Why should you get involved in extracurricular activities? After all, you could use that extra time to sleep, watch television, get an off-campus job, or contemplate your navel. Besides, aren’t you busy enough attending classes, keeping up with homework, and doing your laundry? Why take time away from studying? There are many reasons you should plunge into the college social scene. Read the rest of this entry »
How much of your time do you think you spend outside the classroom in college?
Pick one:
(a) 25 percent
(b) 50 percent
(c) 75 percent
(d) 90 percent Read the rest of this entry »
“If you have a choice, as I did, between majoring in what will lead to the medical school/law school/graduate school/Wall Street job, etc., of your choice, or in majoring in something that does not directly lead to those paths, choose the latter (which I did not). College is the last chance you have to immerse yourself in something without material gains being a major issue. Neuroscience would be a very noble major and Mom will be very proud, but that is what the Ph.D. work is for—don’t miss a chance to stay up late writing what is probably not going to be the Great American Novel but will let you explore a facet of yourself that you may not have the chance to indulge later when the rent is due.” Read the rest of this entry »
“As a freshman, don’t worry about knowing what your major will be. Worry about it near the end of your sophomore year. (Though if you know you’re into the sciences, do your prerequisites early.)” Read the rest of this entry »
10. Deal with special needs. If you have special needs, before you enroll in a college, contact Disability Services personnel so you can make sure campus facilities and services are adequate to meet your needs. If you haven’t been able to make these arrangements earlier, better late than never. Contact Disability Services as soon as possible to get what you need: interpreters, wheelchairaccessible facilities, readers, van services, and so on. As you register for classes, make sure your needs are going to be met. If they aren’t, you often have legal recourse under federal law. Read the rest of this entry »
7. Balance your workload. You’ve got enough to adjust to without overloading yourself with work. Bonnie Bloom of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, put it this way: “I wish I had known that the actual credit hours you get for a class may not accurately reflect the amount of time you will put into it. I came to college thinking my labs would be fun. Then I realized how many hours of work, in and out of the lab, I was putting in. And all for one credit! Suddenly, I realized that not having any term papers in my classes didn’t quite make up for having a lab report nearly every week due for my chem, physics, and bio labs. I was actually doing more work than my roommate, an English major!” Read the rest of this entry »
4. Make several alternative schedules. As a freshman, you’re going to register last, so your odds of getting the exact schedule you want are about zero. Janice Race, a graduate of Queens College, described how she planned her schedule: “I would prepare three or four schedules and then decide which I liked best, next best, and so on. Since I am a prehistoric creature, the tool of choice was tracing paper. This way I could lay one sheet over another to see what I would end up if I made different combinations.” This method also allows you fall-back plans if you don’t get what you want. Read the rest of this entry »