Advice for Incoming Freshmen

[theavrock]

Seeing as I am graduating this sunday I feel that I need to contribute to this thread and dispense any wisdom I may have gained over the past four and a half years. I am a non-trad, but I went back to school when I was 22 so not that untraditional. I can't tell you much about dorm living because I never did it.

1. Something nobody has said yet is don't be afraid to change your plans while you are in school. I went through a whole host of different things that I wanted to do. Thats ok. Just because you set out on a path when you are a freshman, don't let anyone tell you that you have to stay on that path. Always be looking at your options. Thats the best part about college.

 

2. This is where grades come in. In some things they don't matter, but what if you decide in your junior year you want to go into law. Those two years you spent getting by with a 3.0 no matter how you spin it won't be as much as a benefit as working a little bit harder. IMO going from C's to B's or B's to A's really does not require that much extra effort. There are countless times where after the semester I found myself saying "If I would have just went to class more" I would have had an A instead of B.

 

3. Go to class. You will think I can just review the powerpoints myself and learn it. Sure you can but why go through the extra effort when you can sit in lecture and have someone teach you. You are paying thousands of dollars for an education. Take advantage of it and get the most out of your money.

 

4. Also just because you get a degree doesn't mean that you are entitled to a job. Do the leg work and investigate the careers you want and what you need to do to obtain them. Talk to you professors. They are for the most part more than happy to meet with you and let you use them as a resource. So many students just go to class or even less than that. They are there to help you and some will be more willing than others but they have been where you are and know how to get you to where you want to be. They are an amazing resource and you are paying their salary so take advantage of their knowledge

 

5. Don't buy your books until after the first week of class unless you know you will need it. For most classes I didn't do any of the readings. Very rarely will professors test you on readings and lectures. 95% of the time it is only based on what they went over in class. So go to class and save the money unless you need it.

 

6. Also don't let anyone tell you that you can't do all of this and not have a social life. I worked 30 or more hours a week, took full time classes and had a great social life. Time management is essential. Get your things done but make sure every day you give yourself time to relax and unwind. Learn how to schedule your time wisely and it will pay off exponentially.

 

7. NEVER EVER STUDY FOR MORE THAT FOUR HOURS AT A TIME. People talk about how they pull all nighters and study for 12 hours. If you are doing this you are wasting your time. Studies have shown that productivity decreases at the four hour mark. Study for a few hours. Take a break for a half hour or hour and then come back to it. Trust me on this. Even if you are writing that paper at the last minute take at least a half hour off every few hours. The quality of your work will improve and you will retain more information.

[pitchleague]

1. Don't have a steady girlfriend during college. Not only do they suck up your free time, but they also cause you to feel "obligated" to be with her at lunch/dinner or take classes with her, etc. Not to mention, make you feel guilty when you come home from an activity (sports event, concert, bar-hopping, etc.) that she didn't want to do.

 

2. Go to class. I did miss a lot of classes and I semi-regret it. Although I ended up doing just fine in school, I probably would have saved myself a lot of time studying had I gone to class.

 

3. Join a club/activity/something. It doesn't have to be a frat (although I don't regret one moment of that), but it could be a choir if you like singing, a science club, help out with a sports team, or anything at all.

 

4. I don't know how many schools have a cafeteria anymore, but man that was some of the best food I've ever had. Keep in mind that I went to a small liberal arts college so there were only 2500 students, meaning the cafeteria was well funded. I still have about four recipes that I asked for after graduation that I will make once or twice a year for nostalgic reasons.

 

5. If you have the chance to do a study-abroad semester, try it out, if possible. Great times and a great experience.

 

6. Only pull out the video games when you are done with your work. Make that a LAW.

 

7. If you do get a roommate, make sure that YOU don't lie on your application that they use to match up people. My roommate freshman year stated he was a perfect angel, pretty much. First day I get there, he's a smoker (big trouble), big-time drinker (not that bad now, but I had never had a drink until I got to college), lazy (never went to class), and had to have his stomach pumped at least twice that I know of within the first month. When you get the nickname "Buckshot" changed to "Bloodshot" (due to all his blown capilaries in his eyes), you've got a problem. He was a match up of complete opposites. Totally killed my freshman year. I still remember the night that I went to study in the lounge, I told him I was going there, I told him I wasn't taking my keys, he said "okay", and an hour later I come back to the room and the door's locked and he's gone to the bars. Man, I just get mad thinking about him and his idiocy. Thank goodness he flunked out after that first year.

 

I'm sure there are other things that I am forgetting, but these are good things that I can think of. As for number six, I suppose you could bend the law for Friday nights or something. I never had video games in my dorm until the final year of school when I got a hand-me-down Nintendo system (the original). I played a heck of a lot of Tecmo Bowl and RBI Baseball and I finally had to start putting it away in the closet so I would get some work done.

 

Oh, and number one on my list happened to me. I totally regret the girlfriend thing. It ended up making college a major bummer a lot of the time. Didn't help that she broke it up right after college and I felt completely used. I felt like Sally at the end of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." ("I could have had candy, apples, and gum. And cookies, and money, and all sorts of things. But NO, I HAD to listen to you. What a fool I was.")

[sargennm]

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.

Buy your books used on Amazon.com and sell them used on Amazon.com. If your lucky not to be stuck with a book that changes editions the next term, you will end up only netting a small loss on the books. Almost every college bookstore is a scam.

[TracyThom]

1.) Wear flip-flops in the shower. Sorry to sound disgusting, but you never know what you may be stepping on.

 

2.) It's not the class, it's the professor. In some of your general courses, you may have a choice of a dozen different professors. Talk to some of the upperclassmen and find out who to take. Some professors can teach, some can't.

 

3.) Go to class.

 

4.) Make friends with the people on your floor who have cars.

 

5.) Another vote for hygiene. When I was a freshman, my roommate was a slob. I saw him brush his teeth maybe 3-4 times all year. I saw him come out of the shower maybe twice. He would brush his long hair, and then drop the hair on the floor. My room stunk. It would be -10 outside, but I would need to have the window open to air out the stink.

 

6.) Try to get another incoming freshman as a roommate. There is a reason why the sophomore or junior didn't already have a roommate lined up at the end of the previous school year.

[bani1717]

2.) It's not the class, it's the professor. In some of your general courses, you may have a choice of a dozen different professors. Talk to some of the upperclassmen and find out who to take. Some professors can teach, some can't.

 

Ratemyprofessors.com. Some decent info on there. All more collected than talking to a bunch of people. Once you start getting into your more focused classes (in my case business classes), then ask some of the upper classmen you know who share your major.

[GAME05]

Just finished my first year of grad school after a bunch of years working, so it's certainly been an interesting experience going back.

 

--definitely get as much experience in your chosen field as you can beyond classes. For me, that was working at the student newspaper and being an active participant in the Humanities Club. I got my first couple jobs based on my writing and editing clips, not on any classroom work, and you'll also need to do something beyond the classroom to differentiate yourself from the other graduates for jobs.

 

--There's no need to choose a major right away. I wasted a LOT of time and money thinking I was going to be an engineer and a teacher when i could have just been taking general ed stuff.

 

--I'll probably get some disagreement on this, but pick a major that pays ok money. I just left a field of work I enjoyed in part because it doesn't pay enough. I discovered it was too idealistic to say "but if i enjoy the work, i won't care that it doesn't pay anything," because overall satisfaction is a combination of paycheck and job enjoyment.

 

--Definitely take advantage of all the concerts, plays and lectures that are on campus, plus all the sports and activity clubs. They also make for a good alternative to getting wasted yet again. I've been doing all this as a grad (as an undergrad i chose 'wasted'), and I've been enjoying college life a lot more, plus meeting a lot of people this way.

[brewers4eric]

1. Go to every class, every day. You are paying for it. Get up in time for breakfast every day.

2. Don't be afraid to change majors.

3. Take advantage of opportunities for internships or other work experience within your chosen area of study.

4. Identify a place to lock up or hide your valuables. I lived next to a thief for a semester. He was the same guy that had never heard of Paul Molitor.

5. Take advantage of the entertainment options. I'm still kicking myself for missing a pre-release screening of "The Naked Gun" and interactive presentation by Leslie Nielsen.

6. Skip the video games. I was pretty good at "Double Dribble" on the original Nintendo, but I've never used it on my resume.

[crewcrazy]

1. Seriously, go to class. Unlike high school, there's a good chance that YOU'RE paying for every credit yourself. Don't throw that money down the drain, especially if you're going to be paying interest on student loans. Even the most boring and painful classes are likely only going to take a few hours a week. You'll live.

 

2. Know what you can handle when building your schedule every semester. If you know you have trouble getting up early in the morning, try to put together a schedule that doesn't have you getting up before 9 or 10 or 11 or whenever you usually get up. It's been my personal mission to build a schedule that doesn't start before 9:30 in the morning and allows me to have Fridays completely free.

 

3. Apply for every scholarship you're possibly eligible for. This is why grades can be very important -- there may be campus chapters of various honor societies that offer scholarships, not to mention departmental scholarships that may not be included in your initial financial aid package. On a similar note, remember to get your FAFSA done every year. You never know what you're eligible for until you do the paperwork.

 

4. Take advantage of every event on campus that offers free food. Don't really care about saving the rainforest but you heard there's going to be free pizza? Swing by for free slices anyway. Never pass up the chance to save a few bucks.

 

5. Actively start trying to land internships, at least by your junior year. Internships get you experience, and help break that vicious cycle of not being able to get a job without experience and not being able to get experience without a job. Take advantage, even if you don't need to take one for credit.

[ewizabeff]

Live on campus. Studies repeatedly show that students that live on campus stay in school longer and get higher GPAs than their off-campus counterparts. I lived on campus all 4 years (as an RA for 3). I know that's not for everyone, but I saved money and had a great time. Even if your school doesn't require it, live on campus for at least your first one or two years.

[utdfan]

Live on campus. Studies repeatedly show that students that live on campus stay in school longer and get higher GPAs than their off-campus counterparts. I lived on campus all 4 years (as an RA for 3). I know that's not for everyone, but I saved money and had a great time. Even if your school doesn't require it, live on campus for at least your first one or two years.

I completely disagree. It's great the first year to meet a lot of people but I really don't see the point after that. It seemed to me that by the end of the second semester everyone was tired of the cramped rooms and sharing every minute of their life with a bunch of other people. When you move out of the dorms you get more space and privacy, and you have more control over who you live with.

 

And regarding the studies you reference, it may be that the GPA influences the decision to live on or off campus rather than that decision having an affect on GPA. In other words, people with a higher GPA may have a higher tenancy to live on campus. This is just a guess however since I have not seen the studies that you are talking about.

[ewizabeff]

The studies (conducted by Pascarella & Terenzini - I probably murdered the spelling) are widely respected in the student affairs profession. It's one of the reason so many campuses have a live-on requirement.

 

It's easier to stay on campus after your first year if your school offers more options - single/semi-private rooms, choice of roommates, etc. I had a single room after my 1st semester, so that may have played into my experience.

[Schlitz001]

You will wake up one Sunday morning after 3 1/2 semesters of college and open up a letter from the Student Loan office. In this letter will be a summary of the debt that you have currently accrued to this point. You will come to the realization that you are the one paying for the education that you are not receiving because of a continuous string of drug and alcohol abuse and missed classes. You will decide at that point to move in with that engineering student who always seems to get good grades and during the remainder of your time at the university you will go from being on academic probation to getting a 3.0+ GPA. You will get a high paying job and visit your friends working at Quiznos, where you will receive free sandwiches in exchange for tipping them excessively.

[DrugBust]

Most of the good advice has been doled out. I don't agree with much of it, but in the end everyone is different and what works for some people at some schools doesn't work for others.

 

But I will share what I've found to be the single most important thing I gleaned from my years in college:

 

Learn to communicate.

 

Take writing and grammar classes above the 101s and 120s. Take a class on group discussion. Take a speech class or two. I can't stress enough the benefit to being able to write and speak well.

 

When you graduate and begin applying for jobs, in many cases you'll have to provide a cover letter and resume or perhaps a personal essay. Other applicants will provide similar credentials, but what will help you get a foot in the door is how well you write and interview. I've applied for four jobs since college ended and gotten each one. In one case the president of the company decided I was going to be the man for the job before ever meeting me for an interview. He was set to make me an offer simply because I wrote a sparkling cover letter and spoke well on the phone. Never-mind that I was applying to be a multimedia developer; I wouldn't have to write a thing for most of my day-to-day activities.

 

If you can write and are comfortable, confident and natural speaking in front of others it will go a long way towards gaining employment after your schooling is complete.

[T B0NE 10]

Cool thread....I'll be reading this again closely come late August. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[Invader3K]

DrugBust provided some great advice. I run a small business and can't believe the amount of applicants I get that can't seem to form a coherent e-mail message or cover letter.

 

Along those same lines, take some basic computing classes. It's basically inexcusable to not know basic Microsoft programs in most career fields these days.

[hawing]

I run a small business and can't believe the amount of applicants I get that can't seem to form a coherent e-mail message or cover letter.

That reminds me...if you decide to work during college, even for campus jobs, when contacting prospective employers, use your campus-assigned email instead of your "personal" creatively named address. I've received job inquiries from such email addresses as "campusdyke@domain.com" and a really nifty one, "Anthony Funktopolous."

For the latter, I was sorely tempted to write back, "Dear Mr. Funktopolous:" I literally could not tell the guy's name from the email. It did not win him an interview or a job.

 

Also, echoing DrugBust somewhat, I'm more likely to take seriously something like, "Dear Ms. Hawing: I saw your ad on the Job Center website and it interests me. Could you tell me more about it?" than something like, "hey, I'm Gina, your library job sounds awesome and i would love to work for you!!!!"