<p>...I was thinking of buying a book on how to achieve and maintain a high GPA in college. It's How To Become a Straight-A student by Cal Newport. Does anybody have any input on these kinds of books..or on this book specifically? </p>
<p>Also, any tips on staying fit? Don't want the Freshman 15! I have a very fast metabolism [100 lbs and 5'7..ya] and go to the gym about twice a week. Any alternatives to cafeteria food? Easy/tasty snack suggestions? </p>
<p>I want to:
Rush for a sorority
Go out for student government
and do research [eventually] </p>
<p>How could I balance all of this whilst maintaining a 3.8-3.9 GPA as a Biochemistry major? Suggestions on the above? </p>
<p>First things first, if you’re highly motivated (which it seems like you are, willing to buy a book and all that stuff) you’ll be able to achieve all your goals and more. Judicious time management is really they key. I read books about college life before I came here, mostly cause I was really excited and wanted to know everything. For me they were mostly a mixed bag, I didn’t really learn anything earthshattering, mostly it’s common sense on how to be a good student.</p>
<p>Luckily as per staying fit the Southwest Rec renovation should be done by fall, so that will take a lot of pressure off the gyms. Again it’s the same thing, if you keep doing what you’re doing, you shouldn’t worry about the freshman 15 too much. I actually lost weight from the dining hall food, there’s plenty of options there that aren’t unhealthy. Depending on what living arrangement you end up with you can also always good for yourself (If you’re living in one of those dorms with a communal kitchen shared by like 30 people I wouldn’t recommend relying on this).</p>
<p>Getting good grades is all about keeping up with your classes, if you slack off, you will fall behind, then possibly be unable to catch up. That doesn’t mean you have to be a nerdo who’s in the library 24/7, it just means doing all your work when it gets to you, then when crunch time comes, being able to work diligently for a few days.</p>
<p>In the end it isn’t rocket science on how to be a good student, with good motivation and a good work ethic (I suppose mixed with some intelligence) you’ll do fine.</p>
<p>Thanks for the response Zaersz [: It does seem like common sense but I feel as if I’m too much into the “grind” when it comes to schoolwork. I need to be more efficient, especially to keep up with everything that I want to do!
[:</p>
<p>The grind isn’t necessarily a bad thing, sometimes you really just have to put in the hours.</p>
<p>But yea, learning how to efficiently complete work is a good idea, especially when everything is coming at once and you have to prioritize properly. Another thing that people don’t think about is how important confidence is. If you are confident in your abilities, and therefore realistic about how much you have to study, you won’t waste time studying for some easy test that you could have aced without cracking a book. That’s a problem a bunch of my premed friends have, they don’t realize they’re a lot smarter then the average.</p>
<p>Yeah, to get a clear and accurate representation of your abilities is a very very difficult thing to do…especially as a freshman. Best aire on the side of caution and study relatively equally for my Freshman courses…intro shouldn’t be too beastly anyhow [with 5 APs out of highschool I should be okay with what to expect for at least material difficulty]. I digress.
The Grind is great - it’s something I know how to do well! But I can’t rely solely on that. The work ethic is there, I just feel my efficiency could be improved drastically.
Could I message you on the social/party scene? Forgot to ask that at orientation >: [</p>
<p>I try to answer the people who message me to the best of my ability. UF has fluctuated between the number 1 and number 2 party school for the last couple years; there’s a whoooole lot of goings on. Obviously if you join a sorority a lot of your social experience will be kinda pre-packaged from that. If you have any specific questions I’d happily answer them.</p>