Back to School Tips

[lloyd9988]

Its that time of the year for the students, and you know what that means... Either the most dreadful period of your lives or happiest period of your lives. Whatever the case may be, we all know the university life either consists of , , and, of course ... probably more beer than pizza

Now, eliminating the buzz kill of the wonderful university life (community college for me), I figure I'd post this to see if everyone's got some tips they'd like to pitch in for studying for the upcoming semester. My tips are pretty obvious and boring:

1) Always focus on studying your butt off in the library.

2) Party when your done with your school work and studying.

3) If you've got an upcoming test on Monday and your not a genius in your subject, your night just got shot

Anyway, pitch in some tips for the upcoming semester that'd you'd like to share.

[Otohiko]

1) Don't push your excuses for late work. A prof is going to be sympathetic... to a point. Then it really gets to be a drag and you're likely to fall under suspicion of shirking work. Sometimes if you're submitting late work, you're better off just taking the penalty.

2) If you've got something to make up for, take initiative and come to a prof with an idea of what you could do to make up for a missed/bad assignment. It's usually worth a shot and more likely to get a positive response than bugging your prof for something to do as make-up.

3) Learn to address/approach your prof. They're usually nice people, and most of them actually hate formality (or hate feeling old when you call them "Dr."/"Mr." or whatever), but also prefer to keep some semblance of respect and authority in their classes. So learn how they prefer to be approached, and go approach them. Talk to them after class. We really, really like when students do that, actually, and it shows real effort.

And yes, I did say "we". As of next week, I'm a full-on university lecturer >__>
But just try to call me "Dr. Professor Oto" and I'll kill you

[CodeZTM]

1) Don't be "THAT GUY" that asks all the stupid questions in the middle of class. What's a "stupid question" you ask? Anything that doesn't relate to the topic at hand [Can we leave early?], can be asked AFTER class is over that isn't immediately important to your understanding of the material [do we HAVE to use graphing paper on the project due in 5 months?], or questions about a lecture that you missed 4 weeks ago. >_________________>

2) Don't wait until the last minute to do things. once or twice [especially during a hectic week] is fine, but making a habit of it will make you lazy and stressed.

3) DON'T STRESS! If there is one thing I've learned, there is NOTHING in college [for a bachelor's anyway, masters/doctorate is something I haven't experienced yet] worth stressing yourself to illness over. Just breathe and do the best you possibly can. You can't do better than your best, so there's no need in worrying.

[Otohiko]

3) DON'T STRESS! If there is one thing I've learned, there is NOTHING in college [for a bachelor's anyway, masters/doctorate is something I haven't experienced yet] worth stressing yourself to illness over. Just breathe and do the best you possibly can. You can't do better than your best, so there's no need in worrying.

There's nothing worth stressing over period, but there's definitely a bit of a difference at masters/doctorate level.

Wherein comes my next tip, maybe not so much a start-of-year one, but...

x) If this is the year you're gonna start thinking about doing a masters - do it. If you're thinking about it, chances are you have what it takes to pull it off without stressing yourself to death. It's not easy, but anyone with the right attitude can do it. The bigger question is if it's worth it for what you want to do in life.
On the other hand, if you're thinking about doing a PhD, think REALLY long and hard and get some advice. It's one of those things that WILL eat 5 years of your life (and possibly more) and will thoroughly fuck with your brain, health and other aspects of your life (and I do not exaggerate), and you can't go into it tentatively.

But I guess the general tip is, wherever you are in your education, think about where you're gonna go at the next step, and don't expect to drift into something naturally, work or further education may it be.

[Kariudo]

But just try to call me "Dr. Professor Oto" and I'll kill you

1) Do your homework as soon as you get it (or as soon as humanly possible). That way, the lecture is still fresh in your head. If you have a crazy workload, you may actually have to decide what needs to be done and what can be skipped (or partially done)...little sense in passing Greek Mythology and failing Calc 3 if you're an engineering student. Also, schedule some time for EFFECTUATING SHENANIGANS

2) Take lecture notes. Besides memory retention and junk, it's easier to go over your own notes than the highly compressed information you'll see in the lecture powerpoints (if your professor/TA/instructor uses powerpoints). If your professor just talks directly from the powerpoint, writing stuff down should help you stay awake

[TritioAFB]

- Organize your time. Establish which things are important in the moment. Amvs can wait if you're having a bad time at school.

- When you have to work with mates, set the time to have the proyect ready. And if you have lazy guys in your team be a bitch when dealing with the obligations. Really, your mates will thank you later cause if you're too soft you get the risk of not getting the proyect in time

[AaronAMV]

here's the best tip!!!! the education is stupid and will screw you over, don't make it your life.

[Nya-chan Production]

- If you fail your university for the second time, it's a good time to start thinking about whether you even enjoy it. If not, try choosing something else.

[Prodigi]

But just try to call me "Dr. Professor Oto" and I'll kill you

I was gonna be like "mods can we get a name change up in here" then I remembered what you are

[BasharOfTheAges]

On the other hand, if you're thinking about doing a PhD, think REALLY long and hard and get some advice. It's one of those things that WILL eat 5 years of your life (and possibly more) and will thoroughly fuck with your brain, health and other aspects of your life (and I do not exaggerate), and you can't go into it tentatively.

it really depends on your field. you can possibly price yourself out of a job or force yourself to only work in academia in some cases, but others all but require it if you're going to be taken seriously.