College advice.

[isabellajay]

I am relatively new to the college experience, and I'm having a hard time.
To those who are all done with college or have adjusted to the difference,
I would love some advice.
I'm constantly in a frenzy because, silly as it sounds, I'm not used to
teachers not telling me when assignments are due and when the upcoming tests are.
I had two exams today, which I passed by some miracle, but it took
a serious toll on me - I studied yesterday evening and today - my body hurts,
my attention span is garbage (doesn't help that I have ADD), and I just
might pull all my hair out.
I mentioned in another thread how respectable college is, and I meant it.
I want to hear from you respectable college survivors about how you did the dang thing?
Tips and tricks, perhaps?

 

[Flavus Aquila]

* Make sure you are at the first lecture of each course.
* Make sure you get a copy of the syllabus and assessment.
* Get a monthly planner for planning your work/reading/etc. and use it constantly.
* Do not use this planner for any extraneous info, such as shopping lists, personal appointments, etc.
* Actually do the study/work/etc.

 

[isabellajay]

Hah I actually have a planner (not monthly), but I tend to write shopping lists and personal appointments in there. Oops.
I am pretty good at doing my work, except when it comes to math. Math is a demon.
I'll look into some sort of short term planner that I can use - I assume that helps one not get overwhelmed?
Thanks [MENTION=862]Flavus Aquila[/MENTION].

 

[coffeeandbooks]

* Everything Flavus Aquila said.
* Use a planner, organizer, calendar, etc. and set reminders to keep you on track.
* Take classes that interest and motivate you.
* Find a friend to study with.
* Just do the work and think about how it's going to pay off in the end.
* Set up a reward system where you treat yourself to a nice meal or buy yourself something when you do well on a test or turn in a paper.
* Remind yourself how much you (or someone else) is paying for college and if that doesn't get you to go to class and do the work, I'm not sure what will

Once you get into a routine that works for you, things will get easier!

 

[lawruhn]

I agree with the above posts! I just graduated from a big university, and now have started a graduate program. A few bits of advice I have in addition are... try not to take school so seriously all of the time. Give yourself breaks after big exams, projects and papers. It's exhaustive to always focus on school and not have some free time. Figure out a good balance. As far as your studying goes, make more of a plan before exams so you don't have to cram. I always found it good to study about 4-5 days ahead of the exam, using the weekend. Too much time or too little time to study never helped me very much. If you have any other questions, feel free to message me. I've only been out of undergrad for a few months, so it's still fresh in my mind.

 

[jyrffw54]

Does your school have Student Disability services?
And if so, I recommend you get documented with them, so you could recieve accommodations .

The best natural medicine for ADD is to exercise to that point where you just get physically exhausted. You'll concentrate better.

 

[isabellajay]

[MENTION=9688]coffeeandbooks[/MENTION] I’ll try to remember to be more grateful for college and what it’s doing for me. Ha and reward systems are dangerous for me. [MENTION=9672]lawruhn[/MENTION] Congrats on grad school, girl! Figuring out how to balance is going to be my biggest problem. [MENTION=2873]Eirene[/MENTION] I should look into that! I am a pretty mild case though. I've heard that about exercise. I love how I feel after I exercise; I’m just really bad at getting myself to do it.

Much love and respect to all of you. Your advice is going into a nicely organized document for me to print and use as a checklist. I love my checklists.

 

[rawr]

a few tips. i hope it helps.

@isabellajay

In summation: Find out what works for you.


For me it looks something like this (you'll have to experiment on your own):

• keep a fairly regular sleep/wake cycle
  • (unless you need to pull an all-nighter, get your sleep. If i don't, my sleep cycle's all out of whack, and i am MUCH less motivated and productive until i get it back on track.)
  • I try to shoot for 8 hours minimum. Find out how much is ideal for you. Doesn't always happen, but it's a good target.
  • I wake up well before my classes to be awake/attentive for them
• write your crap down! (i.e. crap = assignments) & check Prof.'s websites often.
  • if i don't write it down, i may forget it. I have a decent memory, but with 15hrs, stuff's gonna slip through the cracks
  • Professors won't always tell you when stuff's due, but almost all of them have it written on a syllabus or website
  • If you use your PC a lot, set exam or major project dates as a calendar reminder a few days before (e.g. Outlook or similar program.) I had one or two major papers i would've completely forgotten about if that darned Outlook calendar reminder didn't remind me three days before. whew.
• Socialize & meet others - this will help both your general outlook, well-being, and social life, as well as networking for study groups if you find classmates or friends that you like/would be good to crack a book with.
• If your attention span is bad, find what times you are most alert and do the crux of your studying then. The important stuff goes then.
• Record lectures if you find you're tempted not to listen during lectures. That way you can go back to it.
• GET HELP EVEN IF YOU ONLY NEED IT A LITTLE
  • I put this in caps because this is how I screwed up the beginning of my college career. I didn't use the resources available to me (professor's office hours, SI, tutors) as much (or much at all) as i should have. I thought i'd be fine and figure it out. wrong.
  • form a relationship with your professor and/or TA - not brown-nosing, but if you see your prof regularly in office hours (say twice a month in a subject you're having moderate difficulty with) they'll know you're trying and probably go the extra step to help/explain things for you.
    • I find drinking a lot of water and having good posture keeps me (more) attentive (than i would be otherwise).
    • If s/he has powerpoints or the like, follow along. If not, type or handwrite notes.

 

[isabellajay]

[MENTION=2240]rawr[/MENTION] based upon what you wrote, I'm doing a lot more right than I think. I probably am just missing the balance.
I sleep really well, nearly 8 hours a night, I get up 2 hours before I have to go to school, I'm always 30 minutes early to class.
I should probably get a tutor, although I do utilize on-campus tutoring, but a personal tutor would be an okay investment.
I'm hands down the worst at the social part. Surprise, surprise. Thanks for the tips though. Again, you are all so knowledgable.

 

[the]

I'm interested in what you are doing now (or what you were doing when you posted the op) to ensure your success.

 

[isabellajay]

Basically [MENTION=731]the[/MENTION] I'm going to fake it until I make it. I know I have potential, but I know I have
some serious problems (namely laziness and wanting the future right now)
that threaten me from reaching that potential (like all of us).
I might take a break from school and go study art abroad. That'd be a dream.
We'll see where life takes me.
I just wanted to hear what worked for other people and how I could better incorporate
those ideas into my own ways. Did I answer your question?

 

[Sensiko]

years later and i still have recurring anxiety dreams about forgetting a final project was due

you’ll get the hang of it... my first semester of college was pretty over-stimulating... you may have days where you’ll forget something important and/or make mistakes... it happens... i’ve had a few horrific moments... and then you learn... but everyone else has given some good advice on staying organized... i had a super huge whiteboard calendar with a bunch of different colored markers that i could OCD over... as far as math goes i ALWAYS took those classes in the summer... my mind cannot handle a long and drawn out math class... it just doesn’t work that way and i would get terrible grades... but a shorter more intense course where i focused on math and only math were ace-able... good luck!

 

[the]

Basically @the I'm going to fake it until I make it. I know I have potential, but I know I have
some serious problems (namely laziness and wanting the future right now)
that threaten me from reaching that potential (like all of us).
I might take a break from school and go study art abroad. That'd be a dream.
We'll see where life takes me.
I just wanted to hear what worked for other people and how I could better incorporate
those ideas into my own ways. Did I answer your question?

(Side question: How come your post is formatted into such short lines?)

I suppose it does answer it. You've used a lot of words to just say that you don't have a plan.

 

[this is only temporary]

Isabellajay, you seem to be at a time in your life where you need to explore possibilities.
I think you're doing great with the planner and studying, etc.

The one thing I wish I'd done differently is to reach out more to professors and mentors, or people who had achieved things I might like to achieve, either in academics or in the real world, and talk to them about the various paths they took to get where they are. That is one way to firm up the whole "What do I want to do with my life?" question. I was not good at that, and was too independent, not to mention shy.

There are always inside tips that nobody teaches you explicitly in college, they are just sort of "assumed", if you will, that nevertheless make a huge difference in your life. Mentors and people who you admire can help with this sort of thing tremendously. I wish I'd been better at reaching out to others like that when I was where you are.

(P.S. I appreciate your formatting style! Makes it easy to read. Everyone's a critic, be very careful who you listen to.)

 

[isabellajay]

[MENTION=731]the[/MENTION] Sorry you find my format distressing. I happen to like the way it looks.
And also, sorry I didn't answer your question as concisely as you wanted.
I'm working on being short and to the point, both with the written and the spoken word.

And [MENTION=4680]this is only temporary[/MENTION] thanks for being s'nice.
Even
with
my
short
format.
Teehee. I'm mature.
But I've been really good friends with my art professors...ha all 3 of 'em.
Probably cause I like the subject they teach and they're a lot more like me than, say, my psycho math teacher.
I'll try to be less demanding of a perfect college experience and a little more open to exploration.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

Basically @the I'm going to fake it until I make it. I know I have potential, but I know I have
some serious problems (namely laziness and wanting the future right now)
that threaten me from reaching that potential (like all of us).
I might take a break from school and go study art abroad. That'd be a dream.
We'll see where life takes me.
I just wanted to hear what worked for other people and how I could better incorporate
those ideas into my own ways. Did I answer your question?

(Side question: How come your post is formatted into such short lines?)

I suppose it does answer it. You've used a lot of words to just say that you don't have a plan.

[MENTION=731]the[/MENTION] - classic call-out.
[MENTION=8332]isabellajay[/MENTION] - if you don't want to be doing what you are currently engaged in, I think you need to make a definitive decision, so as not to waste your own time/money. If you are going to finish studying, then let go of your half-heartedness and get serious about it. If you are not going to go through with your studies, withdraw now before you permanently tarnish your academic record.

Sitting on the fence will neither make you happy, nor open future doors that will reflect your capacity (capacity to work/learn/earn/etc.).

My directness is for the sake of clarity, not for the sake of rebuke.

You need to get clear about what your options are and make a clear decision.

 

[Faye]

Map out your tests and assignment due days in a planner book at the beginning of the year. Start working well in advance to prepare for them based on their difficulty and to coordinate your work schedule.

I did this in college, and I avoided needed to pull many all-nighters because I had been working on the assignment 2 weeks in advance whereas others waited until the night before.

Don't procrastinate. Ever. If you try to do things early, you will just barely have them on time. Or that is how it was for me- given that I was a very bad procrastinator in high school.

 

[isabellajay]

[MENTION=834]Dragon[/MENTION] I procrastinate too. I'm trying to break the habit. Thanks!

 

[Awesome]

There are apps online that will block websites for extended periods of time.
I have one called SelfControl and it will block any website I put in, even if I restart my computer and delete the program.
I highly recommend you use that and set it to a whole day, or at least a few hours that should be devoted to study time.

http://mynoise.net/ offers a range of audio loops designed to relax you and help you focus. White noise is especially good for this. I use it when I need momentum for projects.

 

[isabellajay]

[MENTION=9644]Awesome[/MENTION] that sounds unreal. I'm going to try both of those sites.