College Years

After three years in college, I can now say that I have probably mastered the art of “hacking” through not just surviving, but thriving, in my college years. So now I pass all of this on to you, dear reader, so that you may benefit from my experiences, mistakes, and successes!

Dorm Life vs. Apartment Living

I lived in the dorm the first year, and it was a great experience! It certainly supports the idea that you need to expose yourself to the huge diversity that exists on college campuses. I really enjoyed my year in the dorm – it was an eye-opener; it gave me great insight into the many “faces” of campus life. And I loved hanging out with others on my floor. But, I also realized that my time was not really my own. When I wanted to study, others wanted to party; when I wanted to party, others wanted quiet. So, after my first year, I opted for apartment living with a few good friends. This environment is not so diverse, and we can work out schedules of “loud” and “quiet” with only a few of us to make those decisions.

Academic Survival

Remember the saying, “Divide and conquer?” Well, that really applies to course work. Put together a study group for each course you realize is going to involve lots of reading and projects, divide up the reading and note-taking, and study together for exams. In the real world of work, tasks are delegated and people actually cooperate to get thing done. Only as a student are we told that we must “do” our own work, and succeed or fail on our own merits only – this is foolish and unrealistic. And when I don’t have the time or the skill to prepare a good writing assignment, I found an essay writing service at http://essayguard.com to get it done for me! If I were a business executive and couldn’t put a report together, I’d certainly pass it off to someone else!

Plan your courses so that you have 3 tough ones, 1 moderately tough one, and 1 “blow-off” course each semester. You don’t want to end up your senior year with 30 hours of grueling course work! And get relationships with the professors in your major department – they can be a huge resource when you need some leeway or help!

Social Life

Get a core group of really good friends with whom you share the same interests and values. This does not mean that you don’t interact with others in good ways – it means that you have many peers with whom you socialize and a small group with whom you share much more and with whom you will have relationships for the rest of your life. Your social life should be a key part of your college life, so do not neglect it. It will give you the balance that you need to have in life after college. So, take weekend road trips, go camping, go to games and parties, and have fun! People are right when they say you can never get these times back again!

Making Extra Money

We all feel poor in school, unless we are being bankrolled by parents. I’m not, and I don’t want to finish with a boat load of debt that will take years to pay off. I’ve had lots of part-time jobs in the past 2 ½ years, but I’ve become a bit entrepreneurial as well. As a computer science major, I can fix almost anything computer-related, and I build and sell them as well. My advice in this area is to find something you can do on your own time that will earn bucks – writing, buying/selling on eBay, car and bike repair – anything! Freelancing means setting your own hours, and that’s a big plus!

I hope my suggestions help a bit – They are getting me through without much stress!