Tips and things to do in college

[MNCyGuy]

This is all really helpful. Thanks guys!

Just don't be that person that approaches college like a list of experiences you need to check off. I knew people that did that and they didn't seem to have any fun doing it. As long as you're not turning down chances to actually go and do stuff to stay in your room and play video games or watch tv, you're fine. As long as you're not leaving Ames every other weekend to go home, you're fine.

 

[DurangoCy]

-Know who and when to ask for help. No matter what your major is there will be at least one time during college where you will be totally lost. Don't be too proud or scared to ask your Prof or TA for some more help. Most of them actually enjoy doing this.

-Try to get out of school with as little debt as possible. I have friends who spend $500/month in student loans. Others who are building new houses, buying new cars or saving a pile of money every month.

-Never be the drunkest person at the party, but always be the funnest person at the party.

 

[ca4cy]

Just don't be that person that approaches college like a list of experiences you need to check off. I knew people that did that and they didn't seem to have any fun doing it. As long as you're not turning down chances to actually go and do stuff to stay in your room and play video games or watch tv, you're fine. As long as you're not leaving Ames every other weekend to go home, you're fine.[/QUOTE]

This is another excellent point. This is your chance to branch out. Don't be that guy that's going home all the time. I did it too much at first and missed out on some great weekends.

 

[zwclones51]

1. HAVE FUN
2. Support ISU Athletics
3. Dont join a frat.
Oh and study.

 

[DurangoCy]

Just don't be that person that approaches college like a list of experiences you need to check off. I knew people that did that and they didn't seem to have any fun doing it. As long as you're not turning down chances to actually go and do stuff to stay in your room and play video games or watch tv, you're fine. As long as you're not leaving Ames every other weekend to go home, you're fine.

Good point. A lot of kids fall into this trap. You'll go home and have more fun with your HS friends initially, but it's worth sticking around on the weekends to meet new friends in the long run.

 

[Cyballz]

**** anything that moves

 

[gocy444]

Just don't be that person that approaches college like a list of experiences you need to check off. I knew people that did that and they didn't seem to have any fun doing it. As long as you're not turning down chances to actually go and do stuff to stay in your room and play video games or watch tv, you're fine. As long as you're not leaving Ames every other weekend to go home, you're fine.[/QUOTE
Haha well home is only like 10 minutes away so I'll try my hardest

 

[scottie33]

One thing that really helped me out early in the college career was to make friends with EVERYONE on your floor and recognize people in your classes that may live a building across the street that you see often or people on floors above/below and work on homework TOGETHER! There are so many instances where you have 4 or 5 people together working on homework and you can work through problems that you may not understand fully or better yet, help someone understand a question/topic/theory and in greater you learn it in more detail. The same things are for tests, get with that group of people cause you'll likely take many of the same classes your freshman year and some further through your major.

One thing I always remembered was "learning communities" the kids I met there I had classes with all the way through school so they were there for homework/quizzes/studying/etc.

That's the school part of it

The life part of it,

Go out the first weekend there with a backpack of beer and go with a bunch of guys/gals from your floors and hit up some big parties either through friends siblings or whatever. Girls are trying to fit in especially well that first weekend and it is FUN! Attend as many football/basketball games as possible. Basketball games will pose a conflict with test/lab or something through the course of the year, don't miss test or lab, they really do count quite a bit towards your grades. If you have a family member that tailgates in the North or East lots tailgate with them at first, not as many cops and you can drink heavily inside a camper or bus. Enjoy parties on your dorm floor, but keep the music down and the yelling to a minimum. We got busted far too many times for the above mentioned.

Join clubs, of which I didn't do much of, but I wish I would've done more so of. Also, college is a fun time of your life but remember the major you choose in college is what you are going to more than likely do the rest of your life. Enjoy what you are going to school for, or you are in the wrong major. I didn't necessarily enjoy doing homework any more than the next person, but I did enjoy learning more and more every day about construction, equipment, etc. and it's made my career now enjoyable every day I go to work.

That's more school part of it.

 

[Al_4_State]

**** anything that moves

+

-wrap it up

-wrap it up

=

Yup.

 

[scottie33]

Study and get good grades - making sure you get as much as possible from Iowa State. You pay to get your education, so use the facilities, build relationships with professors, etc. Treat this as an investment.

Definitely go to Jack Trice on a fall Saturday. I always enjoyed the walk from my dorm to the stadium.

I strongly encourage this! There are professors that I email a couple times a year for questions that relate to Construction and work. Greater yet, many professors have been in the industry and have came out of the industry to teach us kids that are going out in the industry. The relationships built with teachers, professors, TA's all can aid you in finding a career opportunity relatively easily. Use this to your advantage.

Also, someone else mentioned it, professors/teachers really do appreciate you coming into their office and asking questions. Coming and speaking with them often helps build relationships that last into class time and may often give you some leeway on test questions if appropriate.

You talk to them enough and build that relationship, around test time you can almost guarantee you can find out types of questions are going to be on a test unless your professors name is Sturges.

 

[scottie33]

+





=

Yup.

You shouldn't double wrap it:twitcy:

 

[Hawkeye11en1]

girl on girl?

 

[gocy444]

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=

Yup.

Obviously Brandon Wegher was never given this advice heading into college...

 

[Frak]

My advice:
1. If you have a girlfriend at home, make the best of it this summer and then give her the heel before moving to Ames. Nothing ruins the experience more than leaving every weekend to see some HS girl.
2. Go to ClubFest and sign up to join a couple of clubs. Doesn't matter if it's Snow Skiing or Comic Books or whatever. Go to a few meetings and see if you like it.
3. Get to know the guys on your dorm floor. They could end up being friends for life and at the very least, people you know throwing house parties later or or people you recognize at the bar.
4. Play intramurals. Flag football, broomball, euchre, whatever you are interested in.
5. Try your best not to skip class. Doesn't matter if you are hungover or tired or don't want to brave the weather. The quickest way to flunk out is to start skipping class regularly.

Basically, my advice is to meet as many people as possible early on (and keep your grades under control). Then in a few years when you move out of the dorms, you are not just dependent on your roomates for fun. You start recognizing people at the bar, at house parties, on campus, at the tailgate. That's when college is REALLY fun because of all the things to do and all the options.

 

[price26]

I went for 5 years, graduated more than a year ago and I wish I could go back and be a college freshman again, the person I am now would have done things a lot differently. So:

1) Go out to parties, even if you're not going to drink, they'll be someone on your floor who knows where the party will be, so make friends with those on your floor, look to have fun.

2) Stay a while. Going for 5 years was the best decision I made. I'd put those 5 years to better use than I did, but getting more than 1 major and diversifying your education isn't a bad idea.

3) Study abroad, this is the best way to go international, even the short 2 week trips are always a good experience. This might be your best chance to see the world.

4) Get a job. Don't be piling up debt and needing money from mom and dad for everything. There are lots of good jobs on campus that have good hours that are flexible too.

5)Work hard early on in your first couple years, it'll make the rest of them a lot easier.

 

[tjh1984]

Here is some advice that I have from my 5 years of ISU experience.....

--Try as hard to not have 8 a.m. classes or friday classes before 10:30...partying on Thursday nights you will enjoy sleeping in friday.

--Attend class!!! Even if the teacher doesn't take attendance for the class its worth going. Especially if the teacher sees you at class regulary it will help your grade.

--Take time to talk to your teachers after class even if you just BS, most of them love it and will grade your papers easier....I wish I would have done this my 5 years instead of my last 2, this def helped me to reach the Dean's List for the first time.

--STAY in Ames all non holiday weekends that you can

--Don't be stupid and have a girlfriend your first year and don't think about having a girlfriend that goes to another school or lives back in your hometown.

--Have a few girls in your cell phone you can call up at 1 a.m. and will come back to your dorm or apt for "afterhours"

--Bang a couple ugly girls, everyone did it in college and if they say they didn't they are lying. (make sure you wrap it up with them especially)

--start building up your tolerence now, you don't want to be the first one of your new friends puking the first couple weekends of college

--don't be the ******* ******** at people to turn down the music on a wednesday night at midnight, don't ruin peoples parties...they didn't make you take that 8 am class

--hang out in the libarary to study (3rd floor), always plenty of girls to look at and its easier to get your work done

--Have fun, party your balls off, and feel privleged your an ISU student

 

[cyclone13]

2) Stay a while. Going for 5 years was the best decision I made. I'd put those 5 years to better use than I did, but getting more than 1 major and diversifying your education isn't a bad idea.
.

This is worth considering too. Staying more than 4 years means you'll pay more, but if you are getting double major that could be benefit in the long term. Don't just stay longer for the sake of staying longer.

 

[00clone]

Haha well home is only like 10 minutes away so I'll try my hardest

Possibly even more important then...meet new people. I thought I'd stay friends with my high school friends...I talk to none of them now. I am still close with my college friends, even though the closest one is an hour away.

Regarding alcohol, yah, keep it in check. This also helps with the right friends. All of my friends drank underage, all of us graduated. I knew several however who didn't graduate. The difference, easiest I can explain it...if you asked my friends and I what we were doing on the weekend, we'd tell you an activity, and it was assumed we'd have drinks. If you asked the others, they'd say "GETTING DRUUUNNNK"....yah, don't hang out with, or be that person. If drinking/getting drunk is your primary objective, you prolly don't have a future.

Adjusting: I knew people who were too homesick to do anything, the successful ones were too busy to be homesick.

Lastly, figure out what makes you YOU. The biggest things I learned in college were not in the classroom, but it was learning what makes me successful at something, what I'm capable of, and what's important to me. I don't mean the 'take a semester off to find myself', but in getting thru something that's up there with the best and hardest think you'll do, you need to figure out what motivates you and makes you happy.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

- Be sure to get real experience within your field. Internships are paid job interviews (usually paid). Best chance to network with someone that could hire you in the next couple years.

 

[MNCyGuy]

My advice:
1. If you have a girlfriend at home, make the best of it this summer and then give her the heel before moving to Ames. Nothing ruins the experience more than leaving every weekend to see some HS girl.
2. Go to ClubFest and sign up to join a couple of clubs. Doesn't matter if it's Snow Skiing or Comic Books or whatever. Go to a few meetings and see if you like it.
3. Get to know the guys on your dorm floor. They could end up being friends for life and at the very least, people you know throwing house parties later or or people you recognize at the bar.
4. Play intramurals. Flag football, broomball, euchre, whatever you are interested in.
5. Try your best not to skip class. Doesn't matter if you are hungover or tired or don't want to brave the weather. The quickest way to flunk out is to start skipping class regularly.

Basically, my advice is to meet as many people as possible early on (and keep your grades under control). Then in a few years when you move out of the dorms, you are not just dependent on your roomates for fun. You start recognizing people at the bar, at house parties, on campus, at the tailgate. That's when college is REALLY fun because of all the things to do and all the options.

You can make the long-distance thing work if you both know what you're getting into. If neither of you is needy to the point of having your lives revolve around IMing and talking on the phone, it doesn't need to be a burden. But yea, that's probably the exception, not the rule.