I, like many roleplayers, are going to begin college soon. Post Ya tips and tricks for getting through University (Grades, teachers, clubs, partying, dorming, relationships because men are frustrating). Possibly even funny stories, or something someone can really learn from.
Go for four or more years, get a degree, a socially-acceptable alcohol problem, and the dark realization that all of the debt you racked up for a piece of paper is utterly useless because every career hiring in your field not only requires a four-year-degree, but also seven-plus years of experience which is utterly impossible because the only way to get experience in said field is to work in said field which requires the degree you went to college for in the first place so instead you're stuck working for minimum wage just so you can afford to pay your parents rent.
Ha ha, I'm joking of course. It's a joke. Ha ha...ha...
-Go to class. You're paying for them and you're paying for your big, expensive textbooks that you'll never use.
-Speaking of textbooks, don't buy them if you can get by without them. There are plenty of means online to getting whatever information you need from a textbook.
-If you're picking between commuting or dorming, dorm. Commutes are a drag, and living in the dorm gives you more opportunity to one, become independent, and two, meet new people. When you're in the room leave your door open (just don't be the prick who plays things at too loud of a volume). People walking by will poke their head in and be like, "Oh, damn son, you like the Shins?" and you'd be like, "Yeah man, the Shins are my jam", and they'd be like, "Tight. Let's be best friends!" and then you have a new best friend who likes the Shins even though you don't really like the Shins, it just happened to come on your shuffle at the time and you felt bad saying otherwise.
-Go to class. Seriously.
-After a night of drinking, drink at least two bottles of water before going to bed. You'll feel better in the morning. Also, stick with the same type of drink for the night. Mixing beer with jello shots with rum and Coke is a good way to end up being that jerk who's locked in the bathroom throwing up into the hamper while the rest of us really, really need to pee.
-Also while drinking: remember the buddy system.
-Also, if you drink so much that you're really hungover and can't make it to class then just throw up and go to class anyway.
-Talk to your teachers. Use office hours.
-As you get further into your field, try to find a way to get an internship because that thing about places not hiring people with degrees because they lack experience? Yeah, not really a gag. A solid reference is probably more important than a certificate that shows that you're really good at committing to things and memorizing factoids.
-If you ever feel overwhelmed, remember that literally nobody in the world actually knows what the hell it is that they're doing and that they're just pretending to understand things because that's what all the other people are doing. Your friends, your teachers, your parents, strangers on the internet, literally everyone is making it up as they go.
But, you know, I dropped out so maybe my advice isn't the best.
- Don't be afraid to talk to a teacher if you're struggling or just to talk to them. Some are pretty chill.
- Group projects will frustrate the hell out of you for your general classes. Annoy the shit out of your teammates. Bitches best not ruin your grades. If they don't abide, even if people think this is the lame route, inform your teacher.
- Networking is key! Some of these people will be in your field and may even give you jobs! Make connections.
- You will pull all nighters.
- Time management is a learning skill but you'll figure it out in your own insane way - give yourself treats occasionally
For the love of God, get some earplugs. People in dorms/halls don't care if you're not sleeping well. Go to a hardware store or anywhere that does home DIY stuff and get a bag of those bright orange earplugs that construction workers use. It will stop you from having to kill your new friends. Failing that, screaming "shut the f*ck up" louder than their music also seems to work, but should only be used in emergencies.
E: Also, if you get one bad night's sleep, don't worry too much about it. Experience has taught me that you can live a couple of days on crappy sleep - yes, even you. I know you're thinking "not ME, I NEED my 10 hours!" but honestly, the mental sluggishness is all in your head. There's no use lying awake thinking you'll never get to sleep and therefore you will have a bad time in the morning. You will be ok and you should go to class and just not worry about it.
If you do end up dorming, don't piss off your Resident Assistant.
I'm serious here, speaking from experience on both ends. I saw what happened when people pissed off the Resident Assistant for my floor my first year. I also know what it's like to be pissed off when you're a Resident Assistant, and oh boy...
Let's just say revenge is sweet, no matter how long you have to wait for it. So seriously, don't piss them off. You don't have to like them (though if you do try to make nice with them it'll probably be your advantage), but don't just piss them off. Because if you do, we'll find you.
Contrary to popular belief, if you go to a community college and transfer after one year, the next college will take everything as an elective or a certain major requirement.
I did it for one year much to the dismay of a professor (who was once busted 15 years ago for pot possession) and the president of my college. Hate these people, told me I'd fail if I transferred before finishing at that college.
A-holes didn't know me. I have like a 3.65+ GPA and I have a great scholarship for next year.
Real tips now: -Surround yourself with like minded people (didn't really have like minded people at my first college)
-join a club/organization your interested in (I did a few, one I had to leave for personal reasons and due to scheduling conflicts. But for the most part I loved it all)
-If your religious, join a religious group of fellow believers (I didn't have one at my last college. Funny story, the Christian group at my old college essentially shunned me after I went to see the Pope in Philadelphia last September. These groups are life savers)
-Do not take hard math, take an easy math course (unless your a math major)
-Take in speakers every college has a great speaker series once a year or a constant stream of good speakers. (I saw Kari Byron from the Mythbusters last year, the guy that sang She Blinded Me with Science, and Bill Nye the Science Guy)
-Stay up late
-Your parents can be a big support system (don't hesitate to call them)
-If possible live at home (i did and it saved me a fortune)
-If your at a public university, try to socialize with people
-If your in a political science class, good luck. People are very opinionated in those classes.
- Make contacts. Talk to everyone, be on friendly terms. I say "contacts", not "friends". You may not like these people, but they are going to be working in the same field as you. Get out of the clique mentality prevalent in high school - you're all there to graduate with a useful skill-set. That asshole sitting next to you might be your boss tomorrow, or your colleague, or the guy who interviews you for your dream job. Don't burn bridges before you've had a chance to cross them.
- Learn to be your own hero. I can't stress this enough. Don't rely on your parents or friends or professors or anyone else for that matter. In the modern world a person has to be completely self-reliant, sorry but that's just the reality of it. Especially when it comes to the universally despised group projects, you should always anticipate and prepare for someone flaking on you. The professor isn't going to care that Jake got too stoned last night and couldn't submit his part of the project. Always have a plan B.
- Learn to use Google. Love it, cherish it, because this bad boy is going to be the biggest factor in getting that degree. This isn't school and nobody is gonna spoon-feed you information, you'll have research and find it on your own. By this I don't mean going to Google and searching for "how to solve xyz". Learn how to search within specific fields. Look up scientific journals that pertain to your interests. This all comes in handy when writing a course work or something along those lines. Check this, a quick way of improving your Google-Fu: lifehacker.com/google-tips-and-tricks-..
- If possible don't start a job until your 3rd year. I made this mistake and it's cost me two years of my life basically.
- Don't break up before your exams. Just don't.
- Gain extra certifications while working on your degree. This is very specific depending on what you're actually studying. In my case, I study informatics and comp sciences, so degrees from Cisco, Microsoft, VMware, etc are incredibly important. Depending on your field, they are often more precious than your diploma.
- Learn a new language. Every language is a door to new job opportunities, both at home and abroad. Best time to learn languages is while young, so just go for it.
- Finally, don't forget to live it up. Life might seem incredibly complicated and busy in college, so people often think "OK, I'll push through these 4-6 years, then enjoy myself". Don't be that guy/gal. It's only going to get harder from here and you'll have less and less free time.
Thanks guys. What about relationships in college tho?
