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those of the author and do not
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College Life, Part 2
More Advice for
the Uninformed College Freshmen
By Will McCabe
For two of my high school friends who graduated a year after me, I gave
them as a graduation gift a booklet full of information I’ve gathered
about how to “survive” their first year of college. Some of these tips
I’ve given already in a prior article, and now I want to share some
more.
In case you haven’t read the previous piece I’ve written (I highly
recommend you do), the first and foremost advice I can give is to not
do anything stupid. While you may not think about it in high school,
what you do has major consequences for your future: drug abuse,
excessive partying, and being caught drinking doesn’t exactly look
great on a resume. In short, don’t do anything you would feel
uncomfortable telling a class of kindergartners or a group of nuns.
6. Join a sport or at least two clubs. Sports are a great
way to make strong friendships and teach you to balance academics with
extracurricular activities. However, for those who don’t want to spend
40 hours a week running around a track, a great alternative would be
clubs.
Clubs, besides looking good on a resume, are also a good way to make
friends with similar interests, see new perspectives on issues, and be
able to contribute to society in a way you would otherwise be unable to
do.
The only thing to watch for is overloading yourself with too many
activities. Start the year off with just a few and pick some more up in
the future once you get the college thing figured out. First and
foremost you are here for an education, not to participate in 20
different clubs.
7. Get some hobbies! No, video games and Netflix don’t count.
While sports and clubs are nice, they can sometimes be stressful, and
violent video games have been shown to increase short-term aggression.
What you need is something to make you unwind and relax. Work out, take
walks, write, do something which can calm you down when you’re feeling
overwhelmed. This also helps provide an answer to the dreaded question:
“So what are your interests/hobbies?”
8. Your dorm is your enemy. Don’t get me wrong, dorms are
nice for sleeping, holding your stuff, and spending the occasional time
alone. However, resist the urge to spend every free moment cooped up in
there. Trust me, I made that mistake and the more time you spend in
there, the less time you are spending with friends and truly having the
“college experience.”
9. Don’t immediately find a campus-job. If you get an email
about a job, or someone comes up to you and offers a way to make some
money, don’t take it. You have no idea what it will be like, and have
no one to warn you if it’s bad or a scam except for the person trying
to get you to work for him/her. I have a feeling that person may be a
little biased.
Also, you need to adjust to college life, and work may slow your
acclimation and conflict with academics, sports, and clubs. When you do
go for a job, don’t work at a fast food place. No. Find a job with
flexible hours and only a few hours a week. Work can be a great way to
pay off some loans and look great on a resume. However, these jobs
aren’t your future, so don’t spend too much time or energy into these
occupations if it means a compromise with your studies.
10. Don’t be caught up with GPA. Sure, high school may have
been a breeze and you graduated with a 4.0. Congrats, college is
different. Some courses only have a few grades for the entire semester,
so if you slack off on one test, you’re done for. College courses are
extremely difficult compared to high school, and you don’t get by with
as much as you would in previous years.
At the same time, don’t give yourself ulcers over stressing out over
classes. One of the most valuable lessons I learned about college is
from one of my psych professors: what matters are not the grades, but
the information you learn and the experience you receive.
In other words, it’s better to have a B in the class but have a better
understanding of the material than get an A and know no more than you
did when you started the course. When you graduate, you may have to
take qualification tests for postgrad or for your dream job, so you’re
more likely to pass if you cared more about learning than achieving a
4.0.
I understand you may have a different opinion than me, or maybe your
parents do. The only suggestion I can give to explain this is the short
span of time it’s been since I was a freshman. These are bits of
advice, not mandated laws, and these are things I’ve gathered from my
experiences. My main hope is that you are now more confident on being a
college student and have a better idea of how to survive in this new
crazy world.
To read Will McCabe’s College Life Part 1 click here
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