What Do You Wish You'd Known About College Life Before You Started?

<p>^^ I would think it's easier since more people = more parties to be found. If you keep being social, it wouldn't be that hard to find/ be invited to a party. I also think it'll be really, really easy during football/basketball season.</p>

<p>As far as dorms go, will they give out single rooms to people who want them or do you really have to have a good reason? Because I know that I absolutely would not be able to tolerate sharing a room with someone, especially someone I'd never met. I need to have somewhere that is mine and no one else's that I can go when I need to get away from people, which is rather often. I drain really quickly when I'm around people for too long and if I had someone around me in my space all the time I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even last a semester.</p>

<p>I don't have to worry about it for a while, as I'm not transferring for another two years, but depending on how easy/hard it is to get a single room I might just have to give up on going away for college and transfer to the university I can commute to, and I'd need to figure that out relatively soon because they have a lot more requirements for entry that I'd need to work in.</p>

<p>OKgirl- I'll disagree that most people either love or hate the professor. I think the people that use RMP are similar to those who use College confidential. People that take class serious enough to spend extra time researching, asking questions and finding out more information.</p>

<p>At the end of every semester I go on to RMP and rate each professor as honest as I can. I think most people in college prioritize classes based on their schedule. Then they may use RMP.</p>

<p>I would use it in that circumstance. Plan out the schedule as far as what times will work for me, compare the options for the classes and "minimize" the damage by avoiding professors with bad bad reviews.</p>

<p>diesel: "prioritize classes: if you have a test at say 2:00, it might be the right thing to skip that freshman seminar class at 10:00 to study more."</p>

<p>I disagree with this, actually. Skipping a class will only make you fall behind more in that class, while you catch up in another. Granted it's a freshman seminar, I still don't think it's a good idea. I'd just make sure to schedule study time before that 10:00 class. If it's your only option left? Then, ok. Sometimes for exams, I'd wake up an hour early that morning to study, even if the exam was late in the day.</p>

<p>And to bandnerd88: As far as a place you can call your own...my friend had a special spot on campus she'd walk to if she wanted some alone time. Sometimes she'd go there to listen to music, cry, talk to herself, whatever. But, it was hers. You could try that.
I don't think it's as easy to get single rooms, but you should call colleges you're interested in and ask.
How would you know you 'absolutely' cannot tolerate sharing a room if you've never done it?
I ended up being really different in college than I was in high school, in regards to the social aspect. In HS, I went home everyday, barely talked to people on the weekends, spent a majority of my time alone. In college, I became a whole new social fiend, constantly around people all the time. I love being social now!</p>

<p>^ I have a sister and technically we share a room but she can't even sleep in it because I have to have it exactly the way I like it - it has to be silent and dark and I need to be able to stay up as late as I want or sleep as early as I want without anyone else having any sort of say in it. If I want to play video games until three in the morning, I want that option. If I'm worn out from playing video games until three AM and want to go to bed at six in the evening, I want that option too. If I need to stay up and study for a test, I want to be able to do it in my room, and I want to be able to have it quiet or loud or whatever I need. I wouldn't even be considering going away for college at all but the school I'm transferring to has the best program for my major in the area. (And I like it a little better than the one near me - it's much smaller and I like the campus more.)</p>

<p>As far as the social thing goes, I'm already in college, and I don't feel any more social than before. I feel less social, actually (which is incredible as I didn't think it was possible). I know myself well enough that having someone in my space would totally drain me.</p>

<p>^^ All you need to do is request it on your housing form. I think there's a good chance you'll get one espcially since you'll be an upperclassman. Otherwise, you can still look for student-apartments where you can have your own room. You'll pay more, but that's obvious.</p>

<p>Michael1, I think you just have to try to be friendly and polite with your roommate. If you don't get along, or you're just a quiet person, that's ok. It's not worth getting stressed out over. I'm sure, especially in the first weeks, that there will be lots of kids who feel shy and uncomfortable and are trying to fit in. And lots of kids end up with roommates who they have nothing in common with, and yet it works out fine. Sure, sometimes roommates become best friends, but more often they don't.</p>

<p>Any tips on avoiding the freshman 15 and maybe even letting a college environment help you LOSE weight - not just maintain it???</p>

<p>^^ There's a lot of threads on that. Try the search tool :). Basically, control what you eat and drink (watch the calories in your beer lol). You also want to add excersize to your schedule. Also check the 'finding time to excersize' thread.</p>

<p>do people honestly have free time in college? are afternoons / weekends just spent doing homework and readings and prepping for tests, or is there actually free time that can be utilized while still maintaining a high GPA?</p>

<p>or does it just depend on the school?</p>

<p>"Yesterday I encountered a college freshman-to-be who was in the process of setting up her fall courses. She assumed that she couldn't sign up for a 10 a.m. class because she was taking a 9 a.m. class. She figured that she wouldn't have enough time to get across campus between classes. I LOL'ed because I remembered making that exact same assumption when I was choosing my courses nearly four decades ago. No one had told me that my "hour-long" 9 o'clock class would actually get out at 9:50, allowing enough time to make a class that started at 10."</p>

<p>About this... yes this is true, however if the student is going to be at large campus, you might want to consider how far apart the classes are. After scheduling my classes at the University of Texas, I did a test run between two classes. It took 12 minutes of speed walking. It is scorching hot in the summer here too. I had to redo that schedule because I didn't want to be perpetually a couple minutes late and then arrive sweating. My advice is check out distances if you are at a large school to make sure they are doable in the short time between back to back classes.</p>

<p>@ ih3artthou</p>

<p>My sister is a junior in college and she said that she has more free time than she ever did in high school. The work is hard, but it's interesting because you can specialize in subjects that actually interest you. However, joining clubs and activities is just as important as schoolwork because networking will land you the most jobs.</p>

<p>ih3rtthou: I had sooo much free time, more than I thought I would. Nights were spent at the local ihop, watching movies, going out, participating in club/organization activities, etc. Granted, some nights were spent studying and writing papers, but a majority were not. I didn't have a job, and I will next semester, so that might change. Even with all that, my friends and I all maintained great GPA's. However, on of my really good friends at another university did not try to utilize her free time to be social, so she spent most of her free time doing all the readings, prepping, studying, etc. (Things that can usually be foregone or limited to maintain a balanced academic and social life). </p>

<p>Bandnerd88: I don't know what to tell you about that, then. If you end up living with someone, you will have to give up a lot of those features of living in your own space, but I feel like most people have to deal with that at some point in their lives (living with parents, spouses, kids, etc.)</p>

<p>Oh, and even if you did get a single room, I would think you'd still need to be respectful of those rooms around you. Playing video games and loud music until whenever you want will not make your neighbors happy. Plus, most on-campus living abide by quiet hours, which require you to not play music/loud tv's after a certain hour at night.</p>

<p>Bandnerd88: Most likely you will eventually live in the same room as someone (say you get MARRIED)....you have to learn sometime how to deal with other people. It's a part of life, just take it slowly, and if you feel you need some alone time, find a nice quiet place.</p>

<p>Bandnerd88: One thing I should have mentioned is that there a plenty of 'quiet' places you can find on campus. Say the library? Where you can collect yourself and revive your energy. Things usually work out. I would also like to advise you to keep an open mind -I think that helps too.</p>

<p>Question: Do people in college wear pjs to breakfast at like 8:30 in the morning? Or do they get 'dressed' beforehand? Would anyone care? If it helps, I'm going to a state university.</p>

<p>tnguyen08, most of the time here, people are only grabbing breakfast on the way to class so they are already dressed to go. However, you know, some people wear sweatpants and stuff to class, so...
I think it would be kind of a hassle to go and get breakfast while in your pj's and then have to go back to the dorm and get dressed and stuff, unless there is like a cafeteria inside your dorm, or you had like at least an hour before your class from when you ate breakfast (which speaking from experience, if you have class at 10, you are NOT getting up early to get breakfast at 8:30).
I would say a typical college wardrobe consists of jeans and t-shirts, so you would be fine wearing that pretty much anyway. </p>

<p>For the free time thing, I don't have alot of free time during the semester but I do alot of stuff. If all I had to do was class, I would have TONS of free time. But I have leadership positions in two clubs (one of which takes up a significant amount of time every week), and a job, in addition to class/studying.</p>

<p>LOL. AU you hit it right on the mark. My classes doesn't start until 10am. Thanks for the input.</p>

<p>tnguyen08, wear whatever you plan on wearing to class.</p>

<p>Interesting to hear that some people say they have lots of free time in college. What is the best way to allow yourself so much free time? Doing homework the day it's assigned? No procrastination? I know these are some of the obvious questions, but are there any specific things you guys do to enjoy lots of free time?</p>

<p>Kevster: I would think basic time management will help out a lot. Also, don't spread yourself too thin. Just keeping a check on things and making sure you're spending your time balanced between academics, socializing, and work. I don't think profs give out homework, more like papers and tests. When you review your notes, prepare for tests, and have your papers done on time, that is basically called time management. </p>

<p>If I have free time (and I'm certainly guessing [well at least hoping] I do), I would probably enjoy it by hanging out, partying, catching up on work, or sleep. Whatever floats my boat at the moment.</p>