[Mr.Familiar]

So it's getting to be that time again for some of you. I wrote this for my forever little sister who is going to WSU this coming week, about all of the things that I learned or that eventually dawned on me. She is kind of hesitant about going, and I'm actually worried about her dropping out. She's an emotional little firecracker. Maybe it can help a few of you as well. Also, feel free to add to anything that I have forgotten, or that you disagree/agree with.


Wisdom for college:

1. Never rule out any further education for yourself. You will change, a lot. Many times.
2. Therefore, make good study habits early, and achieve B’s and A’s your first few years, at least. This is to satisfy graduate school requirements that you may wish to pursue later, and the first two years, classes are easy anyways. Invest!
3. I didn’t start using the library until my Junior year. It’s a great place to block out time to finish what you need to get done, and with little distractions.
4. Hold off on alcohol and drugs for as long as you can. Your brain still develops until you turn 21-22.
5. Some classes are easy and will make you feel smart because you don’t have to study. Other classes require 10-20 hours extra of reading and memorizing, and you still don’t understand anything. Ask for help if you need it.
6. Read the book and study. Lecture is the supplement.
7. When you study, don't just say "I'm going to study for an hour and I'll be ok." Actually understand the material. If it takes 3 hours to understand something that you think should take only 30 mins, DO IT. It WILL be on the exam and WILL make a difference between a B and an A.
8. Personally, I found that the more that was demanded out of me, the greater I performed. If you can work and do school at the same time, go for it. I did for one quarter my junior year (ran my own business) and did pretty well in both, but for the most part I worked summers so I could focus on one thing at a time.
9. Don’t let guys/girls toy with your emotions. It’s not worth it.
10. Go out and have fun!
11. Go to your classes and lecture. Every. Single. One.
12. Sometimes, school will be very hard, and you’ll want to just come home and drop out. Don’t. It’s college, it’s going to be hard sometimes, just like life.
13. Always use protection.
14. Make smart choices. And sometimes, stupid ones.
15. Be nice to everyone you meet and judge as little as possible; especially your roommate. You will be getting to know a lot of people that are vastly different from you, and in ways you cannot yet imagine. They may seem deficient in some respects, but trust me, they probably excel in others; and they probably see you the same way. I believe, you can learn something from everyone. However, don’t be taken advantage of or let people bring you down with them. With people, friendships, and relationships, it’s always a balancing act.

Cheers

[snakeeater397]

Agree, except for the alcohol part. I drank the most freshman year, and got the best grades freshman year. But that was just me.

[diablodow]

Looks good to me.

[paintballh00dlum]

going to add a couple things

1. Buy a planner. If you are even a little forgetful, writing down your upcoming tests, when homework is due, etc. in a planner really keeps you from forgetting anything. I am a junior in college and its one of my best tools.

2. Drinking is ok in college as long as you are smart/mature enough to know when you can do it. PRIORITIES. I cant even explain how many people I know went nuts in college and messed up their grades because they couldn't balance alcohol and school.

3. Try to do your homework on the same day it is assigned (unless its like a 15 page paper) that way it is done and out of the way and you won't be caught rushing it at the last second and messing it up. Plus, if you do it right away the weekend will be free for you to relax. If you have a long paper due, make days that you are going to do each part. For example do 3 pages Monday, 3 Wednesday, 3 Friday, etc. tldr DONT PROCRASTINATE.

4. This applies mostly to the females (are girls even on the internet?)- WATCH YOUR DRINKS AT PARTIES. I'm serious when I say don't leave it unattended. I personally know people that have been roofied (aka date rape drug, a pill thats sedative and messes you up) before at parties. My one guy friend was roofied once because some guy tried roofie-ing a girl and put it in the wrong drink. I am not trying to scare you here because it doesn't happen very often, but it does happen. If you are a guy, just tell your female friends to be aware.

5. YouTube. Having trouble with math? YouTube videos are probably the best thing I have come across when it comes to math. There are a lot of good teachers that make videos on pretty much any subject of math so if you are struggling on a topic, type it in YouTube. I am not the greatest at math but just doing that I ended up with a B+ in my latest math class.

6. If you want to succeed in life you have to try. That means making sacrifices. Many of you will be living in dorms, that means no parent around to tell you what to do. This seems great but you have to learn to be responsible enough to know your priorities and get things done when you need to. College will be hard, but when you do the things you have to do, when you have to do them, the day will come when you can do the things you want to do, when you want to do them.

[chodeyg]

Don't be afraid to change schools or take a semester off if you really aren't feeling it.

[blitz121]

Shower shoes are a must unless you have your own bathroom, I am just warning everyone now. Our showers were somewhat disgusting.

[kuski19]

Originally Posted by Mr.Familiar

4. Hold off on alcohol and drugs for as long as you can. Your brain still develops until you turn 21-22.

6. Read the book and study. Lecture is the supplement.

Agreed with everything but these.

4. Didn't seem to effect me or any of my friends. As long as you are responsible it isn't a big deal. Some people can handle it and some can't. That's just what I've noticed.

6. For me it was the exact opposite. I hardly read any text books. Hell I barely bought my books. Except for novels, barely any of my teachers even used the text books they assigned. I got by with taking good notes and listening during lecture. However, I've always felt that I've learned better from listening instead of reading.

[Nowayout24]

youtube is very helpful for math..has helped me numerous times

[black_angus]

Originally Posted by chodeyg

Don't be afraid to change schools or take a semester off if you really aren't feeling it.

Or you could just man up and trudge through it. Don't put yourself in ****ty situations in the first place and you shouldn't ever get to a situation where you "really aren't feeling it". This sounds like a big excuse for not working hard. Unless you go through some major **** in the middle of school, you should be able to get through just about anything. Just don't be an idiot, be proactive, and have some goddam mental toughness.

[nlux]

Nice list!

[DesertIce]

Originally Posted by Nowayout24

youtube is very helpful for math..has helped me numerous times

Agree. Would also suggest Khan Academy. I'm starting Calculus I this fall after being out of school for 5 years and have learned a lot from it.

[chodeyg]

Originally Posted by black_angus

Or you could just man up and trudge through it. Don't put yourself in ****ty situations in the first place and you shouldn't ever get to a situation where you "really aren't feeling it". This sounds like a big excuse for not working hard. Unless you go through some major **** in the middle of school, you should be able to get through just about anything. Just don't be an idiot, be proactive, and have some goddam mental toughness.

Damn, good job making an assumption and and saying some rude ****. I'd explain my situation but it wouldnt be worth the effort for someone that could jump to a conclusion like you did without any background information.

[arod11]

rule 1. nothing is illegal... unless you get caught
as well as
rule 2. everything is acceptable... unless your told other wise in which case revert back to rule 1.

[sucka T.]

Originally Posted by arod11

rule 1. nothing is illegal... unless you get caught
as well as
rule 2. everything is acceptable... unless your told other wise in which case revert back to rule 1.

this is possibly the worst advice i have ever heard

[Tomvec629]

be open to everything and anyone
its easier to find what you dont like than what you do like

[Plan B 13]

Never ever ever walk home alone after you have been drinking heavily, even if your dorm is literally a block away from where you were. Get someone sober to walk with you. Cops will find you. They will breathalyze you. They will write you a citation. Worst case scenario, they will take you to jail (only if your beyond blackout and being a dick, speaking from personal experience).

[starshot44]

Just be smart, safe and aware of whats going on around you at night for an added extra

[pastel (Banned)]

Originally Posted by chodeyg

Damn, good job making an assumption and and saying some rude ****. I'd explain my situation but it wouldnt be worth the effort for someone that could jump to a conclusion like you did without any background information.

you just said not to hesitate taking a year off if "you arent feeling it." what is someone supposed to assume based off of that comment? thats gotta be the laziest thing ive ever heard anyone say about college.

[Mr.Familiar]

Originally Posted by Plan B 13

Never ever ever walk home alone after you have been drinking heavily, even if your dorm is literally a block away from where you were. Get someone sober to walk with you. Cops will find you. They will breathalyze you. They will write you a citation. Worst case scenario, they will take you to jail (only if your beyond blackout and being a dick, speaking from personal experience).

Dude...what? You have no obligations to talk to police. Ever.

[chodeyg]

Originally Posted by pastel

you just said not to hesitate taking a year off if "you arent feeling it." what is someone supposed to assume based off of that comment? thats gotta be the laziest thing ive ever heard anyone say about college.

you aren't supposed to assume anything. you are supposed to take it for what it is. cool self righteous attitude bro.

after several unexpected deaths in the family, parents losing jobs, friends turning their backs on me, crappy T.A.s being passed off as professors, other cluster****s that don't deserve explanation to people like you, i decided to take some time off to work. after six semesters with my grades still intact. and i will be going back to another school next semester.

its cute the high and mighty attitude you come at me all for deciding to take one semester off, though. seriously, where do you get such an attitude? whats SO bad about taking one semester off and changing schools if your school isn't working out for you?

tough guys on the internet always gotta come up with something.

[Kenny_McCormick]

Make as many friends as possibly as early as possible. Its easiest in the first few weeks of extreme awkward when nobody knows anybody yet.