College
- Thread starter Simone
- Start date
Just make sure to have fun and don't take things too seriously!
Your questions are pretty broad. Any specific ones?
I'm not much of an athlete; the only sports related things I'm interested in joining are my school's rock climbing club and maybe bowling. I also thought about starting a figure skating club. As for other clubs, I'm interested in psi chi (which is a national psychology honors society) and our French club.
Dorms arenEdit't my style, so no idea.
I think the best part of college is just the freedom and knowing how you're really maturing. I'm only a freshman, but I realized how much I'd matured just from the beginning of senior year to submitting college applications. I had friends who were already in college tease me about how great it was last year, and they weren't definitely weren't kidding. Getting out of school a month or so earlier than primary and secondary schools is pretty nice too. :P
College is just different... it's a completely different environment. I know at some high schools, students are in classes with people who hate learning and school. With college, you're less likely to experience this. Most people are there to learn, meet new people, and experience new things. The whole atmosphere is different.
For a lot of people, college is really the first time they experience independence with assignments and complete freedom choosing classes, but I'd already experienced both of those for years due to me being in online school. A lot of smart people also have to learn to study when they get to college (like for example, if you got through high school without having to really study and could read something once and pass a test on it, it's unlikely you'll be able to do that in college - so be aware of that). A lot of colleges also offer classes that high schoolers don't get to take; some of the ones I find the coolest at my college are neuroscience, theatre/film, forensic science, and the archeology classes. And then you have fun opportunities like participating in research (depends on your major of course) and studying abroad.
I'm not much of an athlete; the only sports related things I'm interested in joining are my school's rock climbing club and maybe bowling. I also thought about starting a figure skating club. As for other clubs, I'm interested in psi chi (which is a national psychology honors society) and our French club.
Dorms arenEdit't my style, so no idea.
I think the best part of college is just the freedom and knowing how you're really maturing. I'm only a freshman, but I realized how much I'd matured just from the beginning of senior year to submitting college applications. I had friends who were already in college tease me about how great it was last year, and they weren't definitely weren't kidding. Getting out of school a month or so earlier than primary and secondary schools is pretty nice too. :P
College is just different... it's a completely different environment. I know at some high schools, students are in classes with people who hate learning and school. With college, you're less likely to experience this. Most people are there to learn, meet new people, and experience new things. The whole atmosphere is different.
For a lot of people, college is really the first time they experience independence with assignments and complete freedom choosing classes, but I'd already experienced both of those for years due to me being in online school. A lot of smart people also have to learn to study when they get to college (like for example, if you got through high school without having to really study and could read something once and pass a test on it, it's unlikely you'll be able to do that in college - so be aware of that). A lot of colleges also offer classes that high schoolers don't get to take; some of the ones I find the coolest at my college are neuroscience, theatre/film, forensic science, and the archeology classes. And then you have fun opportunities like participating in research (depends on your major of course) and studying abroad.
I'm a junior at Louisiana Scholars' College, which is Louisiana's only full honor college.
The only clubs I'm involved in are honor societies and I like them. I basically just do volunteer work and attend meetings. They look good on your resume for grad school or jobs. I don't see a point in Greek life, and I've never been interested in sports.
The dorms at my school are absolutely amazing. They were actually a huge part of my decision, haha. I have my own spacious bedroom and bathroom, and I share a kitchen and living room with my cousin. It's just the two of us. I could NEVER share a bathroom with anyone else... So I've stayed on campus for three years. I love it here.
The best part about my school is the size, for sure. My junior class is only 48 people, so everyone is really close and we have a majority of our classes together. We have twelve professors in Scholars' (they all teach multiple subjects because they are required to have PhDs and are knowledgeable enough to teach at least two courses), so we get to know each of them personally. It's lovely.
The worst part, I'd say, is the fact that Scholars' College is situated on a larger campus. We are technically a PART of Northwestern State University of Louisiana, so we have to put up with the "general population" (which isn't bad in itself, but they often judge us and the regular professors are usually mean to Scholars' students).
Overall, college is a great experience to me. It's hard, the workload is ridiculous, but I couldn't imagine myself anywhere else.
The only clubs I'm involved in are honor societies and I like them. I basically just do volunteer work and attend meetings. They look good on your resume for grad school or jobs. I don't see a point in Greek life, and I've never been interested in sports.
The dorms at my school are absolutely amazing. They were actually a huge part of my decision, haha. I have my own spacious bedroom and bathroom, and I share a kitchen and living room with my cousin. It's just the two of us. I could NEVER share a bathroom with anyone else... So I've stayed on campus for three years. I love it here.
The best part about my school is the size, for sure. My junior class is only 48 people, so everyone is really close and we have a majority of our classes together. We have twelve professors in Scholars' (they all teach multiple subjects because they are required to have PhDs and are knowledgeable enough to teach at least two courses), so we get to know each of them personally. It's lovely.
The worst part, I'd say, is the fact that Scholars' College is situated on a larger campus. We are technically a PART of Northwestern State University of Louisiana, so we have to put up with the "general population" (which isn't bad in itself, but they often judge us and the regular professors are usually mean to Scholars' students).
Overall, college is a great experience to me. It's hard, the workload is ridiculous, but I couldn't imagine myself anywhere else.
im not in any clubs currently but they will tell you join join join lol you should though cause you really do meet people that way! i was in photo club and japan club when i was freshman (im a senior btw)
im in a single dorm cause i just like my own space and in the past my roomates left in middle of year because one dropped out and the other one moved to live with a friend, but we dont have suites or anything at my college so its still a community bathroom. i also dont want to live on campus beuase it is freezing 7 out of the 9 months of school in minnesota and it is just so much easier and convient living in the dorms then having to drive in a blizzard or even walk in a blizzard lol
i love college but its a lot more work. one thing i dont like the cafeteria..lol i have ibs so most of the food makes me sick and all of their options are kinda gross or unhealthy (seriously everyday its pizza, burger, taco, or pasta) so i cant wait to get out of that but otherwise college is really fun and sad to see it end
im in a single dorm cause i just like my own space and in the past my roomates left in middle of year because one dropped out and the other one moved to live with a friend, but we dont have suites or anything at my college so its still a community bathroom. i also dont want to live on campus beuase it is freezing 7 out of the 9 months of school in minnesota and it is just so much easier and convient living in the dorms then having to drive in a blizzard or even walk in a blizzard lol
i love college but its a lot more work. one thing i dont like the cafeteria..lol i have ibs so most of the food makes me sick and all of their options are kinda gross or unhealthy (seriously everyday its pizza, burger, taco, or pasta) so i cant wait to get out of that but otherwise college is really fun and sad to see it end
I'm in Greek life. I joined primarily for the social aspects but I've made best friends, bridesmaids, networking conditions, and mentors. Every stereotype you've seen is wrong - every chapter is completely different and chances are you'll find one that is a perfect fit. The paying for your friends argument isn't entirely a lie. Yes, we pay dues, but any organization requires dues. I'm in this chapter because they chose me and I chose them - these are the types of girls I would be friends with even if we weren't affiliated and the money we pay goes towards all the activities I would otherwise pay to do with them. The most rewarding aspect by far is philanthropy. It's an unexplainable feeling to see a six figure check being made out to a children's hospital and knowing you directly contributed to that success. I highly encourage looking more into it.
I go to a very large state university, known for being a notorious party school but still with high academic standards.
Freshman are required to live on campus and I absolutely hated it. I was lucky and lived in a suite with only my RA(who was totally awesome). We shared a common room and bathroom between the three of us which wasn't bad at all.
I'm a sophomore this year and live in an apartment a few miles away with three roommates. Having my own room/bathroom/kitchen is so much better.
The best part is the freedom. The freedom in what I eat, when I take classes, how I allocate my time, how I decorate. The independence is nice but can be a scary thing if you aren't ready for it.
The worst part is the amplified work load. I'm a business student and for every one hour I spend in class, I probably spend three to four studying or reviewing whatever I learned in lecture.
I go to a very large state university, known for being a notorious party school but still with high academic standards.
Freshman are required to live on campus and I absolutely hated it. I was lucky and lived in a suite with only my RA(who was totally awesome). We shared a common room and bathroom between the three of us which wasn't bad at all.
I'm a sophomore this year and live in an apartment a few miles away with three roommates. Having my own room/bathroom/kitchen is so much better.
The best part is the freedom. The freedom in what I eat, when I take classes, how I allocate my time, how I decorate. The independence is nice but can be a scary thing if you aren't ready for it.
The worst part is the amplified work load. I'm a business student and for every one hour I spend in class, I probably spend three to four studying or reviewing whatever I learned in lecture.
I'm currently a junior in college and I've had a very... rocky college experience.
My freshman fall semester I didn't do much but my spring semester was crazy. I join the college Democrats and I was kicked out of the Orlando Airport for protesting my governor, I registered 200 people to vote, raised about $1000 for a shelter for domestic abuse victims and worked on a campaign to have our local-rep be reelected into the State Rep. I also joined clubs such as Oceana and helped co-start a club on campus that helped rebuild a local town (We campaigned for municipal water, volunteered at their school, and helped build a self-sustaining garden/park). These were so rewarding but I stopped participating in them after some drama happened and I just didn't like being around the people.
My friends and I try to go to every single football game and we end up going to tons and tons of baseball games (it's free for students because it's in our tuition).
I lived on campus my freshman and sophomore year. My freshman year I had that typical shared room and it was so bad. My roommate was disgusting and never cleaned because she was never there. But I met someone in one of my classes and we ended up living in an on-campus apartment my sophomore year and that's when I formed the group of friends I have now. Living in the on-campus dorm wasn't that bad at all because I had my own room and we had a kitchen and living room, I just had to share a bathroom. Now, I live in an apartment right across the street from my school with the same people I did last year and it's amazing.
It honestly depends on what school you go to. I go to the second largest school in the nation, the largest school in Florida. It's really easy to get involved here. My major is also one of the smallest (only about 300 students) so I tend to make a lot of friends and we study together! The main advice I would give you is just to get involved on your campus. Join clubs, go to homecoming events, GO TO EVENTS IN GENERAL! Find out what you love to do because that's how you will make your college experience enjoyable.
My freshman fall semester I didn't do much but my spring semester was crazy. I join the college Democrats and I was kicked out of the Orlando Airport for protesting my governor, I registered 200 people to vote, raised about $1000 for a shelter for domestic abuse victims and worked on a campaign to have our local-rep be reelected into the State Rep. I also joined clubs such as Oceana and helped co-start a club on campus that helped rebuild a local town (We campaigned for municipal water, volunteered at their school, and helped build a self-sustaining garden/park). These were so rewarding but I stopped participating in them after some drama happened and I just didn't like being around the people.
My friends and I try to go to every single football game and we end up going to tons and tons of baseball games (it's free for students because it's in our tuition).
I lived on campus my freshman and sophomore year. My freshman year I had that typical shared room and it was so bad. My roommate was disgusting and never cleaned because she was never there. But I met someone in one of my classes and we ended up living in an on-campus apartment my sophomore year and that's when I formed the group of friends I have now. Living in the on-campus dorm wasn't that bad at all because I had my own room and we had a kitchen and living room, I just had to share a bathroom. Now, I live in an apartment right across the street from my school with the same people I did last year and it's amazing.
It honestly depends on what school you go to. I go to the second largest school in the nation, the largest school in Florida. It's really easy to get involved here. My major is also one of the smallest (only about 300 students) so I tend to make a lot of friends and we study together! The main advice I would give you is just to get involved on your campus. Join clubs, go to homecoming events, GO TO EVENTS IN GENERAL! Find out what you love to do because that's how you will make your college experience enjoyable.
Honestly, yes. I grew up in a Gator family. My entire family went to the University of Florida (I'm the only one to get accepted and not go...) so I basically grew up with college football. It's something that I actually enjoy. UCF is only in the American Athletic Conference but it's still fun to go to games, even if we crush teams 31-7. We're not like FSU or A&M, but Zombie Nation is growing our football team is definitely drawing more attention.
Last year our quarterback was drafted third overall and is currently the starting QB for the Jacksonville Jaguars so football at my school is getting so big now and people are actually getting interested in it.
Oh I forgot to mention in my original post that one of the major decisions to going to my school is the proximity of Disney and Universal Studios...
The location of your school should definitely play a major part in your school decision making process. I didn't want to go to University of Florida because Gainesville is such a boring town. There's literally nothing there. My school (the University of Central Florida) is literally 20 minutes from Downtown Orlando and 30 minutes from Disney. It's not exactly boring here.
Last year our quarterback was drafted third overall and is currently the starting QB for the Jacksonville Jaguars so football at my school is getting so big now and people are actually getting interested in it.
Oh I forgot to mention in my original post that one of the major decisions to going to my school is the proximity of Disney and Universal Studios...
The location of your school should definitely play a major part in your school decision making process. I didn't want to go to University of Florida because Gainesville is such a boring town. There's literally nothing there. My school (the University of Central Florida) is literally 20 minutes from Downtown Orlando and 30 minutes from Disney. It's not exactly boring here.
I'm a current freshman nursing major. My college has about a 10,000 person student body, and my major has about 160 freshmen.
The only club that I am really active and interested in is my school's student nurse organization. I signed up for other clubs, but their meetings are almost always when I am in late-night labs or times that are completely inconvenient for me.
I commute a half hour to and from school. I'm paying for my own education, and I did not want take out $12k in student loans to fund living in the dorms for one year (my tuition, including fees, books, and miscellaneous expenses for my major, is less than $15k) when I could stay at home for free. Quite frankly, my college is not commuter friendly, and it adds extra stress to my day (an hour each day is essentially wasted getting to and from school), but I love not having to deal with the dorm drama a lot of people in my major are having and being available for my family.
I really enjoy the extra freedom given with college. Professors do not care if you have to miss class -you're still paying their salaries through your tuition- or leave class early. Unlike at my former high school, nobody is going to care about where you are 24/7, or what you are eating, or whether you are studying or not.
Personally, I have a huge pet peeve about being uninformed at my university. I know a few professors in my major love giving vital information (such as addendums to a syllabus) to only one section of a specific course and not say anything to the other sections. The other sections soon hear of the information through word of mouth, and a boatload of confusion, cramming, and panic typically occurs. For instance, I need to complete a simulation lab for one of my nursing classes. There are two professors who teach different sections of the class. My major's department gives access to the simulation lab's appointment center to the other professor's students two weeks earlier than my professor's students. We don't find out about this error until a week later, when people in the other class are discussing their simulation lab times. By the time that we finally have access to the book our simulation lab times, all the good spots were taken, and many of us have to skip a class in order to fit in our simulation lab (when our department urges us to not skip class due to a simulation lab). Of course, it only gets worse when another class's professor changes the next exam date to the day some of my friends have to skip that class in order to attend the simulation lab.
Don't make the same mistake I did. When classes first start, it'll seem like you have a ton of free time on your hands. You should be using that time to study (readings are killer), or you're going to be frazzled beyond compare when you try to cram 15 weeks of material for five different classes two weeks before finals begin. Right now, I'm living purely on coffee and waiting until my finals are done (I will have two months off from classes after finals).
The only club that I am really active and interested in is my school's student nurse organization. I signed up for other clubs, but their meetings are almost always when I am in late-night labs or times that are completely inconvenient for me.
I commute a half hour to and from school. I'm paying for my own education, and I did not want take out $12k in student loans to fund living in the dorms for one year (my tuition, including fees, books, and miscellaneous expenses for my major, is less than $15k) when I could stay at home for free. Quite frankly, my college is not commuter friendly, and it adds extra stress to my day (an hour each day is essentially wasted getting to and from school), but I love not having to deal with the dorm drama a lot of people in my major are having and being available for my family.
I really enjoy the extra freedom given with college. Professors do not care if you have to miss class -you're still paying their salaries through your tuition- or leave class early. Unlike at my former high school, nobody is going to care about where you are 24/7, or what you are eating, or whether you are studying or not.
Personally, I have a huge pet peeve about being uninformed at my university. I know a few professors in my major love giving vital information (such as addendums to a syllabus) to only one section of a specific course and not say anything to the other sections. The other sections soon hear of the information through word of mouth, and a boatload of confusion, cramming, and panic typically occurs. For instance, I need to complete a simulation lab for one of my nursing classes. There are two professors who teach different sections of the class. My major's department gives access to the simulation lab's appointment center to the other professor's students two weeks earlier than my professor's students. We don't find out about this error until a week later, when people in the other class are discussing their simulation lab times. By the time that we finally have access to the book our simulation lab times, all the good spots were taken, and many of us have to skip a class in order to fit in our simulation lab (when our department urges us to not skip class due to a simulation lab). Of course, it only gets worse when another class's professor changes the next exam date to the day some of my friends have to skip that class in order to attend the simulation lab.
Don't make the same mistake I did. When classes first start, it'll seem like you have a ton of free time on your hands. You should be using that time to study (readings are killer), or you're going to be frazzled beyond compare when you try to cram 15 weeks of material for five different classes two weeks before finals begin. Right now, I'm living purely on coffee and waiting until my finals are done (I will have two months off from classes after finals).
Biggest tip from a high school senior who is also a college sophomore; be careful when you choose classes. Don't take too many easy classes in one semester, and definitely don't take too many hard classes. Try to plan which classes to which semester like the semester before, so that you know what you need.
Ah, okay. Well good luck! Have you chosen your major yet?Or what are you interested in studying?
Dual enrollment (or another similar program), I assume? If so, trust me - dual enrollment is basically just like taking AP and/or IB classes. There really is no difference between the two, except AP and IB are generally more preferred. While all three expose you to the college course load (especially if you're taking all AP/IB/or dual enrollment classes), they're still different from actually being in college, if you get what I mean (especially if you have to deal with restrictions on what classes you can take - such as only being able to choose from a select few or 100/200 level courses, if you're taking classes with other high schoolers - that's how it's done in my state, or if you're taking classes at a community college). While it's a good experience, it's a shame that a lot of the times you end up graduating in 4 years still instead of graduating earlier. (Even just with AP credits, you could have enough credits to be a sophomore or junior, essentially having earned an associates in high school. When you add IB credits, CLEP credits, etc... it's amazing how many you can earn.) And it's a little weird applying to college as a freshman applicant (and therefore being a freshman in college) and having to explain to people how you're really "a junior" or a "senior" but are also a freshman. Oh well though. xD What comes to really matter is what you actually are in college. The amount of credits you earned through high school programs tends not to matter (unless they all apply to your major of course).
I do agree with your advice though and to go along with it, be careful when you're choosing professors! Ratemyprofessor is a godsend that you should always use if you can.
Dual enrollment (or another similar program), I assume? If so, trust me - dual enrollment is basically just like taking AP and/or IB classes. There really is no difference between the two, except AP and IB are generally more preferred. While all three expose you to the college course load (especially if you're taking all AP/IB/or dual enrollment classes), they're still different from actually being in college, if you get what I mean (especially if you have to deal with restrictions on what classes you can take - such as only being able to choose from a select few or 100/200 level courses, if you're taking classes with other high schoolers - that's how it's done in my state, or if you're taking classes at a community college). While it's a good experience, it's a shame that a lot of the times you end up graduating in 4 years still instead of graduating earlier. (Even just with AP credits, you could have enough credits to be a sophomore or junior, essentially having earned an associates in high school. When you add IB credits, CLEP credits, etc... it's amazing how many you can earn.) And it's a little weird applying to college as a freshman applicant (and therefore being a freshman in college) and having to explain to people how you're really "a junior" or a "senior" but are also a freshman. Oh well though. xD What comes to really matter is what you actually are in college. The amount of credits you earned through high school programs tends not to matter (unless they all apply to your major of course).
I do agree with your advice though and to go along with it, be careful when you're choosing professors! Ratemyprofessor is a godsend that you should always use if you can.
Good luck! It isn't too bad. Just don't change majors right in the middle though like I did. It puts you behind and makes you nervous for excess credit charge. You will be fine if you want to learn and achieve. I'm in my senior year now and it definitely wasn't easy but it feels rewarding getting to the end. Yes ratemyprofessors is really a great tool and you don't want a teacher who barely speaks English ( has happened to me for Chemistry). Just do your assignments and do well on exams and papers.