How is/was college for you? I'm applying this year, and I want to hear about where people here go.
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College
- Thread starter ChaosAkita
- Start date
My experience so far with university: (yeah shut up it's a demotivational)
Where do you go? Unless you do Engineering or a hard science, it usually doesn't end up like that. I think the trick seems to be that you don't spend all day watching Hulu or something.
Wow, where do you guys go? I'd like to know so I can really avoid these schools.
Auckland University, I do first year biomedical science as a premed. 80 undergrad med spots on offer and about 1400 applicants, you do the math. P. much have to get straight A+'s and a killer interview. First semester exams for me are on the 9th-15th of June. I have no life right now but plenty of sleep. Go figure.
EDIT:
MD's pro tips:
If you're doing an academic course (re: engineering/pre med/med/cojoint/law) GO OVER YOUR LECTURE MATERIAL THE NIGHT/EVENING AFTER YOUR LECTURES. Even if you don't write notes, just reading over after you've taken the lecture helps you retain so much more in like 15 minutes of extra effort per lecture.
Be responsible, get drunk (pretty much) ONLY in O-week (the week preceding the semester) and inter/mid semester breaks. Make the most of it and try get it out of your system but that doesn't give you a free pass to be an idiot either.
Get decent friends in the same or similar courses that share similar goals. It's a hell of a lot easier to study if you don't have people nagging you to go out n'shit, plus they'll probably be the more long term mates anyway.
APPLY FOR EVERY SCHOLARSHIP YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK YOU HAVE A FUCKING CHANCE AT GETTING. I got around $52k this way. Trust me, fill out those forms.
Adding to flareblitz' post, keep in shape. I go to the gym every second morning and it makes you feel like you've done so much more with your day.
BUT YOU CAN DISREGARD EVERYTHING I'VE SAID HERE, DRINK EVERY SECOND NIGHT, ADOPT THE MANTRA "C'S MAKE DEGREES" AND DON'T GO TO LECTURES IF YOU WANT TO TAKE A BA.
EDIT:
MD's pro tips:
If you're doing an academic course (re: engineering/pre med/med/cojoint/law) GO OVER YOUR LECTURE MATERIAL THE NIGHT/EVENING AFTER YOUR LECTURES. Even if you don't write notes, just reading over after you've taken the lecture helps you retain so much more in like 15 minutes of extra effort per lecture.
Be responsible, get drunk (pretty much) ONLY in O-week (the week preceding the semester) and inter/mid semester breaks. Make the most of it and try get it out of your system but that doesn't give you a free pass to be an idiot either.
Get decent friends in the same or similar courses that share similar goals. It's a hell of a lot easier to study if you don't have people nagging you to go out n'shit, plus they'll probably be the more long term mates anyway.
APPLY FOR EVERY SCHOLARSHIP YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK YOU HAVE A FUCKING CHANCE AT GETTING. I got around $52k this way. Trust me, fill out those forms.
Adding to flareblitz' post, keep in shape. I go to the gym every second morning and it makes you feel like you've done so much more with your day.
BUT YOU CAN DISREGARD EVERYTHING I'VE SAID HERE, DRINK EVERY SECOND NIGHT, ADOPT THE MANTRA "C'S MAKE DEGREES" AND DON'T GO TO LECTURES IF YOU WANT TO TAKE A BA.
I guess I am not going to New Zealand for college so that particular school won't be a big problem for me. Good luck with your interview though.
Going to Simon Fraiser University next fall and still trying to figure out how the fuck to organize my time table.
My friend wants to go there. She said it was really nice.
College was excellent for me, and not so great for many of my friends (about a 75% dropout rate among my circle of friends). Here are a few tips for a successful experience:
1) Always go to class. Class is mostly optional in college, but fucking go. Seriously. Not only does it have a major impact on your understanding of the material, professors are MUCH more predisposed to help students they see often. Speaking of which...
2) Get to know your professors. You'll frequently see scary shit in syllabuses like "no make up work, ever" and "i won't budge your final grade by even 1/1000th of a percent". These only apply to people the professor does not know. Knowing your professor, visiting his/her office hours, and generally just taking advantage of their expertise will both help your understanding of material and, if the shit should hit the fan, give you a pretty good chance of salvaging a good grade.
3) There will be plenty of alcohol. Gallons. Please drink responsibly. Especially if it's a greek party, and doubly especially if you are female. The worst shit I've seen has gone down in situations with too much alcohol and too little sense. My recommendation is to stay sober for your first party, scope out which of your friends can handle their alcohol, and then buddy up with them in the future. That way not all of you are too drunk to keep an eye of each other.
4) There will be lots of sex, if you're even decently confident with women. If you're the forever alone type, please take this opportunity to read up on some PUA material. Start with the body language stuff, avoid the large amount of sexist material. College is a great place to build confidence - it's way less cliquey than high school, so you can make excellent first impressions. Wear a fucking condom.
5) Keep in shape. Most freshmen gain 10 - 15 lbs. Almost all campuses have some sort of workout center, so make sure you get into the habit of going there frequently. Also scope out the on-campus food places that serve healthy food and make a habit of eating there. Good habits formed at college greatly inform your habits in your career and beyond, so make being healthy a priority.
1) Always go to class. Class is mostly optional in college, but fucking go. Seriously. Not only does it have a major impact on your understanding of the material, professors are MUCH more predisposed to help students they see often. Speaking of which...
2) Get to know your professors. You'll frequently see scary shit in syllabuses like "no make up work, ever" and "i won't budge your final grade by even 1/1000th of a percent". These only apply to people the professor does not know. Knowing your professor, visiting his/her office hours, and generally just taking advantage of their expertise will both help your understanding of material and, if the shit should hit the fan, give you a pretty good chance of salvaging a good grade.
3) There will be plenty of alcohol. Gallons. Please drink responsibly. Especially if it's a greek party, and doubly especially if you are female. The worst shit I've seen has gone down in situations with too much alcohol and too little sense. My recommendation is to stay sober for your first party, scope out which of your friends can handle their alcohol, and then buddy up with them in the future. That way not all of you are too drunk to keep an eye of each other.
4) There will be lots of sex, if you're even decently confident with women. If you're the forever alone type, please take this opportunity to read up on some PUA material. Start with the body language stuff, avoid the large amount of sexist material. College is a great place to build confidence - it's way less cliquey than high school, so you can make excellent first impressions. Wear a fucking condom.
5) Keep in shape. Most freshmen gain 10 - 15 lbs. Almost all campuses have some sort of workout center, so make sure you get into the habit of going there frequently. Also scope out the on-campus food places that serve healthy food and make a habit of eating there. Good habits formed at college greatly inform your habits in your career and beyond, so make being healthy a priority.
That sounds great. Where did you go?
Wow, a 75% dropout rate. I don't think I can even list anyone I know who's dropped out of college. Most people I know say it's easier than high school.
Wow, a 75% dropout rate. I don't think I can even list anyone I know who's dropped out of college. Most people I know say it's easier than high school.
Make a list of courses you want to take, and look up the time slots. They'll send you an e-mail about when your course registrations are. What major are you looking into?
FYI, scholarship recipients and athletes get top priority, then 4th-1st year, so unless you got a scholarship from them, or you're an athlete, you may get screwed for some of the more popular time slots or courses.
All honesty, I prefer the UBC campus, because SFU is a bit isolated, on Burnaby Mountain.
I'm doing a Chemistry Major, with Pre-med, and SFU has been pretty easy for me. Hitting a 4.0 GPA, with a translation to UBC grades, around a 89 (90+ is an A+). I regret taking summer courses, because I wish I had a semester to just kick back, do volunteer work, and get a job, and relax. Instead, I'm working two volunteer jobs, with 3 courses, and 2 labs. Usually my day starts at 9:30 at class, and end at 9pm coming home from school or volunteer. Crappy summer for me. It'll all be worth it though, getting ahead on my course requirements for majors (the courses I'm taking have 2nd and 3rd year students taking them) and the courses themselves are interesting (Calculus III, Organic Chemistry I, and Analytical Chemistry.) I particularly enjoy Organic Chemistry. We're getting into Stereochemistry at the moment, and in Analytical Chemistry, just finished gravimetric analysis and started on Calibration and addition techniques. Interesting stuff, but the statistics in the course is a bit off putting.
You must be really smart. I heard chemistry is super difficult. At least it was for me.
In SFU, it`s more about beating the system (really pathetic). I managed to hit those grades with minimal work, maximum bullshit. General Chemistry was pretty pathetic. The scale is fucked, and all professors care about is how many kids pass, rather than how many people actually learn the stuff. Of course, this is only first year; in second year courses, I`ve met some really awesome professors.
Only course I really enjoyed was Physics 121, which was Waves, Optics, Electricity and Magnetism. Only course that actually made me think really hard about what I was doing and use my problem solving skills. A good combination of abstract and concrete topics, with an emphasis on actually knowing the material, without plugging and chugging your way through tests.
for the love of all that is good make sure you read and understand flareblitz's post. the man knows his shit
i'm at suny potsdam
i'm at suny potsdam
I got to the University of South Carolina. I'll be a senior this year, and I'm a Psychology major, Japanese minor.
A lot of advice I could give on my college experience would be based on what your major is. I can say that Psych and Print Journalism are easier majors. And no, I don't think you should force yourself to figure out a major before starting. I originally had a very specific math major, and the repercussions from my freshman year almost screwed up my year of studying abroad in Japan.
I'd say that the advisement system in place sucks, but 1) They're changing it and 2) I've never heard a positive review of any school's equivalent system.
Also, to add to FlareBlitz's list of super generic, but also right, advice: Go and join some organizations. And even better if they're stuff you're maybe not amazing at. I initially joined the anime club (I felt normal being around that level of nerd, which made me feel good) and the newspaper, despite not having a huge interest in journalism. Not only did I stick with it since then, but I've learned quite a bit, most of which can be transposed to other things that are way more relevant to me. Also, I've made some of my best friends from working there.
And despite my habit of bashing, I totally recommend my school. If nothing else, as an out-of-state student, I got a pretty substantial scholarship, making it cheaper than any in-state schools. And I know they hand out lots of scholarships every year, so unless you're just awful in high school, you stand a good chance (I had a meh GPA, but kickass SAT).
A lot of advice I could give on my college experience would be based on what your major is. I can say that Psych and Print Journalism are easier majors. And no, I don't think you should force yourself to figure out a major before starting. I originally had a very specific math major, and the repercussions from my freshman year almost screwed up my year of studying abroad in Japan.
I'd say that the advisement system in place sucks, but 1) They're changing it and 2) I've never heard a positive review of any school's equivalent system.
Also, to add to FlareBlitz's list of super generic, but also right, advice: Go and join some organizations. And even better if they're stuff you're maybe not amazing at. I initially joined the anime club (I felt normal being around that level of nerd, which made me feel good) and the newspaper, despite not having a huge interest in journalism. Not only did I stick with it since then, but I've learned quite a bit, most of which can be transposed to other things that are way more relevant to me. Also, I've made some of my best friends from working there.
And despite my habit of bashing, I totally recommend my school. If nothing else, as an out-of-state student, I got a pretty substantial scholarship, making it cheaper than any in-state schools. And I know they hand out lots of scholarships every year, so unless you're just awful in high school, you stand a good chance (I had a meh GPA, but kickass SAT).
I'd rather not specify. It's a fairly well-known business college in an affluent college town, if that has any relevancy.
College is definitely not easier than high school. If you look at the statistics, a very large number of people who enter college drop out before their junior year.
Have you decided on a major yet? And are you getting any scholarships? If the answer to both is "No", you should strongly consider a community college for the first two years.
I'm in the arts and social sciences faculty and I'm thinking of majoring in either history or humanities, but I'm also interested in geography and geology, so I'm not really all the sure yet.
I'm getting an entrance scholarship as far as I know, so that's always good.
UBC is pretty far away from me, at 1 - 1.5 hours on the bus, and I absolutely fell in love with SFU's architecture when I first visited there, so that was actually a pretty big influence on my decision.
Freshman 15 does not apply when you live at home in most cases. I actually lost 10 pounds while living at home, due to my tendency to skip meals while outside or studying. Don't do that either. Eat healthy, and eat your vegetables (seriously). Go to the gym once in a while, or play some intramural sports.
Most freshmen cannot handle living outside for once and go crazy on the ramen, cheap crappy microwave food and booze. Drinking a shit ton of alcohol itself will in itself, fuck with your body, especially if you're not used to it.
And if you go to a school in Canada, it's not as expensive as American ones. Therefore, go to a university, but go to a school like SFU where they let you have the freedom of going into whatever major you want and take whatever course you want. All that matters is that in the end, you have the pre reqs for the degree.
And please, don't bring your fucking high school drama to university. No one cares, and people will despise the fuck out of you for it. Especially if you make friends with 3rd or 4th year students. If it's about "OOOHH I CANT ASK OUT THIS GIRL, SHE'LL REJECT ME" or some shit like that, get over it, ask her out, or move on. You'll meet plenty of women at university, especially if you get involved in clubs and societies. I've seen kids do that, and I honestly thought they left that at high school. Apparently not.
That being said, you'll meet some great people in university. I've met friends at university that I never thought I'd ever meet. Some of the friends you meet here, will be your good buddies during your undergrad and your adult lives. Get out and meet these people. Your life will become that much more interesting.
Study hard. You're not hot shit. There are people from countries that you've met for your first time, and there will be kids who will beat you down intellectually and grade-wise. As long as you study, and keep up with your class work, you'll be a much happier person, and not lose that scholarship you worked so hard in high school for.
Many professors teach mainly because their tenure depends on it. That being said, there are professors who love your company, and your questions. I spent my Tuesday mornings in my physics professor's office asking for help on various physics stuff, and I've gotten to know him very well. He also bumped my grade, and I'm pretty sure the only reason I did well in his class was because I came during office hours. Professors are also vain; they love it when you're interested (or pretending to be) in their research. And some of the stuff they do is pretty awesome. One is developing a hydrogen based engine, that's more fuel efficient. Another is doing medicinal inorganic chemistry. Very interesting stuff, and it'll hopefully give you some sort of direction on what you want to do with your career.
Take a good variety of courses in your first year. You probably don't know what you want to do with your life at the moment, and I find alot of Arts students change their majors frequently, unless you're set on what you want to do.
Entrance scholarships are always good. Hint: maintain a 3.67 GPA and you'll get scholarship each year without applying. I'm getting 770 dollars out of 2000 paid for, because of it.
Architecture? I hope you're kidding me. That place looks like fucking Alcatraz. It was designed by a guy who designs prisons. Blusson Hall looks nice, and modern, and the AQ isn't bad. Otherwise, it looks depressing, especially in the winter, where in the fog, it looks like the bus is taking you to prison early in the morning.
UBC is also 1-1.5 hours away from me. I'll be commuting next year, and hopefully move out in third year.
Most freshmen cannot handle living outside for once and go crazy on the ramen, cheap crappy microwave food and booze. Drinking a shit ton of alcohol itself will in itself, fuck with your body, especially if you're not used to it.
And if you go to a school in Canada, it's not as expensive as American ones. Therefore, go to a university, but go to a school like SFU where they let you have the freedom of going into whatever major you want and take whatever course you want. All that matters is that in the end, you have the pre reqs for the degree.
And please, don't bring your fucking high school drama to university. No one cares, and people will despise the fuck out of you for it. Especially if you make friends with 3rd or 4th year students. If it's about "OOOHH I CANT ASK OUT THIS GIRL, SHE'LL REJECT ME" or some shit like that, get over it, ask her out, or move on. You'll meet plenty of women at university, especially if you get involved in clubs and societies. I've seen kids do that, and I honestly thought they left that at high school. Apparently not.
That being said, you'll meet some great people in university. I've met friends at university that I never thought I'd ever meet. Some of the friends you meet here, will be your good buddies during your undergrad and your adult lives. Get out and meet these people. Your life will become that much more interesting.
Study hard. You're not hot shit. There are people from countries that you've met for your first time, and there will be kids who will beat you down intellectually and grade-wise. As long as you study, and keep up with your class work, you'll be a much happier person, and not lose that scholarship you worked so hard in high school for.
Many professors teach mainly because their tenure depends on it. That being said, there are professors who love your company, and your questions. I spent my Tuesday mornings in my physics professor's office asking for help on various physics stuff, and I've gotten to know him very well. He also bumped my grade, and I'm pretty sure the only reason I did well in his class was because I came during office hours. Professors are also vain; they love it when you're interested (or pretending to be) in their research. And some of the stuff they do is pretty awesome. One is developing a hydrogen based engine, that's more fuel efficient. Another is doing medicinal inorganic chemistry. Very interesting stuff, and it'll hopefully give you some sort of direction on what you want to do with your career.
Take a good variety of courses in your first year. You probably don't know what you want to do with your life at the moment, and I find alot of Arts students change their majors frequently, unless you're set on what you want to do.
Entrance scholarships are always good. Hint: maintain a 3.67 GPA and you'll get scholarship each year without applying. I'm getting 770 dollars out of 2000 paid for, because of it.
Architecture? I hope you're kidding me. That place looks like fucking Alcatraz. It was designed by a guy who designs prisons. Blusson Hall looks nice, and modern, and the AQ isn't bad. Otherwise, it looks depressing, especially in the winter, where in the fog, it looks like the bus is taking you to prison early in the morning.
UBC is also 1-1.5 hours away from me. I'll be commuting next year, and hopefully move out in third year.
I've been at University of Sydney for six years (this is my last), studying a Bachelor of Advanced Science and a Bachelor of Laws, doing an Honours research year for the former (major in physics) in 2009.
I've had a really good time at university, overall.
I enjoy learning, and with a few exceptions (Organic Chemistry in first year, Civil and Criminal Procedure in 2nd) I've enjoyed all my classes. I've been commuting 1.5 hours by train each way, between four or five days a week each year. I've got solid marks (hovering just below distinction average; first class honours in science), and have had a pretty good social life, through my involvement with the Pop Culture and Gaming society, SUTEKH (for which I'm now Treasurer).
I would recommend getting involved in some clubs and socs stuff - it's a good way to meet people and have some social activity between classes. Most of my friends who had problems with their university experience mostly cited boredom, and the lack of friendly/interesting people on campus. The universities they went to also had poorly organised or nonexistent student services - I really think that the biggest factor to enjoying yourself at university is making sure you have a good social group, whether you share classes or not.
(EDIT: Clubs and Socs involvement is also great for your CV when applying for jobs once you graduate, especially if you get leadership roles within the clubs/teams/etc.)
I've had a really good time at university, overall.
I enjoy learning, and with a few exceptions (Organic Chemistry in first year, Civil and Criminal Procedure in 2nd) I've enjoyed all my classes. I've been commuting 1.5 hours by train each way, between four or five days a week each year. I've got solid marks (hovering just below distinction average; first class honours in science), and have had a pretty good social life, through my involvement with the Pop Culture and Gaming society, SUTEKH (for which I'm now Treasurer).
I would recommend getting involved in some clubs and socs stuff - it's a good way to meet people and have some social activity between classes. Most of my friends who had problems with their university experience mostly cited boredom, and the lack of friendly/interesting people on campus. The universities they went to also had poorly organised or nonexistent student services - I really think that the biggest factor to enjoying yourself at university is making sure you have a good social group, whether you share classes or not.
(EDIT: Clubs and Socs involvement is also great for your CV when applying for jobs once you graduate, especially if you get leadership roles within the clubs/teams/etc.)
Either you saw SFU Surrey or I am so very confused right now.
I'm 2nd year in Medical Laboratory Sciences, mentioning my university won't really relate to you, since I doubt you'd go to it if you live in the US, many things can differ from US colleges and colleges "here", but here are some general tips:
Major in something you love/want, do not choose a major for "money" or because it's "easy"; it could end up in you working none-satisfied and none-productive, while on the other hand if you pick a major you like there's more chance you'd enjoy college/work and be more productive.
Usually it's not easy, but don't let students and friends make obstacles for you not to get good grades because they say x is "hard"; sometimes a particular subject is easy for you and hard for others and vice-versa.
Attend classes, while it may seems boring, if you attend classes in most cases you'll understand the subject better(pretty much like what FB said).
Use studying techniques that fit you, use your own connections, mnemonics, ...etc.
Have a clear state of mind while studying and the exam, this helps make you comprehend better, and if you feel pressured or down try to calm.
Well those are the things on top of my head.
Major in something you love/want, do not choose a major for "money" or because it's "easy"; it could end up in you working none-satisfied and none-productive, while on the other hand if you pick a major you like there's more chance you'd enjoy college/work and be more productive.
Usually it's not easy, but don't let students and friends make obstacles for you not to get good grades because they say x is "hard"; sometimes a particular subject is easy for you and hard for others and vice-versa.
Attend classes, while it may seems boring, if you attend classes in most cases you'll understand the subject better(pretty much like what FB said).
Use studying techniques that fit you, use your own connections, mnemonics, ...etc.
Have a clear state of mind while studying and the exam, this helps make you comprehend better, and if you feel pressured or down try to calm.
Well those are the things on top of my head.