Like many of my peers, my first year of college was filled with ups and downs. here are some of my thoughts:
My school uses the quarter system, so this might be a little bit different for those on semester systems, but don't take 20+ units during your first year. I made the mistake of doing that for two quarters, and believe me, it wasn't a fun time. Just when you thought midterm week was over, you already have more assignments and tests stacked up the following week. Many of my nights were spent studying for an exam the next day or finishing up an assignment or two. The more classes you take, the less time you have to understand each of the classes' contents. Don't overbook yourself if you can avoid it.
Ironically enough, studying late at night has allowed me to develop relationships with other people. I call it trauma bonding. It's always more fun to study at night with friends, whether it be for last-minute proofreading for an essay or helping to resolve bugs in your code. Although I don't recommend staying up late, especially if you have an 8 a.m. class the following day, it might still occur from time to time, so why do it alone? Also, don't drink energy drinks on an empty stomach or late at night. It's not worth it.
Speaking of classes, don't enroll in 8 a.m. classes if you're a night owl like me. o-o However, if a good professor is teaching the class, ignore the previous statement. If you must enroll in an 8 a.m. class due to prerequistes, you might want to consider adjusting your sleep schedule before the quarter starts. If you have any questions regarding classes you need to take, schedule an appointment with an academic advisor. While you're at it, you may want to consider creating a four year plan so you have a general idea of classes you need to take in subsequent quarters. Sometimes, you won't always be able to enroll in the classes you want, so adjust your four year plan accordingly if that does happen.
Attend your classes. Focus less on taking notes and pay attention to what the professor or TA is saying. The opportunity cost of being in class is time that could have been spent attending office hours, doing homework for another class, socializing with friends, and whatever else people do these days. Clearly, your time in class is very valuable, so you might as well make the most of it. Even if you take little to no notes in class, you'll likely wind up taking a lot of notes throughout college. How should I take notes in college? Now that's a question I've asked myself and heard other people ask far too often. My advice? Just find a method and stick to it. Time spent trying to find the perfect notetaking system is time that could have been spent taking notes. But if you do want to experiment around, I would suggest switching in between semesters/quarters so that your notes aren't mixed up.
stuff I've tried:
Where was I? Ah, yes. Should I get a macbook or windows laptop for college? The other question I've asked myself and heard other people ask far too often. Honestly, you probably want to check the specific laptop requirements for your college since it varies here and there. If you already own a laptop that meets your school's requirements, use the one that you have. If you're a CS/Engineering major, choose windows (but lowkey if you're interested, try out WSL on windows). You don't want to buy a brand new macbook only to find out that the software you need to download is only available on windows. o-o You can also take a look on Ebay or Amazon Renewed for refurbished laptops, which are probably cheaper than the shiny, flagship laptops popular companies are constantly releasing.
For many students, it's very expensive to attend college. If possible, try and find ways to reduce college costs. Examples include applying for financial aid, scholarships, and grants early, taking adavantage of support services such as Calfresh, and my favorite, buying used/cheap textbooks. Just before the next quarter starts, my roommate and I used to look on anna's archive to find free pdfs of books. If we were unable to find them, my roommate and I would go down to the library, check out the book, scan it for free there, and send the pdf to ourselves. Any money you spend towards college is money you could have pocketed.
If you have a meal plan, take advantage of your meal swipes. You paid for them, so you might as well use them. It's okay to eat out every once in a while, but like everything else in life, do it in moderation. Take advantage of all the opportunities and resources out there. Don't hesitate to ask faculty/staff/fellow students questions. They're there to help and support you in your college journey. If they don't conflict with your schedule, attend office hours even if you don't have any specific questions. But if you do have questions and can't attend office hours, schedule an appointment with your professor or TA or find other support services that you can leverage. Join extracurriculars, such as clubs and organizations. Cut out the ones you don't like or aren't interested in. Honestly, I didn't participate in as many extracurriculars as I would've hoped, but that's something I'll improve on this coming school year.
Ultimately, life just consists of a bunch of small experiments, so when you step into college, just experiment and see what works for you. Do the best you can in all your classes because they're the foundation for your degree curriculum. But if screw up, don't be like me and dwell on it too much. o-o Learn from your mistakes so you can improve for next time. And have fun. The f in life stands for fun. Life was never without a little bit of fun. :)
Author: Ashley Pock