College and the experience for freshmen

Tommorow I am going to Rockwell to get settled in for college and majoring in English.My dream is to be a profressional writer in television(mostly children's).I was wondering how was college life for all of you guys who were in college.Also when I am in college I will going by Joyann on my laptop.So,I will be here on the forum but by another name.

Some people, you can get a good handle on. If you think that your roommates are there to party, see if you can't find some other dorm to switch with and do that. You'll be better off.

Do the work in bits and pieces, due dates are stealthy little fuckers and can pass by like you wouldn't believe.

Limit the amount of food you get to avoid gaining too much weight.

try to join at least one extra-curricular if you can, as its a great way to meet people, and there's a pretty big chance that you might make yourself a hermit without meaning to, and its a good way to keep yourself from doing so.

most of all: NEVER. EVER. EVER. take two two-hour-long classes on the same night. if it looks like that's what's going to happen, change classes so you don't have that or you don't have an early class the next day.

Like high school, but less structured. Might have three classes Monday, two on Tuesday and Thursday, four on Wednesday and one on Friday, for instance. And no one can force you to show up to every class, although it's in your best interest to.

Get used to seeing people in class in their pajamas.

Also, depending on whether you're in a dorm or off campus, and whether your dorm has communal bathrooms, invest in a pair of shower sandals.

EDIT: Oh yeah: And on the topic of classes: Make sure you have at least a half hour break at some point in the day to get something to eat. I will not be taking classes from 8 to 4 with no time to get anything to eat again.

edited 18th Aug '11 10:11:47 PM by Wulf

The school I am going to is called William Jessup University up in Rockwell in Calfornia.It is a small Christian college and I heard it's very great rated.The big thing about it that the classes and dorms are close together so I don't have to rush.My mom has loaded be down with stuff so I won't get bored,starved,or etc.

Biggest challenge: Hauling your own ass to class every day, because no one else will.

Yeah, that pillow is really comfy, and it would be really nice to keep sleeping. But you know what? GET YOUR ASS OUT OF BED AND GO TO CLASS.

Trust me on this, skipping is always bad. No. Exceptions. Because skipping once makes you think you can do it again, and again, and again, and pretty soon you fail a class because you forgot you actually had it @_@

A similar problem is forcing yourself to go to bed at night, which you may already have if your parents don't do that now. Weekends can only make up for so much sleep dep. before your lectures get much harder to focus on.

Schoolwork is king. Keep other shit second priority, because it is second priority.

Planning your schedule is imperative to succeeding at it. Find out when you do your best work, when you want to get up, whether you like consistency or variation in when you get up or go to sleep, etc., and plan your schedule accordingly.

College is a great chance to act differently than you did in highschool, if you weren't very proud of that >_>

Most of your friends you'll probably meet in the dorms or extracurriculars, because even smaller colleges still have thousands of people taking all the freshman classes every year. Odds are you'd only meet a few people you know in each class.

edited 18th Aug '11 10:29:09 PM by deathjavu

Go to class every single day. The only good reason for not going to class is if you're seriously too sick to go (as in, you don't think you can make the walk to class).

Meet with your professors at least sporadically throughout the semester. They want you to pass, but they will make you earn it. They're usually more than willing to give advice if you ask for it.

Don't burn yourself out. Take time to yourself. Don't overload on coursework or on extracurriculars.

Read the textbook, and go to class. Take notes. You may not have needed them in high school, but you do now.

You can't survive on coffee and donuts. Eat at least semi-heathily.

And get some ****ing sleep! You'd be surprised how little work you'll get done at 4 AM with 3 cups of joe in you.

And please, for the love of all that is good, don't do anything illegal.

Oh, and try to treat your professors and (especially) the graduate assistants with respect. We're nicer when we're in a good mood.

If you follow those tips, you'll do fine.

Textbooks are gonna cost you a bundle. There's not much you can do about that, however, if some classic literature books are on your assigned list, don't just buy them right away; first check to see if you can just read them for free at Project Gutenberg.

And if you're feeling really sleepy when you go to class, remember that most professors aren't going to mind if you bring some coffee, soda, or snacks in with you.

also, dont be worried if theres nothing but awkward silence except for a few people talking to one another the first few weeks. it happens. everyone else is likely just as new as you and just as terrified of so many new people around them.

Will be starting Uni in September and all this advice has been very handy for me too so cheers everyone

I don't post so often these days, but this intrigued me.

On the subject of food in college, some people eat more and some people eat less when stressed (e.g. during finals, etc). I'm one of those people who eat less - I either decide I have more important things to do with my time than eating, or I simply forget to. Scheduling your eating time can take care of both. If you eat more, it forces you to structure your eating. If you eat less, it forces you to eat period. Plus you can plan these mealtimes to meet up with friends. And eating with friends is much more fun than eating by yourself.

Be considerate of your roommate(s). Things are going to come up that you least expect. Do you guys like your room the same temperature? What about the time each of you get up in the morning? Or go to sleep (does it bother one of you to leave the light on when you're trying to sleep)? How about how clean the room is kept? Try to work it out with your roommate(s) early in the semester so it doesn't pop up in an argument later when you're stressed. Oh, and on the matter of waking up in the morning: unless your roommate(s) a deep sleeper and they can't hear your alarm, it's rude to keep hitting snooze when you have to wake up earlier than them. Turn off the actual alarm and wake up.

I don't know if you have a major yet, but everyone I know (myself included) worried about their major and whether it was the right choice for them. Seriously, they agonized over it for almost their first two years in school. That might not stop you from doing so, but try not to worry so much about it. What degree you have is really not that much of a big deal once you get out into the real world (though there are some exceptions); many people end up working in things they did NOT major in. So try to enjoy your time and don't feel rushed to figure out what it really is you want to do with yourself.

And lastly, two things about classes. First, actually do the readings you're assigned. Most people don't (myself included half the time), but if you're going to pay all that money for textbooks, you might as well make use of them. More importantly, they actually help you to understand what's going on better. Or at least they provide a different perspective from what's been going on in class. Additionally, there's going to be some teachers who put material in the tests which can only be found in the textbooks. Or, their teaching style doesn't work for you, and so the text books will actually be your best bet for understanding the material. Which brings me to my second point, which is TALK to your teachers. You're going to feel stupid asking them about stuff at first, but they actually love it when you go to them for advice and help. Even if you're doing poorly in the class and you do this, it's going to make their evaluation of you less harsh because they can see that you're trying. So if you're having trouble in the class, talk to your teacher. If you have a question about something you don't understand and that doesn't seem clear, talk to your teacher. If you just want general advice, talk to your teacher.

Oh, and all these people are telling you to work hard and concentrate on your schoolwork. This is true, but try to enjoy yourself too. Real life isn't about working all the time, and college shouldn't be either.

That's really the best advice I can think of. Most of these I found out the hard way, others I was given as advice myself. Good luck to all you freshmen out there.

another piece of advice RE majors

You may be "sure": now, but you won't be.

Almost nobody I've ever met has gone through a 4 year college without at least questioning if a major truly was for them. This is not only why minors exist, but why a lot of people switch majors.

Just ;earn the stuff that interests you, and a major should materialize itself once you know what you like. Don't try coming in with a preset gameplan.

: I knew going into college that I wanted to be an economics major, and I didn't change once. Of course, I had already taken several college classes in the subject concurrently while in high school, so that's a bit different.

This does bring up another piece of advice: Sign up for as many gen-ed classes as you can in your first year - they're required for many (most? all?) majors, they cover enough different fields to help you decide what you are interested in (and more importantly, not interested in), and you'll probably change your major at least once, if not multiple times. If you take mostly gen-ed classes and change majors after 2 years, you can probably graduate in 4 or 4 1/2 years without too much issue. If you load up on major-required classes, then switch, you're looking at 5-6 years (if you even graduate) and tens of thousands of $$$ more.

Always check online for books - half.com is a great place to start. No need to pay sticker price at the bookstore. You might consider renting though, but beware the fine print. If you tend to lose things, this option is NOT for you, since you'll be out the rental fee and the cost of replacement.

@9, be prepared to work hard, and often but have fun too.

edited 19th Aug '11 11:26:16 AM by whaleofyournightmare

Drunken, mostly.

I am also an extremely bad example because I very often missed lectures due to tiredness or hangovers and never took any notes, and nearly all my essays were last-minute rush-jobs completed the night before the deadline. The fact that I graduated with a 2.1 in English Literature and History is a mystery even to me.

In British universities, at least, the marks you get in your first year do not count towards your degree - you just have to pass it. I do not know if that holds true for American universities.

edited 19th Aug '11 11:56:40 AM by pagad

And oh, yeah, the reading list? CHECK which books are required and which books are optional.

Don't take the textbooks as gospel; a) they're sometimes wrong and b) some courses will deliberately select a 'controversial' interpretation to teach you how to critique the things.

Some professors are so delighted to see a coherent, well supported argument that they will let you say anything you like as long as you've backed it up. Others will expect you to agree with their opinions until you get to grad school.

Whatever you do, don't look at the timetable for your classes and think 'great! only eight hours a week!' Especially if you're an arts major, most of your time will be spent studying by yourself. Whether you're science or arts, plan on working 25-30 hours per week (including class time).

To quote an Oxford student: "lectures are optional, but generally pretty essential". You should only miss class if you or a close relative are in hospital. It's always the one you miss that has the material on the exam...

A lot of professors go by the '3 hours of studying per hour of class' rule. I've found that this is typically only true during crunch times. With that said, I'd still plan on putting time outside of class equal to the amount you're spending in class (and in grad school, double that much).

Unfortunately not. Grades at American universities (at least, all the ones I'm familiar with) do count even in your first year, and will affect your cumulative GPA. On the bright side, if you're not planning on going to grad school, the fact that you've graduated is going to matter a lot more than what your GPA was/is. Usually, colleges will require a 2.2 or so GPA, with 2.3-2.5 GPA required in your major/area of concentration. (Based on the 4 point scale, A = 4, etc.)

edited 19th Aug '11 1:17:36 PM by DarkConfidant

It depends on how quickly you pick stuff up for that subject, to be honest. Some courses you can stick with 'hour studying per hour of class' until crunch time. Others you can't.

One thing I would say is that - if the OP wants to be a TV writer - film/TV studies and theatre arts courses involve a heck of a lot of work outside class. (You haven't lived until you've watched the same TV scene ten times to analyse the technical choices the writer made).

Plus, the major joy of college for a writer? They have superb libraries. Full of carefully selected books. And with highly trained librarians. Make use of them; you'll never have research facilities so good again. College is about getting an education - so read outside your course booklists. Take advantage of the college film/movie club. Go watch the student theatre productions.

Oh, and if your college offers a course on finding academic literature in the library/on the Internet take it. Even if it's no-credit. It will save you hours and hours of time.

I think that's true for most majors, actually (working alot outside of class, that is). I'm a music major myself, and for just my performance classes, I'm expected to get in around 28 hours of practicing a week. This is not counting all the other stuff we have to do for our other classes, and we often take high credit loads. Anything you truly want to suceed in, I think you will end up spending alot of time on outside of class. The only thing I can think of that might be an exception might be business majors. From what I've seen of my friends who do it, they don't seem to have much out of class work.

A few more tips:

• Memorize the layout of your campus. I cannot stress this enough. It will save you so much time going from place to place.
• Make some friends with the faculty and staff. It really does help. Especially once you have decided a major, then you'll want to get to know some people in that department.
• Always leave your dorm room locked when no one is there. Some college students are more "opportunistic" than others, and small theft is surprisingly common. If you have a roommate who refuses to do this, you should try and switch roommates or rooms as soon as possible.
• Get some bath sandals/flip-flops if the showers are public. You do not want to know how nasty those places can get.
• Don't get up less than fifteen minutes before classes start. Preferably you want a buffer of at least thirty.

Break out of your shell. Take classes just because you are interested in them, regardless of your major. Explore extracurricular activities. Be open to diverse people, experiences and opinions. If there's one thing I regret about college, it's that I waited till my last semester to really branch out. Of course, I went to a public school. I noticed that you are going to a Christian college, so I don't know how diverse that is going to get.

It's different from high school in that nobody will chase you to do things. You can skip classes and not hand assignments in, and nobody is going to care. They'll just give you zero. Quite a few lecturers are open to giving second chances - for example, last semester I accidently handed an assignment in which I had question 5 twice and question 6 wasn't there at all, and the lecturer allowed me to submit a fixed copy even though the due date was literally months ago. But you have to do the chasing.

It's also unlike high school in that most people there are there because they want to be.

edited 19th Aug '11 9:39:13 PM by LoniJay

Would a college dropout have a tough time applying to another college? Do anyone know of dropouts who returned to college in their mid-20s, and went on to successful careers?

Me.

Yes, you will have a tough time. Especially if, like me, you failed your exams in a spectacular way. They will want you to explain a) why you dropped out and b)why you're not going to do it again.

If you're switching subjects/majors, I'd suggest taking classes in the new subject before applying. This will show them you're serious.

I was in the UK, so I dropped back down a level and took 'A' levels (the equivalent of US first year classes) at my local community college. I'd say that was a pretty good tactic. At least, I got acceptances from more than one college after I'd done it.

If you're in the US, I'd still suggest doing that. Find an open-entry community college, find courses you're interested in even if they're freshman level and you dropped out past that, PASS THEM. Then re-apply.

If you're switching majors, it's relatively easy. You explain that you thought college wasn't for you but after studying (see passed courses) you've realised you picked the wrong course (s).

If not, you have to explain either the extenuating circumstances and how they've now changed or explain that you were an immature idiot (not in those exact words, obviously, but if there are no extenuating circumstances colleges will see you as another immature idiot), but have now grown up, have applied yourself to restarting college (see community college courses) and have evidence of now being a hard working student (tutor's references, passing the courses).

Successful? Always difficult to judge in my business, but people pay me to act. Which is definitely an argument for 'success' So yes, I would say that you can drop out, come back a few years later and certainly get the degree and get the new career. And that people who employ you can be more interested in the point that you got the degree. It does show that when you fail, you don't just give up.

edited 20th Aug '11 2:04:19 AM by Bluesqueak

If you are seriously planning to dedicate yourself to professional writing, I strongly recommend working on your grammar and reviewing some basic standardization rules. No one will take you seriously with the quality of writing you're exhibiting here.

edited 20th Aug '11 2:33:04 AM by kashchei

Thank you very much for your advice. We don't have community colleges here in Singapore, but the local universities accept SAT scores, so perhaps I'll take the SAT and re-apply next year.

edited 20th Aug '11 2:36:57 AM by Jauce