Alright, i think my perspective is slightly different on all of this Not to say that all of this advice isn’t great (because 99% of it is useful to some extent) but after this year, my perspective is slightly different. I realize my “advice” conflicts some of the above advice but i think it’s always best to see a differing perspective.
If there is any issue with your living conditions in the housing (the bathrooms aren’t maintained enough, too many loud drunken people in the buildings at night, breaking stuff, etc.), don’t hesitate to complain to your “resident assistant”. If problems don’t improve, don’t hesitate to visit the residental life/housing office on-campus. It’s never fun to be a complete pain in the ass, but keep in mind that you are PAYING to live there, so if something isn’t satisfactory, try to look for a way to resolve the problem. Ultimately, destructive residents and the lovely “friends” they may decide to bring on-campus is what drives the prices up for student housing, for everybody.
Although obviously joining a club isn’t some sort of major “life” decision, make sure you actually sign up for something that interests you and not purely for the sake of “making friends”. I imagine this seems like “common sense” to many, but 99% of the people around you are simply going to push the fact of “being in clubs” and “getting involved”. Keep in mind that you can also meet new people by simply TALKING to the people around you. Most people around campus are rather friendly, regardless of whether or not it’s your first year. Don’t pass up the opportunity to at least chat with people that you seem to constantly run into.
Yeah, i know everyone has said this, but seriously, try to go to class occasionly At a later point, it’s not nearly as important, but the first semester can be very rough if you aren’t at class most of the time. However, after you have become comfortable in your new environment and you learn the various rules of different classes and instructors, taking a day off occasionly isn’t terrible. 4) Finally, be cautious when it comes to workstudy positions at your college. Some people enjoy it, some people hate it. It’s important to talk to people at the school you are going to in various departments. Some schools run their workstudy programs much better than others and by the same virtue, some departments are better to work in than others. You’ll find some positions (especially in the art department from my experience) offer minimal interaction with other people.
I’ve been on both sides of the lecturn for a long time, surprised some stuff hasn’t been mentioned (or has been stated backwards).
Everything can be appealed. Missed a deadline, took the wrong sequence for a dist. requirment, etc. Appeal. But only if it was a sincere screwup. Don’t rely on it for making up for laziness on your part.
Read the book ahead before going to class. After you have read the book, heard the lecture and still fail to get something, you are in an excellent position to ask The Right Question.
Find out what other students in your major are doing as jobs within the dept. (Lab monitors, paper graders, etc.) Make it your goal to be one of them from Day One. The stuff that is available for insiders is amazing. It is a completely different college experience. (I was paper grader for my Calc. course 2nd quarter. You can’t start planning too soon.)
Ignore all tricks, cram ideas, magic notebooks, etc., that others will use. These are Bad Techniques of Bad Students. Leaning the material takes a fraction of the time compared to learning avoidance techniques.
Retain knowledge. Believe it or not, profs actually expect you to remember stuff you were taught last semester.
And for the real killer:
Do not take notes. That’s right, do not. There have been studies that have proven note taking is a bad idea. If you are taking notes, you are not listening to the lecture. That’s not good. Note taking is an bad study habit loved by stupid 6th grade teachers. (And in college, you will quickly find the Ed majors to be the worst students.) I remember one of the authors of such a study appearing on the Today show. Poor Katie’s mind nearly melted, she just couldn’t understand that not taking notes was a good idea. Ask the top students about this and you’ll find out that few takes notes and only because “that’s what I was told to do in the 6th grade.”
I would say the note-taking issue is one that ought to be resolved on an individual basis. If you’re set on not taking them, then take a small tape recorder with you and tape the lecture. I know quite well that I wouldn’t retain the slightest bit of information without writing it down several times and then looking at it for hours, but I’m very much a visual learner. YMMV.
I agree it must be an individual decision. I didn’t need to take notes in English, German, or Philosophy. I just didn’t need to. However, I would have been screwed if I didn’t take notes in math, Sociology, and Biology. My learning style, the professor, and the way the class was structured were all factors in my decisions over whether or not to take notes.
I did try recording the lectures, but I knew I wouldn’t og back and listen again. It was easier and more efficient to just rely on notes.
Having spent 40 years on the other side of the lectern, let me say that this is the best advice I have read here. By far. Professors do indeed LOVE questions. Good questions. Not, “Is this going to be on the exam?” (“It is now!”) but questions that show you have been in class. Even (or especially), “Would you explain that again?” Don’t worry about seeming to be ignorant (you wouldn’t be there if you weren’t) and try not to worry about what your classmates will think (most of them are asleep or beyond thinking anyway). And keep current. Don’t cram and don’t stay up all night before the final. You will do much worse, believe me.
Not to say that all of this advice isn’t great (because 99% of it is useful to some extent) but after this year, my perspective is slightly different. I realize my “advice” conflicts some of the above advice but i think it’s always best to see a differing perspective.
