questions = answers?

[bedlamsbard]

As all wise women do, I turn to the Internet for advice. *grin*

Y'all may or may not know that I'm starting college this fall. I'm going to Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, which is fairly far from my hometown (small college town in the center of Washington State. Nothing like New Orleans at all), and I'm planning to major in English with a concentration in creative writing OR double major in English and physics, depending on whether or not I still have my AFROTC technical scholarship, which I'm kind of beginning to doubt for various reasons. (Hi, DoD medical examination review board, BRACES COME OFF.) *cough* Anyway, yes: Tulane University, New Orleans, English(/physics) major, AFROTC. I already have my roommate and my dorm (J.L., the all-women's dorm), I've registered for classes, I'm planning to get involved with the Newcomb College Institute (for undergraduate women), I'm hoping to do band next semester, I'm doing the Big Sister/Little Sister program, I'm going there a week early for the NOLA Experience Program. (I do draw the line at signing up for a big sister-equivalent with the Office of Multi-ethnic Affairs -- I'm Japanese-American -- but those are just my personal foibles.)

So...do y'all have any college-related advice? Because I will listen happily, and nod, and probably ask more questions.

Comments

[snacky]

Extra-long sheets. ;)

Disclaimer: I worked at colleges/universities for years, so my advice is mostly coming from a staff/admin perspective.

Do you have workstudy? If so, I'd say get a workstudy job lined up first thing, because they go quick. Good choices include library help, computer lab tech, or working in campus security (of course this can vary from school to school, but mostly these tend to be good jobs). If you don't have workstudy, and still want a job, try any athletic facility on campus, or the campus bookstore - they often hire non-workstudy positions.

Also, get involved in something new. Ever had an interest in drama? Try getting involved in something like that (it doesn't have to be acting - backstage stuff can be fun). Or try the campus newspaper/magazine/radio/tv station. Or a club you wouldn't have tried before - photography, or student government or maybe a club sport? It's easy to get into a rut within your major/cohort/dorm friends, and having a broad range of activities/friends is definitely good. Volunteer work in the community is also a great thing - you learn more about the city you're in.

And now that I've suggested doing a ton of things, I'll also say, keep it at manageable. It's easy to get overwhelmed in the beginning, so make sure you have enough time for study and downtime.

You said you're doing the Big Sister/Little Sister program, and I think that's awesome, because that's where you're going to get a lot of good advice.

Good luck!

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

You already know my advice... hon, you really need to scale this back a bit. This is a HEAVY amount of stuff, between difficult classes with large work loads, so many e.c. activities, plus ROTC, and you have to devote yourself to things like the Big/Little sister program, and a double major, and... I'm just worried for you, you know that.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Would this be a good time to mention that I dropped General Physics in favor of Theatre Arts? Because I was freaking out, and I told my friends and they were freaking out, and then the Internet was freaking out at me, and that was just way too much freaking out.

(Tulane is the school of CRAZY, from what I've seen/heard. Everyone is all, "I have a triple major in dance, neuroscience, and Latin American studies! And I'm in a sorority! And I sing a capella! And I volunteer! And I'm in [insert five E.C. group names here]!" Yeah...no.)

[cupiscent.livejournal.com]

My only advice would be make sure you leave time for unscheduled activities, because the most golden, glowing, rewarding times of my university life were hours spent drinking coffee/beer and arguing/arsing about with fellow students. (I am old-fashioned, and think student debate and learning to think is still what university should be all about. *g*)

Snacky's advice about getting involved in a low-key way in something you've never tried before is a good idea too. I like that.

[vivien]

I am new to your f-list, by way of reading your fabulous fic, but I was in college once!

Get sleep. Seriously. Take naps, give yourself downtime, and take care of yourself. Emergen-C powdered vitamin mix is a must, too. I got really sick my freshman year, so I know whereof I speak!

Stay ahead of deadlines and remember that if you do a little bit at a time, then a whole lot won't crash down on your head at once.

Most importantly, find friends who make you laugh. That was my very favorite part of college.

[lassiterfics.livejournal.com]

They are forgiving when students screw up in the first semester/year. Sometimes it is okay to let things slide to go on spontaneous adventures with newfound friends, or explore some hobby or other.

Make use of professor office hours, especially the ones you like. Ask them questions about the readings, or about their last vacation. They will be writing your grad school recommendations.

For a while, freshmen are going to be hyper and frenzied with the "lets be friends!" thing. It will a friendmaking orgy. Have fun with this, as it can be a wonderful and euphoric experience, but time will filter out who your true friends are so don't be afraid to move on.

[leaves-of-ink.livejournal.com]

Never be afraid to email your professor or TA with questions, they usually check their email several times a day (though this will vary) and you are likely to get a quick response. Study groups! It makes studying more fun and it keeps you focused. Also, I agree with other people here about not taking on too much and leaving yourself some time for fun things. Hope that helps:)

[ladyprydian.livejournal.com]

ENJOY IT!!!!

If things get to heavy, and you have a ton of extra stuff going on, drop the least important and focus on your education. Why? because once you make it into third and fourth year you will probably know everyone (at least by sight)in your program. If you try to do everything in your first year you'll burn out fast.

Always ask TA'a and Professors your questions. That helps you to get to know your professors and I swear they mark differently when they can place a name to a face. This also helps with grad school recs.

Schedule your self, this will help you stay on top of everything and you will still be able to find time for new friends and adventures. Also try your best to not procrastinate, that just adds unneeded stress. Give yourself at least one night a week off where you don't do school work, this gives you an insentive to get things done early.

Other than that, have fun. If there is something you are involved in and are not enjoying it then don't do it.

Good Luck. :)

Get involved in saving Newcomb College

[(Anonymous)]

You arrive in New Orleans at an historic moment. Get to know the effort to restore Newcomb College, the first coordinate women's college within a university in the U.S., which was needlessly dissolved by Tulane in defiance of the terms of Mrs. Newcomb's will. See www.newcomblives.com and sign up for their email newsletter. Learn about the thousands of supporters who are contributing to the lawsuit.

If the work of The Future of Newcomb College is successful, you may have the good fortune of attending Newcomb and graduating from the most prestigious undergraduate college of Tulane U.

At Homecoming, talk to some of the dedicated alumnae who may return in spite of not having a college to visit and who are working to restore their alma mater.

[ineptshieldmaid.livejournal.com]

Hmm. College/uni environments seem to be vastly different in the States, but for what it's worth, my piece of Useful Advice is: make sure you have friends/clubs/something outside of your dorm. Keeps you balanced, particularly if your dorm culture is a bit whacky.

[moothril.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, real life and internet life combine in bizarre ways. I came on here looking for some more of your Narnia meta, and see something about Tulane. I live in Baton Rouge, LA (about an hour north of NOLA; I go to LSU) and one of my best friends goes to Tulane! Tulane is a beautiful, beautiful campus and is great for you if you like smaller universities (I prefer bigger which is part of why I go to LSU. 25000+ undergrads instead of 5000 undergrads. :D)

JL is pretty awesome! Definitely get to know people in your dorm-Tulane grads go *everywhere* and people will certainly be willing to help you out later. I would recommend just absorbing the Louisiana atmosphere-we love to party and chill and have a good time. Tulane is a great atmosphere for any major. I hope you like it! :) I know 3 or 4 people who already go there and they all love it. It's also in a pretty safe part of NOLA, surrounded by some pretty nice neighborhoods, so you'll be fine on that front.

[saturns-hikari.livejournal.com]

hi- normally I lurk, but I can't resist giving advice! It's this sad untreatable condition, the need to be in other people's business. ;) *is going to be a sophomore at CMU*

1. You seem like you're going to be doing alot of stuff. ROTC (what's AFROTC? Airforce?) band, mentoring, classes, in a big city where's there's stuff to do...I know for me it seemed like everyone around me was doing all this crazy stuff. My roomate's a child star and was in every campus show; my best friend's in the honors college, head of Jewish life, pledged Greek; other friend's already a TA and working on a cure for cancer... (I kid you not!)
Don't feel like you have to be like that!! You'll find your niche and trying to do too much can be really really bad. First semester I rarely slept and while I did lots of cool stuff I didn't have the down time savor any of them, and I *still* felt like everyone else was having a better time than me.

2. You don't have to plan out everything- sometimes the thing you don't plan on will be the most fun.
I joined the Indian culture group at campus MAYUR SASA for the free food (srsly- amazing food ;D ) and ending up co-writing the musical! I was the only non-Indian and as a girl with Irish-Norwegian heritage I was very non-Indian, but it was so much fun, maybe because it was so different from what I thought I would be doing in college.

3. That being said, go for it!
I'm always afraid that there's this great opportunity that I'm going to miss out on. I'm a bit more cautious now (you'll learn not too spread yourself too thin, but I think it's something each person has to learn themselves) This fall I'm doing classes, workstudy, and being chairperson for my buggy racing team, instead of classes plus extra studio, workstudy, buggy racing, theater, mentoring, more studio class, and book club. If there's something that you're thinking about doing (I'm switching to a double major in International Relations and Creative Writing) you should do it!