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The Sylentnight

Starting College Tomorrow

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Tomorrow is my first day of college. I am really nervous. it sucks because I have to use the transit system and I'm not use to that. I've done it before. Just very rarely have I done it. Luckily it's only one class for me tomorrow and it's in the morning. But afterwards I have to spend time there trying to see if I can find work at the campus. I spent all summer looking for a job, but no one wants freshly out of high school minority boy. So hopefully I can find a job tomorrow for work. Or at least get a place to start.

It's kind of clicking right now that this is it. No more only going to high school and what not. Actually going out there looking for a job and continuing school.

So, I probably may have heard some of the words already, but does any one have advice for me tomorrow? (Though I'll have to look at it after morning class.)
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  1. Artee's Avatar
    I'm about to finish my college this year, and all I can say for now is, good luck, and work hard
    What are you gonna study?
  2. ratstsrub's Avatar
    If your university is relatively not small, there may be a student services or some similar organization on campus where you can find student jobs.

    Getting into college is the hard part (relatively speaking, it's actually pretty easy if you know how to do it), the courses, and the work, just depends on you getting to your classes and working on the materials.

    Advice? Try to structure your time between academics, work, and very importantly, leisure. Time management is crucial.

    You don't want to burn-out, but you also don't want to not get your money's worth. Undergraduate education is really supposed to round you out, so enjoy your time there. Join a club or something (if you have the time for it), and in general, explore your opportunities.


    (Also, I dunno where you live, but check up on internships/summer REUs or whatever programs your university has for next summer. Deadline for those generally end pretty early, and it's always good to keep aware of those opportunities. In the US, for example, you can spend a summer learning about stuff and make some buck. Dunno about your financial situation, but scholarships are always good to apply for.)

    (Also, lots of universities have services to help students out, like maybe a writing center for those struggling to transition from what's expected in high school to what's expected in college, a math resource center, a physics resource center, a chemistry resources, etc... for those subject related problems. Don't hesitate to use them if you feel like you need a bit extra help, that's what they're there for.

    There's also the office hours of the professors and TAs, which may be useful, but if they conflict with your schedule, don't be afraid to contact the professors/TAs directly to see if you can't schedule something out.

    It's pretty weird, but college is like a funky period in your life where you're officially an adult, which means various responsibilities and options are now available to you that weren't before, including but not limited to actually talking to your instructors as fellow adults, yet still aren't out in the 'real world' where you're almost completely on your own, which means, like I listed before, you have tons of services to help you along.)
    Updated August 18th, 2013 at 11:29 PM by ratstsrub
  3. The Sylentnight's Avatar
    @Artee Not so sure. I kind of want to get a major in history & humanities and maybe teach, but I'm not so sure. Thanks for the kind words and good luck with your last year!

    @ratstsrub Thank you for the advice. After my class is done I will go to my school service center and talk with one of the councilors there. The reason it's a bit harder for me is with the textbooks. My school didn't have textbooks and while we did take notes, it was a bit between here and there we did. At the moment I don't really have anything to do but school so I should be good for time but thanks for the advice on time management. I'll remember it hopefully for tomorrow.
  4. The Geek's Avatar
    Nice, I don't start for another month.
  5. Kelnish's Avatar
    Don't run out of money.
  6. In-N-Out Double-Double & Animal Fries's Avatar
    Shit Kelnish, I thought you were Koto for a split second, stahp confusin meeee
  7. Nicktendonick's Avatar
    For me, I'm actually in my first class right now.

    Protip number 1, if you have access to the internet when you're in class, Turn it off. It's too distracting.

    Also, figure out your political ideology, because there will be people there who will try to turn yours into theirs. Mostly, the "politically motivated teacher" is a thing for a reason, as well as students who act even worse.
    Please Don't turn into one of those radical types, it's not good for you for so many reasons (mostly because it turns you into a close minded idiot who violently rejects anything that challenges their pre-conceived notions and will warp the truth to prevent it from being challenged. If you thought the console and twilight shippers fandumbs was bad...)

    Sometimes, it's not much of a problem, othertimes, they'll try to cram it down your throat and the self proclaimed "tolerant" people will treat you like this if you respectfully disagree with them. Figuring you've been on the internet where this happens just as much, well, you know.

    Usually, just not talking about it and staying out of it is usually the best way to deal with the problem.
    But I doubt it'll be a problem, but keep your eyes out for it.

    I don't know where you are, so I can't give you any location-dependent tips

    Let's see, what else....

    -do not fall behind on your studies. It will seriously screw you up if you fall behind. Don't let your leisure get the best of you, and definitely not procrastination. Since you're on BL's I'll assume that can be a problem. DO NOT SLACK, COMPLETE YOUR CLASSWORK. it will be the end of you. One of the things I hear constantly in college is that You need to do much more work at home then in class. I find this a bit bull, but there is a emphasis on getting your out of class stuff done. Make sure you do man, make sure you do.

    -Tutoring, if you need it, do it. Don't feel too prideful that you mustn't do it. If you need to do it, then definitely ask for some help. Don't let your pride get the best of you.

    -Don't be afraid if you do fail. Like I said, college is very difficult and it is not for everyone (despite still, it comes with great rewards, even for those who go the trade route). It is not the end of the world.
    If you fall, get back up and try again.
    Like any videogame, if you game over, you just need to get back up and try again, learning from your mistakes to clear the hurdle you couldn't before.

    Shirou's a great example here. Don't give up jumping over the hurdle just because you can't clear it. Figure out what you did wrong last time, perform the correction, and keep going till you do. Be like the Shirou, and you too can clear hurdles (and/or gain female king Arthur as a girlfriend. your results may vary)

    I wish you the best of luck. College is a major step, and a tough one.
    Godspeed.