degrees, they feel as though some jobs are 'below' them, or that they deserve to make more money doing something than another applicant who doesn't have a degree.

Out of my large group of friends from college, I was the only one who didn't complete college and right now I have a higher and more stable income than most of them. Granted I work in an industry that isn't glamorous or flashy but I've honestly seen more people fail in my line of work who have college degrees than people without degrees who have the work ethic and dedication to be good at their jobs. As a retail store manager who does a lot of recruiting and hiring, I will hire a 23 year old non college grad with work skills and a good attitude over an 23 year old applicant who has never held a job other than school, wants $5000 a year more to start and thinks that they know everything because they have a piece of paper that says they went to college.

 

Edit--sorry to go off on the tangent, but it just irks me that some feel they are so much better off because they went to college. No one from my immediate family graduated from college, does that make us a bunch of bums who have nothing left in life? I really think not.

[dabrew141]

rule #1 study hard

rule #2 drink hard

[Invader3K]

rule #2 drink hard

Oh geez.

 

It's no secret that drinking is a part of most college life. I would say, don't be the freshman who gets hammered at a kegger, clogs up one of the bathroom stalls on your own floor, and then pukes all over your dorm room floor before climbing up to your bunk, smashing the window when you fall over in the process, and then collapses unconscious in his bed. Yes, a roommate I had actually did that. I ended up sleeping in the floor lounge that night, and when I returned to the room the next morning, the janitor who was cleaning up the mess asked if I did it. Oh, and the next morning I had to get my wisdom teeth removed, so I was in a really great mood for that. True story.

[thebruce44]

I agree with everyone who has said to make sure to have some fun. Yes, studying is important, but as an engineer I saw many people who burned out from studying non stop and not having any fun. And for those that didn't burn out but still had no social life...when getting out in the real world they are actually not as successful as those of us who were out at the bars having a few after class. Most companies can tell if you have no social skills in an interview. Remember, having a life and learning how to socialize outside of highschool clikes is just as important as your classroom education.

 

To tell incoming freshman otherwise is just as irresponsible as telling them to go to every kegger and skip class. Find a happy medium, and you will be set!