[YellohSwtTart]

HELLO HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS WHO ARE GOING TO BE IN COLLEGE NEXT YEAR!!

this might be a bit too early, but I have nothing else to do, and I feel like I have to write this down before I forget.

So you're all worried about getting INTO college...
well I'm here to talk to you about surviving your first semester...

but first off, congrats to those who already got in
and those who are till waiting/didnt get into their dream school...
let me tell you,
YOU WILL GO WHERE YOU ARE MEANT TO GO.
and if not, you will get out of there no matter what.
My dream was to get into UVA or CORNELL. I got waitlisted at both schools, ended up taking a scholarhsip offer at U of Maryland, and I am so happy that I made that decision.

ALRIGHT, SO ANYWAY...

FIRST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE is gonna be... CRAZY. It'll be an opportunity to TRY NEW THINGS, MEET NEW PEOPLE, GO CRAZY, AND HAVE THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE.

BUT.
remember that your first and foremost concern is with ACADEMICS. you are there to get an education.

my friend, a magnet student, got 1560 on her SATs,
FAILED THREE classes out of the FIVE she took because she didn't do ANYTHING. at first she was off meeting new people, then she was too lazy, and then she was off drinking on wednesdays. and the thing she says now: I WISH I COULD START OVER FRESH.

PLEASE be focused on your studies!! play on the weekends! study on the weekdays!!

next thing...

LIVE ON CAMPUS.
you'll love it. but this provides chances for you to not do any studying. learn to manage time.

MEET NEW PEOPLE.
get involved in at least one activity.
if not, get close to your hallmates

DO NOT DORM WITH YOUR BESTFRIEND.
okay, if your best friend is just as neat/messy as you are,
has the same taste in music,
has the same studying habits,
has the same taste in food
has the same sleeping patterns,
THEN it MIGHT be okay.
but other wise, STEER CLEAR.

TAKE LATER CLASSES.
10 A.M. is probably the earliest you should take
unless you're one of those weird morning-people.

3:00 A.M. CHINESE FOOD ADDS UP.
make use of the gym. find a workout buddy.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY
invest in some vitamins- i recommend flintstones
just leave it next to your computer and pop one in everyday.
there's nothing more depressing than being sick at a dorm.
there's nobody around to take care of you. you have to do it yourself.



hmmm... i'm trying to think of what else...
these are probably something you've eard before, but there's a reason why everyone says it!! cuz it's TRUE!!

if anyone has any questions, i'll definitely try to answer those....

:]

[kuku]

hahah thx for the tips

[chibifry]

I completely agree with you on the academics thing.

1. REMEMBER TO BE GRATEFUL
2. CALL HOME (if you dorm) AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK

[rich.paekk]

YellohSwtTart what state are you from? and what highschool did you attend?

[YellohSwtTart]

YellohSwtTart what state are you from? and what highschool did you attend?

i'm from maryland...

and i went to paint branch high...

why do you ask?

[팥빙수<3]

IMMA JUNIOR AND ILL MAKE SURE OF THESE TIPS WHEN I GO TO COLLEGE THANKS!! ^^

[flyaway]

thanks!
i can totally see myself doing the slacking off and partying too much
aish ><

[__laine]

thanks. i'm a bit worried about what i'm gonna eat, and where it's gonna go (as in the fat grams, calories, cholesterol). gotta take "kinesiology"

[BEBE_AN]

i have a question. why can't you room with your best friend? also, what are the pros and cons for living in a dorm and not at home? how is college different from high school? are the tests harder? do AP classes in high school actually prepare you for college?

[erure]

i have a question. why can't you room with your best friend? also, what are the pros and cons for living in a dorm and not at home? how is college different from high school? are the tests harder? do AP classes in high school actually prepare you for college?

i can only answer the last question easily. no, ap classes don't really prep you for college. teachers just claim they do but they don't...

[fumoffu]

i have a question. why can't you room with your best friend? also, what are the pros and cons for living in a dorm and not at home? how is college different from high school? are the tests harder? do AP classes in high school actually prepare you for college?

Most colleges would allow students to choose their roommates as their first option.
If not, you should contact the Housing service and request it personally before it's too late.

As for living in dorm (these are just some of my own personal experiences, so they might not reflect the same on you).

+

Distance, closer to class = less time on the road = more time in bed

Eat what you want, when you want, dress how you like, no parental discretion 24/5

Your roommate is your "best-friend", worst enemy, and/or new lover

2-4 people per dorm room = pillow fight at night? mmmMMMmm.

If you plan on going to a city or suburban college then a night out in town w/ your roommates is a great way to relieve stress from that test you failed ;]

Never a lonely night, unless you want it to be.

-

Limited food supply, don't bring enough and you'll starve

That reminds me, college food.

If you don't plan on going back during the weekends then let me say this,
Laundry if there not washed after about two weeks, the smell engraves into your head.

Size of the room divide by 2, 3, or 4 = your share of space.

If you get a cheap room, on a summer day expect to bring/buy all the fans you can.

And last but not least, bring your own toilet paper.

This post has been edited by fumoffu: 21 December 2005 - 07:26 PM

[yuans7love]

i have a feeling that if i room with my best friend... we're not gonna have ANY studying done -0-;;; all we're gonna do is talk talk talk and distract each other. hehe. that'll be fun~

[aPple]

do you have a microwave? or mini fridge? or are you eating out of the cafeteria?

gosh college life intrigues/terrifies me, lol

[soliitude]

now i'm excited to go to college... that is if i'm accepted to the one i want to go to..

[SOMNOLENT]

how would you avoid the freshman fifteen?
...
n' what if you get cruddy roomies? =(
don't colleges allow you to fill out a survey to get matched w/ ppl with the same preferences?

[hyerim07]

i have a feeling that if i room with my best friend... we're not gonna have ANY studying done -0-;;; all we're gonna do is talk talk talk and distract each other. hehe. that'll be fun~

lol... that's me and my roommate right now, although I didn't know her before college. It's fun but sucks for our grades

how would you avoid the freshman fifteen?
...
n' what if you get cruddy roomies? =(
don't colleges allow you to fill out a survey to get matched w/ ppl with the same preferences?

Avoiding freshman fifteen's pretty simple...
1. Keep a regular eating schedule. DO NOT go on random late night outings for food especially... although I know it's hard to avoid.
2. The dining halls are usually buffet style or something similar, and a lot of the food (well at least for me) was food that I didn't normally get to have. So you start eating a lot... and since there's more food right there, you tend to take more.
3. Don't reach for food as a stress reliever.
4. Try to keep a regular workout schedule, even if it's only a few hours a week.

Remember... freshman 15 (50?) can go both ways. You can either gain/lose it...

[YellohSwtTart]

As for rooming with your best friend, I recommend against it because you either
1. hate him/her by the end of the first semester
OR
2. you dont get any work done cuz you're too busy talking to each other.

as for living on campus, I feel that the experience far outweighs the "uncomfortable factor"
i suggest you live on campus at least for the first year. it's so much easier to meet new people that way. personally, i LOVE the freedom.

the freshmen 15:
avoid late night snacking/eating
keep a workout schedule

ap classes:
i though AP CALC BC was pretty much like college, but of course, it all depends on your teacher.
generally, AP COURSES are much easier than college.
think of your AP CHEM class:
now think of finishing that AP CHEM class in one high school semester (about 20 weeks?)
and then subtract about 5 weeks out of that high school semester
and then realize that you have lectures only 3 times a week

and there you have it. you go about twice as fast. college is pretty hard.

do you have a microwave? or mini fridge? or are you eating out of the cafeteria?

gosh college life intrigues/terrifies me, lol

there's a communal microwave in our floor lounge, and my roommate and I share a fridge. i eat most of my meals at the cafeteria, but sometimes its handy to eat microwaveable foods in my room.

the week of finals, i didnt have the energy nor the time to go to the diner. i had hotpockets and lean cuisines lined up in my fridge.

i have a feeling that if i room with my best friend... we're not gonna have ANY studying done -0-;;; all we're gonna do is talk talk talk and distract each other. hehe. that'll be fun~

it wont be fun when you see your grades at the end of the semester...

...
n' what if you get cruddy roomies? =(
don't colleges allow you to fill out a survey to get matched w/ ppl with the same preferences?

yeah, colleges have the little survey to get matched up with people.
as far as i know, most people who got roommates that way (including me) are pretty content. but of course, there are exceptions.

if you DO get stuck with a cruddy roommate, you're gonna have to stick it out for one semester.
and by cruddy i mean TOO messy/neat, TOO loud, TOO party-hardy that it bothers your studying, etc etc.
after one semester you can request a housing change.
but if your roommate does something illegal that bothers you, such as drugs, underage drinking, theft, etc, then you can report that and they'll kick him/her out.

how is college different from high school? are the tests harder? do AP classes in high school actually prepare you for college?

hmmm... how is college different from high school...

academic wise?
IT'S HARDER.
you dont have these little nifty worksheets teachers hand out so you can absorb the material...
NO... thats what the textbook is for!
it's up to YOU to learn everything. teachers are not breathing down your necks to see if you're doing well or not.

but i feel that your grades in high school are going to reflect your POTENTIAL in college. it just depends on how much work you're willing to put in.

"life" wise?
so much more freedom, if you live on campus.
it's your own little world...

[YellohSwtTart]

What college do you go to? Because I think it all depends on the difficult of the college.....
Uhh...aren't lectures like 2 or 3 hours long? so won't it come out to like the same time?

I go to U. of Maryland, and please don't give me stuff like "oh its not ivy league, so it cant be THAT hard, etc etc etc" because that's not how it works. no matter what college you go to, it will challenge you. i have plenty of friends that made it into ivy leagues but decided to come to U of MD for scholarships, and they also find it hard. look at it this way: if you have the brains, you will make the course decisions that accomodate your potential.


and 3 hour long lectures?

my chem lecture: 50 minutes long, 3 times a week, one discussion (50 minutes).
my bio lecture: 75 minutes long, 2 times a week, one discussion (50 minutes.)
my chem LAB: 3 hours long, once a week.

and i dont think this is just my school.

edit// my friend who goes to amherst, has lectures twice a week for 2.5 hours for some of his classes
so thats 5 hours a week- still only one semester though- so it still doesnt come out to "the same time."

This post has been edited by YellohSwtTart: 23 December 2005 - 06:11 PM