This is what your typical college female looks like (With clothes on) |
High school guidance counselors make it seem as though if you don't hurry up and apply to as many colleges as you can by your first week of junior year in high school, you won't get accepted into any colleges. In fact, you might as well go home, write a nice long emo blog entry about how the world doesn't understand your complex views on abortion and the existence of God, and then proceed to kill yourself because you missed your one and only chance at success. Don't get me wrong, I know there is some truth in what they say. The more "prestigious" (I use that term loosely because with enough money, even a goat can be enrolled into a university like Penn State) universities will obviously be very hard to get in to, and universities in heavily populated areas with large student populations will also be hard to get in.
When the acceptance letters roll on in, many people already have misconceptions about what college should and should not be, and what professors are and are not supposed to do for you and the other students. These misconceptions are most likely instilled in most people's minds thanks in parts to the media and their uncanny ability in scaring the public into thinking cows are taking of the world.
Some of these misconceptions might include the following. Though, they are also not limited to the following. I'm not exactly sure what some people expect when they get into college, to be honest. Maybe the expect it to be a rave with bubbles.
"College is great. I can show up to class whenever I want to, and I can leave class whenever I want to!
If for some reason you look like this, you then have a valid reason to miss class.
This is 100% true. If you want to fail your class(es), this is a great way in doing so. Unless you have a legitimate reason as to why you're missing class, or why you're leaving early, it's best not to miss it. "Why?" you ask. Because generally speaking one class in college is roughly the equivalent to one week in high school. Unless you plan on reading all that material in your text book and somehow figure out what the correct key points are from the material you just read, it's not going to work out. Believe me, you're only fooling yourself by thinking that you'll catch up by reading the text book on your own time. And if you're like any other college student, you have lots of parties to go to! Besides, who actually still reads these days?"I don't need to study for this exam. I have so much stuff to do today. The professor will probably grade on a curve anyway because everyone else will do poorly, too!"
This might be true; some professors may grade on a curve from time to time, but don't count on it all the time. There are some colleges that require professors to grade on a curve - which is total bullshit if you ask me. This way if you go to a really dumb college, you're half-assed 85 average turns into an instant A because the majority was below you. The bottom line is, unless your professor tells you that the exam you'll be taking is graded on a curve before hand; don't count on it being done."I didn't do so well the last two exams. But that's ok, I'll just ask the professor if I can do some extra credit to bring my grade up!"
Yes, it would be nice if the remainder of our lives could be lived as though we were still in high school, but we're not. When you screw up at work, don't expect there to be "extra credit" to make up for it, or if you run a red light and mow some poor innocent kid down with your car., don't expect there to be extra credit there either. I don't think extra credit is going to bring that poor kid back to life. The same holds true (At least it should) when you screw up in college-level courses; don't expect the professor to hand out extra credit assignments to help boost your grade. I doubt the professor wants to take more time to grade extra assignments because you screwed up. Some professors will do this because they are naive, but if you have a professor that knows what he or she is doing, don't count on there being this magical thing you once knew as extra credit to bring your grade up from the 13th level of hell.
"College is all about partying! It's the best time of your life I heard. I better live it up!"
This is what your typical college party looks like (With clothes on, of course)
College and parties are two eternal truths. They go together hand in hand. Every movie that you have ever seen about college has probably almost always had a party in it. This depiction is true for the most part - most major universities have numerous parties going on within the campus every night. Your first intuition as a freshman may be to go to as many of these parties as you possibly can in order to make friends and to try and fit in as a true college student. You'll quickly learn that those who are out partying on a regular basis are the ones who have GPA levels hovering around the 1.7 to 2.0 mark. These are the kids who go through one semester in their big 4-year college partying and living it up thinking they have it made, go through the next semester on academic probation, realize that actually doing the required work is hard, and then spend the remainder in some community college where they get their associates degree in pottery, or some other nominal field.College is great! I'm doing so well, I can't wait to graduate and finally get my dream job that I've always wanted!
Good to hear you're doing well. Good job. However, don't get your hopes up on finding a good job as soon as you make your way out of college. In fact, don't be surprised if it takes you several years before you can even get into the industry that you want to get in. Keep in mind that when you graduate, you're graduating along with another million or so students in the United States alone, and out of those million, chances are many of them have the same educational background as you. Complete with the same degree, possibly the same work-related experience, and some might even have the same name as you! So my word of advice: Keep looking when you get out of college and don't give up. Also remember to take a number when you graduate this way when your number is called, you can go up and get in.
Sure, I know some of you reading this probably objected to almost everything I wrote above. If so, Chances are you're not in touch with reality. If this is the case, I suggest you re-evaluate what you're doing in college. You're probably better off dropping out of college and becoming a professional blogger, or a singer. Or Both.
If you agreed with almost everything I wrote, then congratulations! You realize that attending college is not a joke, and to get anywhere in life, it's going to take real dedication and not just making it look like you're doing hard work like you did in high school.
Please use this form to send me any complaints. I am sure there will be some.
I work at an University so I'm getting a kick out of these replies...
anyway
I had an accounting professor who on the first day showed everyone the calculations for how much you were paying to be for his class, then broke it down by class hour. After showing that we were all paying XX per hour he said something along the lines of "I get paid if you show up or not. You're paying XX if you show up or not. You might as well show up." He was one of the better teachers.
u suck lol