<p>Hi.</p>
<p>I'm going off to college next yr (w00t!!) idk where yet :(</p>
<p>anyway can college ppl give me some tips on how to help survive college academic/socialwise and clear up some general misconceptions?</p>
<p>Thank you</p>
<p>Even more so than in high school, things you want will not just come to you. There are cool opportunities, both academic and social, but if you don’t seek them out you won’t get them.</p>
<p>okdk…what are average sleep hours for college students if u choose study and social life over sleep? (i.e. when do u sleep/wake up given that there arent any annoying morning classes)</p>
<p>Morning classes are totally up to your department. I had thermodynamics for a year at 8:30 AM T/Th as well as another mandatory set of classes at 9:00 MWF the following year. Class was only offered at that time, too, so don’t believe everything you hear about having control over your schedule.</p>
<p>Last semester, I had an 8:30 class TTH for the first half, and then occasionally during the second half. This smester I have an 8:30 class MWF. Next semester I’ll have class and clinicals starting at like 7am. I usually go to sleep between midnight and 1. And on days that I don’t have an early class, I get up between 9 and 10.</p>
<p>Okay college life is can be a challenge. If you’re going to a new place without any of your friends I suggest trying to make new friends at your new school. This is so that you don’t get the feeling of being all alone. Talk to people in your classes, your dorm, at the front desk, wherever just introduce yourself. Also, make smart decisions your first year. Don’t spend all your time on the weekends trying to go to parties. I mean go to some but you should also study hard to maintain a good gpa. Remember no one is there to make you work so you have to force yourself to put in the effort to go to classes and what not.</p>
<p>Now as for class schedules they can be fairly early in the morning. Right now I have a 9am class monday through thursday and then an 8am class friday. If you aren’t a morning person aim for evening classes or maybe around noon just so you can get the rest you need. On average I get about 5hrs of sleep because I’m a night owl and stay up at night doing things. Now this barely works because I’m tired during the day and I doze of at times. Also, not having a lot of sleep can weaken your immune system which means getting sick and missing classes which can be bad. So get the rest that you need to function at.</p>
<p>Hope this helps :)</p>
<p>Get the rest you need. Trust me; these past few days I’ve gone to bed a little late or had caffeine a little late and I’ve missed two of my three math classes this week (9AM). **** sucks.</p>
<p>realize that its all in YOUR hands</p>
<p>and if youre not living the life you want, you have no one to blame but yourself</p>
<p>It’s been a few years since I’ve been out of undergrad (grad school is a lot better!), but here is my advice.</p>
<ol>
<li>Go to bed at a reasonable hour. You need your rest, and its a lot more fun to celebrate getting an A than a D.</li>
<li>Find 1 or 2 groups based on your interests, and follow them. It’s a great way to meet people and make friends, as well as take a lot of the stigma out of being a ‘newbie’ on campus.</li>
<li>Go to a seminar or colloquia now and then, even if it’s completely unrelated to your major. You have an opportunity not just to learn and have a good time, but also to explore things and ideas you might not have already been familiar with.</li>
</ol>
<p>Don’t take 8 ams if you can avoid them at all costs. There’s a difference between 830 and 8 am, and you will notice it more once the semester progresses. I missed that class a whole bunch of times, and it was so hard to get my work done on time because I work during the early hours of the morning. All of my friends that took 8 ams found it really difficult to get to class too.</p>
<p>Ugh, 830 class sucks. Physics every MWF at 830. Fun Fun Fun!</p>
<p>I would agree with the advice against taking really early classes; my friend has an 8:30 class she sleeps through it all the time. I could certainly get tons of sleep and socialize and do hw if I were more organized and didn’t procrastinate. It’s very easy to do everything you want if you are organized. I also agree with the advice against too much partying; I know my roommate had some trouble with her grades last semester because of it, and now that she goes out less she is doing much better. Also, partying is not the only way, or even the best way, to meet people. Join clubs, it’s always repeated but it is the best way to meet people. Just make sure they are active clubs.
Also, remember that people really don’t care that much about you. I’m not saying this as a bad thing, but that there aren’t cliques, and no one really cares how you dress or what you like as long as you aren’t incredibly obnoxious. There isn’t really pressure to fit into a certain image, and it is very easy to find a group of people you can get along with well without having to fit into some mold.</p>
<p>Ugh seriously unless you’re a morning person don’t take early classes if you can help it. They are the worst thing ever.</p>
<p>thanks guys</p>
<p>i have HS orchestra before school at 7 TT_TT but there are rarely classes that start before 8 right?</p>
<p>Only things I can think of that start before 8 are sports practices and ROTC.</p>
<p>Your whole living cycle is a lot different in college… In high school I was able to get up at 6:30 or so every day and make it to school by 8. In college, it’s a bad day if I’m waking up before 7:30 (when I have to wake up to make it to an 8 AM).</p>
<p>I actually disagree. I take 8:30am classes everyday, and I am done with my classes at 11:18am TuTh and 9:18am Fridays. Also done with classes 2:18am on Mondays and Wednesdays. It is sweet!</p>
<p>Yeah, it can be a pain to wakeup, but when you have an 8:30am class that is literally right outside your dorm, it is awesome. I’d rather start and finish my classes early then super late.</p>
<p>@theprincessbride
did you plan to be at the dorm you are at because you already knew your classes were right outside of it? or was it a coincidence? because i think i would like to get done early rather than later also, and need to apply for housing as a freshman soon.</p>
<p>8:00am classes are not the end of the world.</p>
<p>In the real world people wake up between 5-6am and go to work. Yet spoiled kiddies on CC talk about how waking up before 10am is the end of the world.</p>
<p>Hey blupowerade,
It was a coincidence. But if you know where your classes are going to be BEFORE you apply for housing, you should try to get as close to your classes (or the center of your campus) as possible. That way you can roll out of bed and to your class in the span of 15minutes!</p>
<p>Hey Axion004,</p>
<p>I agree but as Knights say, the whole living cycle changes. Instead of going to bed at 10:30pm, most college kids are up at 2:00am in the morning, thus losing a good three hours of sleep.</p>