College
| Author | Message |
Sneakattack 
Posts: 1054
|
 Posted: 11:13PM Jan 14, 2012 |
|
I was looking through this forum and noticed that there isn't a single topic about college. College is a huge part of someone's life, and with many adults and young adults on this site, I would find it only appropriate if there was a topic on it.
For those who have already graduated college, how has it impacted your life? How was the whole experience? What is your degree/major and why did you choose that? Did you commute or get a dormitory? Fraternities/sororities? What college did you go to?
For those who are in college, how is it going? Hard, easy, indifferent? How was the adjustment from high school to college? Any major differences? What do you like/dislike most about it? GPA/grades/courses you're currently taking? Sports? What college are you attending? Commuting/renting? What is your designated major? Any advice for students who are applying or who plan to attend college?
For those who are applying or have already applied, are you excited for college? Are you going to miss high school? What do you want to be/do? What is your progress with the applications? Any acceptances/denials? Have you applied for/won scholarships? Financial aid? If you've gotten acceptances, what college are you going to and why? Why did you choose the college(s) you applied to? What should one look for in a college?
You don't have to answer all these questions, these are just some examples of topics that you could talk about. If you feel uncomfortable revealing personal info like where you're going to college, that is fine. No one is making you say anything.
I'm currently sending out the rest of my applications. I'm applying to all New Jersey schools: Ramapo, Stockton, Rowan and Montclair. Boy, is the application process long and complicated. But I'm almost done. I'll be filling out the FAFSA soon and finishing my EOFs so I can get some financial aid. I will miss high school but I'm ready to move onto the next phase of my life. I'm excited for it but nervous, especially with all the bad things my teachers are saying about college, like mean professors, tons of work and abundant intoxication.
What are you looking at? |
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
Visit Wiki
|
bluegrasss
Perseverance
Posts: 5009
|
|
Posted: 08:06AM Jan 15, 2012 |
|
Sneakattack wrote: I'm excited for it but nervous, especially with all the bad things my teachers are saying about college, like mean professors, tons of work and abundant intoxication.
Sneak as to this part it is the same as in High School. You have some professors who will sign a ton of homework, you have some professors who will assign very little, some good professors, and some bad professors. The biggest problem is if you do not understand what is being said by the professor is to ask. Yes some will not give you the time of day and some will be very helpful. Study groups are helpful too.
Of course your nervous it will be different to what your use to, different schedules, different type of class structure, and more intense courses (depending on your Major/Minor Studies).
---This message was edited on 08:08AM Jan 15, 2012--- |
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
Visit Wiki
|
dolphingurl12
Posts: 5492
|
|
Posted: 11:31AM Jan 15, 2012 |
|
I'm starting my second semester of my first year in college. I adore college. My whole life before college, I was simply preparing to get here, where I belong.
The transition seems really scary when you're sitting at your house, refreshing the schools' websites until they finally reveal those beautiful acceptance letters. But once you're here, and you work hard, things start falling into place. I highly recommend living in a dorm; yeah, parts of it are horribly inconvenient, but it is sharing those inconveniences with other people forge strong friendships. Dorm life is a unique experience and a very worthwhile one.
The schoolwork is three times as hard as anything I had to do before, but it's also three times more rewarding. I'm an English and Philosophy double major, and I'm finally study things I'm deeply interested in and care about, with other students who feel largely the same. I live in a small, small town, and most kids at my school were (for the lack of a better word) dumb and apathetic, but everybody at my university is intelligent and motivated. Just being around such great people make me want to be a better person. I do spend like two hours studying for every hour I'm in class, and most of the time that studying doesn't have any direct reward, like an instant gratification in the form of a grade. Most classes just have two tests (or two papers if it's humanities) and a final exam, and that is your grade. The rest of the learning you must do for the sake of learning it, which does take some adjustment. Busy work is a thing of the past, in most classes. There are exceptions, of course. Professors vary highly, and which kinds you like you will figure out soon enough.
As far as abundant intoxication, it is easy to avoid those who engage in it. Just find a group of friends who don't participate in "Thirsty Thursday," and it is easy enough to avoid such crowds. At least at my university, there are just as many people who don't drink as those that do. Most people won't look down on you if you choose not to.
Sorry for the extremely long post! If you have any questions about college, I'll be happy to answer, since I am fresh off the transition. 
And good luck! I hope you get into all the schools you want to go to.
Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else. - Gloria Steinem |
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
|
ka-ching
Posts: 674
|
|
Posted: 02:28PM Jan 15, 2012 |
|
Having been home-educated my entire life, the move to university is completely foreign to me, although, like dolphingurl, I've always thought of college as my element (especially after having experienced bits and pieces of it through the private college in my hometown). The classes seem progressive, the students proactive, the dynamic just overall comprehensive.
That said, I speak as an outsider. While I consider myself half a year behind, I'll be more than making up for that time from now until this fall semester with CLEP exams. In September, I'll attend community college and hopefully move to an apartment and live, work, and study in the same city. After community college (which I consider a necessary evil just because university costs so much haha), I'll go somewhere more legitimate, especially if I can get my hands on some scholarships, which I sincerely hope my GPA and ACT score may allow me to do. Since I plan to pursue marketing/public relations and advertising, I'll probably be attending somewhere in a large city such as Boston or Philadelphia or Atlanta.
I'm trying also to look into double majors, since it seems like the best use of my time. Double major would be extremely useful, but I'm not sure how to coordinate Marketing with another major. (Possibly in international communications/affairs? My original intended major was foreign languages.)
This ride has been confusing for me, personally. haha Doing all this research, trying to figure out how the system works by myself; trying to figure out how to use the system to my best advantage. College is too expensive to allow mistakes. Help here is most ardently pleaded; I'll take any information I can get. I feel very inadequate so far.
Not at all worried about the intoxication bit. haha At least not yet. I had always assumed the solution Dolphingurl presented would be good enough for me if I wanted to avoid the issue.
|
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
Visit Wiki
|
Shadows
Posts: 4680
|
|
Posted: 03:05PM Jan 15, 2012 |
|
To those of you who are currently in college (and also those who have completed it, I suppose), what are some things you wish you had known or done earlier? If you could go back five years, what would you do differently? Actually, any and all advice would be welcome. No information is irrelevant.
"Time's rushing by me like the wind / Gotta grab each moment that I can / 'Cause I'm never gonna feel like this again" |
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
Visit Wiki
|
bluegrasss
Perseverance
Posts: 5009
|
|
Posted: 07:41PM Jan 15, 2012 |
|
Shadows wrote: To those of you who are currently in college (and also those who have completed it, I suppose), what are some things you wish you had known or done earlier? If you could go back five years, what would you do differently? Actually, any and all advice would be welcome. No information is irrelevant.
Check check and check. Make sure class schedules are still on the same day, time, and are still even available. Recheck Financial Aid for price change in classes, books, and lab fees. Recheck that the professor teaching the class is the right professor on the first day of class and if not try to get to the right class (sometimes things, rooms, and professors may be changed around at the last moment).
---This message was edited on 07:42PM Jan 15, 2012--- |
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
Visit Wiki
|
Mathgeek007
Pi Guy
Posts: 1432
|
|
Posted: 09:10AM Jan 16, 2012 |
|
Three things I must ask, being in High School.
1. Is it true College/University are the best 4 years of your life?
2. Is it true there are parties every weekend?
3. Is it true that no pets are EVER permitted on the premises?
Parents are supposed to "protect" their kids, but there's a real distinction between protection and unrealistically keeping children away from reality. - Life_Sucks --- One of my teasers was featured as the Teaser of the Day! :D Sept. 18 2011 :D YAY! |
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
Visit Wiki
|
dolphingurl12
Posts: 5492
|
|
Posted: 10:46AM Jan 16, 2012 |
|
Mathgeek007 wrote: Three things I must ask, being in High School.
1. Is it true College/University are the best 4 years of your life?
2. Is it true there are parties every weekend?
3. Is it true that no pets are EVER permitted on the premises?
1. Well, since I haven't lived any post-college years, I can't make a fair judgment. I am pretty sure life doesn't just stop being worth anything upon graduation, though. That said, college is a unique position in life, at least for me. I don't have to pay rent, my meals are prepaid, and I don't have my car with me so no gas money necessary ( scholarships, grants, my college fund, and my parents pay my tuition bill), so I don't work. My entire responsibility in life to learn as much as I can, participate the amazing opportunities on and around campus, and have fun with my friends. There is no other time in life when you have the luxuries of being somewhat dependent on parents and also the independence of being on your own. That is why, I think, these four years can rank up there pretty high in your life. But as for the best, well that is for you to decide in how you live the rest of your life.
2. Yes, there are certainly parties every weekend, multiple ones. There are parties in all the frat houses (though they seem to be fairly dangerous sometimes...) and students who live in off-campus housing have parties in their apartments and houses. There are usually some clubs and bars within walking distance of campuses also.
3. Every university has different policies regarding pets. Most prohibit pets in the dormitories, though. I have seen people walking dogs on campus, so they are allowed on campus, just not inside buildings and you can't keep them in your dorm. We're allowed to have fish in our rooms here, though. 
Shadows, I thought really hard about that, and I couldn't really think of anything serious I should have done. I felt pretty prepared to make the transition. I think that is really the key to the whole thing, preparing. Start preparing early and often. Research schools and visit campuses if you can. No matter how great a school looks on the website and on brochures, they can feel completely different once you're walking around. There's just an environment in the air and feel to the place that is only apparent when you visit. So visit, visit, visit any places you're interested in attending. It will make the decision much easier. Also, submit any paperwork early if you can. Bureaucracies can be terrible, losing paperwork and generally being slow. The earlier you submit it, the better chance you have of correcting a mishap so one should occur. That policy is also pretty relevant once you're in college and applying for various opportunities.
Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else. - Gloria Steinem |
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
|
ka-ching
Posts: 674
|
|
Posted: 04:05PM Jan 16, 2012 |
|
What about scholarships? What are the best ways to be exposed to/procure them? How do you find them?
|
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
Visit Wiki
|
Sneakattack
Posts: 1054
|
|
Posted: 04:52PM Jan 16, 2012 |
|
You can probably find scholarships on your school's website (high school). I like using Scholarships.com to find any other scholarships.
You have to know the difference between scholarships and grants, though. A grant is when money is given to you for academic and/or financial achievements or disabilities. A scholarship is reward money for doing or being something.
Aim for scholarships that you think you can achieve. Don't try to get a math scholarship if you've never been good at math. I'm a writer, so I'm aiming at essay scholarships.
What are you looking at? |
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
Visit Wiki
|
xxxamberxxx
Posts: 34
|
|
Posted: 02:57PM Jan 18, 2012 |
|
I graduated from college last year. I only went for my associates and i quickly found out that i still hate school as much as i hated high school. The things that i did like about college is not as much drama, and not every class starts early in the morning. I picked a college that was just far enough that my parents wouldnt drive to see me that often, but close enough that i could still drive home for the important things. I highly recomend living off campus. I did and loved it. I lived in one of those houses where you rent one room and share living spaces and kitchens with other students so it was like a private dorm with no rules. I was lucky to get awsome roomates who loved to party like me. We partied every weekend and people from the dorms said that they would not be living on campus next year. They have security so you can't party and you cant sneak into your room drunk without the hall monitor seeing you. and there was no stove in your room so everything has to be microwaveable, and you only have a mini fridge for you and your roommate to share. Many of them slept on our couch every weekend so they wouldnt get in trouble for drinking. I also like that my parents werent around so i did every daring thing i could do and my mom wouldnt freak. She over reacts and is over proctetive like most parents. Im not a total rebel though.....still no tatoos and awkward body piercings. I did however go sky diving, cliff diving, zip lining, and white water rafting. My mom freaked when she saw my camera. I had so much fun though doing extra ciricular activites and made some friends for life. When we graduate we still want to hang out and a few of us shared an apartment to help pay for rent since we spend our money too fast. overall my college experience was fun, and classes were ok, but i cant sit still and focus that much. I even fell in love with one of my roomates and we have been dating for two years now. College was the best years of my life, but the fun continues on the weekends now that we have real jobs. My advice is to live in the moment and don't worry to much. I passed with great grades, deans list every quarter, while still having fun. Its doable.
Live for the moment. Don't worry about the past. You make your own futrure. |
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
|
Sneakattack
Posts: 1054
|
|
Posted: 12:56PM Jan 28, 2012 |
|
I got my first acceptance!
What are you looking at? |
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
Visit Wiki
|
ka-ching
Posts: 674
|
|
Posted: 01:10PM Jan 28, 2012 |
|
Fantastic! to where, may I ask?
Guess while I'm here, I might as well ask. What are the affects/benefits of a minor? I've heard they're overrated. Much rather pursue a double major. How difficult is it, really, to juggle a double major?
So with that in mind, I looked into anthropology as a double with marketing. I suppose I'm just seeking opinions. I know for certain sure I'd enjoy anthropology and the like, and marketing/advertising is just a smart education choice (while also being along the lines of things I enjoy and am good at).
---This message was edited on 01:13PM Jan 28, 2012--- |
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
Visit Wiki
|
Sneakattack
Posts: 1054
|
|
Posted: 01:26PM Jan 28, 2012 |
|
I got an acceptance to Rowan University.
What are you looking at? |
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
Visit Wiki
|
horrordude0215
Posts: 64
|
|
Posted: 01:28PM Jan 28, 2012 |
|
College was the death of my high school career. It sounds bad, but it's true. All throughout Middle School and Elementary school I was the type of person that was on Honor Role every time. (I actually got Straight A's all throughout 6th grade.) When I really learned about the costs of a 4 year university, that's when I decided to go to a Community College and then transfer my credits. Then I find out that Community Colleges don't care about grades, they just want to see a diploma, my grades and effort fell faster than the stock market. Now I'm in my 2nd term of my freshman year and I'm already behind on credits simply because I didn't put in the time during High School to develop good study habits and homework skills. Ugh. 
|
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
|
ka-ching
Posts: 674
|
|
Posted: 01:38PM Jan 28, 2012 |
|
Have you ever heard of/looked into credit by examination? That might help you, especially if your knowledge retention is good for anything at all (some of us can't retain information for the lives of us haha). Anyway, CLEP is a big one; AP exams as well, DSSTs, etc. For example, I'm taking about 8-15 CLEPs this spring/summer and it's gonna yield me about 45 credits before my first year of college.
Did I mention it's a whole lot cheaper, too?
I just realised I said half of my latest two posts in my original post. haha sorry.
|
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
Visit Wiki
|
Sneakattack
Posts: 1054
|
|
Posted: 01:56PM Jan 28, 2012 |
|
Acceptances:
1) Rowan (yesterday)
2) Stockton (5 minutes ago)   
horrordude, that is very true. College is a self-teaching environment
What are you looking at? |
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
Visit Wiki
|
ka-ching
Posts: 674
|
|
Posted: 02:04PM Jan 28, 2012 |
|
Sneakattack wrote: Acceptances:
1) Rowan (yesterday)
2) Stockton (5 minutes ago)
horrordude, that is very true. College is a self-teaching environment
Congrats!
and that both sucks and works, since self-teaching is one of the best ways ever to really learn something, but being homeschooled, I've grown up doing it, so I'm terrified it'll just be the same-old.
|
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
Visit Wiki
|
dolphingurl12
Posts: 5492
|
|
Posted: 11:20PM Jan 28, 2012 |
|
ka-ching wrote: Fantastic! to where, may I ask?
Guess while I'm here, I might as well ask. What are the affects/benefits of a minor? I've heard they're overrated. Much rather pursue a double major. How difficult is it, really, to juggle a double major?
So with that in mind, I looked into anthropology as a double with marketing. I suppose I'm just seeking opinions. I know for certain sure I'd enjoy anthropology and the like, and marketing/advertising is just a smart education choice (while also being along the lines of things I enjoy and am good at).
I'm double majoring. It really just depends on the requirements for the two majors. Some majors complement each other well and you can take classes that fulfill requirements for both. If they don't do that, you just have to plan out all your courses very carefully and stick to the plan, but it's not that bad if you're serious about earning both degrees. I know somebody doubling in Drama and Peace, War, and Defense just because she's passionate about both. I have no idea what career she is pursuing, but...
Minors seem to be more interest-based than anything. At my university, most of them are only five classes, so some people end up with minors by just taking stuff that interested them. Employers do look at some minors; a lot of Global Studies majors minor in a language or two, which definitely makes them more attractive.
Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else. - Gloria Steinem |
| Back to Top |
View Profile
Send PM
|
 | |
|
Access Restricted
