college life

[kimmy]

well..i'm about to do it. i'm serious about college for the first time in my life and i plan on registerring for jc this week. i fucked around in high school alot, so i never took the sats and now i have to start at community. afterwards, i'm going to a uc to finish my bs in legal studies, and then it's on to law school.

i know i have to start at community, but i haven't decided yet if i want to go to my local uc or to uc santa cruz. both have excellent undergrad legal studies programs. i've asked my sister's advice and am waiting her reply on the matter because she has a friend that goes to uc santa cruz and a friend that goes to our local uc. then for law school...i have no idea. i'm thinking of going to law school where my sister's at right now because she's always wanted me to go to school with her, but by then she'll be in graduate school and we don't know if she'll still be at that university anymore. plus law school is probably 4 or 5 years away, so i'm not too concerned about that at the moment anyhow.

but...i want to know some people's opinions/experiences with college. like, how did you choose what school you went/are going to? and just pretty much anything else anyone wants to share about college, i'd really appriciate.

 

[Beauty Mark]

As for your particular situation, there's no shame in starting at a CC. Some very intelligent people start there because of financial reasons... The Ivy Leagues aren't the only places that house smart folks (and even they have people there who are idiots). Before you select your UC and law school, I'd see about cost and who has a better program in whatever you specifically want to study in law.

As for college, in some ways, it was like high school, but I went to a single sex college. I chose my school because I wanted to be in New England and I wanted a liberal arts school with an open curriculum (basically, no requirements outside the major). Also, a teacher from my high school touted my college.

Study but keep it in balance. Although grades are important for law school, don't flip out if you get an A- vs. an A.

Be sure to get to your profs. They'll be a great resource for recs, any internships, etc.

Intern as much as possible and try to get part-time jobs relevant to what you want to do. It looks great for the resume, and it also allows you to try out a career. Often times, people switch majors because they learned their dream career isn't what they imagined.

Buy all your books online and used. The bookstores are a ripoff most of the time.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. Go to tutoring if you need it, talk your profs, whatever. A lot of people don't do as well as they could because they don't realize that a lot of people utilize those resources.

Good luck!

 

[Dizzy]

First, good for you for deciding to go to college!

It's definately not for everybody, but you seem like you really thought it through which leaves you in a MUCH better place then a lot of people who just rush into it right out of high school.

I went to a CC first because I have to pay for my own school. Everyone swore to me that it'd be easy, I'd have so much fun, etc. I wanted to kick them so hard when I realized that it was actually a lot of work! lol But I worked my butt off and took advantage of every single opportunity that i could, and I ended up transferring to a 4-year the semester before I was going to graduate from CC. I'm a poli sci major with a psych minor, and I'm also planning on law school after my undergrad work is done.

These are things that I wish people had told me when I first stepped into it:

- Internships. Find one, preferably one that will pay you as well as give you college credit. They are experience/credit/money all rolled up in one, and even if it turns out to be a bad internship (sometimes they do), you at least now have experience and a refrence. And some cash.

-Make sure that your CC credits will actually count towards something! I have sixteen credits that don't count for much other than my overall credit count and gpa. I was/am in the SUNY system (basically, NY's answer to the UC and CSU systems), and they still had a problem with my credits. If you have any questions your advisors should be able to tell you what is transferrable or will satisfy requirements at your next school.

-Get involved. Clubs, sports, events, etc. I mean, you can make friends and meet people through classes and stuff, but it's so much easier when you have a common interest. Especially if the schools you're looking at are commuter schools- I remember days where I wouldn't talk to a single person because everyone was always rushed at a commuter school. I'm at a residential school right now and it's soo much easier to get involved and really have fun.

-Don't fall behind on work. You get a whole lot of freedom in college, but know that anything that happens is your responsibility. This tripped me up like nobody's business my first semester because I was so used to people pushing me to work harder, and suddenly, nobody cared if I did my work or not. Let me tell you, nothing will give you that kick in the butt like seeing C's in classes that should have been easy A's.

-Avoid school bookstores and brand-new books like the plague. They are overpriced and, seriously, out to get you. Plus, new books don't have the awesome highlighting and margin-notes that are SO helpful when you're completely lost. Bonus if you can get the book from a person who had that prof last semester, but if you can't, Amazon is amazing for used books. No joke, I saved ~$250 last semester ordering used books online.

-Never be afraid to ask for help. Most schools have tutor centers or academic centers that will help you out when you need it- but they're only helpful if you take advantage of them! I actually worked in one my second semester, and half hte time I was getting paid to do my own homework because nobody ever came. Towards finals, we'd be slammed, but by that time if you don't know the material, cramming an entire semester's worth of notes into a night or two isn't going to get that A, you know?

And finally, lol

-Keep the prize in sight. For me, I have posters of schools that have law programs that I'm looking into around my room so whenever it comes down to a night of partying or studying, I know why I'm here and what I need to do. Don't get me wrong- there's a healthy amount of partying that is needed to keep sanity, lol, but classwork is much more important. Never lose sight of what you want.

Anyway, good luck girlie and enjoy it- there's nothing quite like college life!!

 

[franimal]

Which is your local UC? I'm currently going to UC Santa Cruz so feel free to ask me any questions about it. I basically chose to go here because it is really beautiful and at the time when I chose to go here I was really into being punk and vegan. If you do go to UCSC, just to let you know it is very liberal and radical in terms of the general leftist politics of the students and professors, which definitely has an impact on the curriculum, just something to think about. I think starting out at a JC is a great idea and will definitely save you a lot of money. I really don't see the point in paying a lot of money to complete you GE requirements.

 

[Hawkeye]

College is a very good thing.
You made a good decision in improving yourself.
Agreed with beauty mark regarding there is no shame with a CC.
The best advice I can give you for going to college is this (and I'm being insanely blunt)
Don't fuck around.
Pure and simple
The grades are what will get you to your goal (law school). So buckle down and study your ass off.
If you need help-as dizzy said ask. Get a tutor if you have to. It's that important.
That being said- college is fun. You will find out a lot of things and your horizons will expand. All in all be prepared for a great time.

 

[kimmy]

thank you ladies.

i'm so stoked. i just registerred for my associates degree in paralegal studies at community and i can't wait to start!

franimal, my local is uc riverside.

i'll probably be pming you soon about santa cruz because i'm really interested in going there. i just found out one of my really good friend's wives goes and works there, and she had nothing but great things to say about it!

 

[saniyairshad]

All my friends and I started community college. We did our basics in community college and moved on to a reg university for our majors. I honestly feel that it saves u a lot of money and u can save up for reg university. Community college is not such a bad place, u get individual attention and the classes r much smaller

 

[kaliraksha]

Congrats on a great decision!

All the lovely Specktrettes gave you great great advice so just pretend like I said everything they said too. One thing I didn't see mentioned though, and it may be a personal thing for me, but I got advice from my psych professor my second year of college because I was stressed out with having to pay for school and work almost full time at the same time and she told me two things- 1. it's better to only bite off what you can chew and do well in the few classes you take than take more than you can handle at once (part of why community college can be a great choice- usually professors there understand they are getting students from all walks of life and the workload is oftentimes a bit less). for me this translated into graduating almost 2 years later b/c i worked and went to school BUT i have a 3.4 gpa right now and i would not have that if i had gone to school full time and worked 2. it's hard to pick it up again when and if you decide to stop or take a break. at most i feel that your breaks should be summer and if you for whatever reason can't go to school one semester try to push yourself to at least take 1 class- it is better than nothing, it keeps you focused/motivated and keeps you in the habit of going to school

eeep also, i should have learned this earlier and i still haven't- fill out your FAFSA early and get to know your financial aid person by name and visit them often to see what they can do for you. you will be surprised the things you can get by just asking- free money is better than your money =)

yes, this does determine a lot of the rest of your life- but it's never the end of the world. remember setbacks are temporary and of course it's an overall learning experience. i would say 75% of the education is outside of the classroom so don't forget to partake in things that interest you and make lots of friends. balance is key. ok, i'm totally done. have lots of fun!

 

[Dizzy]

A couple more things I just thought about...

-Know your campus. I got lost when I was at CC, and I STILL get lost at my current college! I keep a map in my bag now, just in case. Though I did meet quite a few nice people when asking for directions, lol.

-Register for classes early if you want good ones. The lines at the registrar's office are miles long at the end of the registration period and at the add/drop weeks, so avoid those if you can. Registering online is always easy and probably the best option if they offer it.

I'll be back if I think of anything else.

 

[kaliraksha]

Yeah, do a trial run of where you are going to go the first day of class- find the building AND classroom (its alway the classroom part that gets me).

 

[medusalox]

College has been...a rollercoaster for me. I started in the fall of 03 at the university of wisconsin-whitewater as a French major.....and proceeded to party. A lot. I was always a decent kid in HS, so when I moved out on my own, I went a little crazy with my newfound freedom. I ended up getting kicked out due to bad behavior and poor grades after one year. Worst. Feeling. Ever.

So I transferred to a community college that's only 10 minutes from my parents house, and took gen-eds for a while. I ended up starting in the Nursing program, and after a year of that, I took a whole year off of college to travel around with the Renaissance faire (but that's a totally different story!). I needed a break.

I started back up after my year long hiatus, and got about 3 weeks into what would have been my final semester of nursing school, when I dropped out. I hated nursing, I realized I could never be happy doing it. So, another semester off, wheee.

Now, I'm in the criminal justice program, and I'm set to graduate in the winter of 08/spring of 09. I'm happy now. It's only going to take me...what...6 years to complete a 2 year degree?! I've racked up more credits than I know what to do with!

The moral of my story is this....sometimes, it takes a long time to figure out what you wanna do in life. Also, things rarely go the way you have planned. I wanted to graduate in 3 years and become a french teacher....didn't really work out that way, because now I'll have 6 years under my belt, and I'll be a cop. All that matters, really, is that you don't settle for anything until you know you'll be happy. I guess I'd like to be an example to some people, that it's perfectly ok to make mistakes and change your mind.

Also, community colleges rock. Big Universities are really cold and not personal at all. CC's have smaller classes, and tend to be filled with students who really want to be there. You'll love it!

Good luck!

 

[Beauty Mark]

I remembered a few other things that might help you.

-Save your notes from your classes, even after you're finished. They've been helpful for me to understand different topics, because some of the material comes up again.
-Make sure you understand the honor code thoroughly. If anything is remotely ambiguous, ask your professor or someone of authority. I've seen people get in trouble for little violations that they didn't understand.
-For finals, create a plan of study so that you don't do all nighters. All nighters, IMO, are really ineffective and are hell on your body.
-With that, your dayplanner is your best friend if you're working, going to school, etc. It helped me a lot, esp. when it came to group work.

 

[valley]

Great advice has been posted... I just want to highlight the need that you must save every class syllabus (the paper you get on the first day with all your deadlines on it) even if you end up missing half the semester... knowing the syllabus and due dates on that thing can seriously save your life.

And it never hurt to be on first name basis with your profs. Some are even there for the students

 

[kaliraksha]

Oh yes, I concur with the syllabus, I don't always go to class (I attend 2-3 times a week) but I am dead-set on meeting my due dates on my syllabus and I do well that way. Oh big advice- make a friend the first few days for just in case and exchange email/cell phone #s so if you don't go you guys can watch out for each other- aka- whats on the test, he moved the date, whats not due, I'm sick I'm not going can you sign me in?, etc.