Year in Review: Being a Freshman in College Part 2

Hopefully, you've already read my part 1 of this mini-series. It contains all of the do's about freshman year that I managed to accomplish, and that others should as well.

Now, however, it's time for the "oops" part. Those things that mayyyybe....shouldn't be done. Some I did, some I saw friends go through. I'll cover some categories and instances that will more than likely come up during freshman (and every other) year of college. I know I faced 'em all:

-The Party Scene: I cannot stress how important it is to AVOID this. It was easy for me, because I hate dancing (thus, no clubbing for me) and can't stand alcohol. But too often, this becomes the main social outlet for students. Has anyone reading this ever heard of a college party with alcohol that started before 8 PM? Didn't think so. These "gatherings" never have good consequences, whether it's somebody drinking way too much and starting something, too simply staying up way too late. And there are worse things that have happened. You've probably heard the horror stories.

Keep to your principles, but don't do anything stupid, especially when hanging with the wrong crowd will you get in more trouble than anything could be worth.

-Talking to Professors: Too often, a student will make a snap judgement about his/her professor, and immediately base an impression off that judgement. I've been lucky so far, as I haven't had a professor I didn't like. Yet. Good students will introduce themselves and participate in class, getting the professor's attention and respect. And trust me, that comes in handy when the final grades are coming down, because imprinting a favorable impression certainly cannot hurt. Furthermore, many professors are willing to help a student out with whatever they need- a paper, a research project, etc. But that expertise and wisdom is only available to those who pursue it.

For example, in Ethics and Society (don't ask- yeesh!), I nailed down two B+ grades on my first two papers. Our total grade would be determined by three papers and a final essay. I knew if I wanted an A I needed to improve, but I didn't know how. Thus, I took each subsequent paper into my professor's office for him to review and give comments on how to improve. In fact, I took both papers in three times apiece. The result of that work? Two As. And oh, since I showed the dedication to making good grades, he rounded up. An A for me! (woo!)

Speaking of rounding grades, you won't get a slight curve in the end unless:

-Don't skip class! Sorry, but sleeping in won't help with grades or impression. And as a freshman, you'll probably get stuck with plenty of 8 and 9 AM classes- heck, I had 8 AM Spanish two days a week and an 8 AM radio show twice a week. Yes, it can be hard! But sticking it out will only help you in the end, whether it's with attendance, getting away with being stupid, or being on the verge of a B/C. Can you say "grade penalty?"

That about sums up the main things. But there is one more I'd like to add:

-Don't anger your RAs. Or prank them. They WILL win. Oh yeah, it's storytime. So, four friends of mine decided to "steal" our favorite RA's cell phone. Now, she's more like our surrogate mother, but so easily taken advantage of. Eventually, she figured out who had taken the cell phone.

And then ALL of the RAs decided to get them back. See, they have friends in Campus Security. So, they had one of the officers come in, sit those four guys down, and interrogate them for 25 minutes. Did I mention one of them is paranoid of cops? They. are. Legend.

I hope this has been entertaining and informative. If you've got any questions, feel free to ask! Until sophomore year...peace!