<p>Hi!</p>
<p>To all current students - what do you wish you had known before you started college?
Do you regret which college you chose? Your first major? Your dorm?</p>
<p>I really don’t have any regrets, no. I think my advice would be to not party too hard and try to keep your grades as high as possible. You don’t want the first year/semester to bring your GPA down for the rest of college.</p>
<p>I regret not utilizing an actual alarm clock (phone alarms don’t wake me up sometimes), bringing more stuff than I needed (clutter everywhere!), letting my friends drag me to parties when I didn’t want to go, not registering for ADHD help at the disability center until midway through 2nd semester, not switching to a better music theory professor when I could have, and taking a 9am aerobics class right before another class so I couldn’t go back and take a shower right away. Gross. </p>
<p>I don’t regret my major, school decision, or anything like that though. I’m totally happy with college in general, but those are just some snags I had to sort out this year as a freshman. I’d also regret having a meal plan, but they’re required for freshman year. -.-</p>
<p>I regret the college I chose. I would not have expected the academic rigor to vary so drastically between colleges of similar selectivity and departments within a college. It worked out for me in the end though.</p>
<p>I regret not moving off-campus before my senior year. I ended up with noisy neighbors in the dorms every single year, who robbed me of quite a bit of sleep. I did not like the mandatory meal plan for dorm residents. It was also super inconvenient that the dorms closed during winter and summer breaks, so I always had to find another place to stay. (I stayed in the dorms so long because ninety-something percent of all students lived on campus and I was afraid that I would isolate myself socially if I moved off campus. Did not happen though.) </p>
<p>I regret not utilizing office hours right from the beginning. </p>
<p>I regret not taking my academics more seriously. I studied for an A, not mastery of the material. While I did graduate with a 3.9 GPA, I really struggled in my first year of grad school because I didn’t remember 80% of the undergraduate material that my graduate courses were building upon.</p>
<p>I regret not getting more involved on campus. I tried joining a few clubs and a club sports team my freshman year; but I didn’t like the groups I picked initially, and never bothered to give another group a try.</p>
<p>I regret not getting enough sleep my freshman year. When I didn’t get enough sleep, I was too tired to study, but hadn’t done enough work to sleep. It became a vicious cycle and eventually I couldn’t pay attention in classes or do homework well. Also, I was tired all the time.</p>
<p>I also regret latching on to one best friend the first week of school instead of trying to meet a wide variety of people. It’s fine if you stay best friends, but not if you don’t.</p>
<p>want to screw yourself over royally? don’t cheat in college.</p>
<p>Biggest thing I regret (and I’m still in college because of this) is the fact that I chose the wrong major. Choose a major that you know you are passionate about and will have high success in. Pursue your goals, not other people’s goals.</p>
<p>I wish I had known:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>That even though college is a rounding experience, it’s also job preparation for the workforce. Certain majors are more employable than others. Pick your activities, classes, and major with that in mind.</p></li>
<li><p>Some study abroad programs have language requirements, so if you have your heart set on a specific one, find those out early and make sure you satisfy them.</p></li>
<li><p>Your advisers - if they are regular professors - are not necessarily very knowledgeable about course offerings or graduation requirements. I know, they should be, but they often are not. So be familiar with your college handbook/bulletin so that you know when your adviser is wrong.</p></li>
<li><p>College is largely what you make it. So instead of lamenting what your college doesn’t have, explore all of the things it DOES have, and if there is really a gap - fill it yourself.</p></li>
<li><p>Everybody says that they write better under pressure, but that’s rarely true. In fact, your paper will be much better if you start ahead of time, outline the paper, write a draft, and then edit it.</p></li>
<li><p>Your professors WANT you to come to their office hours. That’s the reason they schedule them. Go ahead and stop by, even if it’s just to say hello. This is double true for TAs.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I don’t regret my major - although I wish I had minored in math. Sometimes I wish I had lived in another dorm. I was in the honors program during my first three years of college, which at my small LAC was a waste of time. I wish I had lived in one of the more party dorms at my school. But, in terms of amenities and layout, my dorm WAS the best first-year dorm. Just not in terms of social life necessarily.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Utilize office hours if you’re struggling in classes. Professors/TA’s will be GLAD to help you out and you’ll do so much better. I tried to learn a lot of difficult concepts myself in my freshman year, and ended up spending 5-6 hrs on it, whereas I would’ve got it within ~20 mins if I had the professor explain it to me.</p></li>
<li><p>Just because a college is ranked very highly doesn’t mean that it’s a perfect fit for you. Sure, it can have a really prestigious research reputation, but how exactly does that help you in your major as an undergrad? Look into colleges (and majors) more before you make a decision.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The unfortunate thing about advice for new college students is the fact that most of them won’t take it. I would not listen to much advice, that came from anyone that was in the age range of my parents…</p>
<p>I do have advice though:
-if you are failing, withdraw instead of getting a failing grade.
-don’t wait until your last year to take that required math course, even if you hate math of any kind more than anything.
-listen to people when they recommend or tell you not to take a class with a particular teacher.
-if you have a chance, do a semester abroad. It might be your only chance to spend so much time in another country.
-think about a degree that will actually get you a job after graduating. you can always go back and take classes in something just because it interests you.
-don’t date teachers
-study every night, even just a little bit. falling behind is the worst.
-stay at home, and go to school locally if you can. it saves so much money</p>
<p>In the end, I regret the college I chose. I wish I would have picked something more challenging with a student body that was more intellectually motivated. I thought it would be more fun to go somewhere that was as intellectually-emphasized, but it ended up just being a bore after a while.</p>
<p>I have one major regret and some minor ones, here goes:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Major - Adjustment. I slacked off first semester, to say the least. I don’t party or drink or anything, so those aren’t my distractions, but I spent way too much time surfing the Web or just sitting around talking to friends and doing nothing. It ended up biting me in the ass and I finished with all B’s, which really hit me hard because I didn’t even get 3 B’s total in high school, let alone four in one semester. Luckily, I picked it up this semester and I have been doing really well, but I would have definitely liked to start off college on a much stronger note.</p></li>
<li><p>Get involved - I do a few things on campus (write for newspaper, a few pre-med/volunteer organizations) but I always get jealous because someone around me is getting this job or that internship or becoming president of this club, and what not. If things fall through, I’ll be much more involved next year, but I’d definitely recommend finding and committing to 2 or 3 activities that you know you’d enjoy throughout all four years.</p></li>
<li><p>Exercise. Not much to say here, but I got lazy and I just couldn’t muster enough motivation to go to the track and run. If you’re fit then it shouldn’t be a problem but try to exercise regularly, just to stay healthy and avoid laziness.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I agree with those who say to exercise and not date your professors. </p>
<p>However, when people say to major in something that will get you a job instead of something you’re interested that’s less “secure,” keep in mind that 1. nothing is secure (but absolutely anything can be if you work hard, go to a school with good opportunities for your field, and make the right connections with people), and 2. if you’re really passionate about something, you’ll spend the rest of your life kicking yourself if you don’t consider pursuing it as a career goal. Sure, if you’re equally as interested in English and engineering, go to school for engineering. That’s a no-brainer. But if you live, eat, sleep, and breathe the fine arts (or any other field that isn’t typically known for a good, stable income) and you’re good enough to get into an exclusive, intensive college program to help launch a career, don’t go to school for accounting just because it will land you a solid job, because you’ll end up hating that job. Basically, weigh your options very carefully, and ultimately go with your gut.</p>
<p>Also, don’t “get involved” with just anything because you think you need to do more things. You’ll naturally start to gravitate towards what’s interesting to you. If you go to an involvement fair and nothing jumps out at you, it’s okay to sit back and just focus on school, adjusting to your living environment, and your social life. Don’t complicate things with commitments you’re may not be fully invested in.</p>
<p>And finally, I wouldn’t advise living at home unless you’re set on attending a commuter school or you really, really need to save the money. I mean, go to school locally if you’re okay with the school options there. But living with your parents might drive you insane and/or rob you from the best opportunity to make the transition to becoming self-sufficient in a controlled environment.</p>
<p>all very good advice</p>
<p>I would add to stay on top of your class from day one. Back in the day we used to call it blowing it off. If you procrastinate you will lose every time.</p>
<p>Time management is going to be your toughest challenge so be prepared to get with it from day 1.</p>
<p>Don’t have many regrets at this point but just some advice; if you liked staying up in high school, it will only be amplified in college. I do not recommend taking classes earlier than 9:30/10 am
Also, get involved early on. The first semester will be tough if you don’t branch out and meet people</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Do not let freedom go to your head. Just because you can party every night or drop that class you hate does not mean that you should do so.</p></li>
<li><p>Unless you live at home (I don’t recommend that) you do not have to see your parents all the time no matter where you go to school. Do not go to school far from home just to get away.</p></li>
<li><p>Be careful with AP credits…I don’t recommend using them for technical/major courses.</p></li>
<li><p>Study and do homework every day. Procrastination increases stress and decreases information retention.</p></li>
<li><p>On the college selection issue…take rankings with a grain of salt, and be sure to actually research the specific curricula at different schools. All programs are not the same.</p></li>
<li><p>With #1 in the back of your mind, do take risks.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Be realistic with times. Don’t sign up for an 8 or 8:30 class because it forces you to get up in the morning. It wont.</p>
<p>If you’re deciding between majors A, B, and C, don’t pick A just because you’re the best at A. There needs to be more criteria you’re evaluating on than that.</p>
<p>Never retake anything you have credit for. It’s worthless. It’s contrary to what some others in this thread said, but they’re wrong.</p>
<p>best advice I can give: [Evan's</a> persuasive project - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>
<p>If you have roommates, learn to communicate with them. If there’s a problem, find a nice way to approach them about it and come up with a solution. Letting things go in order to avoid conflict and keep the peace usually makes things worse because the problem isn’t solved and you’ll end up annoyed and frustrated with your roommate. Be flexible but also speak up when necessary.</p>
<p>Study every single day, no matter what. Developing good study habits early on is so beneficial. I recommend starting early in the day, even if it’s just looking over notes while eating breakfast. Starting things right away really does help you procrastinate less and stay on top of everything. </p>
<p>Make being healthy a priority. Strive to eat well, get enough sleep, and exercise. It sounds basic, but so many students don’t take care of themselves and ignore these needs. Not getting adequate sleep and nutrition will definitely catch up with you and can really take a toll on your health, academic performance, and happiness. </p>
<p>Do some planning. Figure out what you want out of college and how you’re going to achieve your goals. Understanding early on what it is you want to do and what will help you get there is essential. You don’t need to have your major and career planned by the first day or even in the first year, but facing the end of college and realizing you have no plan or that you missed opportunities is a bad place to be in. Explore things, look into what’s available, find achievable goals, and make smart decisions about your future.</p>