How to get through College?

[idontwannabeaschizo]

I'm a first year (second semester) student in college in British Columbia, Canada. And as the title suggests, I'm currently struggling. Not so much that its hopeless, but there are times it sure feels like it is.

How to learn how to learn? While I worried about grades in public school, it seemed less prescient to care about grades in classes as impacting my life, I did really good in classes I liked (social sciences) and less so in ones I didn't.

Suddenly with EVERY class weighing on my future, I'm afraid that I'll never get the right stuff needed to succeed in time. Having that dog my thoughts can be too much to handle, and procrastination sets in where I do everything (namely videogames) instead of schoolwork.

I feel like a social setting is what motivates me best, I did my best in public school when we had work in-class, but with a mere lecture and mainly homework I find its extremely hard to motivate myself when I am by myself, surrounded by my computer and messy room.

So far, I've talked to a few councilors (which has helped). And I've made efforts to secure a study group for my classes. And even a To-Do List for the beginning of every semester. And I get my studying done at the local coffee shop away from home distractions.

What I humbly ask from fellow escapists is, any other tips, advice, motivational speeches, and/or tutoring do you have for this fledgling student? Stories of college hardship to share? I feel often cast adrift in current school life, I turn to this community I've proudly been a part of.

 

[Batou667]

From my own experience (went to college/university twice, first STEM, then humanities), I have a few tips:

- Never forget you're there to study, not party. The two don't have to be mutually exclusive, but get your priorities in order.

- For every hour you spend in lectures, you should be matching that with an hour's study in your own time. That's right, a 1:1 ratio at the minimum. Yes, really.

- If it's a STEM subject, make sure you're doing the exercises and as soon as you get even a little stuck or lost, read up on the theory or calculation methods or whatever. The lectures go at such a pace there'll very rarely be any built-in revision or return to first principles. Keep up with the material or you'll get left behind.

- If it's a humanities subject and are expected to write essays, constantly be writing little precis, quotations and paraphrases (using the correct quotation format as required by your college, naturally). When the time comes to write the essay, you'll already have a wealth of complementary and contrasting opinions to draw from and to base your own arguments around. Reading more books and amassing more quotations than your classmates WILL give you the edge over them.

- In a tight spot, you can use Wikipedia to quote-mine for an essay, but NEVER cite Wikipedia as your source. Follow the footnote to the original source and cite that instead.

- Surround yourself with the kind of people who will help you better yourself. If possible, make these people who in turns inspire you and ever-so-slightly intimidate you with their ability and attitude, as they'll give you something positive to strive towards. Avoid like the plague people who are moochers, who persuade you to come drinking instead of studying, who tell you not to worry about deadlines. These are people who are trying to drag you down to their level. Google "Crabs in a bucket syndrome".

- Related: study groups. In theory these are great. In practice they often take the form of "popular girl doesn't understand the material so she summons a group of males to help her, and as soon as she has her question answered the session is called to an abrupt close". Bouncing ideas off people is great but study is first and foremost a solitary thing. Only YOU can match your pace and study in a style that makes sense to you.

- Look out for Numero Uno. You get assigned to do a group project with a deadbeat? Your lecturer speaks no English? Don't put up with it, fuckin' complain. (And by complain, I don't mean march into the Dean's office and tell him/her how to do their job. Suggest, in flattering but persuasive tones, that it would be beneficial for everyone involved if the situation were amended. Heck, let me take this opportunity to recommend that you go to Ebay or Amazon RIGHT NOW and buy Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People. Having people skills and a bit of savvy will get you a long way in academia, and since everyone you meet in college will be either your equal or your superior, you need to be diplomatic).

- Put yourself out there. Network. Get involved. Have experiences. Make mistakes. Learn languages. Learn first aid. Join a society that does something terrifying, like skydiving or full-contact karate or ballroom dancing. Experiment with different social circles and different relationships. You only live once, and nobody lays on their deathbed wishing they had played more Xbox.

 

[Glongpre]

When you are in class make sure you focus on listening to what is being said, I find it really helps my memory. Then go over it again during study time or whatever.

 

[ohnoitsabear]

I have a few pieces of general advice from my experiences so far in college.

I've found it can be very helpful to study/do assignments in places that aren't my room. Doing stuff in a setting that you don't associate with having fun or screwing around makes it a lot easier to just sit down and do your work.

Space out your larger assignments so you don't end up doing it all in one go. I have done marathon sessions for writing papers, and while it ended up working out alright, I was completely miserable while doing it. Plus, getting a start on something can make it seem way less intimidating, which makes it a lot easier to not procrastinate.

Sleep is extremely important. Not getting enough sleep, or having an inconsistent sleep schedule can make it way harder to pay attention in class, or study effectively, and you're way less likely to do well on a test if you haven't had a good sleep the night before. Some ways to help with sleep schedule are to get up and go to bed at the same time each day, even if your classes start at different times, don't get up or sleep in too late on weekends, and if possible avoid staying up late to finish an assignment or cram for a test.

Go to class. Even if it's a class that you find extremely stupid and don't learn anything from, you still need to show up. Part of it is making sure that you're in the habit of always showing up to class, no matter what. Plus, you never know when there will be something important being talked about in that class.

 

[cynicalsaint1]

So.
I totally flunked out of the first college I went to after my second semester.

Today I have a solid career as a software developer and have held my current job for the past 5 years.
For the purpose of reference I graduated High School in 2001 and College with a BS in Computer Science in 2007.

I went into college not really knowing what the fuck I was doing, mostly because "it was what you're supposed to do after High School" more than anything else. Floundered about, skipped a lot of class, etc. After I got kicked out of the first school I ended up going to a Community College for a couple years and just took a bunch of random classes to figure out what I liked, get my head together, etc.

I eventually found I dug programming and enrolled at a proper 4-year college, and proceeded to get my ass kicked by the metric shit-ton of hard math classes and such, but I was determined to get my act together and eventually persevered and graduated with a 3.0 GPA.

So along with all the other advice (get tutoring when you need it, go to class, do the work, etc) I will tell you this:

Don't be discouraged if things get off to a slow start, you have plenty of time to figure things out for yourself, put together what works for you and what doesn't. Don't feel pressured to finish it all in 4 years if you feel like you need more time. Definitely don't feel like you need to have everything figured out right at this exact moment. Your future won't suddenly crumble to ashes the first time you make a mistake, and its quite possible to even recover from a serious fuck-up.

 

[Mr.Cynic88]

Make it so you're only taking classes about things you care about. Don't treat college like high school part two. People who flounder through college without an aim don't particularly benefit from the experience. Study something you have some kind of passion for. If you don't know what the passion is, spend a semester trying everything until you find something.

 

[idontwannabeaschizo]

I know that of course getting my work done for me is out of the question, but a cheerleading squad would be nice. Or just people actively asking and encouraging me about my schoolwork. I'd love it if I could get someone to sit with me at the starbucks where I study or anywhere really and at least be there for me to motivate myself, for them if not for me.

 

[idontwannabeaschizo]

Because I know I can do the work, its opening the program, or putting pen to paper thats the hardest. Another reason public school was alot less stressful was that I had a clear separation of school and home life. For the most part I did work at school and leisure at home, it was clear-cut, simple.

With so much HOMEwork it feels like I'm being intruded upon, and thus hard to brake the old need for separation of work/play, especially where the latter has took so much precedence at, at home.

I'm lucky I have a friend with Word 2010 for me to install, I'd be even worse off (feeling of anyway) otherwise.

And as much as I know first year was supposed to be bumpy, my only saving grace is history. I'll have to re-take two courses from last semester, and french this current one seems like its destined to fall into the same boat... It feels like I won't get to where I want (UBC), or even get past my current college.

Though a ray of hope is that its only in the 70's percent to transfer there/24 creditwise. I can do that right?

Escapist-wise though, suppose its a good idea to search for something to help me here?

 

[HotFezz8]

Had the same thing mate, I'm currently going for my Masters in the UK.

You'll feel swamped and alone; don't worry about it. Everyone does. Just work hard and keep your head up, don't let yourself be distracted by drugs, parties or girls and work hard it'll get better after the shock of capture wears off

 

[idontwannabeaschizo]

I admit, I do feel rather swamped, and it can indeed seem like I am awfully alone. Its hard not to see everyone else in my classes struggling as hard as I am. Is it really supposed to be like this? Can I make it? I don't feel so good about myself and my abilities, and every time I rally, something comes along and kicks it.

I wish I could take all the awesome advice you guys have passed along and cram that into my head along with my studies.

 

[Liviola]

I found it difficult to motivate myself to begin assignments as well. I made it through my degree, but not without very dark times.

Doing the work in a public place helps a lot. The university library was a good place for me, because next to me were lots of other students completing their assignments as well. I found it helpful to just be around other students frantically typing away. It was pretty much the only place I could really buckle down and focus.

Getting started was the most difficult, so what I used to do was start off with extremely rough drafts (I guess this is only relevant if you have subjects that involve writing papers). I mean, EXTREMELY rough. Fragments of sentences, just key words. I would re-order these key words into a structure that flows a bit. Then I would slowly expand it, point by point, and it was only until the very end did I go through and put things in their grammatical place. I don't know if that will help you in any way, that's just how I overcame my specific problem of being overwhelmed with my fragments of thoughts when I have to answer an assignment.

I wish you all the best for your studies. I know it's tough.

 

[idontwannabeaschizo]

Thank you Liviola, that means alot to me. Hell, might as well thank everyone whos replied so far. This thread has helped me rally better than if I had kept quiet.

I crashed and burned once before, trying out UBCO right out of high school with so many romanticisms and naivety I crashed and burned HARD. Even now, its.. difficult to talk about then. For what its worth, even though I did not do good last semester, I'm PROUD to have made that semester at all.

Another point of concern, do any of you get the feelings like your very mind wants to work against you? Sometimes I swear its like I've got OCD or something similar. Some doubt-version of Russian Roulette has me dealing with real or imagined faults in my character to the degree I deal with one, another appears... It bogs me down like the Russian mud in the fall and spring... Yet another reason videogames snag me so easily, accomplishing something there often assuages those feelings, but often for a later hit in my studies.

Anyone know the Manga Love Hina? For some reason its really uplifting to read, especially considering my current similarities to the protagonist. Sometimes I too, feel like one of those academic Ronin.