With age comes wisdom
My brother is starting college soon, and that got me thinking about my freshman year. I really wish I knew then what I know now (and so does my GPA). That being said, here’s some college wisdom from a senior:
-GO TO CLASS. Unless you’re dead or dying, get up and go. Your grade will thank you.
-Put your alarm clock somewhere across the room. It helps.
-If you bring your laptop to class, deactivate your wireless connection. Use your laptop for notes, not Facebook.
-Bring your power cord to class too. Laptop batteries always run out at the worst possible time.
-Don’t skip out on homework assignments. It may only be 10 out of 1000 points in the class, but it all adds up.
-Actually read the syllabus. There’s useful stuff in there, like how you don’t have to take the final if you have a B or higher.
-Pay attention in your freshman classes. You’ll probably use the stuff you learn there in your sophomore classes.
-Bring a bike, roller blades, razor scooter, anything to get to class faster.
-It might take awhile to find the right girl. Don’t get desperate or you’ll start lowering your standards. (EDIT: No, this isn’t referring to Steph. This is referring to a girl that I briefly pursued my freshman year before reality slapped me in the face.)
-Drinks lots of water if you go out drinking. You’ll avoid hangovers this way.
-Use your free gym membership. It took me 3 years to figure that one out.
-Join a couple of clubs and go to their events. You’ll meet people.
-Create a club if you have the time. You’ll meet even more people, possibly including your girlfriend, homework study partners, and people who can help you take a trip to Japan.
-You’ll probably have group projects in some of your classes. Get to know your group members. They’ll probably be in lots of other classes with you for the next few years. I wouldn’t have passed several of my junior classes if it wasn’t for a group member I met in a sophomore class.
-Don’t get a job unless you really need one. It cuts into your study time, social time, and pretty much all other time.
-Go to internship fairs. Internships look great on your resume.
-Having access to an unlimited supply of soft drinks at the dining hall may seem nice, but drink water or juice instead. Otherwise you’ll end up fat or have a face like mine.
-Speaking of dining halls, try to eat a variety of things during the week. Burgers and fries get boring quickly.
-Sign up for classes early if you can.
-Don’t annoy your adviser. It’s nice to be able to ask for schedule modifications via email instead of going to her office and filling out a form.
-Take lots of pictures. The years go by quicker than you would think.
-Finally, retaking a class really, really sucks. Pass it the first time around.
That’s all I can think of for now. If any of you know how to email things back in time, please send this list to agbarnet@purdue.2004.edu.
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