catbarf on 28/8/2013 at 03:06
Quote Posted by Pyrian
If your problem with High School is not enough free time, College will most likely not fix that problem. Indeed, in most cases it will exacerbate it - particularly if you go to a good school, get good grades, and work to put yourself through it. You will miss your current Sunday off.
I don't know about that either. With class, classwork, and my campus job lumped together I probably spend about as many hours as I did in high school, but I have the freedom to approach it on my own terms and as I see fit subject to course schedules and due dates. Just the freedom to not have to do monotonous busywork for 10+ hours a day in a row makes it so much better. Right now I'm out in the 'real world' and I miss being able to sleep in until noon and get work done whenever I feel sufficiently motivated and am looking forward to returning in the spring for one more semester before graduating.
I think either the best thing or worst thing about college is just that you're finally out on your own. Some people aren't ready for that and have a hard time being away from their parents. Others enjoy finally having that kind of freedom. It's different for everybody at any given college, let alone amongst different colleges and fields of study, and I strongly hesitate to make blanket statements about what college is like.
Chade on 28/8/2013 at 03:18
On work and learning:
1) You're on your own. Be ready for this.
2) College can be more or less work depending on how much you want to put into it.
3) College isn't worthwhile unless you put a lot into it.
4) College subjects are vastly more interesting then what you did in HS.
5) Your professors are likely some of the most qualified people in the world in their respective research areas. You won't get the most out of them if you limit yourself to whatever interactions are mandated by your coursework.
On social life:
1) You are much more likely to find like-minded people at college then at HS.
2) You are much more likely to be able to ignore people you do not get along with.
3) You have many more opportunities to interact with people from completely different spheres of life.
Robert4222 on 28/8/2013 at 16:10
Quote:
But, if you have a keen mind, are willing to work hard, and understand that college shouldn't just be a "rite of passage" but
is place for betterment - and it sounds like at heart you do with all good intentions - then I wish you all the best luck and look forward to handing the reigns of the world and future of mankind over to you. If not, Wal-Mart is always hiring.
To be blunt I'm not such an ambitious person, but I'm neither aiming for such a low-life objective.
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(edit)
P.S. Keep in mind, college can be a great place to meet like-minded people. So, if you hate High School because the people were too vapid, or put on airs, or were just assholes, then college can be a great place to find people. No one has to put on a show because you're all in the same boat.
According to people's opinions and experiences here, It seems like college is the best place to meet great and keen-minded people. No more smugs and assholes I guess, that's cool
Quote Posted by Vivian
You get out what you put in. You are now pretty much the only person responsible for how much you learn. Basically, don't expect going to uni to automatically = you being good enough at whatever you studied to get a job doing it. If you want to fuck around for a year and let off some steam, you'll spend less money and get as much done if you just take a year out and go traveling first. Better to start the first year with at least some drive to learn.
I'm not especially worried about quickly getting a job once I get my Bachelor's degree, after all my first thought after completing my studies was to do as many internships as I could.
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This and a million times this. Take advantage of hidden opportunities, go out, party, get sexed up, get all that out of your system, meet awesome friends, do some study abroad, join or start clubs, intern intern FUCKING INTERN, etc. etc. etc. Most of the valuable shit you'll get will be outside the classroom.
Well, joining clubs doesn't seem a bad idea, but I'm not very much into going parties in general.
About doing studies in an abroad country: my college offers an international exchange program each year so I'll be definitely going to a foreign country
@Subjective effect: HRM stands for Human ressouce management.
@Demagogue: The way you're talking about it makes me feel I'll enjoy more freedom and definitely change my way of thinking and seeing the world.
And thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts
Caradavin on 28/8/2013 at 19:18
Quote Posted by Pyrian
If your problem with High School is not enough free time, College will most likely not fix that problem. Indeed, in most cases it will exacerbate it - particularly if you go to a good school, get good grades, and work to put yourself through it. You will miss your current Sunday off.
You will not have the free time you enjoyed in high school (I know you say you didn't enjoy it much, but you will find later that you did). I went to college for 10 years straight (Master's degree), and there were times I was sure I was losing my mind. Now, the first 4 years weren't as bad because I didn't take them as seriously as I did the last 6. I partied and made tons of friends and to be honest I prolly partied and stuff more than I studied or went to class. In Graduate school, though, I knuckled down. Guess what is still with me? My degree. The friends and everything else were fleeting.
I first tried college right after high school and I ended up dropping out because I wasn't ready. I don't think anyone is, truly, and I am firm in the belief that a year or two should be spent in the real world first. Do I regret going to college? Sometimes. Would I do it again? Absolutely, but I wish I had put more importance into my school work those first 4 years.
Now, how are you going to pay for college? My fiance just started college (his first time ever) and he is 31. Even though he currently whines about everything because it's so elementary, he will do better than traditional students because he has the drive and personal responsibility to make it work. I can't guarantee that taking time to develop your "ethic" will help because I was also an adjunct professor for about 5 years and saw many nontraditional adults fail because they let other things become more important than their education. It all boils down to the big picture, I guess.
Do you have the drive to succeed after college? You will need it, because if you don't pay for college purely by scholarship and grants, then you will have a large amount of debt to pay off after you graduate. I owe over 100,000, for instance. With the accumulated interest and the interest that collects while I'm without work (and I have been unable to pay since I graduated - even with two adjunct positions) and disabled, it will be well over 150,000 in the next few years. You can't see into the future, you don't know what will happen (I didn't know I would be diagnosed with cancer, fight it for 3 years, and become disabled, for example) and you need to be sure that you have some type of plan for the financial part of things after you leave college, and that your plan also involves things like unemployment or severe illness/trauma. I wish I had done it.
I know you probably won't pay this much attention, and you will probably go to college and end up partying and having fun like I did (and it's okay to have fun), but please please let this plant a seed that you need to take your chance at higher education very seriously. You will get a second, maybe a third, chance to succeed but eventually you will be out of chances if you don't. On that note, if you are already worn out from high school, then it is best for you to get the bugs out of your system before attempting college. Many people wait a year or two. After I failed college the first time, I waited almost 4 years before I went back. I'm glad I did.
Either way, good luck!
faetal on 28/8/2013 at 20:36
Study something you are passionate about and it can change your life.
SubJeff on 28/8/2013 at 23:23
Yup. Don't study something you don't like, aren't interested in our which you think will be useless in later life.
Robert4222 on 29/8/2013 at 00:32
I never said I enjoyed my free time, sometimes I would watch TV or read a book that that I borrowed from the HS library, but in general I would do absolutely nothing, though I wish I could go to the cine, learn playing a song on piano and drawing, and cycling. Also notice that in my previous response I said I wasn't much in parties
Unfortunately I'm not a very self-motivated and mature person, and probably get through a hard time the first semesters, but I swear I'll do my best at college, at least I'll study something which I'm interested on, and try to develop better academic and social skills.
If I could take a year off before college, I'd do it, but I can't, because I already signed up and also my paternal wouldn't let me.
About the tuition: thank God I won't have such issues, since my parents can afford to pay it for me.
P.S: I came across this halfway writing. I loled:
Inline Image:
http://imgur.com/MrfKdSD.jpgEDIT: Didn't notice the hour, today it's my birthday and so, I'm now legally major.
Queue on 29/8/2013 at 02:58
Quote Posted by Robert4222
If I could take a year off before college, I'd do it, but I can't, because I already signed up and also my parernal wouldn't let me.
About the tuition: thank God I won't have such issues, since my parents can afford to pay it for me.
Now we're gettin' somewhere! Here's the problem, you need to pay for it yourself for it to actually mean something in the end. Promising you'll do well because they are footing the bill doesn't matter, since it doesn't belong to you. So tell mom and dad to keep the tuition, go buy a boat or something, and that you want to work for it for yourself. Earn it! It'll then be your responsibility, and if you want to take a year off there is nothing anyone can say or do about it. Hell, you're an adult now, it's time to make your own decisions about the life you want to lead irrespective of what mom and dad say you should do.
And it really doesn't matter if you've already signed up. You can always sign up again. No one is going to hold it against you.
Chade on 29/8/2013 at 04:03
The first time I went to University, on my parent's dime, I bombed out after three semesters, due to lack of motivation and just general lazy teenager emo shit.
After chewing me out a bit, my parents offered to pay for another stint. I said no, got a job for a while, realized that I really did want to get that degree, and went back and supported myself through uni*. Best thing I ever did, and I think somewhere deep inside it helped knowing I was supporting myself.
Sounds like you might end up doing the same thing. I recommend skipping the first step.
* This is probably easier in Aus, as we have government loans for uni with generous repayment terms. Not sure what happens for you.
Volitions Advocate on 29/8/2013 at 04:49
I started university nearly 10 years after finishing high school. Married. And by my 2nd year I had bought a house and had a kid. The house was out of necessity because we had the opportunity and a mortgage is less than rent.
I managed to finish University. 4 years of hell, with a GPA of 3.25. not stellar, but considering I now have a family of 4, had to pay interest on my student loans the entire 4 years of school, and work full time the entire time and often a casual or part time job on top of that, I feel I did pretty damn good.
Here's the thing though. I did all of that because I HAD to. It's like Louis C. K. said. "I can't die. I'm not allowed to die, I have kids."
It pushed me through. Classes for 20 hours a week. Work for 50 or so. No weekends free to myself. No time for anything extra curricular. But I did it because I loved what I was learning and hope to make a career of it somehow. Part of pushing through it WAS that I paid for tuition myself. I put a lot on the line and didn't waste a single class. A lot of people switch majors once they get started and I did the same. but I made sure the classes I took I could still get credit for.
I've been finished since Christmas. 8 months now and I still don't have a job in my field of study. Went for a stint at something that was supposed to be good, and ended up getting screwed by an un-professional and unscrupulous employer. I'm still working 50 - 60 hours a week just to pay the damn bills because all of my loans have entered repayment, and now I have to pay the full amount, not just the interest, everything is in the red and my wife is doing the best job she can not to openly resent the shit out of me for putting us in this position.
Now.. despite all of this. I would not have changed a great deal if I could go back and do it again. I'm stressed as hell 24/7, I have to fight tooth and nail for everything I've got and learned, and I know that when I finally get back up on my feet that I didn't cave into all of it. I'm optimistic for my future because I've shown that I can work like a dog and you'll need to do the same thing.
My advice is this. Work for it for yourself. You wont' get anywhere if you're just doing it because its the next thing to do. Never complain about having to learn something. University isn't about learning specific skills to get a specific job, that's what a trade is for. This is for learning higher concepts and teaching you to be able to teach yourself in the future and to demonstrate that to somebody who is going to pay you a lot of money someday to do it. Fine Arts major? Have to learn math? shut up and do it. math is important and you need it more than you know. Your university should teach you many things not just detailed specifics about the exact work you want to do. (the fine arts and math thing is just an example, one that I went through)
dont' bad mouth your professors behind their back. usually the ones that everybody else hates will be the ones that you can get to know a little better and get more help from. Your associations are just as important when you're finished than anything else. It's practically like the illuminati afterwards when you're trying to find a job. Universities have relationships with corporations, fraternities (sometimes) and alumni. These types of organizations and networking, combined with your professors are what is going to get you ahead later. Get good references from your instructors and keep in touch with them.
You'll wonder when the hell its ever going to end and then one day it will be over and you'll be thinking "oh shit, what did I just spend all that money on?" and you'll be left alone to figure it out for yourself. and if you don't attack the entire thing like a rabid dog (or an Asian with parents) you wont be very competitive.
Don't get down, it'll crush you. Moderate your partying / alcohol intake. And don't be an entitled brat. You'll do good.
TL;DR
lots of spelling mistakes, bad grammar and run on sentences.
It was hell. you'll owe a lot of money and may have a hard time finding a job.
work your ass off, befriend your professors before your peers, dont' complain, learn everything they throw at you, network, associate, get good references. Fight. or it'll all be a waste of money.
Find a reason that you HAVE to succeed, and you probably will.
