<p>No problem. Obviously if you're taking three lab sciences and you have all three labs the same day, that may be something to change, but in general, it should be alright. And if you realize that you don't like it much, just change it up the next semester, no big deal.</p>
<p>Thanks, this is pretty much what I'm looking at then:
MW- Science, History, Comm (my major) core course.
TTH- Another major core requirement.
F- Labs</p>
<p>Friday labs suck. Just a warning.</p>
<p>bobbafatty: Pledging will VERY LIKELY interfere with your school work. The brothers basically have you at their beck and call, so during the semester you'll have to do random stuff for them (get them food at any time, clean up after parties, set up for parties, etc., none of which sounds THAT bad but it takes more time than you'd think). Then it all culminates into Hell Week, which is called Hell Week for a reason. You'll be exhausted devoting every night to your frat, but you'll still have class and if you want to get good grades you'll have to go. If you physically can.</p>
<p>In general I guess the smaller fraternities are nicer, but I don't think it really matters since they still make you do a lot of s***. My boyfriend (from whom I'm getting all this information) pledged a really small fraternity and I don't know how his Hell Week compared to others', but it was still pretty horrible.</p>
<p>That being said, I don't know how being IN a fraternity interferes with schoolwork (it probably doesn't too much if you can manage your time/know when you HAVE to study), but the semester you pledge will probably put a strain on your grades, or at least your sanity :P</p>
<p>NOT that I'm discouraging joining. I'm just saying; it's good to be aware.</p>
<p>I'm posting greatone1's question again since it didn't get any responses:</p>
<p>"Ok I have 2 questions. How did most of you guys find the social transition from highschool to college? As in where you more social in college than hs and did you find it easier to make friends, go out etc? Or was it the opposite, were you less outgoing in college and did you dislike the social scene?? And, is the freshman 15 really something I should worry about?"</p>
<p>kevster101- A friend of mine is transferring as well. She gained 15 pounds this summer. Something about big transitions like these can throw your body out of whack. I lost at least 10-15 pounds starting this last Spring semester until now. =P</p>
<p>kevster,
for the social transition, it took me a little while to get over my high school insecurities (namely, first semester) but after that, I made friends and have been plenty social and fine. I party occasionally, am involved in ec's, etc. As for the freshman 15, I didn't gain any weight even when I was being anti-social first semester, because I was hauling butt around campus to get to all my different classes all over the place, which was more exercise than I was used to in high school. After I met a bunch of friends second semester, we did swing dancing and I actually lost some weight. I think maybe if you were really active in high school, and like an athlete, and then you quit and don't do anything in college but still eat the same as you did before, then yeah you will probably gain alot of weight. However, if you were like me in high school, a total couch potato, you will probably maintain if not lose because there is the required massive amounts of walking around campus and up stairs and such.</p>
<p>Any good study tips to prevent intense cramming?</p>
<p>"yeah it's not fun.
you'll pretty much hate your pledge semester and probably block out most of it from your memory.</p>
<p>i guess this doesn't apply to all fraternities, but any popular ones will most likely be something similar. i guess the ones that have trouble recruiting and end up with a small pledge(any fraternity that says they're small so they can have a tighter brotherhood is feeding you a line of BS) class figure they have to be kinda nice to their pledges so they don't drop."</p>
<p>Woah woah woah. Don't speak for all fraternities, please. Yes, we have a pledging period and we do have Hell Week, but honestly, it is not that hard. You have to devote time to your fraternity for the semester, and that week especially, but most fraternities will give you plenty of warning on what days they will need you, and you simply have to do your work ahead of time for that week. I had a FANTASTIC time pledging, and I bonded so much with my pledge class. That is what pledging is for, you to bond with the other pledges, not for you to get kicked around by the actives. That should not be the kind of fraternity you want to join. Not to mention, it's illegal to haze.</p>
<p>And also, a small fraternity is not always a bad thing. If they want to be big and aren't making their quota, that can be a bad sign. However, some fraternities ARE purposefully small to promote closeness between the members. Our charter specifically limits us to a certain number of pledges a semester to keep our numbers small, and we turn down people each semester. So keep your mind open and explore all of your options.</p>
<p>To prevent intense cramming, I figured out which subjects were harder for me or requires alot of memorization, and left about a half hour to an hour to study for them a day. By taking just a little time each day I remembered everything much more easily and have a stress free night before the test.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Not to mention, it's illegal to haze.
[/quote]
so is underage drinking...</p>
<p>legality has little to do with what happens in the real world</p>
<p>The most important rule is know yourself.
For example, I took 8 am chemistry first semester of my freshman year. I never went. I was not then and am not now a morning person. 8 am classes as a freshman may be hard to avoid but if you know you won't go to class don't schedule it. Also, use your time during the day. It's very easy to screw around until midnight and then realize you need to write a paper, do a homework set, etc. Don't fall into that habit.</p>
<p>Let's see...</p>
<p>I don't drink that much at all...only once or twice in the last year. I dunno, I just don't. I really didn't feel any peer pressure to, and I found friends that enjoyed doing the same things I do, which just happens to be not getting completely smashed every night. :) For those out there who are worried that all anyone wants to do is drink drink drink...it's not true. A lot of people are drunk a lot of the time, but there are people that register all across the sobriety spectrum. ;)</p>
<p>Don't let yourself procrastinate!! Everyone is going to to some extent, but it will come and kick you in the ass if you let it get the best of you! </p>
<p>The first few months might have some low moments. I know it was really hard for me - I wanted to transfer, my friends weren't like my friends from high school, home was really far away, classes are too hard...etc. Fast forward to now where I am stuck at home with my friends from high school (who I don't get along with as well anymore) and can't WAIT to get back up to school. My point is that you need to give it a chance. Everyone plays up the excitement and awesomeness that comes with going to college. It is STRESSFUL. Most of it is good stress, but some of it is going to be unpleasant, but you'll deal with it. You just have to be ready to roll with some unexpected things.</p>
<p>Roommate. I <em>hated</em> my roommate, but we got along because we needed to. It was a learning experience. I survived. BE RESPECTFUL, and it won't be that bad. You might not be super BFFs with your roomie, and that is okay. Just live and let live (to a certain extent, of course) and try to be flexible. Don't be afraid to talk to your RA if your roommate is not extending you the same respect. That is what they are there for...my RA was a little odd, but a nice guy. They aren't out to get you, they usually are pretty happy to help.</p>
<p>I will have to say, that the bond you develop with your pledge brothers is one unlike any other. You go through a LOT of ***** during pledging, no matter what fraternity you join. While people can claim you "pay" for these new friends, your bonds with your pledge brothers goes well beyond this.</p>
<p>We had the easiest pledging on campus IMO, and I still would consider it pretty hard. The nice thing is that if you pick a decent fraternity, the pledgemaster will usually let you know what's on deck for the coming week and will warn you if you need to get your work done before the next activity (meaning it will be long/tough). Some don't have this luxury though, and your grades can take a hit as a result. But I honestly think that the only difference in my grades had I not pledged would have been less than .1.</p>
<p>our pledging was a lot different. had a lot of phone calls at every hour of the day "be at <location> with <other pledges,="" usually="" 3="" others=""> in 30 minutes. you don't want to know what will happen in you're late" then had to do various things when we got there. THAT builds tightness with you're pledge brothers. imo being a little afraid of brothers forces you to respect them, something other fraternities on my campus lack. pledges getting calls from brothers and talking back to them, saying they're not going to do whatever they ask,... big little night when you find out your big brother and are accepted into their family(we have 5 families, 120 members) and do the family ritual, they instill fear because of the secrecy of what the ritual is. makes you feel proud to be part of the family.</other></location></p>
<p>and anyone who says you're paying for friends is ignorant. with dues to international, insurance, and social funds, you're getting a pretty good deal.</p>
<p>sounds like a cult to me.</p>
<p>gdi's...<br>
yeah, offense intended.</p>
<p>--Just because you can stay up until 3 am every night having great conversation with your roommate/floormates doesn't mean you have to....especially if you have an 8am class. But it's good to do it once in a while.</p>
<p>--If it looks interesting, DO IT.</p>
<p>"P.S. The truth is that it is really boring to be the only sober person at a party full of drunken people, because the general level of "interestingness" takes a dive. I wish I could say otherwise, but it just isn't true. Sorry."</p>
<p>mafool; Deep! That's what my non drinking D says! I guess I will have to trust her judgement.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Originally posted by legendofmax8:
8. Don't be afraid to go see a counselor if things get too heavy. You usually feel a lot better when you leave the office.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Depends on the counselor. Believe or not, there are some evil ones who try their best to make your life even worse.</p>
<p>I have another question. I've heard a bunch of advice on this forum about ECs. I know you should drop them if you don't like 'em, etc. What I'm wondering about is the number of ECs you should try out your first semester. What is a good estimate? How involved should you get with a club until you decide to stay or not?</p>
<p>Oh, I wonder how many ECs are you guys in right now? Is there much difference between those that we had in high school and those that we will have in college?</p>