<p>You tend to have alot of free time in college just based on the way classes are set up. Only being in class for 2 hours a day (instead of 6-7 in high school) will do that. Yes you have homework sometimes (in math, science, etc. classes) but it will probably not be due the next day (since classes are usually 2 or 3 days a week) so you can work on it for like an hour one night, and an hour the next night instead of doing it all at once. For papers, they are assigned several weeks in advance so you will have plenty of time to work on them before they are due (again, speaking from experience REALLY do not wait until the night before a 5 page paper is due to do it. it SUCKS.)
Basically everything you will have assigned to you will be given to you the first day of class on a syllabus. Write all of your assignments down on a calendar/planner/etc that night after the first day of class, and keep up with them (it will include readings, assignments, tests, papers, everything for the class). Unless you are in an extremely demanding major, such as electrical engineering, you will have plenty of free time as long as you don't procrastinate. As for what to do with your free time, well you pick. Hang out with friends, work out, get a job, join clubs, go shopping, etc. Have fun! That's what college is all about!</p>
<p>I used to procrastinace so much during senior year, I just hope it won't be like that in college :/ And thanks for the responses, very helpful!</p>
<p>Oh trust me, I do not always follow the advice I give. Everyone lapses into procrastination at some point for a while, but when that happens you've just got to get back on the ball and get your sh-- done, you know? Even if it means giving up some free time for a couple days to catch up.</p>
<p>Is it true that sociology is pretty much a joke of a major? I've often heard that - what's the consensus from college students? If someone tells you they're majoring in sociology, do you think that person is trying to avoid doing work? I'm really interested in sociology, but I want to go to law school eventually, and I don't want my major to be a strike against me in the admissions process.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help! This thread is great.</p>
<p>with law school it's a game of gpa and major, most likely you'll have a higher gpa in a easier major, but will it be enough to counter not having a "hard" major.</p>
<p>also, an easier major would give you more time to study for the lsat</p>
<p>So do you think it would be better to stick with an easy major or try to major in something more difficult?</p>
<p>Christ, it would be better to major in what you WANT to major in.</p>
<p>Ehh, well I don't really care what I major in for undergrad, I just want to go to law school and become a lawyer. That's why I ask. If anything really caught my interest I'd major in it no matter what.</p>
<p>idk. i plan on going to law school, and started as a physics major(one of the top 5 degree accepted into top 14 law schools). after my first year i know that i'll kill myself if i keep doing it, it's not that i can't do the math and everything, but i hate doing it. </p>
<p>i'm switching to a business econ, prelaw track, with a minor in criminal justice. so if you follow me i would take the "easier" major.</p>
<p>also, if i don't end up going to law school, at least i have a degree in something i enjoy.</p>
<p>Yeah, that's true, thanks for your advice, I'm still considering between a couple majors but I'll keep this all in mind</p>
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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.
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<p>Oh, I know that. I wouldn't keep anything up loud - loud noise bothers me, especially when everything else is quiet. If I had to I'd use headphones or something. But I still want the option open to do that stuff if I want, and I also want the option to go to bed when I want and be able to turn EVERYTHING off - lights, TVs, etc, and have as little noise as possible.</p>
<p>And to be honest, the idea of having someone I barely know in MY space bothers me. I am very territorial. And I really just need more alone time than most people. A day of hanging out with friends will drain me for a week. I can't be in a group of people for very long before I have to retreat. I'm a loner. It's just the type of person I am. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.</p>
<p>I don't know. I will have to call or email the college and ask them about it, I guess. Oh! Actually, every quarter at my CC they have a day where all the colleges in the area set up booths and they have a rep you can talk to. I talked to a lady from the college last quarter and she was really nice and said she'd be back in the fall. I can probably just ask her.</p>
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Well it's not really YOUR space. It's also THEIRS. Part of going to college is learning to get along with others and to get out of your comfort zone. You can't be a loner forever. You can't always get your way. As far as not being able to be around others for a long time without being drained, that's not normal and you should probably try to do something about it. The reps often don't really know everything about the school. They usually just say whatever sounds best and appealing--Of course you have a chance of getting a private! If you really want to know the chance of you getting a private room, CALL and talk to ResLife.</p>
<p>bandnerd88: We all have our quirks, but going in with an attitude towards a potential roommate of "I will never be your friend because I can't stand being around people and I need my space" will make their living arrangements horrid along with yours. It's a shared space. Just something to think about. </p>
<p>It does seem weird to share a space with someone you barely know, but it gave me a lot of insight into who I am as a person (my habits compared to someone else's), which can't really be taught in a classroom. </p>
<p>I usually am a super messy person, throwing things everywhere because that's what I like to do (stacking piles of paper, books, etc instead of shelving them). But, because I'm living with someone else, I have to compromise, and clean up a bit more than usual. It's not something I would want to do, but I have to.</p>
<p>As far as free time...The reason I believe I felt I had more free time was because my days weren't as fragmented as they were in high school, and I didn't spend as much time sleeping haha.</p>
<p>A time management tip to consider -- you end up wasting less time in a day if you use the gaps between classes to do work. Lots of times you'll end up having an hr or two between classes, and it's often better to stay in the library, a student union etc. and grab a table and work on an assignment than to walk back to the dorm, waste time on the computer etc. If you use those off-times during the day, you'll find yourself with more time on your hands after dinner to hang out in the dorm, socialize, do stuff with various clubs/groups etc.</p>
<p>Speaking of saving time, try as hard as you can to not have any gaps between classes. It's so much nicer when you go from one class to another and you are done in 2-4 hours a day. Soooo nice. And then you have so much more time for other stuff, cause it's kinda hard to get work done in between classes (for me at least). </p>
<p>On the topic of Greek Life, I thought it was really worthless until I got to college and my friend made me rush with her so she wouldn't be lonely. I ended up joining a fraternity (co-ed) and it was one of the best choices I've made at college. We are local so our dues are low, and it really provided a great place to build fantastic friendships with people I would have never met otherwise. Also, I was rush chair the year after I activated, and this semester I am going to be Vice President. I also have a position on Greek Council. The opportunities for leadership are extraordinary if you take advantage of them. Not to mention, it is really nice to have a place to go that is off campus to just chill out, have a home cooked meal, and just hang out with people you know you will be happy to see. And finally, I'm living in the house next year, and it is AWESOME to have a really nice house with REALLY low rent (especially for Los Angeles) that I get to live in with tons of cool people. So that's just my two cents. Greek Life isn't for everyone, but I would recommend going to rush and just checking it out, you never know who you might click with. </p>
<p>In terms of getting along with roommates, the most successful strategy for me was to have a polite, friendly relationship, but not become the best of friends. It is easier to solve disputes, and you don't get tired of them since you only really see the in the room. I had a great experience with a roommate who I had NOTHING in common with, we woke up at different times, liked different tv, movies, etc, and the only thing we had in common was a Harry Potter class together and we like musicals, lol. </p>
<p>I haven't had a lot of free time in the past since I play a sport each semester and I'm in Greek Life and I work 12-15 hours a week and I'm a theater major so I spend most of my evenings in the theater, and I dance any other evenings. But this year I'm sucking it up and getting up early to work at 8 am, taking my classes in blocks and (hopefully) not procrastinating on schoolwork. Just prioritize and you'll be able to do all the fun stuff you want to do.</p>
<p>Sorry this is so long!</p>
<p>How easy is it to get an apartment near your college if you don't stay at the on campus dorms? Given the option to live on campus, is an apartment even recommendable?</p>
<p>going to depend where you go, at my school there's plenty of off campus apartments, as well as houses.</p>
<p>living off campus means no RA, more rights regarding police searches and such...</p>
<p>Yeah, it really depends on where you go to school. Here, the majority of people live off-campus in apartments, studios, houses, etc. Only like 1/4 of people live on campus, and that is mostly freshmen. I would recommend living in a dorm freshman year because you can meet alot of people that way, but after that, if you can feasibly live off campus (affordable, not in the ghetto, etc), totally do it. I love having my own space! Plus, you can have alcohol, not have to worry about random searches by RAs, and such, which is always awesome.</p>
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As far as not being able to be around others for a long time without being drained, that's not normal and you should probably try to do something about it.
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<p>Maybe it's not normal for the majority, but it IS normal for me, and I know it's normal for other people too - most introverts I know are the same way, and it's a fairly common thing. I am NOT an extrovert, I am NOT a people person, people drain me, and like I said I don't see anything wrong with that - it's who I am. I know my limits and having a roommate is one of those. </p>
<p>Anyway I think I am going to call and find out about how to go about getting a single room, and if I don't think it's feasible I'll rework my plan and go to the college I can commute to.</p>
<p>I'm just like you too. I need a lot of alone time to just think and just be able to practice my guitar or do whatever I need to do without feeling self-conscious. If I don't get my space, I can get pretty intense..</p>
<p>But then again, switching up colleges just cause you have a roommate is major... getting out of the comfort zone'll be better in the long run, even if it blows at first. But yeah, don't wanna sound like I'm preaching. I'm gonna be rooming w/someone else too- it might be tough to find a balance at first, but it'll work out. Just my 2 cents</p>