August 24, 2006

• Try not to spend so much time holed up with the stupid books.
• Don't go sitting alone in your room, Come here the music play Life is a caberet, old chum, Life is a caberet!
• What a Frosh or the ceeb was
• Frosh. 'Ceeb' is like the Beeb, but Canadian, and less exhaustive. My apologies -- didn't realize that 'frosh' wasn't universal. (Ha! uni-versal!)
• 1. Don't commute if you can help it. You'll miss out on more than you can imagine and it will be harder to focus on school. 2. Ask stupid questions and don't be embarrassed about it. 3. Maker personal connections with advisors, financial aid counselors, and any secretary who seems even remotely sympathetic 4. Shop around for used textbooks online 5. Understand that your TA's are taking out their own negative experiences as undergrads on you because it's their first taste of real power. 6. If you can afford to not work full-time over summer break, take summer courses. The profs are just as eager to slack off and enjoy summer as you are, and classes tend to be smaller. 7. A laptop with a wireless card is one of the best investments you'll ever make. 8. Befriend a librarian. 9. Befriend someone with a car. If you have a car, be nice and offer rides to the less fortunate. 10. Yes, you do look stupid when you're drunk. No, nobody thinks it's cute.
• Sigh. When I was a frosh there were no laptops, no wireless cards, no shopping online for textbooks. On the other hand, the legal drinking age was 18.
• Since it was a mere year ago that I was a new frosh myself, I think I can help here. Try to make connections with other people around you. I can't tell you this enough. If you sit in your room talking to friends from home all day, college will never stop feeling like a strange, unfriendly place. So join clubs, say hi to people you recognize from classes, go to parties, try new things. All the other freshman are just as freaked out and lonely and would love to meet you, even if you don't become close. Don't be the sad kid with no friends because you didn't try to make any. You've got to create a place for yourself on campus or you'll be miserable. Notice how I said "create a place for yourself," not "find a place for yourself." You've got to be proactive. I know it's scary, and you miss your friends from home. But life has changed now, and thats not a bad thing.
• Curious George: what advice do you have for someone who hasn't asked for any, and isn't actually here to listen to it?
• Buy a good backpack with lots of pockets; if you're going to be carrying your world around with you, make sure you have room and compartments for it. Also: take your vitamins! You're going to be surrounded by students from all over the country (or world), and you're likely to pick up a bad bug or two your first year. And, no matter how fun you think it is, do not agree to be in a Girls Gone Wild video.
• I still can't figure out how quid can post in purple without it being a link...
• Sigh. When I was a frosh there were no laptops, no wireless cards, no shopping online for textbooks. On the other hand, the legal drinking age was 18. And in Australia still is....
• Oh Capt. he puts a around it the sneak.
• HAHAHAHA an < a > < /a > I mean....
• Aah.
• Why won't tracicle give us the tag? Why oh why oh why?
• Don't eat a pizza every night at 11:30. Seriously.
• FOR ALL THAT IS HOLY doesn't work either! What kind of monkeyfilter is being run here??!!eleventy!!?

  Don't be afraid to ask relatives for financial assistance if you *need* it. I lived on a tub of peanut butter and saltine crackers for over a month during my frosh year.

  Everything in moderation - note that this includes moderation. There are things you can do in college that would be a felony in the real world. That doesn't mean that you should do them, but it's good to know nonetheless. Your job in college is to get good grades – little else matters work wise. Running for student council may seem great, but it probably won’t land you that grad school slot or first job if your GPA is a 1.8. On the other hand, a good GPA will take you a long way. If you’d like to volunteer to feed the homeless or work at a hospital then by all means do it – it’ll be hugely rewarding – but don’t go into it thinking that you’ll get anything out of it other than personal rewards like wisdom and knowledge. Yes, like every generalization, there are exceptions to this rule – but it applies to more people than one would think. If you’re not being productive at least have fun. Productive in this case pretty much means studying. Fun seems a little more difficult to define for folks these days. Example: playing video games is not fun. In general, if you won’t remember doing it in a few years it isn’t fun. A good case can be made that the mark of a good time is the ability to recall it years or decades later. You’ll have plenty of time to watch soap operas in the future – you’d be wise to spend your free time getting to know that cute boy/girl down the hall, or playing in a band, or exploring the underground tunnels on campus, or volunteering as mentioned above… Studying. If you can read the material before a class, go to said class, then review the material again afterwards you’ll be well on your way to great grades. You’ll probably also spend less total time studying as you’ll have less need to cram come exam time. Truth in advertising: I have never ever been able to do this. But I’ve known people who could – and they generally got better grades than I did while spending more time at the bar.

  And join the Gilbert & Sullivan society, dammit. They're starving for new students.

  nunia: Why won't tracicle give us the tag? Hehe. Does firefox even support it? As to the question: for your electives, take courses that interest you, not courses that you think will get you a job. Try something different, take a crazy minor in a completely unrelated field. And go drinking with your profs.

  It does. The horror!

  I would suggest a few things: 1. Don't entirely avoid the lame-o frosh mixers. You'll get a quick overview of who's worth knowing and not, and of the ones worth knowing, you can bond over a quick cup of "this is so lame". 2. Take it easy in the caf. No need to line up twenty glasses of chocolate milk and pop, either because you didn't have the good stuff at home, or you're determined to get your full money's worth from your meal plan. Salad is a viable alternative to crappy cheesburgers. 3. Don't make war on your roomie. 4. Never talk about high school. 5. Don't drink if you don't want to. People will not accept your excuse of "I have to get up early" or "I'm driving". Stick to "I'm not drinking your cheap-assed swill." 6. Save your quarters. Hoard them. Never give change. Let no-one know of your secret stash. 7. Realize that most of your old friends aren't going to survive the year. Do not feel guilty about this, nor should you try to cling to preserve what's no longer there. 8. Along the same lines, dump your girlfriend/boyfriend before you go. Put out advance warning that come the end of the summer, that's the end. If not, you'll be one of countless before you who had to do the Thanksgiving Dump on their first trip back home. And you'll have missed out on plenty of opportunities in that first couple months. You will never have seen so many hawties in your life before. Don't carry along an anchor. Free as a bird, baby, free as a bird. 9. You will hit the Sophmore Slump first semester. 10. For the most part, shut up and listen.

  speak up in classes, go talk to the prof after class, whatever you are curious about, recommendations for additional reading etc., if you get involved in class discussions and make yourself known to the prof it will contribute to your grade. when they look at the paper or exam they know you. they know you are involved and contribute and care about the class. also, I think you will learn more and find the learning experience more enriching by being one of those people who talks in class. I know I did... keep the partying/studying thing in balance. the day will come when you regret throwing away yr education on one keg party after another... don't rack up big credit card bills on stupid things...

  1) Don't cut class, attend all labs and do *all* your assignments. Simple reason - You are paying for an education, and most likely paying a lot, so don't waste your money! 2) Don't try and fool a T.A. by handing in copied or late assignments. T.A.'s were once students like you and tried the same lame tricks on their T.A.'s - if they didn't get away with it, why would they let you? 3) As mentioned above a few times, network. Befriend a prof or a T.A. - they are people, too.

  I disagree WPDK. I paid for a diplolma, not for them to educate me. I would encourage any new freshmen to find out which classes can safely be skipped and which cant. Of the ones that can, find out when the important lectures/test dates are, and make a note to go on those days!

  I have recently been wishing that someone told me 'major in something useful, minor in something you love' BEFORE I went to school. I didn't hear it until I was in grad school and now I'm broke and nearly unemployed, which is what happens when you major in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology. Use office hours. If you don't get the material, ask the TA now instead of right before the exams. They take classes too, pretty much on your schedule - when they're doing your exam, they've got their own giant papers or projects that are also due. Do not put off things like your swim test or other random college requirements. Get that crap done with early. The class matters less than the professor. Check professor review sites. Don't get *too* friendly with your TAs or profs; that's an ethics violation. Settle your problems on your own. DO NOT HAVE YOUR PARENTS CALL. College is when you need to learn to grow up. You're going to fuck something up. Do it early so you don't do it later, with, say, a final research project.

  I have recently been wishing that someone told me 'major in something useful, minor in something you love' BEFORE I went to school. I didn't hear it until I was in grad school and now I'm broke and nearly unemployed, which is what happens when you major in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology. I'll second that. *looks at Geography degree* *looks at wallet* *winces*

  Which country are we talking about? Because I think the experience is different for everywhere. Like in Australia we don't often go away to Uni for example.

  My #1 piece of advice: realize that it's unlikely that you will EVER AGAIN be in a situation where you have so much freedom, so many opportunities, and be surrounded by so many potential friends. That said, ENJOY YOURSELF. Join clubs, be editor of the paper, work on the radio station, be on a team... talk to people! Forge your own way, dream, laugh, create yourself anew, ask questions, explore, try new things, hang around with new and different people, listen to somebody else's music, take a course or two just because you like the subject matter. And go a little crazy... but don't lose track of your direction.

  Sorry I have to disagree with you kinnakeet. The important thing to realize is that there is always time. So what if you don't find your direction the first time round? It doesn't matter. Experience is what leads you to your true path. Ignore the pressure of having to make this time a complete success - go with your flow. Because if you find your true path later - you know what? You can go back and study if you want. Age doesn't matter. Don't get locked into the "must have decided my career path at 20" scene. Discover, go with the flow, meet people experiment. Says the girl who has a major in German and is now running her own design company in Japan.

  Don't sign up for any classes before 10 AM, because more often than not, you just won't go. A little extra time spent when choosing classes will make a big difference when you're actually taking them next semester. Find out which professors are good lecturers, which classes take a lot of work, which classes are fun to take as electives. Try to schedule your classes so you get Fridays off. Don't date anyone in your dorm. Don't date anyone with the same major as you. To go against some advice above, don't pretend you're too good for cheap beer. Because you're not, and you won't be until you get a job and turn [insert legal age here]. So don't act like a snob- if you're not drinking, just say so. When shotgunning a beer, take care to not cut your lip on the sharp edge.

  I think we're talking mostly North America, gomi. -- Live in the dorms for the first two years, if possible. You make more friends that way. -- College is your last, best chance to make really good, life-long friendships. Don't squander the opportunity by keeping your nose in a book the whole time. -- Learn how to make a bra bomb. That'll take some of the starch out of those stuffed shirts.

  Dammit, Captain R, speak American, will ya'?

  Oh I probably shouldn't be shouting my fingers off in this thread then... carry on!

  I think advice coming from any country is welcome. Please share gomi!

  I just meant that I think most of our experiences have been from North American unis, is all.

  Don't date anyone in your dorm. Don't date anyone with the same major as you. Amen to that. Oh my Christ, amen.

  Don't date anyone on the same fencing team as you.

  Just don't date. Take all of that energy and get good grades. Sex is overrated.

  a few notes, perhaps contradicting the above: 1. Commuting, while not always easy, is nonetheless an excellent way to avoid student debt, and graduating without student debt is really really good. If you plan to go to graduate school, you can always have the fun of residence then, if/when you have a graduate scholarship. 2. Your TAs are not evil, power-hungry or your enemy. They are people. Some will love teaching, some will not - some unis train their TAs (my undergrad uni did a lot of training), but some will not. They are teachers, but also students, and if you approach them with the respect you will find that you can have a very good relationship with them. Same with your professors. 3. Even if people tell you to do something "useful", do not major in said useful thing if you have no aptitude for it. Getting C's in computer science or business is not as good for your job prospects as As in English. In fact, you could (like some people at my uni) threaten your chances of gaining your degree if you don't keep your marks up. 4. Take university seriously. Clubs, all that fun - that's fine, but your transcript will not list them. It will list your marks. If you can do all that, and get As and Bs, fine, but really classes should come first. Classes are, after all, what you are paying to attend. 5. Do sit at the front of the class, and not just because your glasses are out of date. It really will help you do better. (I know I sound like a total TA right now, don't I - but seriously, all of your employment opportunities will be greatly increased if you get good marks, no matter what the subject. For one thing, good marks can get you into graduate school on scholarship, and even if you don't stay, you can get a masters. I went to a not very elite university with not many good job connections, but got good marks and have since received a masters from a well-known university with a good career centre. For all that I did a not very "useful" degree, I feel like my opportunities are much greater now - if I chose to leave my current degree, it hasn't been for nothing (since they did throw in the masters on the way :). Also, I've learned things, and met interesting people.)

  That said - I can tell you that joining a language club or major club can really help academically. Being part of the History Club introduced me to people within the department who I wouldn't have met otherwise, who were able to advise and help me. Other people I knew belonged to associations which helped them practice second languages - including some of the international student clubs. If you are taking Chinese, joining the Chinese student club is a good way to practice.

  Do whatever and get your piece of paper. Then decide what you want to do. Lucky you if you find that out while you are there. Noone has ever asked for my transcript with the marks I received.

  11. Working for the student paper is an excellent way of getting free tickets and CDs, and getting into clubs while still underage.

  I agree with Gomi. The grades don't matter too much. If you can, do reseach of some kind in your field are study. Folks are much more interested in what you've done, then a letter given to you by a professor or TA. I think one should skip through school as easily as you can, no need to study hard and all that. Do what it takes to get the B-average or whatever the school demands you get to stay in good standing, and then spend the rest of the time doing some work in your field of study. Note that I don't mean skip class to play WoW or eat chips and watch TV.

  If you plan on going to grad school, applying for fellowships, etc, your undergrad grades will haunt you for a long long time, regardless of your more recent performance. There are ways around this, but it's better to avoid the situation.

  Also, remember that whatever undergrad school you went to won't make a bit of difference on your resume; prospective employers only care that you went to school at all, and if they're interested in where you went, it will only be the grad school that matters. So if you're paying big tuition for undergrad (like I did!) you're making a mistake; save your pennies for a good grad school. And gomi's right, no one ever checks the transcript. Just graduate with some marketable skills, and network, network, network.

  I think the most important thing to remember is that at colleges most rapes happen within the first month or so. As a freshman in a dorm most of them are lonely and surrounded by people they don't know so they tend to trust people more than may be wise. I always hate the fall semester since you spend the first half of it baby sitting students who haven't realized they aren't in high school any more and it isn't my job to remind them of every single little thing. If you are told to do something and you don't understand, make sure you ask. Examples that I have ran into: on a paper that uses sources, one student simply listed sources and didn't actually use them. He complained, "You didn't say we had to USE the sources!" Students told to turn in an outline and have no idea what an outline is so they just turn in a summary. Your high school romance isn't going to work out. Just get over it. Sure, sure, it might, but you might win the lottery too.

  mandyman does have a point - if you have decided your path and it involves going to grad school you might want to make some effort. My position is coming more from here - you are 17 when you get to Uni (in Australia anyway). Very few people know what the hell they are going to do with themselves at that age. Good for you if you do, don't panic and just get through it if you don't. Bad grades, mistakes in choices, discovering what you want to do later - it's all very, very doable and possible. In fact it's not all that necessary to go to Uni anyway if you have a talent for what you want to do. Much better to try and work in the field and make your name. The concept of apprenticeships is not dead in many fields. The experience of being out in the world is important. In some cases maybe a bit of paper will help. But maybe not.

  Keep a thermos of frozen nitrogen in the dorm freezer so that you can make quarter-sized shavings for the vending machines.

  I think an important distinction needs to be made here: grades certainly DO matter for some jobs/careers. Research your chosen path - in law, medicine, anything with a PhD, and certain industries in business your future success will depend on the grades. Another distinction on the advice to 'try any field of study that seems interesting': this advice is fine for some fields but not for others. Understand that some highly competitive careers require a set path that must be followed early in life. For example, I'll use something close to my heart - biological research. If you wish to become a tenured professor at a major university you will have to do 4+ years as an undergrad, ~7 years as a PhD sutdent, 5+ years as a postdoc, and ~5 years to get tenure. While some folks do start the path later in their twenties the vast majority of those that are successful start early. Ditto medicine, and making partner at a major law firm. Want to work for in management consulting? Pedigree matters – the majority of the BA/BS hires for McKinsey come with a 3.5+ GPA from “top 10” universities. That being said, the most interesting people I know have had a less-linear life. Of course, none of us are living in million dollar houses and driving BMWs, so there’s probably something to be said for ambition…

  I am stating the obvious, but giving advice in a situation like this depends completely on who is being given the advice. Advice I would have given to myself? 1. Live in a dorm. 2. Go to class even if you don't do the work. 3. Join some clubs/organizations. 4. Don't watch Cheers four times a day (five on Thursdays). 5. Try to actually date a girl instead of just fooling around when drunk. 6. Do not allow alcohol to become the defining characteristic of your personal life or social life. That advice would be completely useless to many people I know. I would have different advice for them, depending on what they are like.

  Research your chosen path - in law, medicine, anything with a PhD, and certain industries in business your future success will depend on the grades. My flunking of 2nd year English was waved in front of my face when applying to law school, despite the fact that I had done my Master's in the meantime. (Explanation: I was just being miserable following a Bad Breakup, and generally being an 18 yr old ass.)

  Ummm...back to the Quid's point, which everyone ignored. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But...do whe have any high school seniors on MoFi? Or did we just go 50 comments simply for some bizarre cathartic reason and for the true benefit of no one?

  5. Try to actually date a girl instead of just fooling around when drunk. Worked for me! You mean to radiometrically date her, right?

  Ummm...back to the Quid's point, which everyone ignored. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But...do whe have any high school seniors on MoFi? Or did we just go 50 comments simply for some bizarre cathartic reason and for the true benefit of no one? probably not (on the high school senior thing), but we can all have fun arguing about what university is for.

  But...do we have any high school seniors on MoFi? As it happens, i know someone who is a frosh this very September. And i will forward this cool thread to her.

  Send her the Daisy_May thread, too. Then she'll know the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse.

  Of course, none of us are living in million dollar houses and driving BMWs, so there’s probably something to be said for ambition… If that is your measure for success and an indication of ambition then I feel sorry for you.

  Wow! This really stirred up the monkeys! Really racking up the comments. Gomichild, I never meant to suggest one needs to choose a career or lock into a direction, just not to lose sight of forward movement or of having some kind of goal. I saw a lot of folks get waylaid and lost for lack of same. Education is lifelong, but the experience of college is fleeting and precious (at least for most of us, I suspect). Hence my suggestion to seize what you can, while you can.

  Send her the Daisy_May thread so she knows how big a grain of salt to take our advice with.

  gomichild - I never said that it was *my* measure for success, but I'm simply admitting that my wandering ways are unlikely to get one these toys if that's your goal. (And I will admit that expensive toys are nice, all things else being equal. Which they rarely are, but this is another thread entirely.)

  "I'll give you advice. Fuck as many different women as you can. Not the same one. Not the same one. Fuck many different women. Many different women." (last paragraph)

  MCT, nice trick of luring us all to that fascinating article. I haven't finished it, but it's great so far. Never heard of Ricky Jay, but I have some friends who are really going to enjoy reading about him. thanks!

  ACK! I wish someone had told me I wasn't stupid and could do the work if I just applied myself. And that I'd really enjoy it if I did. I wish someone had told me the MRS was a hell of a lot less important than a BA or BS. (damn Catholic upbringing) I wish someone had told me I wasn't a freak, a geek or an idiot. I wish someone had told me to major in what I love, and then pursue it for all it was worth. I wish someone had told me about financial aid. I wish someone had told me about honors classes and what a good deal they are. I wish someone had told me about how to transfer schools. I wish I'd gone to a junior college first instead of Penn State so I wouldn't have been so overwhelmed.

  ACK! ^^ Way too poor me! What I mean to say was that when I finally did get my head on (at 35!) I LOVED college. It really wasn't scary. I still wasn't social--too married, too many kids--but learning is fun. MonkeyFilter: Your high school romance isn't going to work out. Just get over it. MonkeyFilter: Yes, you do look stupid when you're drunk. MonkeyFilter: Sex is overrated.

  I clearly remember (in college) the first time I saw a really drunk (fumbling incoherent) drunk person when I was sober...it really made a deep impression! not that it prevented me from humiliating myself in the future but I always knew I was humiliating myself, dammit!

  I would second a lot of what jccalhoun and jb said. 1) I can't tell you how many of my students were raped or sexually assaulted in the first couple of months of their freshman year (a couple occured during freshman orientation), so it's important to a) realize that you're probably new to alcohol and take it easy and b) realize that there are a lot of assholes in nice guy clothing out there (or even guys who *don't know* that having sex with someone who's passed out is rape, and who still define themselves as "nice guys"). 2) In your high school, it may have been geeky or nerdy to do well in school and enjoy learning. Bringing this idea to college is just silly (why go away to school and then... not "do school?"). Go to class. Sit front and center, because then even if you don't participate you're in the prof (or TA's) line of vision all the time and they'll *think* you're participating. It'll also keep you awake. 3) Your tuition doesn't buy you a diploma or a grade. It buys you the opportunity to earn the grade and diploma, and you still have to put in the work. Complaining to your prof that you "paid good money for this class" and so deserve an A is just going to annoy the prof, and not get you anywhere. 4) That said, have fun. Pull pranks, go on spur-of-the-moment road trips, start funny clubs (did my friends and I start the "John Hughes Memorial Movie Society," because if John Hughes is alive his talent has, sadly, died? You bet we did! And we got a budget from the uni for pizza to boot!).

  Also, research your school if you've decided on major. I was absolutely entranced by psychology, but didn't know there was difference between learning about people and learning about fruit flies and teaching chickens to discriminate among shades of gray, so I picked a great university, but hated my major - and was too stubborn to change it, and too bored to like the class work. And, it may be wrong to declare major in your first 2 years. After all, you're going to be taking prerequisites for upper division courses so you can get a taste of what they'll be like as you progress. I tend to agree with those who say that grades don't matter a lot while studying for a BA/BS, since the fact that you passed the "bridge of fools" shows that you can complete something. If you just want a DEGREE, that'll give you some credit. But, if you find want a CAREER. you'd better buckle down. If you want to go forward with a course of study, you'll need to love your courses to the point where you'll study a lot and care about the results. So, find something really gets to you and go for it. You know what, love of learning is a really satisfying thing, but that may not kick in immediately, depending on your character.

  3) Your tuition doesn't buy you a diploma or a grade. It buys you the opportunity to earn the grade and diploma, and you still have to put in the work. Complaining to your prof that you "paid good money for this class" and so deserve an A is just going to annoy the prof, and not get you anywhere. I'd like to add a corrollary to that. Your tuition doesn't pay for an automatic A, but it DOES pay for the instructor's time. If you need something explained, need extra halp, need ANYTHING, don't be afraid to demand it. Don't let yourself be brushed off with, "Everyone else understood it, if you didn't it's your problem. I don't have time." You're paying to be taught, not to be a statistic on his bell curve.

  As a side note, any hawt gals innerested in becoming a statistic on my bell curve can get a hold of me at 1-800-WHOAMIKIDDING.

  Sorry kinnakeet and FAQ - I was being very strict yesterday.

  I totally agree with you, TUM. As a uni teacher, I think my first job is always to help the students do well (I won't do it for them, but I am always available to help). I had profs with the "If you need help you're dumb" sort of attitude, and I could never understand it.

  Make sure you're ready to go to college/university. I wasn't and the first time around, it sucked. In fact, there aren't words to describe how much it sucked. Needless to say, I didn't do so well that time and wound up wasting a lot of my grandparents hard-earned money. The next time around, I was ready to go and I paid for it myself (in fact, I'm still paying for it), but I did much better in my classes and had a lot more fun. Don't go because your parents want you to go, or because all your friends are going. Go because it's where you want to go. The rest will more or less happen automatically.

  To those wondering if there are any monkeys actually in need of all this advice, there probably are. I've been coming here since I was a junior in high school. True, I was a lurker then, but I was still reading, and would have been extremely grateful for a post like this.

  Seconding ladyknight's comment -- I've been (lurking) here since I was a junior in high school as well, and this kind of thread would have been ridiculously interesting to my paranoid-afraid self the summer before college. The only things I can toss off are: (1) spend a lot of time with your advisors and counselors in the department you want to concentrate in. They hold the keys to your future. (2) Pretty much no-one knows who you've been through most of your life. you're *free.* (3) (as many other people have said) talk to your professors! anyone worth their salt is going to be like meredithea, and happy to help.

  I paid for a diplolma, not for them to educate me. I see that, and understand it... but some people are clueless on and off the court. I see so many uneducated people (and I'm not talking institutionalized) wearing the diploma as a guarantee. That's the problem with the "merit" system of the black box of education. Understand, if and when you can cut a couple hours here to work for a couple hours there. And don't waste that time cutting class to do something stupid like sleep (I slept through a 6pm class last semester, it was stupid—I went to the 9am lab, but then I napped between classes). Go hike that mountain you been talking about or finish those papers up or even go to the nude beach and eat some psilocybin for petebest's sake. It at least gets you outdoors and refreshes your mind. Remember that the mind and body are the same thing. cobaltnine, I was planning on focusing on the near east as well, but then I learned about CRM/CHM and thought about how I'd be scrounging money up to be taken hostage in the lands I'd love to dig rather than making money while accumulating my grad (still reaching for straws) research. It was sort of an easy choice in the end. Hell, the more I think about it, the more rewarding it is seeing the fruits of my labor go towards resolving the fettering of "White papers" and Indian Acts and all that which we call "la doucherie d' histoire." And a tip I'd give: Remember that the people who are instructing you have ideals just like you. They may be very influential on your life. Don't fall for anyone's bullshit opinions just because they have a PhD. Know why you agree with them and know the arguments against their opinions. This is what learning is about—critical awareness. Someone with a PhD told me that...

  I am benefiting extremely from this thread. Please continue! -fowards madly to friends-

  Sleep is important, not stupid; it's not laziness, but your body telling you that it needs rest. I think it's really important for students to establish as regular a sleep schedule as possible: going to bed at the same time every day, getting up at the same time, and trying to get a full night's sleep. This is to prevent things like "your health crashing during midterms or finals." Not getting enough sleep will make you susceptible to anything that happens to be going around. So while it's great to make friends and go to parties and all, it's not bad to skip a few keggers to rest and get to bed on time, or to finish work that you need to finish so that you can get the rest you need. If your friends don't understand this, and abuse you over it, they're probably not the kind of friends that are going to be really conducive to a successful college experience. (I think that this is probably more an issue for guys than girls.) I'm not saying that I did this, but it would have been better if I had. I'd add: don't become an alcoholic, don't binge-drink, and think before you take every sexual opportunity that comes to you. This will be much easier to do if you're not drunk all the time. In general, I think the best advice is: don't be a moron; handle your freedom responsibly and creatively. Anything that would be dumb in the real world is just as dumb in college, even if more people are doing it openly. (my high school boyfriend got kicked out of his l33t n3rd school for a year because he was partying too much, developing major beer and pot habits, and flunked almost everything. he had to do a successful year or two in junior college before they would let him come back. he was miserable, i think. you don't want to go through the same thing.)

  College is your last, best chance to make really good, life-long friendships *cries*

  College is your last, best chance to make really good, life-long friendships Bullshit.

  Um, what gomi said.

  Does that mean we can be buddies?

  DUDE ME AND WOLOF ARE GOING STEADY!

  *cries*

  Wolof, don't let him feel you up on the first date. He'll think you're easy. Which you are. But you don't want him to think that. Over and out.

  ok, never mind.

  I just meant that it's the last place where you'll meet so many people your own age, with similar interests, all in one place, who have more or less the same schedule as you do and so more time to get to know each other. YMMV I guess.

  I agree with verbminx: sleep is extremely important. Your brain needs the down-time to process all the information you've been stuffing it with. And your liver needs the time to filter all the alcohol.

  sleep is extremely important I suppose for most people that is true, but I find that I perform better when I have less sleep. My default study pattern is to get up super-early (3 or 4 am) and study after having had about six hours of sleep. I cram especially well in the wee hours. But I don't recommend it to everyone.

  LoopyG wrote: "I paid for a diplolma, not for them to educate me." Dude. You clearly got what you paid for then, didn't you? If all you want is a diploma go buy one from a spam email. The attitude that you're buying anything other than a chance is offensive to everyone who values education and everyone who works in the education field. I know a nice professor at a Big 10 university who retired the day a student came to her office hours and demanded a passing grade because, as the student politely put it, "I'm paying you, bitch." You earn your grades, and you earn your diploma. Never forget that. What you have earned can never be taken away from you. What you buy can be reposessed. Even if someone steals my diploma, the knowledge and experience that I earned for myself in college and grad school remains safely inside my head. When I apply for a job, during the interview process I can show my potential employer what I earned for myself, because I carry it with me. If all you have is an empty head and a copy of your transcripts, you wasted your time and your money. I really don't mean to be harsh here but the attitude you're displaying is the same sort of flak that I get on a daily basis from undergrads. We have developed a culture of entitlement that I abhor. You are entitled to nothing. Life takes work. The number of people who can buy their way through life without needing to earn their own accomplishments is amazingly small, and the majority of those people are the Paris Hiltons of the world - the vapid, spoiled rich brats that the rest of us detest.

  As to my advice for new college kids, aside from the above? It's pretty simple. -Be polite and respectful towards the people who are in a position to help you. No one will go out of his or her way to aid an arrogant ass, but many, many people (from department secretaries to TAs all they way up to tenured faculty) can be amazingly helpful if you have the right attitude. -Learn to study. Many new college kids got through high school without really having to work hard. Your first semester of college will kick your ass if you don't know how to study. (I say this as a National Merit scholar, honors graduate, and Ph.D. who bombed the hell out of college calc and organic chemistry the first time I took them. I know what I'm talking about here.) -Don't be afraid to fail. Failure is a life lesson as much as passing is. Failure won't ruin your chance to get where you want to go. (See previous comment. I'm in a tenure-track position now - retaking a couple of courses didn't ruin my life.) Having said that, if you do fail and re-take a course, study your ass off. Failure followed by a 3.5 - 4.0 shows that you are persistent and can work to improve your deficiencies. Failure followed by more failure is bad. If you bombed the class the first time, what makes you think you can blow it off the second time? -Take time to travel and have fun. There is no need for you to kill yourself to graduate in 3 years. Take 4. Take 5. Take however many you need to get it done. You will never have the freedom you have now (although later in life you will hopefully have more money). You can take study abroad classes - travel for course credits. You can go to a few parties and make friends. You do a lot of growing up in college - it isn't just about the diploma. The people you meet and the experiences you have together can forge life-long friendships. Don't blow that chance because you were in the library 24/7. You need a break now and then, or you'll end up so tightly wound that you could make yourself physically or emotionally ill. ...and don't automatically dump your boyfriend or girlfrend just because you're off to college. Long-distance relationships suck, college is stressful, and a relationship that can handle that kind of stress and change without breaking is a rare gem indeed. Expect that things may change, be prepared for things to change, but do not take anyone else's advice as to whether you should end it or not. It's your relationship; you can end it if you have a reason to do so. "I'm in college now" is a dumb reason. "I want to screw other people" is a bit immature, but hey you're young and that's your right. It is at least an honest reason. (I have no respect for people who cheat. If you care about him or her enough to date, you should be respectful enough to break things off honestly before you go dipping your wick all over the place.)

  I suppose for most people that is true, but I find that I perform better when I have less sleep. My default study pattern is to get up super-early (3 or 4 am) and study after having had about six hours of sleep. I cram especially well in the wee hours. I used to be like that too: I wrote best fueled by coffee and cigarettes in the early morning hours. Then I got old, gave up smoking, and I now do best in the late mornings.

  ok, never mind *wants to be good, life-long friend with Koko*

  You can start by answering emails! *snif*

  Gah, sorry for the snit. Koko not in happy place these days. Please ignore.

  *hugs Koko* *holds hug for an uncomfortable length of time* *acts nonchalant*

  *leaves wet snotty spot on mct's shoulder, pretends it didn't happen*

  Wet Snotty Spot is the name of my band.

  Hey, caution live frogs, thanks for putting words in my mouth! =) I never said that I expect an A, or a diplolma. Also, I did not get a spam diplolma because they are not worth their price. I found my university diplolma to be worth the price. I never asked for an A, or insisted raising the grade of a test I was unhappy with. My goals are not the universities goals, and because of that I am some kind of greedy brat? Thanks!

  Hey! Only I am allowed to get pissy in this thread!

  You can start by answering emails! *OOPS goes to gmail toot dee sweet*

  As I said, I wasn't trying to be shitty. What you said in your last comment I have no problem with. The way you stated it the first time - specifically "I paid for a diploma, not an education" - that is what you said, correct? That grates on me because I hear it from students. If it isn't what you meant, it was a poor choice of words - but they were your words, quoted from your comment. Which part did I add that you didn't state? Your comment in full: LoopyG wrote: "I disagree WPDK. I paid for a diplolma, not for them to educate me. I would encourage any new freshmen to find out which classes can safely be skipped and which cant. Of the ones that can, find out when the important lectures/test dates are, and make a note to go on those days!" The words you used advocate (1) the value of a paper document over the education itself; (2) advice encouraging people to not attend classes which often cost hundreds of dollars per credit hour; and (3) advice to be sure only to attend on test days. I didn't put them into your mouth. I have far too many students who only show up for exams as it is. What they are throwing away is the very thing they are paying for. If taking a test was all that was necessary to obtain the diploma, we'd have some sort of diploma-granting ACT or SAT rather than instructors, colleges, universities, and teaching faculty there to explain things to the students. Again, if instead of saying "I paid for a diploma" you had said "I value my diploma and never asked for a grade I didn't earn" as you just did, I would never have had an issue with your comment. What you did say originally is nails on a chalkboard to me - so pardon my harsh response.

  e-mail? E-MAIL? You people are communicating by E-MAIL???!!! But that's -- that's-- PRIVATE and everything. We can't eavesdrop! Have you learned NOTHING from Capt. Renault? All parts of your lives must lived out, right here, out in the open for all to see! We can't make fun of you if you're private.

  and then I told that Ralph the dork guy to get bent heh heh man I'm glad he can't see THIS comment ok love ya x

  We can, however, make fun of your privates. *points, laughs*

  OH SHIT WRONG TEXT BOX

  Yeah!

  (In support of RTD. I have no idea what quid is talking about, as usual.)

  Neither do I. If anyone out there DOES know, please write your answer on a postcard and send it to Mr Tracy Cle, c/o Christchurch Church of Christ's Crotch, South Island, New Zealand TAS 7084 AUSTRALIA. We regret that we are unable to return your postcard once we have nibbled it.

  CLF. No worries, it seems we are mostly on the same page for this. My biggest complaint with the uni system is the many classes that one is required to take, like it or lump it. I had to take many classes that I did not wish to take, and had to pay for them. I attended these classes as rarely as possible. These classes are typically introductory courses and one can achieve a pretty good grade by doing a minimum amount of work. Classes in my major (computer engineering) I attended religiously because I truly enjoyed the classes. I am glad there were enjoyable courses available. However, if I had found the engineering courses boring (and I didnt change my major for whatever reason) I would have skipped out on those too. I still want the diplolma as it has real value. I am not anti-education, I just feel that in many cases I could do a better job of educating myself without the university than with the university. I consider it unfortunate that in many jobs (particularly in the field I am entering) a degree is a pre-requisite.

  I wanted a Spam diploma, but the best my school could offer me was a minor in Vienna Sausages.

  LoopyG - I do personally feel that universities requiring some really strange courses (swim test? to graduate college some students have to pass a SWIM TEST?) should be easier on the students. I still don't advocate skipping but I can't say I never did it - and once I hit my last few years, taking only the courses I cared about, hell that part was fun. The rest of it did make me a well-rounded person. I don't begrudge the university making me take some basic humanities and history courses. (Those of course are there so that you can help your kids with their own homework some day. Just like high school English.)

  I never had any kind of swim test, or any physical requirements at all. I suppose the UC system is lax on health =) I understand why they require students to take diverse courses. The ideal of the "college educated" person is one who is well-versed in a wide array of topics, but unlike you're jack-of-all-trades they are an expert in one topic. However I do not feel that I need to be hand-held through the process of becoming "well-rounded." I enjoy reading about topics not at all related to my field of study and learn about them on my own. Besides, when choosing courses to take as requiremenets I, like most students, chose the ones I already had an interest in, such as Jazz history, film, and economics.

  TUM, apparently you can get a certificate in sausage-making, well meat-processing but that's close enough for government work: Old's College, scroll down to the end.

  Hey, College Freshmen! Did your parents just give you a brand new credit card to use wisely while away from the nest? Here's a great idea: make sure nobody duplicates it and uses it to buy their own shit. How, you ask? Well, just e-mail the card number, expiration date, your name as it appears on the card and your mother's maiden name to RalphTheDog, care of this fine communal web log. In just minutes, I'll e-mail you back, letting you know that this vital information is on file and protected from unauthorized use. It's easy and free, so why not do it TODAY!!!

  LoopyG - those courses that you don't want to take are intended to open up a whole new world to you. And you probably need to have it opened up. There's a huge world out there, and we all need to understand something about it. The general ed courses are good at doing that. I found that English courses not only me made better at writing (and we all need that. It's pretty critical.) but also introduced me to great literature, which I wouldn't have experienced otherwise, but I had great fun in a class where the professor was an actor, who made drama real for me. And my first sociology professor was so expert, so smart, and so good at his lectures, that we applauded him when he used the word "raprochement" (spelling optional) at the climax of a lecture. You probably had to be there to appreciate the high. And foreign languages are cool. Some day, when you're really successful, you may want to travel, and having a bit of knowledge of whatever will make that much more pleasant. Or, your major may force you to read techinal reports in other languages. I'm not sure that you understand that the purpose of a college/university course is to give you an education that will prepare you for life in general, not just to grind away at your major. If you just grind away, aren't you really just a tradesman? Maybe that's what you want to be, but there's so much more available to you if you expand your horizons. You don't now what your life will be like in 10 years, or 20, so wouldn't you like to make it fun when you get there?

  Go to ALL your classes and become engaged in the process of learning. Learn to learn. Become the Renascense Man or Woman every graduate should be. Betcha us old(er) folks are the ones who are more for education and less for a degree. (except for my buddy, Frogs. Frogs ain't old--he's one hoppin' young stud)

  Make sure to take a really freakin hard to get into Honors Business program and try to play football, because you really have 30 hours in a day to burn. Then drink lots...I mean lots and become a really bad drunk. Find out there is Monday Night Club, Thursday Night Club and then find any ol' party to go to on Friday thru Sunday night. Fall in love with the first cool girl you meet, and then fall into a ugly depression when she leaves you because you spend to much time in the Honors Buniness program/playing the football. STREAK!!!

  Ohhhh, the above did not work out for me.

  I never said sleep was stupid, verbminx. I said that sleeping through a 6pm class on account of a nap was stupid. I also don't condone bailing on a class in order to sleep; it's too bourgoise. Instead, cut class in order to turn your apartment into a giant board game which you can play with your friends or, squee, your mopy stuffed animal companion.

  I paid for a diplolma, not for them to educate me. No, you did not pay for a diplolma [sic], you paid for them to educate you. I'm sorry you were apparently to arrogant to realise that. That's like saying, "I'm paying the doctor to tell me I'm healthy, not to actually look at my body and help me be healthy". If you went in with that attitude, than you are the cancer that is destroying education. And I say that as the pissed off student beside you, who was trying damned hard to get an education. You were one of the lumps of meat in my classes, who were wasting my time and the professors' time. Yes, please go and buy your degree from a spam mill. Oh, that isn't good enough for you? Well, frankly, you aren't good enough for a real degree. And yes, that is meant to be pissy. You clearly went to university with absolutely no acknowledgement of the great priviledge which was granted to you. I worked bloody hard to get to university and I worked hard in university. There are people like my mother who would have truly cherished the opportunity to study and learn, but they have never had that chance. And you went in there with absolutely no regard for education? You're like someone who went to the theatre and threw popcorn at the stage because you thought the soliliquy in Hamlet was boring and you wanted more tits. I don't want any tits in my Hamlet - that's what the strip club down the road is for.

  soliloquy.

  "I don't want any tits in my Hamlet..." No tits, but there are more than a few boobs. Look, everybody! I made a funny!

  Oh and, of course, no drunken emails! This can't be stressed enough. If you haven't sent one yet, do not start this terrible habit—especially towards professors when you feel you deserved better on a grade.

  yuO fuckuing peece of shit i shoulda gotan A fucking arshole ya ghoddamit YOUre CLASS IS BULLSHIOt. you call yoursefl a proffessor huh? HUH??? ya stinkass fukc YOU buddy i kno more about english litrature than you ever I HOPE YUO LOOSE YUORE JOB YA BUM

  Abstinence begins as home, kids.

  I would add to the "no drunken emails" caveat (which is a *really* good one, and may have replaced phoning drunk (to exes -- or is that just me?) with "don't do ebay/amazon/sephorah/other online shopping goodness drunk." I can't tell you how much my need for $30 lip gloss increases after a couple of drinks.

  I hear that! *hic*

  My favorite required course of 1999 (just a little behind the times): Pascal. The snickers and bewildered faces from the CS students made it worth every cent. Most valuable piece of my college education: four years of living in the international dorm. Hands down, and highly recommended (if your campus has a similar arrangement). Oh, I was familiar with the all-too-frequent, "why the hell would you want to live in the foreigner's dorm?" But look who's laughing when I have a bounty of contacts and friends in countless nations (not to mention the free accommodations, quite handy in cities such as Tokyo for example). The friendships forged there are unlike any I have made at any other point in my life. *gives a shoutout to Poplar Witherspoon Hall.*

  Hi, Monkeys! Thanks to all of the great advice here, I began my freshman year at the University of Iowa on September 5, 2006 with confidence and a sincere desire to STUDY HARD!!! Well, the hard work sure did pay off, as just two years later I, an associate, and one of my TA's were able to complete the beta version of a real, working (although sorta clunky) time machine! It is SOOOO cool. As just one of the tests, I popped back here to my pre-freshman days to make this post, and then remembered that I didn't have a MoFi account, so I went back a little further and registered as RTD (I didn't want to register on the very same day as this post, or you would think I was a self-linker and would make Mr. Tricycle mad), and so here I am, and here it is! So, anyway, thanks! And don't worry, Bush gets elected to a third term after the Cheney Ammendment passes both houses and 2/3rds of the states in record time. Oh, and too bad about that whole Iran mess. We still had enough nucular warheads to clean up the whole region, but it was, to be fair, sorta rough on the environment. Back to the Future, guys! Hugs, RTD

  Don't go to a school that's just down the road from a North American Cold Weather Research Lab.

  Relatedly: While that snowbank does indeed look like a comfy place to lay your drunken head down for a quick rest, doing so is not advised.

  Also: Befriend him, if you must, but under no circumstances be the guy who goes to the airport to pick up the drugs to bring back to your campus.

  And whatever you do, don't let your friends videotape it when you're snorting cocaine off that stripper's boobies.

  Aw shit!!

  These excuses will not work with your professors.

  Man, every department should have a big poster of that right outside the door.

  An article about the Frosh 15 (or as we called it, "Marriott Butt"). Seems that my strategy of eating one's weight in bacon is not advisable.

  EarWax, awesome link. Considers posting it outside of office... thinks it would probably get her in a little trouble

  I've never seen any studies linking the Freshman 15 to increased consumption of beer, which has always struck me as as a no-brainer. I actually lost weight as a freshman.

  Meredithea: I can't imagine you would get in trouble for posting that. I think it's great. Whatever happened to colleges promoting openness and free speech....

  Well, I'm new, and the culture of the office doesn't seem to support hanging up lots of stuff around. So I think it's more of an aesthetic thing (looking professional) than a content thing.

  What if you printed it in Palatino Linotype?

  And surround it in quotes, and below it write, in italics: - Carl Sagan

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