Beware! Mistakes to avoid in your freshman year

Student Lounge College Life
81

<p>I'm going to expand on the answer to your 1st question, because I certainly do agree with what was said.
It really is crucial that you develop as much of a student-teacher relationship as possible with professors as well as the TAs who will be grading your work for a number of reasons:</p>

<ol>
<li>If they know you, they'll better understand your struggles and want to give grace whenever possible</li>
<li>It's just plain harder to mark points off a paper when you actually have a human being behind the paper! (this works ESPECIALLY well with first year TAs!!! ...Trust me, I was one--and I was honest with the students that this was the case!)</li>
<li>They're more likely to provide you individualized help (for free--aka free tutoring from the person who gives the tests)</li>
</ol>

82

<p>Thanking all the people who posted in this thread. I'm an incoming freshman, international to boot, and all this advice is really reassuring.</p>

83

<p>
[quote]
dont try to follow any extreme like dont drink and be in the library all the time

[/quote]

Yeah, try not to follow that extreme. Remember: drinking (especially water and tea) is not going to ruin your life.</p>

84

<p>Is joining a club sport freshman year a bad idea? I'm wanting to play lacrosse in college next year. However I just found out that they'd be starting as early as two weeks into school.</p>

85

<p>Join a sport! It'g a great way to meet people, find your niche, etc. Plus exercise is good for the brain..</p>

86

<p>your son and daughter are fortunate people to have you for a dad.</p>

87

<p>trying to remember my freshman year in college........</p>

<p>some tips:</p>

<p>Use all the facilities and check out all the centers available to you. This is a time in life when you are free to explore all that is around you in a safe setting. Use the pool, weight room. check out the art galeery, see the theatre productions, use all the resources offered such as a speed reading class or time management workshop. This may be a rare time in your life where you have so many perks offered to you in one place and they are all open to you for free as they are included in your tuition.</p>

<p>Make friends with the career services office early. They can help direct you in major choices and internships,test taking skills,interview skills, resume writing,and just give you an overall confidence in your goal setting and make the steps toward transitioning from college to career more clear and productive. The more you can learn about yourself, your personal strengths and interests the easier it will be to create your own path to achieve what it is you really want to do with your college education. Career services offers all kinds of assessment tests (usually for free) and a representative is always available to answer questions. They have a ton of graduate school information and research opportunities. Just go in and see all that they have and meet the staff early on and visit often. If they get to know you they will be more eager to help you and look for personal info tailored to your goals.</p>

<p>Study Abroad. Can not emphasize this enough. Travel everywhere and anywhere. Also travel to new places as much as possible through life, not just in college. Summers away, there are so many opportunities to research, earn credit and learn. These are the memories that will stand apart in your college experiences. Meeting people other cultures and learning by exploring a foreign land adds a dimention of growth that you can not recieve in any other capacity. Go to all the study abroad fairs and visit thier office early on too. ( In some cases you may need several years of language study before you can participate so find out what the requirements are early)</p>

<p>Do field work, not just class work. The more you apply your studies to the real world the more prepared you will be to excel on the outside. I'm not trying to underestimate the richness of academia and all the benefits of learning in a higher educational institute, far from that, for a liberal arts education or any education where a person pours themselves into the experience of a new discovery and walks away from it more knowledgable is to be commended. I just found from my own experience that hands on applications of learning were valuable as well. Look for chances to do internships or work outside the campus in your field as well.</p>

88

<p>the one thing i cant wait for is the gym facilities...i'm trying to get in shape now, and there's no better motivation than a free gym across the street.</p>

89

<p>Probally the most valuable tip as others have told you, and for good reason:</p>

<p>Find a professor you admire and can trust and talk to him/her often. Get to know professors and visit thier office hours. If they can become a mentor for you this is invaluable. Not just in the way they can guide you in classes but they can inspire you and enrich your experiences on campus and they will be people you will always remember. They are very smart people with sometimes very interesting backgrounds and published works and if they can share thier own experiences with you then this is a gem. Some(not all) are passionate about thier fields of study and LOVE to talk about it. Do not be surprised if they don't invite you to thier home or out for dinner. Or spontaneously include you in a meeting they are on thier way to as thier assistant. You can learn alot from them and they can become your friends. Just always remeber that THEY are the mentors and you are the students.</p>

<p>Drinking: </p>

<p>it's a part of the scene. It's a personal choice on how much how often and what type of substance is being ingested.</p>

<p>But here are my tips:( this is what my daughter and I have discussed:
If you feel awkward about going to a party where the emphasis is on drinking because you really want to be there for the social part but NOT the drink till you throw up part of it, you have a choice- don't go, or go and be wise about alcohol/drugs. </p>

<p>Being wise:<br>
If you are going to drink....KNOW what you are being served. Do not drink whatever someone hands you....especially not fruit punch looking drinks! Better off bringing your own or at least stick with a closed bottle of beer that someone gives you. Watch and ask the person making your drink what everything being mixed is.</p>

<p>Hold the same drink in your hand for as long as possible. Don't put it down and start a new one in another location of the party. Two reasons for this:
1) If you put your cup dowm and are not watching it someone could add something to it(like more alcohol or a "mickey" ...girls lookout guys will do this)</p>

<p>2) A good rule of how to have fun and drink socially w/o getting too intoxicated is to have no more than one ounce of alcohol per hour. THIS IS A GENERAL WARNING since weight and personal criteria are unique to reactions of alchohol. So if you are a lightweight better make it one ounce per 1 1/2-2 hrs.</p>

<p>If you are holding a cup in your hand nobody questions you, they don't pay attention to how often it was refilled. Do not feel intimdated to have more.</p>

<p>Remember your health classes? A bottle of beer=1 ounce alcohol, an ounce of liquor=1 ounce of alcohol, a shot glass=one ounce. WATCH OUT FOR DRINKING GAMES,CONTESTS or DARES. You can easily lose track of the amt you are drinking. Stick to the 1 ounce per hr rule.</p>

<p>GIRLS There is a difference between having fun and findingyourself in danger of date rape or other unwanted inappropriate attention.</p>

<p>This may sound like a bore to you but it can't hurt you and it just may be of great help to you.
VISIT THE WOMENS CENTER THE FIRST WEEK YOU ARE ON CAMPUS OR BEFORE THE FIRST WEEK. They have tons of literature on how to stay safe.</p>

<p>Have a plan before you go out. My friends and I made up signals ahead of time we could give one another if we needed aid. Code phrases for warnings if we suspected danger or unwanted inappropriate behavior. You could do this w/ text mssgs on a cell if you want to be discreet or have body language signals to say let's go or watchout.</p>

<p>If someone is asking you to have more to drink before you are ready for more...Be assertive, No means no. This is not the time for coyness or shyness. Anyone who is getting pushy about drinking is someone to stay away from.</p>

<p>Stay together always if you suspect something is not right. Bring your cell phones always. DO NOT let a girlfriend stay behind by herself if she is drunk even if she insists. Drunk people can not make decisions the way they would if they were sober. If you are her friend drag her back to her dorm and let her sleep it off.</p>

<p>As much as everyone is eager to meet friends and find thier right niche on campus BEWARE this is just the enviroment bad people take advantage of. Not just the upperclassmen, freshman too. </p>

<p>Now I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade.........HAVE FUN but BE WISE...BE INFORMED. DRINK RESPONSIBLY</p>

<p>Reasons not to drink too much, too often:</p>

<p>It ages you and dries out your skin, you become dehydrated.
You could have blackouts
You will smell bad
You will probally regret it
Many people become violent and end up in fights
You may ruin your clothes
Someone may have taken a photo that you will regret later
You may be an alcoholic but never knew it untill you begin drinking and you have triggered the start of a life altering disease that can be unmangable alone at a time in your life when you are trying to be sucessful. GET HELP IF YOU FIND YOUR DRINKING IS UNMANAGABLE the services are free and confidential on campus.</p>

<p>Hope this helps</p>

90

<p>just thought of something else that may be of help:</p>

<p>Add campus safety's late night phone # and local taxi phone# on your cell phone so you have easy access to it if you need a ride or an escort on campus. Also make yourself aware of all the "blue lights" locations( the call buttons located around campus for security purposes)</p>

91

<p>It seems like y'all are kind of taking the drinking thing too seriously. I've never heard of instances like that at my school, of course I'm going to a small one. I think the worst problem is, is the people who have never been allowed to drink before and all of a sudden go crazy. My mom let me drink in high school and I've had my drink to throw up nights before and I pretty much know my limits now, even though I still make mistakes. The best idea is to drink before you go to college so it's not some huge surprise and a great idea to go see how much you can drink in a little amount of time.
Oh and I love drinking games. lol</p>

92

<p>to be anal... modern shot glasses are designed to hold 44ml (~1.5 oz) of alcohol. at 80 proof, this is equal to roughly 0.6 oz of actual alcohol, slightly less than youd find in a normal beer (0.72 oz).</p>

<p>while i agree with the above poster that its not something to be paranoid about, as she suggested, doing a little 'homework' this summer might be a good idea. first, you wont sound clueless, which is always good. but more importantly, youll become generally informed about the alchohol contents of various spirits, know what a shot of alcohol being poured LOOKS like, and most importantly, know what a rum and coke TASTES like with one shot of alcohol in it versus two, three or even four. beyond that, common sense means everything: dont drink extremely quickly and when you feel drunk, stop drinking!</p>

<p>...</p>

<p>anyway, enough of that. </p>

<p>a few more thoughts:</p>

<p>1) dont sit in your room during the first few weeks of school. when you are in your room, prop your door open. theres never going to be another moment during which youll have the opportunity to make so many friends;</p>

<p>2) practice turning the ringer on your cell phone on and off multiple times per day;</p>

<p>3) bring at least two 'nice' outfits. youre going to have to put on a dress or wear a tie at some point, and perhaps on consecutive days;</p>

<p>4) become comfortable with your campus map BEFORE you get to school;</p>

<p>5) dont bring a wire/mesh trash can. someone will invariably vomit 'through' it [cringe];</p>

<p>6) dont be afraid to watch tv with a friend or go to the gym in the middle of a long work night. its usually just what you need;</p>

<p>7) realize youre likely stuck with your roomie(s) for an entire year. everything you do and say should reflect this realization;</p>

<p>8) go to every profs office hours within the first two weeks of class. youll get a much better idea of his goals, expectations, et cetera... and get on his good side;</p>

<p>10) dont be afraid to do something (non highly addictive or potentially damaging) once. this goes for going to church or the craft center or a meeting for a club you dont think you have any interest in as much as drugs or alcohol;</p>

<p>11) 'bubbles' are bad, so find a reason to get off campus regularly... and the diner across the street does not count;</p>

<p>12) stay physically active and eat your fruits and veggies. beyond 'freshman 15' issues, it has a huge impact on how you feel;</p>

<p>13) keep track, somehow, of when things are due. ive never kept a planner in my life but nonetheless had virtual post-its on my desktop that always kept looming tests/papers/projects from being forgotten;</p>

<p>14) make time for leisure reading. its very relaxing to be able to pick up a book and NOT have to worry about remembering every detail;</p>

<p>15) call your parents. theyre likely paying a LOT of money to send you to college. the least you can do is call them.</p>

93

<p>Something to add: Go Outside. Walking to and from class counts, but don't hole yourself up in your (or a friend's) room as soon as you get out of class. Go to a park, take a leisurely walk around campus, whatever. Just get outdoors. My friends and I have just gone to a park at night and played Hide and Seek Tag and it's incredibly fun.</p>

94

<p>Don't assume you have failed something or can't do something. Don't give up without asking help.</p>

<p>I write this as someone who has taught at a number of top-20 universities. If any student came to me with a problem, I would help him or her. I know that some students never realized that I would have given them a chance to take a test again or rewrite a paper. </p>

<p>Most, but not all professors, are actually fairly reasonable. They know (often from their own lives) how everyone goes through bad and strange times--especially when they are in their late teens and early 20s). Most professors want students to do well and feel upset to think a student did badly because he or she never asked for help. </p>

<p>Of course, be aware there is a small percentage of professors who won't provide much help. Use your common sense around them and remember they are a fairly easily recognized minority.</p>

95

<p>ericatbucknell, you rock</p>

96

<p>when i started this thread i had no idea it would go so long</p>

97

<p>The best advice I can give is DON'T LOCK YOURSELF IN THE LIBRARY OR YOUR ROOM STUDYING ALL THE TIME! This is college--this is the best time of your life! Get out there! Go to football games, go to frat parties, head into the surrounding town or city, see movies, go to campus events and speakers, go to the school gym or run around the campus, etc. Make friends! And don't feel like you've got to be just like you were in high school. You can change, you can try new things, and DON'T KNOCK IT 'TIL YOU TRY IT! :)</p>

98

<p>I know it is cliche but college really is what you make of it. </p>

<p>For me, I wanted college to be a growing experience both in and out of the classroom. Living to learn on your own and dealing with responsibilites and consequences is part of the college experience in my mind. I think my uncle said it best, college is the best 4 years of your life because you have all the freedoms of an adult but the ambition and willingness to try new things as a kid still. You can drink all night all the time or you can spend your time working on your extracurricula activities and school work (and of course there are several other ways to fill you time)</p>

<p>But I guess if I had to embark any wisdom (if I can even call it that) to anyone going into college it would be to explore your comfort zones and don't be afraid to step out of it every now and again. In college you can really explore what life has to offer more so than in nearly any other setting, so test yourself and see how you respond. Find your limits and enjoy life. Make it the best 4 years of your life.</p>

99

<p>you should party a little, study a lot, and get really involved at your school. What I mean is join a **** load of clubs and get an internship in your desired career field. Doing all this will occupy your free time which will pile up and get boring fast. Treat urself to a party occasionally but if you're really serious about making most out of ur college tuition get really really involved and keep your grades as high as possible. remember, college isn't just about partying. you can have fun in other ways and boost your chances at a good job straight out of college!</p>

100

<p>Thanks to all of you for the advice! I'm about to leave for school in a month and I'm mostly excited but a little nervous. I hardly ever studied in high school, but in college I have to keep a 3.5 for my scholarship.</p>

<p>I want to enjoy the social aspect of college but I don't want to mess up academically. I have heard that you should study at least one hour for every hour you spend in class each week, but that two is best. So for example if I have a 3 hour biology class, I should study for 3-6 hours outside of class. That sounds really hard to me! I can't sit and do one thing for a long time.</p>

<p>So do any of you have valuable studying tips? How much of your studying is simply following along with the reading assignments and stuff on your syllabus, and how much is independent? What's the best way to get the "gist" of something without having to read in depth, if you are on a time crunch?</p>