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How to Succeed in College by Actually TryingJun 02 '00 (Updated Jun 21 '00) Write an essay on this topic.Ah, freedom! It’s a powerful thing. People all around the world strive for it, fight wars to protect it, overthrow governments to achieve it. The ability to make your own decisions and have them count is quite the narcotic. And when you are in college it is very easy to overdose on it. “Overdose on freedom?” you’re thinking. How can one have too much? One can have too much when they don’t know how to use it and use it responsibly. My college situation is a little unusual. Instead of me going away when it came time for college, my parents did. I went to college in the city that I had been born in, New York. However, my parents, ever the intrepid adventurers, decided to use the time to travel. This resulted in me living in my parents’ apartment alone. Isn't that what every child dreams of? They go away, leave you the apartment, send you checks, and call you once a week. At first, I couldn't get over it. Then, it happened. Everything that my parents had taught me about being a responsible adult kicked in. Damn it! Instead of planning my next party, I was planning my dinner, my major, and my life. Despite the rather unusual nature of my situation, there are many things that I learned in that year (My parents returned during the summer after my first year. I moved to the dorms and then, to an off-campus apartment.) If responsibility can happen to me, it can happen to you. Shiny, Happy People. And Then There Are the Freshmen College is quite unlike anything you have experienced in your life. You are on your own, and with your parents far away (or just not on the campus), visions of keg parties dance in your head. There’s just one problem: you miss them. Surprised? As much as you counted the days to this moment, they are still your parents and they have been part of your life practically every day for the last seventeen or eighteen years of your life. Admit that you are homesick. See the other people waiting in the hall on line for the pay phones? They are freshmen and they miss home, too. That’s why it is important to develop relationships early on in your first year. You need people to talk to, to complain about that 8am Econ class to, to commiserate with during your first college finals. It is very easy to stay in your room (or apartment, as the case may be) and cry about how much you miss your family and old friends. Don’t. This is the worst possible thing to do. If you have a roommate, establish a relationship with them (Plug: read my epinion on my, uh, interesting college roommate experience). But also leave yourself open to other people by leaving your dorm room door open when you are there. An open door implies an open personality. During those weeks, other freshmen are as eager as you are to form bonds and an open door is an invitation to a friendship. Another great way to adjust to this new way of life is by joining clubs. However, don’t overload. You are there to earn a degree, not to devote your whole semester to saving the radio station from budget cuts. Pace yourself. During your first year, join one or two clubs. If possible, try to get involved with clubs you enjoyed in high school. Were you on your high school’s newspaper? Consider joining the campus paper or one of the magazines. Don’t try too many changes too quickly. You have four years to do everything you want to do – don’t try to fit it all into your first year. Rumor Has It That People Give Lectures in Those, um, What Do You Call Them?, Classrooms In case you were under any misapprehensions, your parents did not send you to college for you to discover the joys of your local bars (which you should not be going to because you are underage. Right?) You are here to get a degree. Thriving within the college academic environment requires skills that were not necessary in high school. So let’s see how this college thing works. The Classes You will notice that you are given a list of classes, the rooms they are held in, and the times that they start and end. It is called a schedule. This is your first hint that you are actually supposed to show up. Your last hint will be when the Dean of your School informs you that you have been suspended for inadequate attendance. You want to avoid the last hint and get it the first time around. Most people do not want to be in a classroom at 8am learning about macroeconomics in micro detail (my apologies to the economists in the audience). However, in order to be able to study the things that you want to study (a.k.a. your major), you have to take the required courses and pass them. Now, you may be thinking, “well, I can just read the chapters in the text, and I will be able to pass. No problem.” There is a problem: the professors know that you are thinking this and have devised devious little strategies. The first one is not using the textbook at all and testing you on the notes. The second way, a very simple way, is by taking attendance. I had many professors in college who followed the three-strikes-and you’re-out method of class attendance: meaning that, if you had three unexcused absences in a semester, you were reported to the Dean. Since my goal is not to totally screw up my life, I showed up for a class. I missed a couple, I have to admit, but I was careful – careful to avoid running into the professor that day, careful to insure that the absence was worth it, and careful enough to avoid placing my academic record in jeopardy. The Professors Surprisingly enough, most of them actually like to teach. And, even more of a surprise, is the fact that they do not sit home at night planning ways to destroy your GPA or embarrass you in class. They actually want to help you. However, here is where the difference between college and high school becomes most apparent: you have to go to them if you have a problem. They will not, in all likelihood, come to you and ask. College professors are very busy people – they teach three or four classes a semester, write journal articles to maintain position within their department or get tenure, sit on several college committees, moderate one or two clubs, et cetera, et cetera… . With this type of schedule, it is difficult for them to focus on the problems of one student, unless the problems are severe and obvious. Don’t let your troubles get to that point. If you have a question, ask them during class. If you feel uncertain about asking it in a public forum or it has to do with your personal performance within a course, go to them during office hours. Make an appointment or walk in, depending on department policy. However, this is your opportunity to have your professor’s undivided attention, so come in prepared with your concerns and questions so that you can use your time effectively. The Major In your freshman year, it is not necessary to have your major decided. However, it is a good time to start thinking about what you will be concentrating in. Start with the classes that you are currently taking. Do any of them interest you? Does the idea of going to one of them at 9am not totally bother you? As much as these courses are required, they are also a means for the department to recruit more majors. I became a psychology major after taking a required social sciences class. If none of these classes stirs your interest, you can start looking through your college catalog and see if any of the featured classes is something you would be interested in studying. If your catalog is as badly written as most, I would suggest you visit the college bookstore. Look around and if any of the topics or titles draw you in, pick it up and look through it. If you are completely repelled, keep that major in mind and inquire about the requirements for that degree. It is recommended that you have your major decided by the middle to the end of your second year because you need time to complete the requirements before your four years are up. I Would Have Finished the Paper, But the Devil on My Keyboard Told Me to Go Forth and Seek Entertainment It is rather nice not having someone standing over your shoulder telling you to finish your homework. Now, you have the freedom to do as you choose and the choices you make have consequences. Your choices. In college, you are accountable for the errors you make. If you don’t hand that paper in on time, it is because you made the decision not to. College is one of the most surreal experiences in life. You have the freedoms of the “real world,” while still having safety nets to catch you and ivy-covered walls to protect you. So, how does one get the most bang for their parents’ 100,000 bucks? A plan. Yes, it does sound anal to make a schedule to have fun but it works. To ensure that you get everything done that needs to be done, there needs to be a place for everything. To make a schedule that you are going to stick to, you have to sit down and analyze your daily habits. Are you a morning person or a night owl? If you feel really energized and focused in the pre-noon hours, you can use this time to study for a test, plan and/or write an upcoming paper, or do research in the library. Before each week starts, figure out what needs to be done and when it needs to be done, then plug it in to the various times you have set aside for academics. This type of schedule not only allows you to get everything done when it needs to be done, but it also leaves time for the extracurricular priorities, including exercise. As much as exercise keeps you physically healthy, it also keeps you mentally sharp by generating blood flow to your brain and also increasing adrenaline. You don’t need to exercise every day but 10 to 15 minutes a day, a couple days of the week, is certainly something that you can make time for. The End It is hard not to feel that you are the only one feeling the pressure and anxiety of the first year. But you aren't. It may seem like cold comfort but you only have to look down the hall of your dorm at those other open door to realize they are all feeling it, too. Remember this first year will end and this anxiety and uncertainty will fade until it becomes that distant memory you hazily recall on your graduation day. And, then you go to graduate school, and all those memories come flooding back.  |
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