Posted on by astyrra_713s8o

any tips about college?

unofficialrockstar:

[sighs] [cracks knuckles]

  • when /preparing/ to go to college, earlier is always better. don’t drag your feet on it bc it’ll come back to bite you i promise.
    -do your fasfa early (i know in my state at least, when you file in january-march or s/t it’s considered “early fasfa” and you actually get 1k free for doing it early, so it pays off), do your state-based aid early (for example mine is called ‘hessa’ and from hessa is where i get my state grants and things like that), make your deposits early, etc.
  • save your receipts for everything! and keep them in like a folder of s/t bc you’re gonna need proof of something eventually. you make a deposit? save it. you buy a book? save it for taxes. you receive your financial aid letter? save a copy of it. 
  • contact your school (or future school) as often as you need. don’t be in the dark because you’re afraid to ask. no one’s a mind reader, so if you have a question about your financial aid, call the financial aid office, it’s the only way you’re gonna know for sure
  • you don’t need to ball out on hella school supplies. this isn’t middle school baby boo. come with a notebook or two, and few pens, and yourself. once you get the syllabus, then go and buy your books and however many notebooks/folders/etc you think you’re gonna need. 
  • fact: over spending is the #1 killer of all college freshmen 
  • the most common forms for writing papers is mla and apa style, try to get familiar w/ them if you aren’t already, you’re gonna need them
  • there’s also a ‘dk handbook’ on those writing styles, and they actually help if you’re a hands-on type of learner and need it right in front of you
  • pick a good number of classes that you know you’re able to handle. i think it’s universal that you have to have a minimum of 12 credits to be considered a full time student, but that’s already 4 classes. me personally, i take 15/16 credits a semester and that’s good for me. so find what’s good for you.
  • don’t feel bad if you don’t make friends right away. you’re not gonna be the only one feeling weird. you’re all freshmen. this is a new experience for /all/ of you. try to remember that. 
  • the “freshmen 15” is avoidable if you eat as you do in college as you did before college. try not to eat late at night, try not to only have junk food, i’m sure there’s a gym on your campus, take care of yourself. 

    -when /in/ college

  • again, early is always better, especially when it comes to assignments
  • DO YOUR FUCKING WORK. it’s /your/ money you’re spending to be there, you might as well get passing grades
  • if you don’t have money for your books, there’s /always/ a way around that. there are sites that have your books online, you can get them hella cheap from amazon or an online store like that, there are OPTIONS try not to stress
  • time management is /key/ 
  • i see so many kids have /too much time/ on their hands and they spend it doing /nothing/ and then they have like 5 hours to write a paper that they left to the last minute. don’t be that kid.
  • don’t believe college is gonna be like the movies. the movies are movies for a reason.
  • you don’t have to be there /hella/ early before your teacher, but don’t walk in after them
  • don’t be too hard on yourself. there’s a reason why college kids get discounts on everything and kinda get the sympathetic eye from everyone else — it’s bc college is fucking hard and it’s stressful but it’s ok bc if ryan lochte can do it, you can do it
  • try to find something you’re interested in, it’ll make your time in college go a lot smoother if you have something constantly positive in your life
  • PARTICIPATE IN CLASS. you’ll learn more by being an active learner, the teacher will learn your name/recognize you, it’ll become easier to speak in front of strangers, you’ll feel more comfortable
  • you can leave the classroom after 15 minutes if your professor doesn’t show up. 25, i believe if they have their phd. 
  • YOUR MENTAL HEALTH > THE FUCKING SCHOOL WORK
  • sometimes you gotta say to yourself “is it fucking /healthy/ for me to be up at 2 in the morning writing this fucking paper when i have to be up at 8 for a class?” 

    like, i know that it feels like you have to do it /all/ in a time that’s TOO FUCKING SHORT so if you have to let something slide, or miss an assignment, or /something/ for the sake of /your// mental health, then fucking DO IT. HONEST TO GOD /DO IT/ bc that 10 page paper isn’t worth it and the world knows it

  • stores and food places offer discounts to college students a lot, take advantage of it
  • amazon.com allows free two-day shipping for registered college students, take advantage of that
  • get to know your professors when you can. obv you’re not gonna be bffs w/ all of them, esp if you go to a HUGE university w/ like 300 people to a class, but be friendly when you can
  • GO TO YOUR PROFESSORS FOR HELP
  • i know there’s this like of stereotype that professors are like this drill-sergeant, hard-ass, rude people but imma let you in on a little secret— 90% of them aren’t like that. yes, some of them have kinda bad personalities, but the point is they’re there to /teach/ and /help/ you so GO TO THEM when you can. there’s no point in suffering and being in the dark about something that’s a quick answer if you just go up to them and ask or shoot them an e-mail
  • don’t slack off, it’ll just come back to bite you
  • know your professors attendance policy if they have one, and if you’re allowed to miss 4 classes without it affecting your grade, then understand that and choose your 4 days wisely.
  • having a car is a plus, but not /essential/. if you don’t want to eat your cafeteria food, there are usually other food places near your school. food places strategically place their businesses around college campuses bc they know they’re not gonna want their school’s food all the time.
  • you’re never /stuck/ in a situation. there’s always a way out, you just have to find it. loopholes are everywhere and they’re a lot more apparent once you decide to look for them. talk to your counselors, your friends, your professors, your coaches, your boss, etc. if you’re in a situation, you’re not the first or last person to ever be there, so there’s a solution. 
  • get enough sleep. running on e is not good, bro. and it’s unhealthy.

i have more but i should prob stop wow