I Am Getting a BA in BS
Mar 05 '01
The Bottom Line College can be fun. It can also be hellish. I like to find a happy medium between the two.
Tip #1: Going to class is a necessary evil. Don't sabotage yourself into skipping (well, not too often, anyway).
This sounds very trite and obvious (I mean, of course everyone knows that attending class is essential to getting good grades), but many students actually don't go. I find it kind of mind-boggling how many kids skip, especially those who aren't that secure in the material even if they get someone else's notes.
Freedom does silly things to people. Escaping Mom and Dad and a high school where you were the BMOC (to use a very Brady Bunch term) to attend a huge university where no one cares if you skip your Meso-American Nutrition Circa the Era of the Conquistadores class can be just plain problematic for unorganized and sometimes lazy kids. (I am an unorganized and sometimes lazy kid myself. I understand.)
Some people succumb to the lure of sleeping in, going out til the wee hours of the morning, drinking all night, etc. If you cannot party all night and perform well the next day, then DON'T! I can't. I need at least six hours of sleep to function, eight hours to be semi-lucid, and ten hours to be human.
Bottom-line: Do not go out until 4 a.m. if you have class the next day. ATTEND CLASS. You will already be ahead of the game, k? Trust me.
And buy a good alarm clock. Scratch that: Buy two, and put one across the room so you can't accidentally hit the sleep button and miss class.
Tip #2: Be prepared for annoying and/or pretentious professors. Some are even sleazy.
Just because someone has earned a doctorate doesn't make him/her a deity. I've heard of (and met) some truly idiotic and callous professors (yes, I've met some perfectly nice and extremely interesting ones as well, but I don't need to warn you about those).
Some professors especially love to push their verbose research on to unsuspecting and adulating students. Professors also often require that the books they have written be must-reads for the class, or they offer up other inane modes of self-promotion.
Don't fall for it. I am not saying disregard everything the prof says, but some profs can really spew stuff you may not agree with.
Do what's needed for the course, but don't be brainwashed. Professor So-and-So may very well have attended Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, but those degrees mean nothing when personal politics are what's being taught, not factual statements.
And, I reiterate, not all professors are pretentious! Just some of them. ::smirk::
Tip #3: Learn to brown-nose. See Tip #2
Tip #4: Make a schedule. Stick to it.
This is a savior for me. I love making sure I have all my ducks in a row (um, right), and writing out a schedule helps me tremendously.
I suggest buying one of those boards you can write on with erasable marker and creating a makeshift calendar with every important school assignment or event coming up on it: tests, papers, projects, study group meetings, etc.
And when I say "schedule," of course I mean something flexible. Spontaneity isn't completely out of the question. Use good judgment.
Tip #5: Check out special interest dorms.
These can be good or bad, but I think there are some perks. Special interest dorms generally have rules that are more closely followed than other dorms. There are usually substance-free dorms (no smoking or drinking allowed), language dorms (you're majoring in French? Practice with your roommates!), etc.
I think these types of dorms are usually more conducive toward a "study" environment, and they seem like a great way to meet like-minded people.
Tip #6: Follow these self-explanatory random tips.
-Eat healthfully.
-Sleep adequately.
-Drink water.
-Don't binge drink if possible.
-Practice safe sex.
-Try to be open-minded. If you hate it, at least you tried.
-Participate in study groups. Or try one at least once. I dig them.
-Keep your room inhabitable.
-Call your parents once in a while.
-Don't be coerced into listening to Dave Matthews Band and/or Phish if you don't want to.
-Don't be coerced into participating in Greek life.
-Learn something.
-Everything in moderation.
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Epinions.com ID:
bupkiss
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Location: Richmond, Virginia, USA
Reviews written: 26
Trusted by: 27 members
About Me:
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