Member Announcements Thread

[Pale]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

More Serious Advice:

- Don't blow it -all- in the first two weeks. Most students get their grant/loan paychecks and go wild. Bad idea.

- Stick with it! Most drop-outs are in the first few weeks. Everything will seem very scary at first, new people, new places, but persevere. It all gets better in time.

- Look for any extra-curricular clubs or activities to meet up with people with similar interests. There are lots of those.

- If you're sharing accommodation, try and be pro-active - keep things clean, do your laundry regularly, don't play music at awkward hours. A happy housemate is a train-able housemate.

Less Serious Advice

- Imagine every lecturer naked. It helps.

- If sharing accommodation, the answer is yes. Those squeaking noises are exactly what they think you are.

- If sharing accommodation, they know what you do in the bathroom, and no. They don't want to help.

- They're all secretly out to get you. This is all an elaborate obstacle course designed to test you by the aliens on Mars. However, they want to kill you at the end of it. To thwart this, you must wear a cap of tin foil at all times to protect your thoughts, and stand on your head for thirty minutes each day. In public. While naked. Singing "I'm a little teapot".

P

 

[Chibichibi]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

However tempting it may be to skip class just because you're tired or have an upset tummy... don't. It leads to more and more of those days. Trust me.

Always always always keep your syllabus and use a day planner. That way little things like projects and tests don't sneak up on you. Profs don't always announce the day before a test.

If possible finish your homework the day of that class, and review your notes everyday. Don't wait until the day before class to finish your 100+ question math assignment.

Speaking of notes, TAKE THEM. Even if the prof provides them, TAKE LOTS OF NOTES. Read your textbook. They don't cost $100+ cause they're pretty. Take an electronic recorder to your lectures as well, in case you miss anything you can listen to them later.

Don't trust your lab partners. They are all idiots and will screw up your grade. The best way to do labs is to get a partner and do all the work yourself. Or work alone.

Drinking/Partying is fine. Just don't go crazy.

And most importantly... make friends. People that can help you when you're in a jam with anything, including schoolwork. <3

 

[Goldstein]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

Wow, thank you, all.

<roommate>

Hmm, you have a point. That was something I was a bit concerned about, living with someone in such close proximity.

- Don't blow it -all- in the first two weeks. Most students get their grant/loan paychecks and go wild. Bad idea.

I don't have any sort of thing. Tuition wavier, and a scholarship that will pay for the dorm, but that's it.

<clubs>

Yeah, that's something I was looking into. There are a few things that sound interesting.

However tempting it may be to skip class just because you're tired or have an upset tummy... don't. It leads to more and more of those days. Trust me.

Right. Self-control seems to be important when one is living on their own, at first. It'll probably be tempting.

Don't trust your lab partners. They are all idiots and will screw up your grade. The best way to do labs is to get a partner and do all the work yourself. Or work alone.

Work alone. Always. I would never trust anyone with that sort of thing.

<Notes, homework>

Defiantly, I should take notes. I'll have to get back into the habit of doing homework; that's going to be odd. Do you really think a recording device? I don't have one, and I hadn't really considered getting one.

Drinking/Partying is fine. Just don't go crazy.

Eh.

<friends>

Yeah, I know. College is important so that I can meet people/contacts, especially as I'm going into the hard sciences.

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

Well... my only advice. Teamwork. Got me through Afghanistan alive, I'm sure it can work in post-secondary (College, university... is there even a difference in the States like there is in Canada?).

I've never been to Post-Secondary, and if all goes according to plan, I won't need to.

 

[Chibichibi]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

Study buddies are good, higher ups in your major.

and as for the recording thing... yes. Get one. You'll thank me.

 

[Goldstein]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

(College, university... is there even a difference in the States like there is in Canada?).

Not that I'm aware of, from what I know the two terms are used interchangably; an exception is that a college could be a specific discipline within a university, like a college of engineering at the University of Whatever. No post-secondary? Like I said, I'm going into the hard sciences, probably research, so post-secondary is pretty much a given for me.

@Chibi I'll look into that, then.

 

[ToxicShock]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

Yes there is a difference, universities, for one, have a certain requirement about the percent of professors holding PhD's. There are others, but that's a big one. University > College
For some reason, the differences are there, but the difference in results usually mean very little. It takes a lot of work and application for a college to be considered a university, but in the end, as you can see, not many people know or even care about the difference.

 

[Pale]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

Well... my only advice. Teamwork. Got me through Afghanistan alive, I'm sure it can work in post-secondary (College, university... is there even a difference in the States like there is in Canada?).

Siiiiiinfuulll... you're becoming an old man.. If you start using the phrase, "back in my day". I'm sending the hit squads..

P

 

[Kusanagi]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

Feh... I started using 'back in my day' within a year of being out of high school... silly little children thought they had it worse than I ever did

ANYWAYS.

@Gold:
-Make SURE you know where your classes are. It's a right pain finding your classes on the first day without any prior reconnaissance.
-The cafeteria (if you have one) is your friend; don't be tempted by the fast-food - the cafeteria gives you more/better for your money.
-You have not escaped the high-school idiots, they are merely better hidden due to not wanting to get drop-kicked out on their asses; be careful.
-The teacher is always right, PERIOD; they had to get a degree, you know.
-ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS make sure you know what your teacher wants you to do for homework; my FILM teacher was confusing/cryptic as FUCK as to what he wanted us to do for our essays - I barely managed a 'C' in his class because of it.
-The Library is your second home.
-DO NOT STAY UP PAST XX:XX; Be sure to get AT LEAST 6 hours of sleep. Seriously, it'll fuck you up if you don't get enough sleep, I know this from experience.
-While you may be better off working alone, it's always a good idea to have SOME contacts in the class you can call for help and/or get assignments from for the day(s) you weren't able to make it in.
-Coupons = WANT
-Above all else, make sure you're doing what YOU want to do; if you don't like what you're doing, you WILL NOT get the grades you want, and YOU WILL feel like shit.

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

Back in my day Pale, we'd do the job of the hit squads ourselves.

 

[ShadowWolfSBI]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

Sinful, about the only difference here between "college" and "university" is whatever the admin people decide to use...

Although university is more commonly used for the larger "state-whatever" schools (Portland State University, in Oregon, for example, where Dad was at first), and college is more commonly used for the community schools. (Wabash College, in Indiana, for example. Friend of Hardware's went there.) Note that these are not hard-and-fast rules, but what I observed through very limited study to be the trend.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

Yeah pretty much what Wolf and others have said, theres a difference. The difference doesn't really matter that much though, at least not to most people.

I can't really give any tips for school as I've never set foot on a campus in my life. Though I do have a degree. The best thing I can say is do your best and hang with it, and make sure it's something you'll enjoy doing otherwise it becomes work and then it just sucks.

 

[randomwords]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

well being in college right now and having had multiple different room mates and have had good and bad grades and am living of loans and stuff I have lots of advice.

Most of what everyone is telling you is good advice.

Make sure before ANYTHING do your work. I have had to type up one to many 20+papers the night before and even though i still can get a B or more on them i dont like doing it lol.

Talk to the professors if you need help. Thats what they are there for. If i had asked a few times i would have done better.

With the recorder thing make sure you ask the prof first. Some prof's don't let you do that so make sure its ok with them and they will keep it on their desk and start it at the beginning of their lecture usually. At least thats how some of mine have been.

Only party if all your shit is done. Trust me you will forget about it/not want to do it if you start having too much fun.

Roommates can be fun. Do talk to your room mate. If you dont talk to them and just answer them only when they talk to you they will think you are creepy and never want to room with you anymore. I have met a few of these people that dont talk at all. THEY ARE CREEPY.

Rooming with a friend can be good and all but you most likely will get sick of each other. Also if your friend does not have the same drive to do his work as you do than WARNING!! You will probably fall behind because he is your friend.

Try not to eat in the cafe if you can help it. Most University food is... well... yea.... Try to get your own food for your room and if there is a community kitchen or something cook if you can.

and last but DEF not least. HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!

You dont want to overload yourself. Take breaks and make sure you keep yourself sane. DONT GO INSANE FROM TOO MUCH WORK. I have had a few friends drop out from it.

Enjoy your time there and like i said


HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!

Thats about all i can think of to help you out with.

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

Also, no matter how tempting, don't kill the profs... without them you don't get a diploma.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

However feel free to blackmail them if you can get any dirt on them. You never know it may just come in handy.

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

To break the chain of non announcements...

At the end of this week, so Friday, I'll be gone for at least a week, perhaps a week and a half, as I pack up and go out west for military training.

For those of you reading Lurker Wars 2, yes it's going on hold whilst I'm gone. I would have brought a notebook to scribble in, but all my notes are on my computer, and my printer is pretty much dead, so I won't be working on it till I get back. Hopefully Chapter 3 will be ready within a week of my return.

 

[ToxicShock]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

At the end of this week, so Friday, I'll be gone for at least a week, perhaps a week and a half, as I pack up and go out west for military training.

THREAD IS BACK ON TRACK

good luck! i'd say "have fun" but I'm not sure if that applies

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

It depends on who's in charge... last time we did this kind of exercise (this was like three years ago) we smuggled in beer and pizza and didn't share with the other units .

 

[ToxicShock]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

Well then, HAVE FUN... and beer.... and pizza

 

[Wonderboy]

Re: Member Announcments Thread

I'm back from Canada and Southern-Norway I have an internet connection and all is good. (Exept that my personal computer is down so I use the shared one... Havent had a good fap for some one and a half month now...)