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Is College Really As Fun As It Looks?
- Thread starter conch575
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you know whats sad? even if i were to say go back for grad school, it wont be the same
if you want the true colege experience, you need to be 18-22 as thats the age everyone else is
as i am 24, i cant really relate to 18 year olds as well, i have just gotten older
if you want the true colege experience, you need to be 18-22 as thats the age everyone else is
as i am 24, i cant really relate to 18 year olds as well, i have just gotten older
Totally agreed. I went back as an older student, and I definitely wasn't going through the same experience as everyone else there. I still hooked up with a couple of cuties, but still, overall it definitely wasn't the same experience.
There is always graduate school, my friend
I absolutely loved going to college, but I took a slightly different approach - I was 2-3 years older than most of my classmates, I wasn't much into partying (I didn't learn much during my partying days - hence the 2-3 year age difference), but I've always been into learning. I enjoyed the way classes are taught - you're treated much more like an adult, and you're expected to do things on your own and not have your hand held the entire way.
I loved graduate school even more for much the same reasons - it's much more self-directed, and almost self-taught. You do a lot of group assignments, and most of your work is done on your own time, away from the classroom. The assignments were a lot less rigid and gave us a lot more latitude to do our own thing, as long as we demonstrated what we were learning.
I always thought I would go back for a PhD, but now that I'm 40 and have a young child I think those days are behind me.
I agree, I went back and though I was a better student overall, I missed some moments. I had them when I was 18 but I did not stick around long enough to see it. I have no regrets because college was a blast overall.
And grad school is worth it imho. Though I've worked professionally for longer than anyone I know my age.
This is why I enjoy college. I dreaded high school, it was boring, I couldn't learn what I wanted to learn, the assignments were easy, and I pulled a decent GPA without trying. College, on the other hand, has been much better. Assignments are more self-directed and more is expected. Even though there are plenty of required courses, there is usually some latitude within those for you to choose something you'll enjoy. Plus you actually have to work to get anywhere near a 3.9+, not like high school. Also, my college has a smaller student body than my high school, so the small class sizes are great.
Glad to hear people enjoyed graduate school as well, I'll be off to that in about a year.
I didn't stop working - I worked full time and took 9 hours of classes a week at nights. It was tough but well worth it, IMO.
On GPA - my undergraduate degree was mechanical engineering, and even though I was a straight-A student in high school, I had to bust my ass to make a 3.3 in college.
In graduate school, I dual majored in finance and information systems. I don't know if it was the material or the way it was taught, but I sailed through nearly effortlessly with a 3.8.
The question should be if you're learning enough at work to make it worthwhile.
Story Musgrave managed to cram in a lot of formal education into what by any measure would be considered a life less ordinary.
I have that option as well.
However, the university in town os the way they prefer
I can get a grad degree but the catch is, its not accredited but is recognized as one by my employer
im not a fan of that at all
college and fun have a direct dependance on how well you did in high school
for example. you work hard and take AP classes in high school, and you get to either relax and take a few classes (since you're up to a year ahead + have your classes, books, and apartment paid for with left over for whatever you want)
or.. you don't work hard in school, just do enough to get by, and have to pay your way through and try to manage going to class full time to be eligible for scholarships in the future - and working a full time job to pay for classes in the mean time.
if you couldn't tell, i'm the second one.
for example. you work hard and take AP classes in high school, and you get to either relax and take a few classes (since you're up to a year ahead + have your classes, books, and apartment paid for with left over for whatever you want)
or.. you don't work hard in school, just do enough to get by, and have to pay your way through and try to manage going to class full time to be eligible for scholarships in the future - and working a full time job to pay for classes in the mean time.
if you couldn't tell, i'm the second one.
I was in the same boat. I was a total nerd up through Jr. High. I was straight A, honor roll, etc. Once I got to high school, I got bored, and got interested in other stuff. I figured out that I would halfway pay attention in class, and read over the material right before the test, and pull a B or so. OR, I could work really hard, study, and do homework, and get an A. I saw no need to do all that extra work. I also saw no need to do AP classes.
Wow, did I get a rude awakening when I went to college. I had NO idea how to properly study. It took me several semesters to learn those skills. The sad part is that I had an almost full ride scholarship to a local community college, but nooo....I wanted to go straight to the big time four year university. Had I gone to community college, I think I could have learned some study skills, and gotten a much better idea what I wanted for a major. I also changed majors twice at college.
+1 trillion on depends on the school you go to. Embry-Riddle is as boring as a school can get. Then again, it isn't fun partying with all guys with no women( Riddle has like a 10% female population and 8% not being exactly attractive for my tastes).
lol how sad. Some people choose to look at college as 4 years of fun, partying and sex. But to get the most out of what you're paying for you have to study, as in the #1 priority, which is not something the kids on Greek seem to agree with. But the kids on Greek are actors, they are not in a real college where it costs money and when you graduate it is expected you end up as something decent.
as the post you quoted was directed at me, i thought i would weigh in
the thread asked "is college really as fun as it looks?"
the answer is yes
however, studying is not fun at allllllll
I did treat it as a priority though as i graduated as summa cum laude with a 3.96 in mechanical engineering lol
if i could do it over again, i would take a few more b's if it meant i didnt turn down some awesome events to go due to the "i have to study all the time mindset"
you are only in college once, go there and learn but also discover about yourself
school isn't everything and by no means the only important education you get from college
do not go there with the mindset of "im gonna party!" as i know so many people who got on academic probabtion or didnt bother returning for their sophmore year
also, have a good idea what you are majoring in. nothing is more silly imo than doing 2 years undeclared. thats a waste of money. even if you arent sure, work towards something major wise and then change if you really have to. do NOT do the undeclared and just take putz classes your first 2 years at whatever the insane price it is to go to college per year. if you are going to do that, you are better off going to juco to figure your major out before you pay the high rates at a 4 year
College was hands down the best 4 years of my life. It all depends on how well you're at socializing. Those 4 years went by real quick ... quicker than I'd have liked.
Me too, and now, thanks to the economy, I'm unemployed.
Me too, and now, thanks to the economy, I'm unemployed.
I am one of the fortunate grads who have been able to find a job in this economy. Just got it at the beginning of July. I'm really grateful for it because not working during the entire month of June was dreadful.
I hope everything works out for you. If all else fails, temp agencies seem to be doing well placing recent grads.
The most noble achievement of college is putting everyone in debt just before they start life, so that they'll have to be pinned down in dead end jobs.
College is what you make of it. I have friends who were bookworms that attended "party" schools and didn't enjoy it and friends who went to commuter schools and lived it up (almost Van Wilder-esque).
I pretty much partied away my first year and then settled down. Achieved the grades I wanted, graduated and entered the "real world". But I got the itch again and am back finishing up my masters.
I've learned Monday-Friday are all business (work and school) and the weekends are ALL MINE!
I pretty much partied away my first year and then settled down. Achieved the grades I wanted, graduated and entered the "real world". But I got the itch again and am back finishing up my masters.
I've learned Monday-Friday are all business (work and school) and the weekends are ALL MINE!