Lovelyish

I find that picture fucking hilarious LOL

@Ashley Nicole Anders@facebook - the max at my undergrad was 21 credits, becaue not all classes are worth an equal amount of credits. there were 1, 2, 3, and 4 credit classes offered.

i agree with this list, with the exception that i did party (almost) every weekend, and still graduated with a 3.8 GPA

@missVIMAI@xanga - hahahaa so do I !! I was literally laughing out loud at it.

These are all valid points. I know because I made most of these mistakes (although the high credit hours was due to being an engineering major).

I don’t dorm so again this post is quite irrelevant. I feel like writing a post for commuter students eventually…

I love number 5. I’m an RA and I hate walking down the hallway and casting fear into my residents just for my existence. I love that I’m “respected” but I’m still a student too, and I’m not much older. There’s a balance; your RA does not have to be feared. But he/she is still in charge.

@anchoredreams@xanga - This post might be irrelevant to YOU. Don’t call it irrelevant in general. You’re not the only person who exists.

I totally agree with the last one. Im an RA myself and they dont understand that we are people too. As for the credits, it depends on what college you go to. My college (NC State) only allows 18 per semester. More if you get the signature from the dean of your college. As for partying every weekend, most if not all people cant do this without failing out first semester. As for packing to much, that’s absolutely right.

I took seven classes my first semester (I seriously still don’t understand the credits system in the U.S.) and six classes the next five semesters…. plus 4 classes in the summer. Now I am only taking five this semester, five next semester, two in the summer and four in my last semester (so I can work), so I actually recommend taking as many classes as possible at first when the workload is still “lighter” than what it will be. That way, you can get classes out of the way and leave your last couple of semesters more manageable, timewise, to work/do social service/get internships/whatever your heart desires.
As for the partying, that really does depend on each person. I partied every single weekend during my first four semesters (and first two summers) and never got below an 85 in any classes (in my school, there is a saying that goes “Anything above 85 is pure vanity” because of the difficulty level).

I’d honestly say just knowing your personal limits applies to almost all of these. Some people (like myself) can easily handle a maximum courseload, a full plate of extracurriculars, working while in school, and still have time to go out and party while doing very well in school, but not everyone can do that (like my room mate– she’s in one extracurricular and studies the rest of the time despite not having the maximum amount of credits, and hardly goes out and we both have over a 3.5 gpa). 

As for the packing and the RA ones, I definitely agree. I went across the country for college so I had to be really picky about what I brought along, and then the rest I had to go buy when I got here or have my parents ship afterward, and I know that RA’s are chosen for a reason– they’re awesome people and really want to help out with college living!

1ish, 3ish, 4.

1: Join whatever you want, just don’t expect to be active in anything.
3: Go home and Christmas/Thanksgiving and dump that shit off.
4: Yeah. It’s better to be a super senior than die from killing yourself from the pressure by sophomore year or so.
Party…why the fuck not?? /hahaha.

@anchoredreams@xanga - I think writing a commuter post would be very helpful. I’ll love to see one!

Number 4 is something I see freshman running into ALL the time. They don’t realize that college is a lot harder than high school. It’s more work than a year of high school crammed into 3-4 months. My friends and I fell into the same trap (and I see freshman do it ever fall semester), we did 6 classes in high school so we think we can do the same in college. We were exhausted by the end and ended up failing at least 1 class each. It took a bit but eventually you learn your limits (I tend to only be able to handle 3 classes at a time while my friends can handle 4-5 depending on the classes). 

Not to mention, freshman always think college classes will go at the same comfortable pace that high school classes were set at. I hate being in a class with freshman hearing them constantly whining that the teacher goes too fast or (damn them) if they actually constantly pause the class so that they have time to catch up. They seriously need to learn how to take notes while the teacher talks, and not wait for the teacher to finish before typing/picking up their pens. 

@TheIceCube@xanga - I said it was irrelevant to COMMUTERS. 95% of this is geared to dormers. Most people who don’t live on campus don’t have these experiences. Most people who don’t live on campus still have parents watching over you and giving you guidance.

No need to be rude towards me.

@deemure@xanga - Thank you.  It really needs to be done. These college advice posts are virtually useless towards those who don’t live on campus.

Everyone who goes to college should live on campus. 

Kind of slept with the RA my freshman year, so maybe it would’ve been better to have ignored him … hahaha 

LOL @ the meme

@xOhUgSaNdKisSeSx05@xanga - You’re funny. My school is less than ten miles away. Would I trade my nice bedroom and free home cooking for sharing some smelly little dorm with a stranger? Hell no. I get the best of both worlds right now (Until I transfer at least!) and I quite like it, thanks.   

@TheIceCube@xanga - Nah, of course they are not the only person who exists. They were just sharing their two cents. I agree, though, since I don’t stay in a dorm or anything most of this doesn’t apply to me. But it does make me grateful I live close enough to my school to be able to stay at home. 

@Ashley Nicole Anders@facebook - There’s a difference in taking the maximum number of credits for courses in things like liberal arts and taking the max number of credits for something with a lab. Here, you spend 6 hours a week in a science class/lab combo and get credit on paper for 4 of those. As you advance you will actually log more like 12 hours a week in lab for every 4 hours you have on paper. So I wouldn’t suggest overloading yourself with five classes that have labs, but you could probably get away with overloading English or Psych classes.

Whatever, casuals.  I was in lab for 11 hours yesterday and I don’t even have class that day.

2. partying is awesome.
4. during third/fourth year, i took 20-30 units a quarter as a premed. mostly for kicks because i was graduating soon and bored. it can be done.
5. my first year RA was a total loser who thought he was the shit. (not to hate on other RAs.)

not taking college seriously and then having to pay for it when you’re a senior.. that’s exactly what happened to me.. my first 2 years i didn’t take seriously and i would withdraw after a week or two and don’t bother to complete the semester right now i shouldve had my associate’s degree and going for my bachelor’s instead of making up for slacking off the first 2 years..

I loved my RAs.  My freshman year, a girl on my floor got drunk and was taken advantage of, and the RA took us to the hospital, sat there all night, and didn’t turn anybody in for drinking or the girl who provided the alcohol.  And although she checked in on us to make sure everything was okay, she never brought it up in front of other people.  And she had a jar of candy which also had condoms, so you could get candy, condoms, or both and she’d never know what you took   So awesome.

And my sophomore RA was basically not there unless you needed her, haha.  We were in an upperclassmen-only dorm, so she didn’t need to baby us so much

I think that it’s okay to take 4 classes your first semester or more.. but it depends! It depends on several factors:

1. Money2. Work (Can you fit it all into your schedule and still have extra time to study?)3. Your Motivation Level/ Seriousness4. Easiness of classes
The reason why I was able to take 4 classes (which is what the average person takes I think) is because I didn’t work or pay bills, I still live with my parents and school to me was easy.. I also could of taken 5 classes and still been fine to….
I do think that you SHOULD NEVER take more than 2 hard classes or 1 hard class a semester. You can take 4 average or easy classes if you can handle the work load but if your taking hard classes STAY AWAY from all those classes =( and take it easy! Because you’ll need time to dedicate yourself to studying and etc.
Don’t overload yourself.. unless they’re all easy classes =) but if your taking a hard class either take 1 hard class or 2 or 3 if you can do it and it won’t be that hard for you.
I’d say its true DONT PARTY! College is different from high school.. If you fail your professor won’t baby you and give you a passing grade you always will get the grade you earned……. And don’t skip class. How can you expect to pass if you skip all the time? I see students do this ALL THE TIME, they’ll just stop coming to class after they attending the first day or even the first 2 months… and they just STOP coming =(.. You have to be committed to coming to class.
Also…… Take pride in your school work…. Students don’t take enough pride in their school work is another mistake college students do. 

Seriously on the classes thing – six classes is NOT a big deal.  If you can’t deal with 5-6 classes, you shouldn’t be in college.  Hell, I did five GRADUATE level classes at once while working 40 hours a week this past school year. My most in undergrad was 22 hours at a time while working around 25 hours a week.  The people saying not to take more than three classes are the ones who’ll spend 7 years getting their bachelors.

As for the RA’s complaining that “I’m a person too!”  - next time you’re out there ruining someone’s weekend or being a dick to get someone suspended / expelled, try remembering that “they’re a person too”.  That’s why my RA my freshman year was great – he openly admitted that he didn’t care if you broke the rules, but if there was another RA around to see it then he’d have to bust you so that he wouldn’t get in trouble.

@anchoredreams@xanga - Agreed! I have commuted for the majority of my college days and it’s led to me making all of 0 college friends–all my friends are those from high school. This will definitely change once I transfer to a school farther away. When everyone thinks “college” they forget to think about the commuters ): It’s all so focused on the people who live there.

@anchoredreams@xanga - do it. like how to have a job,commute an hour+, and still have time to eat sleep, shower, and at least do homework. cause i’m about to have to start the commute, i’ve been at community college for a while, and i’m nervous about my low paying job and the gas. haha

@Ashley Nicole Anders@facebook -  My undergrad university had a max of 19 credits per semester. Different colleges do different things. Why it’s not even I’m not sure, most classes were either 3 or 4 credits depending on if there was a lab component or not.

@anchoredreams@xanga - Do it! As a fellow commuter for the past three years folks who do the same get completely neglected when it comes to college advice. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be a commuter in the States – here in Canada it’s a lot more common (I’d say about half of uni students commute) but it seems to me there’s a big stigma against it in the US. 

@blackspiders@xanga - I commuted to college my first year and now this year, my second year I decided to move on campus. It was the best decision I ever made; there are so many things you miss from the college experience by commuting.

@lostandlovingtheview@xanga - It’s something that evoloved here. No one in my family dormed. It was only for people who went away, which was rare pre-1990s. My younget uncle graduated in 1995 or something and everyone still lived at home then.

@xOhUgSaNdKisSeSx05@xanga - I wouldn’t want to dorm nor do I feel like I need to. Yes, it’s freedom from home, but I do SO much on campus. I’m here until late nearly every single day doing social activites. I’m a College Senator. I’m the secretary of my school’s Honor’s Society. I volunteer around campus and do volunteer projects for my scholarship. I’m part of my school’s Women’s Catholic group. Hell, I even go to a counseling group to raise my self estem. Not once have I ever though I was missing out on the “college experience”. I much rather sleep and eat at home than have some bitchy roomate or get homesick or have sucky fattening food. I also have to mention the massive loans I save from not dorming when I live 5 minutes away. And if I did live on campus, I would probably be dropping out in a year, because I would lose my biggest support system…my family. They help me through so much and all the stress I have.

So yeah, you can live at home and have the college experience. You just need to know how to do so.

@Rose_Hikari@xanga - You just need to join things and stay on campus. I’ve made friends these past couple weeks because I’ve been so involved this semester. It feels amazing that I’ve finally got the commuting and being involved on campus thing down.

@anchoredreams@xanga - Huh, I didn’t know that! Thanks for the background. Living on campus is definitely something that has gotten more popular over time here too. Nobody in my family dormed either. We do the dorm thing a bit differently though now – most students, if they don’t live at home, only live in a dorm first year and then live in an apartment/rented house off campus for the rest of their years in uni.

I feel being a commuter I haven’t had the stereotypical “college experience” full of school spirit and themed parties and roommates and drinking and random sex and all the stuff my friends who live on campus experience, but quite frankly I think the idea that that is the only way to do college and if you don’t do it that way you’re doing it wrong is bullshit. I’m not a party person in the first place and I like doing stuff on my own most of the time so I feel like if I had lived in a dorm I’d be that weird person who’s in their room all the time. This week, for example, is the Toronto International Film Festival which is probably my favourite week of the entire year. I go and see tons of movies, hang out with other film fans and meet some celebrities. Other than that I’ve done a bunch of internships in my field, gone to concerts and plays my high school friends never would, attended lectures on subjects we weren’t even allowed to talk about at my Catholic high school, travelled and explored my city. I certainly don’t think I’m wasting my “college experience” even though I commute. We have the time and lack of responsibility at this point in our lives so make of it what you want, and I almost feel commuting has allowed me to do that more than if I had lived in a dorm.

@lostandlovingtheview@xanga - I’m not a party person either and I wouldn’t fit in if I dormed. I definitely have a college experience even if it’s not the stereotypical one. Mine’s more leader/scholarship based but I don’t care. That’s what I enjoy doing and it makes me happy that I can do things that I still enjoy but boost my resume. The only advantage I see that I’d have dorming is having access to my school’s library that’s open 24/7.

@Ashley Nicole Anders@facebook -  At our school, we’re on the quarter system and 15 credits is considered an average course load, which is about 3-4 classes depending on which ones you take.  The maximum possible to take is 19, which is about 5-6 classes.  I also go to a public state university, it that affects it at all.

@anchoredreams@xanga - Nah, I may join a club this semester but likely I’ll be volunteering. I have no desire to be friends with the majority of students on my campus… 1) I’m transferring out for next Fall, and 2) most of them are not as academically/intellectually inclined as me. I don’t mean to sound like a bitch, but a lot of the people on my campus just talk about partying and speak of grades like they don’t even matter. I do plan on getting really involved wherever I transfer though (:

@Rose_Hikari@xanga - I’m the same way. I’m the secretary of my Honor’s Society, I volunteer for my scholarship club, I’m a college senator and I’m involved with a Catholic group. There’s clubs for those who don’t party and whatnot. I’ve met friends that are my standards? now. 

Lol. None of these appply to me.

1. I didn’t join any clubs because I don’t feel like wasting my time on them. I don’t need to meet people or worry about extra things.

2. I’m in my Junior year of college. Never been to a party, been drunk, done drugs, etc. It doesn’t make any sense to do these things when I have way better uses for my time.

3. I’ve never packed more than a few books and some school supplies. I don’t live at school.

4. I took 8 classes my first semester… 7 of them were required.  I made it with a 3.5 GPA. It’s smarter to overload when your classes are easy in the first semester than trying to do it when things start to get intense.

5. I don’t live at school, therefore this doesn’t apply to me either.

I’d say the real 5 mistakes would probably be:

1. Thinking that college will be more fun because you get to choose what you want to do. Work is still work, even if you enjoy doing it most of the time. Chance are, you will have to do more things you dislike then things you like.

2. Thinking it’s easy to make/keep friends. It is the most difficult thing to maintain relationships with people while in college. You gradually become less and less available, and more self-centered. It’s almost a requirement.

3. Thinking the major you pick will be the major you stick with. It is sometimes the case, but sometimes you figure out it’s not for you, and some people are afraid to change majors because they don’t want to start over. You need to have an open mind about these things.

4. Thinking that you can buy food for lunch/dinner every day. That shit gets expensive.

5. Thinking mommy and daddy will pick up the bills all the time, or give you more money when you run out. That never happened for me, and a lot of people I know had to stop dorming because their parents stopped paying for it.

xX Ame ~*~ Hana Xx