Argh, how do you college people get things done?

[RPK]

I'm a 3rd year student at Drake University (a private university in Iowa - going for free since my step mom works there... otherwise I'd be at the local community college). I find that school sucks no matter what age you are when you attend. As of right now I think kindergarden was my favorite grade.

Anyways back to the question at hand. My "time managment" for classes and class work depends on the subject of the class and the professor. I've had professors say the first day of classes that if you only show for the exams that is fine... he gets paid either way! lol!! Then I have professors who take attendance and adjust grades if you missed more than a specific number of days that is usually specified in the syllabus.

The one thing I do enjoy about the university I am at is the class size stays around 40ish so the one on one time with professors (when needed) is easily avaliable.

RPK

[SeeK]

Just keep thinking:

Pay now so you can play later.

I didn't concentrate on a major that would be related to what I'm doing. I figured that I would take the opportunity to learn stuff I couldn't have learned on my own.

I disagree with Miscue since most of us don't posess his learning ability and retention so there is a point to doing projects and homework. But sleep is very important to the attention, retention and test taking so I would bias myself towards that IF I had been going to class and doing the work.

I disagree with everybody that says college teaches you time management. I never saw that as a class offering. It forces you to discover it yourself or fall to the wayside. I'm sure everybody has seen those that don't make it.
The same goes for test taking strategy.

Miscue is right in that there are a bunch of useless courses. How many people REALLY need to learn Intro to Web Design and Dreamweaver as a college course? There are books and classes all over that would show you the same stuff in a shorter period of time. They are just there to show to prospective employers that the graduates are ready to work when you are hired. This is also what you want to highlight to the interviewer since nobody's got time to train a new person.

[Kevmaster]

miscue, telling it like it is.

in college you don't learn time management. you learn prioritizing. you say, this is important. I'll do it. That isn't important. i wont do it. Sleep, personally, is amost always atop the "this is important" list. Classes, well, arn't.

Physics: missed 90% of non test classes
Comp Sci: missed 15% of classes
Pub Policy: missed 30% of classes
Writing: missed 1 class (attendance was graded)

grades:
Physics: B+
Comp Sci: A+
Pub Policy: B
Writing: A-

thats just how it is, you know?

[Miscue]

miscue, telling it like it is.

in college you don't learn time management. you learn prioritizing. you say, this is important. I'll do it. That isn't important. i wont do it. Sleep, personally, is amost always atop the "this is important" list. Classes, well, arn't.

Physics: missed 90% of non test classes
Comp Sci: missed 15% of classes
Pub Policy: missed 30% of classes
Writing: missed 1 class (attendance was graded)

grades:
Physics: B+
Comp Sci: A+
Pub Policy: B
Writing: A-

thats just how it is, you know?

Hehe. This was my time management: Class starts at 3:00PM. I have UNIX shell to write that I had two weeks to do. I play pool, and hang out with friends. I go home and start programming at 1AM. I finish at 8AM. I email to friend, so he can copy code and circulate it to all the A students who can't code for crap and are the biggest cheaters ever. In exchange he prints it out and delivers it for me. I go to sleep.

Required attendence is incredibly annoying. It's done because nobody would show up. I figure it this way, if you are making me show up then you better freakin teach me something particularly when I'm paying for the class - and not waste an hour of my time regurgitating from the book (I can read fine, thank you), or telling me what your retarded opinions are of everything, and what your kids did on the weekend - all because you didn't come to class prepared and you have nothing else to talk about. A lot of professors get off on people listening to them - I swear... they make you show up to get their jollies.

[TraXeR]

Heh, I'm a prime example of what NOT to do. I go to class, come home, play games till 10, then do homework till 12. Then go to bed, wake up just late enough to get to class, then do it all again. Probably explains why none of my classes I have over 65% in. Personally, I do all my work during class, projects, assignments, everything. I don't think I've done any serious homework or an ounce of studying since grade 9.

[NJPaint]

^^^ high schooler

High school is way different. This is my scedule this year:

AP Biology
AP Statistics
AP Law
AP Gov
Non-linear Dynamics / Calculus III
English 12

I do not do any work at home. I don't own a notebook or any pens (I borrow on test days). I have a laptop that I use in every class (to use AIM and for AO and a few other forums). I don't take any notes because they are useless. I go to class to listen and talk to the teachers. We have some pretty freaking amazing teachers and I can learn a **** load from them by listening instead of copying down what they say. I ended last semester with a 4.16 GPA not doing any work outside of class minus a cram session here and there for bio (a lot of brute memorization).

High school doesn't mean crap . I was asked by a my history teacher last year why I didn't take notes or do work except reading (which I do anyways because I like reading). I told him in front of the class that I was learning and retaining more than anyone else and unlike the rest of the people I wasn't memorizing for a test and forgetting. /me shrugs to each their own i guess.

[TraXeR]

Actually, I'm in Algonquin College in Ontario.

[Sir_Brass]

Washington University in St. Louis flew me out to their campus for a visit, Thursday to Sunday. This is one of the top universities in the country and the classes were great. But damn... I've gotten 3 and a half hours of sleep 3 nights in a row. Throw in paintball, maybe tennis, and a few classes, I don't think I could get any busier. How the heck do you find that balance?

Balance? You simply train your body to run hard 21 straight hours and get all the recharging it needs in 3.5 .

There IS NO BALANCE in college, only study time, free time to waste, and sack time . If you need more than 3.5 hours, you need to either get things done quicker, cut some things out of your schedule a bit (like tennis and some pball), and you simply DEAL with it .

When you get to college, you realize that you can't do everything you want to, so you prioritize and deal with doing what you can.

[Miscue]

I told him in front of the class that I was learning and retaining more than anyone else and unlike the rest of the people I wasn't memorizing for a test and forgetting.

I love it!

[Target Practice]

Here are a couple things about college, IMHO....

You really have to enjoy what you are doing when you first start. What I mean by that is, your first couple of semesters, you should be stoked to study and work all 16 weeks. Around the third semester, you start wishing the semester ended a couple of weeks earlier. By the last semester right before you graduate, you will be dreading the first day of class.

Sure, there are a some classes that most people can get away with not doing anything in: Health, Art Appreciation, World Religions (OK, maybe that was just me). But you should really work at the classes for your major. In my case, since I will be double majoring in Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. I live in the Advanced Math Lab. All of the instuctors know me as "the kid that hangs out in front of the whiteboard in the Math Department." I tutor math to help my recall. All in all, you have to live your major.

At the same time, you have to stay sane. Party. Have fun. Paintball! As long as you work as much as you play. Oh yeah, and get a job. It will keep you from spending your college money on fun, get you out of the house, and will help you meet new people.

Anyhoo, my $.02

[ntn4502]

I taking some pretty damn hard classes, and I make it through the week with only a couple hours a week worth of studying, while maintaining a 3.0??? Its not too hard

[Sir_Brass]

I taking some pretty damn hard classes, and I make it through the week with only a couple hours a week worth of studying, while maintaining a 3.0??? Its not too hard

You must not be majoring in anything truly difficult then.

I'm taking hard classes with only a couple hours a week studying and doing homework, and my GPA is a 2.6.

I'm majoring in Electrical Engineering with a minor in mathmatics, btw.

[ntn4502]

Ummm Aeronautical Studies/Flight Tech are not an easy major/minor combo by any means

[Miscue]

You must not be majoring in anything truly difficult then.

I'm taking hard classes with only a couple hours a week studying and doing homework, and my GPA is a 2.6.

I'm majoring in Electrical Engineering with a minor in mathmatics, btw.

Haha. I've had this discussion before. You can walk into upper-level classes from other majors and get As. But, if they come into engineering courses - they'll be lucky to pass introductory courses with a D and upper-level courses - impossible to get a D. There is a large disparity in the level of difficulty.

[trains are bad]

Word I had to go and bite off a physics major, and I spend from 1:00pm to 8"30 pm doing my homework. Why didn't I take more math in high school?