Starting College

[mensa180]

Hey!  My sister went to MTSU about a decade ago and a few of my friends are there now. 

I'm currently a sophomore elsewhere, but the advice is general:  Take the most demanding courses you can and work very hard.  Your professors will notice and it pays off.  In high school I never kept an agenda, in college I still don't make daily notes but a calender was pretty necessary.  It's surprisingly easy to forget a class if you aren't used to it. 

Also if you're in doubt email the professor before the problem instead of after.  Don't hesitate to take advantage of office hours or TA sessions, they aren't for goofs, they are truly helpful.
Do the homework (generally).  If it's a math class calcII+ it is really in your best interest to do the homework, it doesn't matter how good you are at math...if you don't gain familiarity with the new concepts then you won't do well on the test, there's a point where it doesn't matter how good at actual computations you are because without a solid grasp of the definitions you just won't make it. 

And the girls are 18-22.

[BoilerDown]

Just saw this linked by someone on Facebook.  Thought it would be good to post up in this thread.  It echoes some of the things I said and more:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/billconerly/2012/08/21/how-to-make-a-college-graduate-employable

[RightF00T]

I graduated almost 4 years ago.  I'm young enough to still have fresh memories, but old enough to remember the important stuff.  So here goes:

Don't be tempted to go home every chance you get....some of your best memories will be made in those times you're not in class.  This goes without saying, don't spend all your free time playing video games and not socializing.  Your best network in the professional world will come from the people you make friends with and have classes with.

You get alot of breaks in college...the real world does not operate this way...take advantage.  

But when it's time to work, DO YOUR WORK. First year can be fun, but if you have too much fun there won't be any "college years" after that.  

Date.  A LOT.  Nowhere else in life will you have access to as many fit, adventurous, and unattached women with goals as high as yours.   You can find your wife at college, but if you haven't explored other options first you're going to be tempted later in life.

[Masherbrum]

If you can't go Greek, GO TKE! 

[BreakingBad]

Do your studying and assignments before socialization and fun.

Don't be a stranger to your professors either, make sure they see the face early on.  Remember you are paying to go to the university, and they are paid to have office hours, so use it.

What do you want to major in?

[curry1]

Choose the professor not the class.  Don't take classes with crap professors find out by talking to upperclassmen and ratemyprofessors.com  A crap professor can make a fun class real boring and quick.  But an awesome professor can make my chemistry class (I hated chemistry in high school) my favorite class.  I might even become a chemistry major because I like it so much.

[Hoarach]

Im currently at New York Medical College so Ive already gone through the undergrad scene, been at school since the 15th of August.

First get comfortable with your classes.  I dont know how big MTSU is so I can only assume that is somewhere on the larger side.  If your classes are actually taught by professors like my undergrad was (average class size was 15 for me, largest was 22 and smallest was 5) get to know your professors fast.  Take full advantage of their office hours and introduce yourself so they can put a name to you and get to know you.  This will make getting a letter of recommendation that much easier.  Before doing anything get comfortable with knowing what your trouble classes will be and expectations of classes.  Use your planner which Im assuming the school should give.  Put your tests in there.  Put your tests dates also on your phone.  DO NOT SKIP CLASS.  

After a couple weeks, start to get involved on campus.  Join as many clubs as possible that interest you and get involved with community service.  This will help you in the long run when it comes to looking for a job showing that you are a well rounded person.

If you start to get overwhelmed, seek help and take a step back on your involvement.  This is one thing I didnt learn to do until my senior year.  I was a collegiate athlete in football and still trying to put in at least 8-10 hours of volunteer work a week, with research, and clubs.  It sucked so learn your limits.  Figure out what works best for you in terms of studying.  This is a lot different then high school and what worked in high school will NOT WORK in college.  You will have to make adjustments.

Im going say this now since it is college, do not drink every day like some will do.  Learn to have moderation.  Save it for the weekends and only the weekends.  The week should be devoted to class and people will pressure you to drink with them on a Tuesday or Thursday, it is a bad habit for people to start.  I dont know what major you will be in or what day tests are but my tests were typically on Fridays.

Im going contradict RightFOOT here but thats because everyone has a different experience.  I had 3 girlfriends in college and didnt real want to do the do as many girls as possible as some want to.  My 3rd girlfriend was actually one of my best friends during college all 4 years.  My mind, just go with the flow in that department.  It will happen naturally in terms of that, just go with it.  Dont force anything but that is me.

Like mentioned above, dont be a home person.  Try breaking that connection ASAP.  I think I went home maybe 4-5 times throughout the whole semester just to pick up supplies and get some home cooked food to bring back.  You want to experience college life and dont want to be homesick all the time as that will get in the way.

Last but not least make sure you devote a lot of time to studying but dont over study.  Over studying can sometimes be bad.  Make sure you have that escape such as playing video games or what not for an hour or two to just relax and clear your mind.  If you plan on studying before bed, make sure you have something you can do before you fall asleep like watch 30 minutes of tv or something.  Going to bed right after studying can be bad.  If you havent done so, CANCEL AH.  Do it only during your vacation breaks.  I only did it a couple summers and didnt do it all this past summer.  

Also get to know the older people.  If you can become friends with people that have already taken classes, typically you can get old tests and information about the class that will benefit you largely.  This should happen with clubs and what not and a lot of people keep their old tests and what not.

[smoe]

Date.  A LOT.  Nowhere else in life will you have access to as many fit, adventurous, and unattached women with goals as high as yours.   You can find your wife at college, but if you haven't explored other options first you're going to be tempted later in life.

Oh yea, college is the only place where free beer and free sex do happen.

[RedBull1]

Nice, my sister is starting college in a few weeks, I plan on joining the Army when I finish HS though.

[curry1]

Nice, my sister is starting college in a few weeks, I plan on joining the Army when I finish HS though.

Nowhere else in life will you have access to as many fit, adventurous, and unattached women with goals as high as yours.

[Grayeagle]

Hiya!

A lil background ..
Took two years of Aerodynamics thru Embry Riddle on base while I was in the USAF.
Finished my first Associate degree in the last years I was in the USAF in Avionics Technology.
Right after I got out I went to nearest community college and finished my second Associates in Science with major in Electronics.
Several great years later I enrolled in a 4yr CAD engineering program ..was hired two weeks before I took the final for the Associates in that.
(ya, baby, hired to be Lead Artist on Air Warrior ..school was OUT

Coupla things that struck me about the college routine:

You are *paying* them to teach you.
Suck it up like a sponge, push the grade curve, do the work and if you really enjoy a subject burn hard on it and get it down.
(I earned a 4.0 GPA, Dean's List with Honors, was told by class spokesman I was ruining the grade curve ..
.. told him that was not my problem, I was there to get as much as I could from it)

Talk to the counselors, network, find out what directions you can go ..
..ie: if you get a degree with Math/Physics core you can do anything pretty much because you learn the tools to figure just about anything out.

Once you have the pre-req's done you can tack on another degree in no time.
It's almost like cheating
.. 'Why yes, I have two degrees and most of the work done on two others'
Cake.

Being sharp is a learned skill .. there are numerous books on how to be a master student.
Basics are hear it, write it, and by all means get someone to trade questions with.
If you drill each other on a subject you would be amazed how sharp you get.
It's all about learning, so read up on how to do it well.

I tell friends that ask ..college teaches you how to learn.
It's no secret.
It's rough for those who do not do their job as students.
They are throwing not just the money away
.. it impacts all the way down the line..
..for years.
ie: two resume's on my desk, one guy got a 4.0, other was 3.1 .. hmm .. which to hire?

If you party hard and ignore the work, McDonalds is hiring I hear.

-GE aka Frank

[Babalonian]

<snip>
Once you have the pre-req's done you can tack on another degree in no time.
It's almost like cheating
.. 'Why yes, I have two degrees and most of the work done on two others'
Cake.
<snip>

I'd like to stress this.  It's a little counter-intuitive to the recently unchained teenager's personal agenda, but focus on getting your GED credits out of the way as soon as possible.  You can (and probably will) change your degree a few times between now and ~four years ahead, so taking the GED classes now while you're still maybe undecided won't waste any of your time.  If you're not really certain with the path/career you've chosen "for life", just choose one you'll be content/happy with for only five or ten or twenty years, and complete earning that degree for it.

I'll be going back to school this coming February for an A&P associates degree (my 2nd), I already have an associates in CADD, so when I go in to meet counselors and professors who are used to giving the same speech to every 17-19yo, the abbreviated conversation goes: "Great, so you're only here for the fun stuff."

[mensa180]

Going off the "get the prereqs out of the way" theme:

Alternatively, you can find a school that only loosely requires some courses, and many can be forgone via AP credit. (speaking to any high school students reading the thread who have yet to decide where to apply)

I have only taken courses that interest me, it turns out they are all math and science, so I am only 4 courses from being finished with an Applied Math degree, ~5 for a Chemistry degree, and after the Applied Math reqs it should only be about three more for a Pure Math degree.  Pretty easily done in the 5 semesters I have left (i'm a sophomore).  The only required course I'll have to take in the next two and a half years that I don't really want to or couldn't get AP credit for is a social science. 

I prefer this means of learning over having to take a large sampling of gen ed classes, you might as well.

So get the prereqs out of the way, definitely, and it's even better when the prereqs are for your degree instead of for beginning the prereqs for your degree.

[guncrasher]

I'd like to stress this.  It's a little counter-intuitive to the recently unchained teenager's personal agenda, but focus on getting your GED credits out of the way as soon as possible.  You can (and probably will) change your degree a few times between now and ~four years ahead, so taking the GED classes now while you're still maybe undecided won't waste any of your time.  If you're not really certain with the path/career you've chosen "for life", just choose one you'll be content/happy with for only five or ten or twenty years, and complete earning that degree for it.

I'll be going back to school this coming February for an A&P associates degree (my 2nd), I already have an associates in CADD, so when I go in to meet counselors and professors who are used to giving the same speech to every 17-19yo, the abbreviated conversation goes: "Great, so you're only here for the fun stuff."

try doing that when you are 47 .


semp

[Pigslilspaz]

Nice, my sister is starting college in a few weeks, I plan on joining the Army when I finish HS though.

1. Where is she going
2. She's 18, right?