Don't pay to be bored

There is one thing I stress above all when it comes to being a college student:
LOVE WHAT YOU STUDY!

There is nothing worse than paying in precious money and time for a course that may satisfy degree requirements, but bores students to the point that they can't wait to forget everything they're "learning". Chances are, there are more interesting classes to take that satisfy especially liberal arts requirements. Classes like World's Great Shipwrecks and Japanese Film and Culture are interesting to many people and they satisfy humanities requirements.

Some classes can be more interesting in specific locations than in others. For example, taking a meteorology course in Florida during hurricane season would be fascinating and exciting as the class is able to learn about hurricanes while tracking them in real time. On the other hand, that same course may not be as riveting in Seattle, where the weather is much more constant.

There is no way around taking major-specific coursework. If your degree requires discrete mathematics, you must take discrete mathematics; there's no sugar coating that. However, if the majority of courses in your major are a snoozefest for you, something you should seriously consider is a change of major. I'm not saying that you should drop your major just because you don't want to take one class on the economy of Korea, but if you dread even half of what the major requires, it's time to rethink your goals. The courses you take in your major are there because they are a big part of the field outside of college.

The point is simply to take courses that interest you. Spend your time studying what you love. Don't waste your years and your dollars writing papers about people, places, or things you care nothing about. Don't be afraid to major in something that interests you for fear that you may not make any money with it. Most employers and graduate schools care more about who you are and how well you do as an undergrad than what your major is.

In fact, it is sometimes more beneficial to choose a major based on personal interests as opposed to what is related to your future occupation. Law schools get thousands of applicants every year, and the vst majority of them are from business or political science undergraduates. Medical schools are bombarded with applications from biology and chemistry majors. Whata re these schools really looking for? Diversity and special interests. Law schools want to read an essay from a theatre major who felt that studying theatre and acting was the best way for him to become comfortable and skilled at public speaking and criminal defense. Medical schools long to see an application from a history major who decided to turn her interests from historical preservation to the developments of medicine throughout civilzation.
They want you to be true to YOU and study what you love THEN apply it to the field or research.

I'm a good example of this: Bachelor or Arts in Music, Master of Science in Math Education, and entering a PhD program for Higher Education and a certificate in editing and publishing - journalism. Never give up the opportunity to enjoy your education just because you think someone will like your degree better. PS, I really do love math.

"Congratulations" is not a binding contract

Today, all of us advisors were sent an email on procedures and policies regarding admissions cancellations. To put it simply, they told us exactly how students can turn a "yes" from their college admissions office into a resounding "NO".

The biggest reason for university to rescind their admissions is SENIORITIS.

Senioritis is real and it is no joke. Just because you have been accepted to college does not mean that everything is set and done and nothing matters anymore. On the contrary, colleges, universities, and even employers are watching you even closer now that they have accepted you as a part of their institution. Keeping grades up is crucial to getting and staying accepted, up until the day you move into the dorms or apartments. Yes, they even look at any summer community college coursework you take.

The FSU freshman enrollment information brochure (sent with the acceptance letter) states the following:

A downward trend in your senior year grades, any grade below C, and/or any change in your senior schedule involving academic courses could result in your offer of admission being rescinded. In addition, if your cumulative college grade point average (including dual enrollment) is below 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale), your admission will be rescinded.

The FSU transfer enrollment information brochure (sent with the acceptance letter) states the following:

AA: If you have been admitted subject to the completion of the AA Degree, you must send us your final transcript with the degree posted immediately upon graduation. If you do not expect to receive the AA Degree, you must notify us. Without the AA Degree, your admission is subject to cancellation.

Other: If you have been admitted subject to final college transcript(s), this information must be received immediately upon completion of coursework. If you are unable to meet the conditions of admission (GPA requirement stated in acceptance letter), you must notify us. Your offer of admission is subject to cancellation.

A True Story:

Today, I had to email a girl whom I had JUST checked off as having completed her three day orientation. She had gone through the long ordeal, been assigned a dorm, met her future roommate, and even registered for her classes for the fall. I sent her an email, however, that would undo all of it. I had to let her know that her admissions has been rescinded and she would no longer be able to attend florida state university.

This is a big deal. It's June. By this time, she would have notified all other schools that she would not be attending, and cancelled her admissions at those institutions. Moreover, once any other institution saw her final term grades, they too would likely renig on their offer. What can she do? One of her very VERY limited options is to attend Community College and hope to transfer in the future, but as you can see from the information I posted above that the same reastrictions apply.

I hope to never have to send an email like that again, but I am sure that it is inevitable that I will. Your high school teachers were not kidding when they said Senioritis isn't a joke. Don't let this sad story happen to you.

The Arts and Sciences of Cheating?

In high school, it is highly common for students to try to maneuver around the necessity of studying and hours of paper writing. There are many common ways of cheating from writing the answers on the back of your hands to "borrowing" someone else's paper to turn in for yourself.

This isn't too uncommon on college either, but the difference is in the consequences. In high school, cheating is a serious matter, but more often than not, teachers are willing to grant second, even three or more chances to students who either inadvertently plagiarize or outright copy entire papers. If caught cheating or plagiarizing, a high school student is usually given at least one chance to straighten up and fly right from then on.

This is not the case in college. Cheating is an even more serious matter in college and the first offense can get you kicked out of the university. The worst part of that scenario is that a student who is kicked out of their school for cheating or plagarizing is not likely to be accepted at any other accredited institution in the United States after the fact.
The question is usually: Is the risk worth the reward? In the case of cheating, college students should ask themselves: Is the risk worth the consequences? Is not having to study for a test or not having to spend hours writing a term paper really worth the possibility of getting caught and never being able to obtain an accredited bachelor's degree?

I think not. Afterall, college isn't about passing. It's about learning. I know that sounds like hokey guidance counserlor mumbo-jumbo, but I'm serious. Employers and business want people with knowledge and skills, not just pieces of paper that say they passed a few tests and wrote a few papers. The point of studying and writing is to learn and reinforce the materials and procedures that are vital to a student's chosen career field or the important aspects of general education. If companies knew that students were able to get their degrees without doing the work, college degrees would not be a basis for hiring someone. They would be useless, money wasted.

Teachers know when students cheat. They know all about the websites where you can purchase fully written, customizable papers. They know every trick in the book from mirrored sunglasses to hand signals. They even know when you turn in the same paper from one of your previous courses. Professors do talk to each other about these things. They can recognize previously submitted papers and they can tell very easily when two or more people turn in the same paper, even if they do it years apart.

There are thousands of tools at every college student's disposal in order to prevent plagarism (this is especially helpful as there are more cases of accidental than purposeful plagarism, such as incorrectly citing a source or forgetting to cite a quote altogether). www.turnitin.com, a website used by many colleges in order to detect instances of plagarism in electronically submitted papers and tests, offers students a proofreading service which will check student papers for citations and quotes, and compare the writing to other papers, dissertations, scholarly articles and books, and other common sources. This is kind of like academic insurance and it is definitly worth any and all costs---though at $4.95 a paper this service is a steal. Also, campuses often offer similar services for free. With all of this assistance available, there truly is no excuse for plagarism, and your teachers will know this.

Cheating on tests is now becoming even more difficult in college as many teachers are moving away from multiple choice items in favor of thoughtful essays. These are difficult for students to cheat on, but if it is done, be sure that the teacher will notice.

It's simply not worth the risk. Go to class, study for tests, write papers, and party on the weekends.

Teachers actually care

Today, I sat in a class of 30 graduate students, and all of them are presently completing their Doctoral degrees to be college professors. These are the teachers that new college students will have in the very near future. And what transpired in this class today was both unexpected and under-appreciated by a vast majority of students.

Today, we spoke about the topics of academic advising, counseling, alcohol, and sexual harassment of students. It was one of the most emotional classes I'd ever taken part in. Nearly everyone was reduced to tears at one student's story of how he helped one of his students seek and find help after being date raped. Almost everyone was giving their own personal recounts about what they have done and what teachers should do to help their students in areas OUTSIDE of academics, areas where students need just as much support as they do for their studies. The students in my class, these future teachers of yours, they really care. They told stories of going above and beyond the call of duty to help students through tough times, personally and academically. They shared their own struggles and how they hope to use their experiences to help students do more than just get by for those four most important years of their lives.

Many freshmen, especially those who are about to start classes at a huge university like Florida State or Indiana University, express fears and concerns about being "just a number" or one out of hundreds or even thousands in a big lecture hall. The truth is, though, that even in a class of 3000 students, you're never just a number. For the majority of teachers, you are the most important part of their job. You are never just a number. If you need anything, they will help you in any capacity they can. Even in a school of 40,000 students, teachers will notice you. Even in a class of 500 students, teachers will recognize you from the rest, especially if you make it a point to introduce yourself. Get to know your professors, your advisors, even your deans. They care about you, and they want to know you.

Welcome

Welcome to The College Experience Blog!

At least once a week, I will update this blog with information, tips/how-to's, advice, news, and random interesting items that relate to undergraduate college life. Join the group on facebook for access to the main content of The College Experience, and stay tuned for more!

Thought of the day: Summer is a time of freedom, even in summer school. For those students who have to take classes or start college in the summer, enjoy the freedom of open parking lots, the freedom of easier access to shows, bars, and concerts without crowds, and enjoy the freedom of picking fun classes and not having to worry about seats filling up.