I start University soon, any tips?

[adamb100]

For those that dont know, I'm attending UWM, I owe a $200 fee but afterwards I can register and begin attending classes. So for those that have/are attending UWm I have some questions

 

Since I'm starting late, what should I expect?

What should I bring with me on my first day of classes?

 

Thats all for now.

 

Thanks. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[mothershipconnection]

Show up EVERY DAY.

Bring a backpack with a folder and notebook for each class, a hand full of black pens, and several pencils (for scantron tests). I highly recommend some nice highlighters as well, as I think it's important to devise a good highlighting strategy to make studying quicker and easier. You may also want several different colors of pens for notes, depending on the class. I know that for math and econ classes, I always liked to have a couple colors for graphs and equations to make parts stand out. That, and bring required books for the course.

 

As another tip: SAVE EVERYTHING. If it could possibly be important, keep it in your folder. If a professor screws up your grade, it's on you to produce the graded assignments to prove you actually scored higher (I know a couple people who had to do this). That, and you never want to forget about important dates and anything that may show up on a final.

[DougJones43]

You're probably going to want to go to one of the bookstores as soon as possible (I think Panther Books is a little bit cheaper than the UWM Union Bookstore). Bring your class schedule with you. You will be able to find out what books you need, as they will be organized by course number. Since the semester is already under way, the professors will probably expect you to have the necessary books already purchased. Also, make sure you get a hold of the syllabus for each course you have. They generally hand these out during the first day of classes, and they are invaluable. They usually outline the course requirements, assignments, exams dates, etc.

 

Like MSC said, go to your classes as much as you can. Skipping can be very tempting, since many professors don't take attendance. You'll think you're not going to miss anything too important, or that you can just read the book instead. But trust us, you will fall behind and make life difficult for yourself if you don't attend class regularly.

 

Last, go to Pacific Wraps in the Union. Order the Monterey wrap. You'll thank me.

[jaybird2001wi]

I remember my freshman year at UW-W. I worked so hard to keep my grades up. Work as hard as possible your first two or three years because you will eventually dwindle down to burnout and fatigue your fourth and maybe your fifth year so you might need to get a good GPA started in order to stay afloat for the later classes.

I had a 3.5 GPA after my sophomore year and you will run into harder classes so your first year or two is very important.

 

I wasn't much of an organized student, but I did what I had to do. Also, even though you may be in classes in auditorium sized lecture halls and may be one of 250 students, don't let it deter you from speaking with your professor. The more you talk to them in large-scale classes, the more they will remember you when you e-mail them questions about an assignment or an exam and they will approach you the next day and ask if you understood the answer to your question.

Never be afraid to speak to any professors and their office hours are always on the syllabus and every professor I had followed his or her office hours very well. Some professors actually give you their home phone numbers for you to call them after hours with questions.

I was fortunate enough to not have to buy all my books, since UW-W has a textbook rental program. If I liked a book in a class, I always asked if I could buy it when the semester ended.

[TooLiveBrew]

My one "equipment" advice: Find a spiral notebook with the spirals on top, and the top portion of the pages perforated (as opposed to the side). Then you get the benefit of no akward fold-over (like wireless notebooks), and no odd 'can't write all the way to the right/left side of the page' factor (depending on handedness, obv.). Go to your classes, and do your best to stay current. Trust me - took me 6 years to graduate from UW-Madison because I didn't utilize my own advice.

 

Oh, and no knock on UW-M, but if you can post a semester or two of strong GPA, transferring into UW-Madison is always a possibility, though I'll admit I have no idea how much harder/easier it is to do nowadays.

 

One more bit of advice - as 'dorky' or whatever stereotype can be tossed at it - take (at least) one summer course per year. It's much easier to focus than the condensed schedule would imply, since the class would be your only one. Don't take two summer courses at a time, though, as imho that'd be really too much work at the same time. Even just getting 2 or 3 or 4 credits out of the way over a summer can really help out, long-run.

 

Oh, and UTILIZE YOUR COUNSELOR! Can't stress that enough. Get to know him/her/them a lot. This will help you immensely in scheduling, and help you get the most accomplished in the shortest period of time - not to mention they're great resources for great experience-padding extra curricular stuff.

[laserbomb]

Have fun, be safe. There's usually more than one good way to get anything done. Sometimes working smarter > working harder and it's not always realistic to do all the reading so if you can pick out priorities on what'll be most valuable, it can be helpful. Professor's office hours do help them put a face to your name and remember you at grading time, I don't know how big your classes will be but personally I skipped a lot at various times. As long as you get what you want out of your time with professors and classes... because you're paying a lot for every lecture even though there are a lot of priorities to balance.

 

Jobs on campus should generally be pretty understanding that they're not the priority. Get enough sleep but not too much. I pulled a lot of all-nighters and wouldn't really recommend it to anyone, getting stuff out of the way a little in advance can be better. You can get away with a lot of stupid stuff, especially if you're not being a jerk to people. I could never handle summer classes but I didn't like school and needed the break.

 

The first day will be easy. That doesn't mean you won't get any big assignments right away, but they'll help you ease in. Big tests are a pain but they're not the end of the world.

 

Maybe pick up an extra class or two and you might want to drop a couple that you like the least. Outside class, sometimes it can be intimidating to join things or try things or try to hit on people you're attracted to without doing it wrong. It's a fun time when it's all new to everyone, so take advantage of any fun stuff that comes around, and if you happen to embarrass yourself a little bit that's not the worst thing ever either. I know a lot of this is corny but I just want to stress that you can have a lot of fun with it because even if it doesn't seem like it all the time, everyone understands that there's a transition for the first week or so at least.

[jaybird2001wi]

I like to say, that what TLB said "utilize your counselor" is a moot point at UW-W. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater has been screwing around with academic advisors since I was a freshman. I didn't like my academic advisor at all when I began my academic career there and tried to switch, but I needed approval from my department to switch.

At UW-Whitewater, the academic advisor situation is a total train wreck, especially in the Communications department. I went from an academic advisor, named Bill (won't disclose his last name) who wouldn't respond to my e-mails when I needed him the most and he was a boring professor/lecturer and then I found a better advisor, Wilfred, who was a tenured professor at UW-W, who was willing to take me on as his advisee and he helped me a great deal. Although, he suggested I sign up for classes I did NOT need. Academic advisors have no idea what they were talking about at UW-W. Now they have a new thing were all freshmen were sent to an "academic advisory center" where complete strangers (people who don't even know you one bit at all, but it is mandated by the University) tell you what classes to take.

I could have graduated by now if it wasn't for the crappy advising system in place at UW-W.

[jaybird2001wi]

TLB, you hit the nail on the head with the equipment advice. I write left-handed and I always found it annoying with any spiral notebook at the side because I gave me indentations on my hand whenever I wrote my notes.

But anyhow, to be more precise about note taking and equipment. Try to find a notebook comfortable for you. And buy a ton of pens because you will write notes constantly. And during final exams, some professors will put a study guide on your online database (which I dealt with a lot) and create index cards to drill yourself on key terms.

Pretty much all of my professors used our student online database called "blackboard" at one time and then it become "peoplesoft" or something like that. Utilize the professors online database. Some profs I had put their whole powerpoint presentation of a given lecture online for us to print out prior to class. But don't just use these resources, the professor may add some things during lecture, so have a pen handy.

A lot of the "older crowd" here on this fan forum may or may not be familiar with online databases professors use on the University web sites, so now some of the stuff you will utilize is online. Sometimes, a professor will post a quiz online for you to answer a few questions. Some professors will post an online math quiz or history quiz which is required to complete the course.

msc, keep in mind most scantron tests prefer No. 2 pencils. http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/wink.gif

But whenever I had an exam that required scantron pencils, the professors were always friendly enough to bring in a rubber band full of pencils to conduct the exam.

Oh, and keep in mind that some essay exams are blue book. A lot of "sitcoms" on TV cry about blue book exams. I was once a multiple choice test-taker, but now I find myself preferring Blue Book exams. If you show up to class consistently and listen to your lectures, you are made in the shade because most of the Blue Book questions are on "your perspective" of a viewpoint discussed during class lectures.

[TooLiveBrew]

He's going to UW-M, though, right?

[thablingster]

For those that dont know, I'm attending UWM, I owe a $200 fee but afterwards I can register and begin attending classes. So for those that have/are attending UWm I have some questions

 

Since I'm starting late, what should I expect?

What should I bring with me on my first day of classes?

 

Thats all for now.

 

Thanks. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

I think people pretty much covered what to bring with you.

 

Obviously since you're starting late you'll probably want to introduce yourself to the instructor, get a syllabus, get caught up on homework (yes, some professors assign homework in the first class--groan, lol), etc.

 

I second the advice on the bookstores. Panther Books tends to not always have your books, but they are cheaper and a lot more helpful than the UWM Bookstore. A lot of times you can get books cheaper through amazon.com, etc., but that depends on if you really need them right away (I'd have classes where we'd use 3-4 books a semester but only one the first 3 weeks). Overall I'd say get the books right away. I'd also suggest you get sturdy folders, because profs tend to throw a lot of stuff at you, and non-sturdy folders sometimes can't keep up.

 

If you need any other assistance with stuff or questions let me know. I'd be glad to show you around campus or help in any way I can. I've spent 6 years on the campus (bachelors & masters), I should know something by now http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/laugh.gif.

 

Oh, and since we're on the subject of advisors and class scheduling, etc. You probably will get what is called the "undergraduate catalog" in your mountain of freshman stuff they throw at you. Keep it. It will be invaluable to you once you know what major you want to do, because it discusses the different majors and the requirements and classes you need to take for each one. Just FYI. http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/wink.gif

[jaybird2001wi]

I was a late enrolee awhile back and it was SO late that I couldn't even electronically enroll in classes. I had to look at the Class Catalog by hand and decide on classes and then personally go to each professor asking them if it was "alright" to join their class. Some of them would freak me out stating that the "class is very tough" and such. But since you seem to be in freshmen range, your choices may be better. I had to file a "Late addition" to every class I was interested in after talking with the professors of each class. So prepare to get a lot of forms ready and hand them to profs at UW-M because the classes they teach may be widely open or not open at all. And even though the certain prof may accept you into class, you have to sit there the first week or two wondering if the University will accept the Late addition form. It happened to me a few times.

[gypcasino]

It's been said here but it can't be emphasized enough: Go to class. It's amazing how you somehow got up for high school every day at 6:30AM or whatever but now struggle to get out of bed to make your 10:20. It starts with missing one or two classes but it's quickly downhill from there. It's been many moons since I've been in college so that's about all I've got. Except maybe don't be afraid to participate in class and make your professor remember who you are. It might not matter in a 100 level pit class with 200 students where you're only graded on a few tests but once you start taking higher level classes it will.

 

[adamb100]

I guess this is a stupid question but are typical "school" days shorter than Secondary Education? I understand your classes are several times throughout the day with breaks but it's not 7 hours worht of classes a day right?

[DougJones43]

I guess this is a stupid question but are typical "school" days shorter than Secondary Education? I understand your classes are several times throughout the day with breaks but it's not 7 hours worht of classes a day right?

 

No. You can probably figure about 1 hour of classtime per week, per credit. So, if you have 15 credits, figure on about 15 hours of classtime per week. Most of it will be spread out Monday-Thursday, depending how you set up your schedule. You will need to spend a lot more time outside of class studying, writing papers, etc. than you did in high school.

[thablingster]

I guess this is a stupid question but are typical "school" days shorter than Secondary Education? I understand your classes are several times throughout the day with breaks but it's not 7 hours worht of classes a day right?

Typically, yes, but that all evens out over the course of the semester as DougJones43 said with studying and homework. For example you could have one class two days a week and be on campus for 2 hours, then two other days you could have three classes and be on campus from 10am until 6 or 7 at night. So it really depends on your schedule and ho you set it up. You can have 7 hours worth of classes if you really want to (I wouldn't suggest it though, been there, done that. http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/wink.gif)

 

[jaybird2001wi]

adam, your question perplexes me in a sense.

 

You don't need to worry about waking up EVERY morning at 6am if that is what you are asking us. It depends on your class choices. In my freshman year of college, I never signed up for a class before 11am or even noon for that matter. I would advise against my freshman motto because you will be stuck with a ton of classes during dinner time and you won't even time to eat at all during dinner hours at all. Your best bet is to sign up for 9am-1pm classes every day of the week. Don't sign up for night classes unless you have a clean slate the rest of the morning/afternoon/night because you will become hungry for food like I was as a freshman in college.

adam, you seem to not be familiar with the "college credit" scheme of things. I can seriously offer my phone number and explain it to you, but that does no good since I am ultra-descriptive with things and such. So here is what I experienced at school, credit wise.

 

Here is what it will take for you to achieve three credits:

 

- One Monday-Wednesday-Friday class spanning 50 minutes each lecture

- One Tuesday-Thursday class spanning one hour and 15 minutes

- One night class spanning 2 hours and 30 minutes (you get an intermission where you can smoke a cig, take a bathroom break and buy a couple sodas from the vending machine) Night classes are okay if you want the given class to be "over with" but it sucks because when I signed up for night classes it was always 6:50pm until 8:20pm at UW-Whitewater.

 

Sometimes, you gotta sign up for a class Mon-Wed that consists of 1:15 and it is the same deal. It varies.

 

And when it comes to "physical education" classes, you may have to take a GenEd course on personal health where you sit there and do nothing.

 

Most of the GenEd (General Education) classes are in the morning to early afternoon, so sign up as much as you can for these classes.

I am not sure if you have an idea of a "major" and "minor" in study, but if you have an idea, GOOD FOR YOU. Unofficially declaring a major before your first class is good because you will be able to finish off your major and minor before your General Education courses.

I won't tell you what to study, everyone has their own preferences in college and stuff, and sometimes it takes an academic year or two to declare a major, so if you must... take your time.

[dabrew141]

I am a senior at UW-M studying MIS. Are you an older freshman? commuting? or right out of high school? dorms?

 

For classes freshman-soph year I always took classes from around 11-3 Mon-Thurs, definetly no Friday classes.

 

next, BUY BOOKS ONLINE! You almost never need your book on the first day and you will waste hundreds upon hundreds if you constantly buy from the bookstore for 4 years.

 

for classes that don't take attendance it helps to meet someone in the class and share notes for days you can't/don't want to attend.

[NeedMoreFans]

Order the Monterey wrap. You'll thank me.

I had a dream last night that someone I was with ordered one of these and I was mad at myself for not ordering one...seriously, that is pretty weird...

 

The first day of class is normally a joke, but since you are starting after classes have begun, your first classes will be normal classes. Don't worry, though, you can get caught up in no time. Another piece of advice...go to your professors' office hours. Getting to know your professors can be a huge key in doing well. I had 4 years at UW-Madison and 2 at UWM, and I was much more successful at UWM, and I think it is because I learned from my mistakes (like not skipping class, doing the readings for class, office hours...stuff like that). Try to keep up on your reading. If you don't, you end up trying to read 500 pages the night before an exam, and you stress yourself out. I'll echo buying textbooks online...so much cheaper. I think there was a semester where I saved over $50, and that was after shipping. It's also a great place to resell books when you are done with them.

 

Enjoy college. I'm not sure if you are commuting or living on campus, but enjoy it no matter what. I miss it quite a bit some days.

[patrickgpe]

i think things are covered well here. Getting to know your professor and that you care can do wonders at the end of the semester. Use your TA's to your best advantage. They have been through the wars before and can be a great assist for you. Some will not be good at all, some are awesome and wouldn't of done as well in some classes without meeting with them weekly. Don't put off big stuff, it kills you at the end. Some projects will be semester long and its easy to not worry about it till 2 weeks out, but you will be screwed since you will have other projects and finals to worry about.

[jwill535]

I know this may be Taboo, but most if not all employers could care less about your GPA, Dont sacrafice the experience just to get that 3.8 instead of a 3.5. Unless you plan on going to grad school your gpa doesnt really matter. I am in no way condoning slacking off, just do kill yourself studying. Prime example i got a 2.9 at UW-W and there is a couple people who went to more prestigeous colleges and both were 4.0 students, the kicker, we either make the same amount or i make more. One thing in life you will learn is, its not what you do its what you know. What ever major or career you are planning on doing, try to get a part time job within that field, no matter how menial it may feel, experience in your field will be the first thing that any employer will look at.

 

I am a Mechanical Designer(HVAC). I dont have a degree in Mechanical Engineering, but worked construction as a carpenter for 8 yrs while in and out of college. Went back to school got a cad design degree and my construction experience far out weighted my lack of experience in design. Hell there are Engineers here that no less about construction then i do.

[Principessa21]

Just to reiterate what others said...it's easy to slack off, think you're smarter than the professor and then fail. So go to class. You might not really have to do all the readings, but listen to your TA. I have experience as a TA in grad school, and most are willing to do whatever they can to help. I used to even meet my students on weekends, but then again, they had to buy me a beer. http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/wink.gif Also use the resources available to you!! I can't believe how many people don't take advantages of the programs or money available. You'd be suprised what's out there, just be assertive.

 

Study Abroad! I cannot say enough about how great an experience it is. Even if you must do it your second to last semester, do it. Also, if you go to the dining hall, don't get the ice cream every day. Sure way to gain freshman 15. Don't get a serious girl/boy friend your first year. Get involved in at least one student organization. Don't be one of those freshman who never really drank and decides 'he's a man' and then ends up at the hospital with alcohol poisoning.

[JJHardy7]

Lots of good advice...I graduated from UW-M a little over a year ago with a 3.9 and had some very very difficult classes my Junior and Senior year. Bust your butt if you can your first two years to pad your GPA before you start your core classes.

 

Also, get to know a professor at least once a semster. The professors I got to know (I would just go to their office and chat...not to suck up or anything, but one in particular was just a cool guy) helped me decide on my first job and all that. And I used one for a reference that got me in the door at the one job I really wanted.

 

Have fun and if you live on or around campus remember to be safe at night...there tend to be some incidents late at night around campus when walking by yourself.