Ask Your Question today
could you tell me your post-secondary experience? I will be starting college in the fall and I want to know what it is like. Are grades as important as in highschool?
Honestly, for me it was shit: no friends, no girlfriend, no social life, lonely, depressing, boring, stressful. The first day I came home crying, it was like school on steroids. The workload was just impossible. The stress ate me alive, constantly thinking about assignments, exams and about what will happen to me after college. It was honestly the worst time of my life. I dropped out after a few months and have a shit job now but at least I'll never know that level of stress again.
less stereotypes, most people are more friendly, great place to figure out who you are, what you like and are passionate about, and what kind of field of work you would enjoy doing in the future.
This...
Asher Roth - I Love College
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYx7YG0RsFY
Beyond the ridiculus alcohol-infested parties like that, you have to get your shit done every day! School includes parties, but you have to get all of your work done. The entire purpose of college is to net that degree. Really, the real world doesn't give two shits about your undergrad degree, so wisely choose your major with care, but realize you have options later. Your undergrad degree is a mere stepping stone to graduate school. That's where the real schooling begins.
Your scheduling in college is up to you. It is much fun when you get one professor that thinks their course should be your entire life. Have fun with that one. Time management skills are everything. I find school easy. Everything's so structured. Finals can be tiring, yeah. I think of finals like socially acceptable hazing. Terrible! Unnecessary! But, it's a college tradition that won't end.
Your options are: Social life, Enough sleep, Good grades.
In college you can pick at most two.
In university you can pick at most 1 and a half.
I always put good grades on top and the remaining bit filled with sleep. No social life, no fun, no going out, no friends, nothing like that if you want good grades (where good grades means the minimum threshold to have access to most jobs, which is 2:1 in the UK). Studying 8-10 hours a day. From waking up till going to sleep with some brakes in between. You can take some breaks, but depends a lot on the context. Some Universities can be easier so you can relax more. Mine isn't.
Anyways, it's hard, but I am ok with it. I just want to get the benefits and get the hell out of here forever. I am happy enough with the benefits of a degree to spend 3 years of my life like this. I am considering a Master's, but I skip all my lectures since I don't like this style and I study using books, so I find no reason for paying University again to do nothing for me. Instead, I'll go for self-study, but I need the diploma. This information can help you critically analyze the value of a diploma, so be sure you get exactly what you want from it.
2000 word assignments, then 10 000 word assignments, then 15 000 word assignments. I lived in the uni library for five days to finish one paper, which I very nearly failed. There was a smiley face in there somewhere.
Are you going away to school or commuting?
If you are going away it can be a culture shock: you have to be disciplined to get up for class, get your own laundry done, eat healthy, get your assignments done, and avoid going party crazy. It’s all on you to grow up fast. Depending on where you go, grades can be Pass/Fail and you may be able to pick that over another form of being graded. If you are going into a STEM field pick the tougher grading system and work your ass off to graduate with some honors (Cum Laude...etc), that’s a 3.5 GPA or better - to some employers grades are very important.
You can make it a great and fun experience, but it’s all on you to be disciplined and balance fun with hard work.