Any college kids in here?

[Flash Tizzle]

Im an incoming freshman this year at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I start next Mon., and although I went through all the orientation (where dips***s explained college life) I was wondering if any of you had any advice to share.

 

Although it blows UIC isnt considered a party school, atleast I'll be only 10 minutes away from The Cell. Just have to take Roosevelt to the Dan Ryan, D-R to 35th. Its f***n sweet.

[BridgeportHeather]

I'm a senior at Illinois State University right now...Ask away...I could give you lots of advice, since I'm quite the seasoned college student.

[Chisoxfn]

I'll be a junior at Cal State Fullerton.

[Flash Tizzle]

I was really looking for some advice, but I have some questions anyhow.

 

--Are their any school dances or social events: Homecoming, Winterfest, etc. Anything that you could bring a date to.

 

--Do you get any bull s*** holidays off: Columbus Day, Pulaski Day, Teacher Institutes.

 

--Are winterbreak, springbreak, or summerbreak shortened compared to the time spent off in high school.

 

--From your experience would you compare college to Animal House or Old School. Even though old school was about guys out of college starting a fraternity;it was just the view of college being a f***fest tied in with heavy drinking. (Heather, you could probably best answer that going to ISU......which I know for sure has some good parties.)

[Chisoxfn]

Well from the school aspect, I recommend going to classes. I think thats the big thing in having academic sucess in college.

 

As far as a personal level, just chat with random people. Once you meet some people, then they'll introduce you to their friends, etc. I'm not in a frat or anything (I got this thing about paying for friends and somehow thats what I think of a frat as ). As far as parties, my school is pretty lame in that department, so I usually go to parties of friends I know. I try to stay away from frat parties: Tons of Guys, not enough females, plus they are pretty lame in my book.

 

As long as your open with others, you'll make a lot of friends and have a ton of fun in college, plus you'll be helping yourself in the long run from a professional standpoint.

[BridgeportHeather]

The college experience goes far beyond what you do in the classroom, especially if you live AWAY from home. You will have your classes to deal with, but you must have a balance as well in the form of a social life. If you're going to be paying for your colleging, getting a campus job is the best thing to help you through that.

 

The three biggest benefits of having a campus job are that:

1) You don't have very far to travel to get to work.

2) Everyone who you work with goes to your school, so you make friends more easily.

3) Campus employers are more likely to be flexible with your hours--they're more likely to understand your schedule as a college student.

 

When you step into the classroom, don't be bashful! At the first day of every class in now all seven semesters I've been here, I have gone up to the professor and introduced myself to him or her at the end of the class. In addition, don't be the type who sits at the back of the classroom. Sitting in the front allows for less distractions, and will allow you to get more out of lectures. You will be more inclined to PARTICIPATE in class (participation also leads to understanding of material). Trust me! It makes it much easier to seek such professor for help outside of class if you follow these basic pieces of advice.

 

When you get assignments, don't put them off until the last minute...I've learned the hard way sometimes, and made a pact with myself before the second semester of my Junior year (last year) to bite the procrastination bug in the but. What I do every Friday night is bring out my assignment notebook (assignment notebooks are not just for high schoolers) and type out the assignments that are due the next week under their corresponding day. I keep this sheet right in front of my desk so that I will see it at all times. Whenever I complete an assignment, I cross it out on that sheet (and do you ever feel a sense of accomplishment whenever you can cross something off of that sheet!).

 

As for projects; breaking them up in bits is the best way to go! Set time in equal intervals to complete a specific portion of a project. If you have some "extra" time, do more than what was planned in a specific time interval. Doing this will be useful in cases in which you receive a huge assignment later on down the line--you could spend more time on this new assignment, since you have less to do with this project.

 

Aside from work and classes, there is, of course, the social life. Go to the sporting events at your school! They can be fun! My first sporting event happened to be a 75-10 ISU blowout of WV Tech in football, which gave all ISU students large pizzas at Domino's for under one dollar, since they used to have this deal where they took a dollar off for each TD ISU scored in the football game the next day...until after that game! We all got pizzas and nearly every floor on campus had floor socials where they'd get like 10 pizzas per floor, and everyone on the floor would chip in like 20 cents for an unlimited amount of pizza! Floor socials are something that can be fun...It's important to get along with your floormates, since you will be living with them for the academic year (you don't want someone pissing under your door at 3 a.m. because they aren't very fond of you). Go out on weekends! You can't stay locked up in your room, or you're going to suffer immense symptoms of ASD (anti social disorder), which would make your college experience incomplete. Go see a movie, go to a house party (basically a juniors and under kind of thing, as Seniors tend to go to the bars instead to get away from the underclassmen), go out to eat (you don't wanna be eating dorm food 24/7), play ultimate frisbee on the quad (just be gentle on the girls if you play it 'battle of the sexes' style), do whatever you think will allow you to 'get away' from things for a moment.

 

If you have a 9 a.m. class the next day (or work in the morning), don't stay out partying until 1 a.m.! That's irresponsible, and you're not going to want to puke in front of a lecture hall of 600 on a Monday morning (this actually happened in my Freshman Biology lecture hall--wasn't me though). In addition, you'll learn, through time, what sleep schedule works out best for you.

 

College is all about taking responsibility for your life!!! If you follow the above advice, you will have a great college experience...

 

(in my best Zimmerman from 'the men's warehouse' voice)

 

I GUARANTEE IT!!!

[Chisoxfn]

I was really looking for some advice, but I have some questions anyhow.

 

--Are their any school dances or social events:  Homecoming, Winterfest, etc.  Anything that you could bring a date to.

 

--Do you get any bull s*** holidays off:  Columbus Day, Pulaski Day, Teacher Institutes.

 

--Are winterbreak, springbreak, or summerbreak shortened compared to the time spent off in high school.

 

--From your experience would you compare college to Animal House or Old School.  Even though old school was about guys out of college starting a fraternity;it was just the view of college being a f***fest tied in with heavy drinking.  (Heather, you could probably best answer that going to ISU......which I know for sure has some good parties.)

Well, my school is nothing like those two movies, but I know UCSB is. I go up there every month or two to visit my buddy on the basketball team there and the parties are insane. I swear everywhere you look there are absolutely hot girls. It really is like a movie.

 

As far as holidays, don't expect much but BREAKS KICK ASS. I get like 2 months off for XMAS and you get an extended Summer Break too. Depending on the school, you also get a full week off for Thanksgiving which is nice.

 

With schools dances and stuff, I don't think you guys got a football team (This is me guessing) and thats about the only thing that has big social events. If your interested, join some clubs that seem to interest you or something like that. Gives you a way to meet other people with the same interest as you. Intermaurals are also pretty fun.

[BridgeportHeather]

I was really looking for some advice, but I have some questions anyhow.

 

--Are their any school dances or social events:  Homecoming, Winterfest, etc.  Anything that you could bring a date to.

 

--Do you get any bull s*** holidays off:  Columbus Day, Pulaski Day, Teacher Institutes.

 

--Are winterbreak, springbreak, or summerbreak shortened compared to the time spent off in high school.

 

--From your experience would you compare college to Animal House or Old School.  Even though old school was about guys out of college starting a fraternity;it was just the view of college being a f***fest tied in with heavy drinking.  (Heather, you could probably best answer that going to ISU......which I know for sure has some good parties.)

You may want to consult your school's calendar for huge social events...And usually they'll print about them in advance in your school's newspaper so that everyone knows about them.

 

We here at ISU do have a homecomming ball after the football game; however, it really isn't the 'in' thing to do on this particular campus.

 

We don't get any breaks off at all except for Labor Day and MLK's birthday. Like Jason said, we get Thanksgiving week off, as well as a month off for winter break.

 

The parties I have gone to here at ISU can get rather wild. I've never watched either "Animal House" nor "Old School," (movies really aren't my thing) so I can't comment on that. But, if you can't find any good parties over there, ISU is just 2 1/2 hours southwest of Chicago.

[Flash Tizzle]

The parties I have gone to here at ISU can get rather wild.  I've never watched either "Animal House" nor "Old School," (movies really aren't my thing) so I can't comment on that.  But, if you can't find any good parties over there, ISU is just 2 1/2 hours southwest of Chicago.

Heather, how can you be in college and not see those movies? Those two alone made everyone look forward to college, and every person who has graduated reflect back on the good times they had. You must not graduate until you make a trip up to the video store and rent Old School and Animal House. I forbid it.

 

All together they're hilarious movies which Im sure you can relate to after a couple years in college.

 

I dont think you could go into a bar, or room full of people and say....

 

"Frank the tank...............Frank the tank.................Frank the tank.........."

 

Without atleast 5 people replying........

 

"YOU KNOW IT........YOU KNOW IT!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

Belushi, god bless him.

[BridgeportHeather]

Heather, how can you be in college and not see those movies?

Movies have never been my cuppa joe...Never have, possibly never will. I've seen less than 15 movies in my lifetime (and I will be 22 in under 4 1/2 months)...Not ashamed about that...I just don't get 'up' for many movies.

[Flash Tizzle]

I dont know why that bugs me so much. But I'm sure if Carlos Lee was in Animal House or Old School Heather would of seen it.

[Wong & Owens]

Flash, I may not be hip anymore(graduated DePaul in 1996), but I believe there are a few things you need to know about college that are true for any generation.

 

1) If you hate writing papers, pick a business major.

2) Take a friday night class if they're offered--the teacher NEVER keeps you there for the duration, especially if it's the second semester

3) Spend a lot of time at Hawkeye's and other Taylor street haunts.

4) Avoid all teachers that allow attendance to affect your final grade--look up their syllabus to check.

5) If you have to do a group project for a class, don't be that guy that just sits there until the teacher assigns you to a group. Find the hottest chick in the room and tell her you want a really good grade on the project, so you need her help.

6) Tell your teacher on the first day of class that you work alot to pay tuition -- This used to get pity grades, but I think it's too common a situation to work anymore. Try it out and see what happens.

7) Make friends with someone who lives in the dorms as soon as you can. Makes commuter life a little more tolerable

8) Don't major in philosophy, it's just useless.

9) Sell all your textbooks back to the bookstore as soon as the class is over. You'll never look at them again, trust me.

10) Sacrifice some of your GPA to make sure you have enough life experiences. Once you get your first job after graduation, nobody will ever care if you had a 2.3, or a 4.0. This does not apply to law school, or med school students.

 

Good Luck!

[clujer420]

My 2 cents on college (some things will be repeated from what other posters have said)...

 

- If you think you could get a moderately good job now and work your way toward a career and you're really not "into" school, IMO don't bother going to college. The "you need a degree to get a good job" attitude is BS. Hard work is the #1 component of being successful, not having a piece of paper that says you graduated from an "institution of higher learning".

 

- If you are committed to going, though, AVOID having a job if at ALL possible. To be successful in college, it requires mega-effort, and there is not really any time for a job (unless you plan on having zero social life).

 

- Like I said, college is all about effort. I've said that in HS, it's about 80% intelligence and 20% effort (in other words, if you're smart, you can slack off and still get by with a fair amount of ease). In college, though, it's a complete 180 -- it's 80% effort and 20% intelligence (in other words, if you're a genius but don't put in the time, you'll fail -- whereas a moron who puts forth a solid effort will succeed). Which is why I said that if you aren't 100% committed and desirous of going to college, don't bother, because you will just be wasting your time.

 

- Heather pointed out that you CANNOT procrastinate. In HS, you can get away with that because 1) the assignments are short and 2) the teachers don't expect much depth. In college (assuming you're going to a real college and not a JC, aka the 13th grade), the assignments are frequently much longer and require you to go into much greater depth -- particularly in essays and such. Hopefully your English teachers in HS pounded "essay writing" into your brain, because you're going to need it.

 

- Be prepared for TONS of reading. Often times, you won't have any "homework" except to read from your text book. I know that in my case, a lot of times I would view that as having no homework, and consequently, the night before the exam, I would be stuck trying to go over 10 chapters of material, and it is simply impossible to do that. Keep up with the readings, and I would suggest getting the study guides that normally are available for purchase for pretty much every book you're going to have. The cost can be high, but they will really help outline the main points and help you focus in on what it is you need to take from each section/chapter of the book.

 

- Make friends with your professors. TRUST ME, there are going to be times that you will need an extension on a paper or some such special request, and if the teacher knows you on a remotely-personal basis, your odds of them granting you extra time increase exponentially. Like Heather said, introducing yourself to them sometime during the first week of class (not necessarily the first day - you don't want to come across as a suck-up) is a very good idea.

 

- I don't know you from Adam, so I don't know how you interact with fellow students, but GET THE NAME, NUMBER, AND E-MAIL ADDRESS OF AT LEAST 1 PERSON (PREFERABLY 2 OR 3 IF YOU CAN) IN EVERY CLASS. There WILL be times when you are too tired for class (as well as times where you may be legitimately ill), and having access to someone who was in the class is going to be essential. You need to keep up on exam dates, quiz dates, due dates, etc, etc, and if you have no method of contacting someone who was THERE to hear any potential changes, you're going to find yourself very much in the dark.

 

- Form study groups! I, for one, hate them (I'm not much of a people-person), but in the few occasions that I did utilize them, it was really helpful. It cuts your study time drastically, and allows you to interact with your fellow students and learn from them.

 

Those are a few of the main things that I can think of right now.

 

[doubleM23]

I'm a sophomore at Bradley University (yes, I know... Stop laughing), but we NEVER EVER get out for bulls*** holidays. Hell, we don't even get the real ones off... School during Labor Day?

 

My best advice is (if you're so inclined), join a club sport. They're really fun and a good way to meet some people. I play ultimate frisbee for BU and it's a blast, plus a good way to keep me exercising as opposed to my natural state of watching Sportscenter on the futon with a strange goo-ey mixture of Cheez-Ball dust, melting chocolate, Coca-Cola, and saliva running down the side of my mouth.

 

College is fun.

[southsider2k5]

I was a college student WAAAAAAAAAY too long ago

[IlliniKrush]

Sophomore at University of Illinois

 

Go to class is a biggie. Trust me you won't end up "studying it later on your own" to catch up like most people tell themselves in the morning. Get into the habit of going to class and it will save you a lot of cram and make up work later.

 

Keep a clean bathroom and light some candles (oh wait that was Steff's advice)

 

Try to keep up on bulls*** readings because cramming for a college test as opposed to a high school test is much, much different. I've done s***ty on some tests i thought i could cram for at the last minute.

 

Pace yourself and try to keep a schedule of when stuff is due, when you have events to go to, etc. Stay organized by using a planner or what not. No one is going to remind you every class time when your next paper is due, etc. Usually the date just comes and you are SOL if you forgot the day it was due.

 

Master the art of multitasking

 

And finally, always wear clean boxers because you never know who's gonna get a look at em if you get what i mean

[Steff]

And finally, always wear clean boxers because you never know who's gonna get a look at em if you get what i mean

to boxers

 

to boxer briefs...

[IlliniKrush]

  to boxers

 

  to boxer briefs...

Panties

[Steff]

  to boxers

 

  to boxer briefs...

Panties

You wear panties...

[IlliniKrush]

  to boxers

 

  to boxer briefs...

Panties

You wear panties...

No, do you?

[Steff]

  to boxers

 

  to boxer briefs...

Panties

You wear panties...

No, do you?

This question has been answered before. You should pay attention...

[IlliniKrush]

  to boxers

 

  to boxer briefs...

Panties

You wear panties...

No, do you?

This question has been answered before. You should pay attention...

Maybe if we forgot we can ask a few people that were walking around the concourse last night

[Steff]

  to boxers

 

  to boxer briefs...

Panties

You wear panties...

No, do you?

This question has been answered before. You should pay attention...

Maybe if we forgot we can ask a few people that were walking around the concourse last night

Well.. since you were hanging around like a sick puppy dog.. I'm sure you know the answer.

[IlliniKrush]

  to boxers

 

  to boxer briefs...

Panties

You wear panties...

No, do you?

This question has been answered before. You should pay attention...

Maybe if we forgot we can ask a few people that were walking around the concourse last night

Well.. since you were hanging around like a sick puppy dog.. I'm sure you know the answer.

Oh please, someone wouldn't let me leave

[rafacosta]

I´m in the 3rd year...but things in here are so different. BTW, my University is on strike...