Freshman year away from home

Leaving home and being on your own can be very difficult especially if aren't very independent. Personally, I was very independent when I left for college so I had a very smooth transition but some of my friends found it problematic being away from home. One of my best friends knew exactly what he wanted to do after high school. He found the perfect school in the perfect town and was very confident with the choices he made. I told him that he should at least apply to other schools and think about having a backup plan if Zoology/Biology didn't work out for him, but he told me that was exactly what he wanted to do and there wouldn't be a point in looking into other schools. He ended his Freshman year with a 4.0 GPA and a severe case of depression. After the summer he returned for Sophomore and within a few months was having suicidal thoughts, in which the school placed him in one of their correctional programs, basically a prison for students. After coming back home, he went to the doctor and has been doing a lot better which I am grateful for but unfortunately, now that he has his head on straight has changed majors, changed colleges, and now has to basically start over because his new college won't accept the credits from his old college, mainly because it was a specialty institution(not having a wide variety of major). Just because you think you know exactly what you want doesn't mean you can't plan for the worst. Having a backup is very important in my opinion and it's something that everyone should at least consider. Also a good balance of school and fun is needed in order to now get too stressed.

My freshman year started with a change in relationship and a new understanding of independence. Most colleges "require" you to stay in a dorm freshman year unless you plan to be a commuter, but honestly if I could do it over I would have found an apartment from the beginning. The main reason they want you to stay in a dorm is so you can meet other people but if you are social at all you will meet plenty of people in your classes. Most dorms are extremely over priced so instead of going more in debt look into commuting or finding a cheap apartment. As I have said before in an older post, going into your Freshman year in a relationship can very problematic because you will meet a lot more people in which the opportunity to find someone more appealing is very likely. Going to parties and meeting people is all part of the game called college so it is important to have an open mind initially, but as time goes on you will start to hang out with specific people and friendships with develop, just like an adult version of high school.

College can very stressful at times but if you keep an open mind it can also be a lot of fun. Being responsible and making logical decisions in key for a successful college experience.

Surviving your freahman year of college.

Freshman year is usually tough for everyone and some don't make the cut of returning for a second, but it is quite easy for an intelligent and fully capable person to get caught in the freedom of decision. Below are my tips for surviving the year, in an academic sense, and if I would have followed these simple rules I would have done a lot better.

Easy tips to follow:

1. ALWAYS go to class. Even if you don't take notes if you pay attention the material will stay in your head.
2. Manage your time and have a plan for the day. Knowing what you're going to do that day is very helpful because you get more done while not wasting time.
3. Get to know your TA on a first name basis. I can't tell you how many times the TA gave me extra points on an exam or even told me what was going to be on the test just because I was friends with them.
4. Analyze the course's syllabus to understand the worth of each project/assignment/test. Every point counts and the small assignments can really add up.
5. Map out the course of the semester. Knowing when every assignment is due can be very helpful and I found that if you buy the large calenders it is easy to write everything out. Being able to visualize what is due a month in advance is very helpful.
6. Do the homework. There is a reason teacher give homework, the extra practice from the assignments definitely helps in the long run.

Freshman year and the High School girlfriend

Most of my friends from High School had serious girlfriends going into their freshman year of College. Maybe all but one is still going out with the same girl. It's kind of a sad thought that when you get to college no matter who you're going out with at the time and no matter how much you care about them can't sway the inevitable. I was going out with a girl for almost 2 years and everything seemed good until my first day of College. There's just something about the whole college experience that makes staying with a High School girlfriend so difficult and I blame it on the amount of people you meet in College. Personally, my High School was fairly small and I was dating a girl that I worked with who went to a different school. I was extremely excited for College unlike my girlfriend at the time, which is another reason we didn't stay together. For anyone reading this who has a girlfriend and getting ready to go to College, my advise would be to end it mutually and try to still be friends, because if you stay together it will not end pretty and you'll most likely never talk to each other again. This advice doesn't sound very nice but it is the truth. When you go to College you will meet a lot of people and those people will introduce you to more people and so on. To be honest, staying with the same person doesn't really make much sense to me now. Before I went to College everyone told me that this would happen but I didn't believe them and now I have experienced the foreseen future of the High School girlfriend. It's almost impossible to not meet someone you would be interested in dating in College and sooner or later, it will get the best of you, especially if you're dating a girl who goes to a different College. The moral of the story is that maybe some of the advise you get from people who have been there should be taken into consideration. I know if I could do it again I would have changed a lot. When your Freshman year comes knocking think about the situation you're in and hopefully you'll save each other the heartbreak.

On a side note, I'm leaving for Long Beach, CA tomorrow for the IEEE symposium so I'll try to take some pictures and when I get time I'll write a blog about Freshman year and choosing a major.

Just a question for everyone and a long blog coming soon.

Hey everyone, I was wondering what everyone's thoughts would be about doing vlogs on my motorcycle? I can get a setup that will record video and audio while I go on rides. I would think about doing it next summer and plan some nice trips this year in preparation. Also, by Sunday-ish I will write a blog about my freshman year, sophomore year, electrical engineering and the whole "girlfriend" dilemma going into college. Have a good Friday night everyone!