So... how to become a good college student?

[Frodo 0]

I overslept today and so missed the time I allocated myself for studying for that test. So I won't go to the test cos I simply don't know anything.
This kind of lame excuse is characteristic of this whole semester for me. In the fall the excuse (for failing a math course) was my broken ankle; now my general excuse is that my part-time job took too much time from me. But fact is, I'm just not interested in studying.
Things that I do a lot: read, go camping, autocross, a skydive every now and again, bike, learn to play guitar. Things like that. I'm having fun instead of studying well, while all of my friends have fun and do well in their classes.

What's the recipe? How can I do that too?

Thanks.

[TheAnvil 0]

If you aren't interested in studying, why the hell are you wasting your money attending school? Get a job and come back to school when you ARE interested in studying.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[genoyamamoto 0]

C's get degrees. Make friends and network in college because nobody will care how you did in college as long as they like you. And all those girls that you're eyeing... Go after them!If you can only remember to do one thing, remember ot have fun.

Gotta go... plaything needs to spank me
Feel the hate...
Photos here

[Vallerina 2]

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Get a job and come back to school when you ARE interested in studying.

I wasn't interested in studying. I'm much better off since I got a degree.

I hate studying (I'm probably going to get out of my career because I hate it so much.) However, everyone has times where studying sucks slightly less. I found that the only way I could study was if I was on campus. I lived far off campus, so if I had a 2-hr break, I couldn't go home. I would sometimes study in that 2-hr break. If I had to do it all over again, I would've arranged my classes so that I was forced to spend more time on campus.

Another two words that always helped me: office hours. I didn't need to study if I just knew the material. Unfortunately, I had a few absent-minded professors, and their office hours didn't help at all (one professor was a genius...he just couldn't explain everything he knew very well....and he wore the same red sweatshirt everyday.)

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[bertusgeert 1]

Haha, I was in the same boat until a few months ago.

You just gotta figure it out for yourself man, I did, and now I'm doin pretty damn good.

What is the end goal you are trying to reach by going to college. Is there another way of achieving that goal? If this is the best option, then simply do it man.

A sign of maturity is being able to handle delayed gratification, seeing the whole picture, instead of wanting now.

I started simply by disciplining. No guitar, no tv, no movies, and yes.... no skydiving... until I get my GPA up. THEN use it as a reward for yourself.

Also take some time off. I did, and I'm very glad I did.

Hope it helps man, just keep fightin with yourself, I know what its like! Just think of the opportunities you have that so many people in the world dont, they would give their left ball to be where you are. That should be enough motivation!

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As jy dom is moet jy bloei!

[Unstable 8]

Hmm, I think I'm in kinda the same boat you are in. I'm repeating a Math Class from Last semester, still struggeling to understand it, and now the final test is coming up, I've just kinda lost my will to study. Ugh. I'm doing GREAT in all my other classes though!!! I breezed through Calc 1 & 2, but 3 is really kicking my behind..

=========Shaun ==========

[Nightingale 0]

pick a field of study you're interested in.

I did well in school because I wanted to. I wanted to go to class because the classes were interesting and engaging. I had great professors that wanted me to do well.

If you're at a state school with large class sizes, consider transferring to a private school with smaller classes.

[skydiver30960 0]

A couple notes from previous posts that I really agree with are:

1.) Cs get degrees. Your GPA will have a bearing on your first job, but beyond that new employers are going to be looking at your diploma and (even moreso) your work experience. Do what you have to do to get the credit and get through the program, but don't worry about straight As.

2.) STAY IN SCHOOL. Even if you end up working in a field totally not related to your degree (happens a lot in my field, engineering) it's always something to fall back on and will inevitably boost your salary no matter what field you work in.

That being said, here's a story about my buddy Clark. Clark was, before all else, two things:

1.) Drinker

2.) Smoker

Thing is, whenever I saw him he was either stoned, drunk, or a combination of the two. I always saw him out partying when I was studying and figured he was just barely getting by in classes. Turns out after I knew him for a while that the dude was Phi Beta Kappa and ended up graduating with highest honors. His recipe for success was:

1.) NEVER SKIP CLASS. No matter how shitty he felt he dragged his ass out of bed and went to class. Then, he did all his homework AS SOON AS HE GOT HOME. Like, he didn't even take time for a little personal time on the porcelain throne, just immediately sat down at his desk and finished all the work he had for that evening. Even on full days he had it all banged out before dinner. Then, the rest of the day was his to get as messed up as he wanted to. And he did get messed up, I can attest to that. But he always managed to get up the next morning and get to class, and the cycle repeated itself.

Hope the story helps. It got him through college with a fat degree and honors, and it taught me not to judge a book by it's cover.

Elvisio "Much too laude" Rodriguez

[bertusgeert 1]

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Hope the story helps. It got him through college with a fat degree and honors, and it taught me not to judge a book by it's cover.

Good friggin idea man.

You say not to wworry about GPA. What about wanting to get into a good grad school. WHat do they look for? GPA and the classes you took, with emphasis on what? (I'm thinking MBA, after Business Finance, MArketing or International Relations)

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As jy dom is moet jy bloei!

[Beerlight 0]

I say quit school. The world needs more people to perform manual, grimy, dirty, nasty ass type jobs. {Not that there's anything wrong with manual labor type jobs.}

[brits17 0]

Prioritize. School sometimes sucks, but if you want to get it over with ASAP (like me) then a) go to class and b) get your assignments done early. Don't put it off and you'll have plenty of time to play. Easier said than done, but it works.

_______________________
aerialkinetics.com

[Frodo 0]

Thanks everyone, 'specially 30960. Yeah that story is believable - when i met a group of people in a big auditorium who speak the same language i do (they're my best friends now), at first they seemed to be doing something wrong ("what?! you dont play games before hw? you dont skydive? you basically dont know how to have fun?" See i was that stupid). But somehow they have 3.5+ GPAs, and they don't think much of it, it just kind of comes naturally.

I'm sometimes embarassed to answer the question "what year are you in?"... cos I'm classified as Senior mainly b/c I transferred lots of hours from elsewhere... well, I'm embarassed b/c a senior must've figured out by now how to study!

Yeah, I'll figure it out. Thanks 4 support

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[champu 1]

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But somehow they have 3.5+ GPAs, and they don't think much of it, it just kind of comes naturally.

I don't know about it "coming naturally", but then I'm not sure what you mean by that.

I'm an engineer, pretty much the only way to do remotely well on tests/quizes/labs in my classes is to work the problem sets that are assigned. What "comes naturally" to me is doing stuff that's assigned. If I'm not learning anything from lectures and can complete the assignments by reading the book or course notes, I won't go to lecture. But I can honestly say that throughout my academic career, I have never failed to turn in an assignment.

Now that's not to say there haven't been some assignments I've done ghastly on, but god damnit, I handed something in.

If not being able to fathom an attitude that would allow you to just not do work that was assigned means my grades come naturally then hell, this must be a cakewalk for me.