What to Expect in College and/or University?

[HikariYami 354]

Next week, I start College. 

A lot of you people here are older than me and have been to college. Some of you are even getting married. 

 

side rant/thought: I feel as if some people put pressure on young people to settle quickly. To find someone and make a family especially in their twenties. Many people I find especially older people that I work with and help volunteer with regret marrying at ages 18-26ish wishing that they would have waited. I know people do find that special someone during that time and are happy. I don't want to get married until I finish every single thing that I want to do in the single life./rant)

 

 

I took AP classes in High School, so I only have to take a couple prerequisites which is why I chose to go to community college because they would take all my credits. I doubt college courses are the same as AP courses in terms of rigor. College courses will be harder

 

side note to high schoolers: If you take AP classes, some schools will only count a certain number of hours to go to your degree usually eight. Check your schools policy; however. Junior College generally accepts them all and transfers to Universities.

 

 

What will also help is if anybody has transferred to universities from Community College or University to University.

Also if anyone is a Life Science major like Biology/Biochemistry can you give insight on rigor. 

Pre-Med track too. 

Does anyone attend UNCCH- University of North Carolina Chapel Hill or Duke University?

[XxCobaltxX 321]

I'm starting junior year of high school, so I don't think I'm much help, lol but question, did you mean to say that some schools don't except ap credits? Cause I'm taking and have taken a ton of ap classes, did I just waste time?

[Jilly Shears 2,144]

It find it easier than high school, to be honest. lolThe only major difference is that there's a lot, lot less hand holding than in high school, and time management is critical. Also, firetruck the financial aid department since they always give you the runaround.

[HikariYami 354]

I'm starting junior year of high school, so I don't think I'm much help, lol but question, did you mean to say that some schools don't except ap credits? Cause I'm taking and have taken a ton of ap classes, did I just waste time?

No, you didn't. It is the best thing you could do in high school. Just make sure your University will accept all your credits or you could have to take that course over again or just be placed in a high class and granted no credit hours for those AP classes. 

[XxCobaltxX 321]

No, you didn't. It is the best thing you could do in high school. Just make sure your University will accept all your credits or you could have to take that course over again or just be placed in a high class and granted no credit hours for those AP classes.

I'm literally taking about 3-4 ap classes per semester this year so I'm definitely for to find a school that accepts APCs

[MasterRoxas13 340]

College is easier in the sense that their is less work to do. But the work is much harder and the Professor really have ran out of f**ks when it comes to students turning in work late.

 

Its easier to make friends at a university though compared to a community college, but its easier to get home sick from what I heard from my friends I universities.

[TerraRedeemed 255]

Expect to have to do all your work. Missed or late assignments will be the end of you. On that same note you need to read what your professors give you. At the absolute minimum you should scan the materials before you need them.  Also, learn MLA as well as elimination of all passive voice and 1st person speech from your writings. These are all just general things that I've picked up. I'm going to be a senior this year but I've been in college for 5 years. Also, you shouldn't be wishy washy at all with your degree. People will tell you that you have time to decide. Even your adviser will say so. I'm telling you now. You don't. The longer you take to figure it out the longer you'll be stuck in school. Pick something and stay with it. Don't second guess yourself. And lastly, plan for the future. Plot out your semesters ahead of time. Don't wait. A class you might need may only be given every other semester or something. This goes for after college too. Start looking for internships and job opportunities. It's never too early. Just my two cents. 

Edited August 11, 2014 by TerraRedeemed

[Zola 3,038]

I'm almost done with a microbiology degree.  I took several AP classes as well, and compared to those the lower level science courses were super easy, though they definitely get tougher as you go along.  If you have developed good study habits then you'll be fine.  AP is really good for getting you into those habits, so it sounds like you're well on your way to success.  Of all the classes I've done, Organic Chemistry has kicked my butt the hardest, so watch out for that one.  

[Caity 3,946]

I've been at University for a year and recently am transferring courses to Computer Games Development, I found Uni is grand, long as you put some work in, pass rates are usually lower than previous schools, like 40% and you pass, you can carry one fail through to the next year.  I would just recommend to make sure to join clubs and have some fun, meet new people.  

[Stray Reaper 143]

My experience even though I decided to drop out recently is know what you want to do with your life. I spend two semesters in college with a vague idea of where I was going and that was seriously a bad idea. Other then that take advantage of every resource they give you. You are paying how much better make it worth it. Oh and have fun, join clubs and the like but remember those are all distractions so keep that at the back of your head.

[Tigerruss 576]

Something to note with AP classes, some community colleges work with high schools to allow students to take some college courses only open to high school students. (though supposedly they are nearly identical to the same course number that a normal college student could take.) It is an alternative to AP courses, not sure how much it costs the student, and it gives them college experience. Though it might make the student have more strenuous hours. (I am not sure, I haven't looked into the program)If you haven't already, take your English and Speech courses ASAP, why? Lots of other courses ask of students to write papers, and give presentations. So it is good practice to take them.Are you starting at a 2 year college?If so, I would suggest starting out by deciding if you want an Associate's Degree or to just transfer in to the university of your choice.An associate's might negate the need for the general education requirement at the university. But....if you have some incompatible classes, you may have to take classes similar to what you already took, to take the classes you need to take at the University.

I personally went to a community college in my state, and took basically only guaranteed to transfer correctly to any university in my state classes. So, I don't have to retake anything at the university I am starting at in the fall. BUT if you are going to a university out of state, the risk of classes not transferring properly increases. (when a class doesn't transfer properly, you still get the credit hours, it just doesn't count for any requirements.)

Either way you are going to want to research your university(ies) of choice plans for your major. That will give you insight to what classes you will want to try to take while you are at a 2 year college.If you are going for an associate's, plan out your courses so you will for sure have your general education classes done by your final semester. This may also apply to transferring. (And keep in mind that some universities only accept up to x number of transfer credits, associate's degrees raise how much most universities accept, but you still need to keep that in mind)

 

As for how people are? I can't really compare the students to high school, since I never went to school before college. But overall I found most people at the Community College I went to "okay".  Aside from some noisy people that hung out in the student lounge areas. (of all the groups of annoyingly noisy people, they tended to clump up into 1-2 areas, pretty easy to avoid) Everyone else that I talked to seemed pretty 'nice', though not all were intelligent.There was no bullying that I saw going around, BUT the college had cameras everywhere AND basically had a "if you are in a fight we'll expel you " rule.

As for the intelligence of students? I think the school I went to had a pretty good bell curve. So that means some students weren't smart or just didn't care at all. (PEOPLE FAILED A CAREER PLANNING CLASS I WAS IN! IT HAD AN OPEN BOOK MIDTERM, AND PROOFREADING RESUMES AS A FINAL!)Okay I just couldn't believe that... Anyways about the instructors? Most of the instructors I had, seemed to actually care about teaching their subject. (and when the instructors had time, they never turned down answering a question any student had.) But as others have said, they don't take kindly to late work. Also some will lock you out of the class, if you don't show up within the first 5 minutes.

 

What else to expect from college? Expect their computers to not always function correctly. Expect most of your early classes to be easy to pass if you put effort into them. The three classes that took the most out of class time from me were Calc I, Calc II, and Calc III. Probably because most of the classes with tests of facts had study guides. Even if they didn't have study guides, if you are good at putting concepts together and remembering classes, you'll do well on the test.And as for essays and presentations? I find the research is the most time consuming part. After you get the research done, you just need to know how to throw together a good essay/presentation. For me that is relatively easy, especially if I can passively think about the essay and presentations.

Oh yeah, one thing to note 1 credit classes can have lots of out of class work required to do well in them. (especially if they are a lab, or some sort of music class)Sorry if I didn't write conscicely enough, or had some odd grammar, I just don't care that much when posting on forums. And if you are curious of what I am going into, it is psychology and statistics, with a goal of research psychology.

[roxion 42]

Financial: You need scholarships. A lot of them. I wouldn't recommend student loans because I heard they're an ass to pay off. Having a job will help pay for smaller stuff some books, paper and pens.

 

Materials: Labtop, books and syllabus will be your best friend. Write with pens always if you use paper.

 

Professors: You need to research on which professor will teach you. Some are shitty but can teach very well and some are nice, but can't teach. Some won't lecture and send you home to read this and that page. Others will only lecture and give you quiz on materials that can be only found in the book.

 

Management/Time: You'll have a class about this no matter what major you want. You need to learn to be responsible for your time basically. Plus, whip yourself into study mode. Some professors are mean and will lock the door behind them if you are late. Tally marks are made against you if you get three tardies equal no shows. No shows or being absent three times means you will be witdrawn from that class and have to take it again. Advoid doing it will look horrible on you.

 

Work/Class: Depending on whom is teaching you, work will range from "Oh My God, Kill Me!" to "Is this college?" Okay I'm being completely serious you will be completely stressed if you take 8 classes. Don't do it. Slow and steady will win the race take only 3 or 4 classes each semester. For your Bio Jazz, for me it was pretty easy. It seemed like a repeat of 9th grade Bio class. So you might want to break out old notes. For me atleast getting my Associates of Science. You're going to need electives that aim closer to science.

 

Conclusion: I hoped my advice helps you. I'm very happy for you. It's good to know where you want to be in life. Also if the teacher is late give them 30mins. If not, sign a paper and put a date on top that says you were there. My stuff probably has some misspelling and incorrect grammar forgive me. I'm sleepy. AP classes looks good for Universities.

[roxion 42]

Also, don't worry about relationships. They may or may not happen while at college. If you end up in one be careful they can distract you. Unless you're good at balance at work and play.

[Javelin434 3,164]

I've been stuck in community college for a LONG while unfortunately and have never step foot in a university, so I have no idea what goes on there.

 

The only thing I do know is that when it comes to requesting financial aid, be prepared for a LOT of paperwork and verification papers, including IRS transcripts [that you have to request online] and copies of parental tax forms [or your own if you work] up to 3 years back [just in case]. 

 

REMEMBER: The Federal Pell Grant is money you don't need to pay back. Avoid the student loans at all costs unless really necessary. Paying them back is ridiculous and even worse, filing for bankruptcy in the event your financial situation ever gets that bad won't dismiss the loan. It will stick with you for life. Apply for as many scholarships as you can. That's also free money should you qualify for them. Just be sure to meet the requirements for them [like not wrecking your GPA like I do -.-']

Edited August 11, 2014 by Javelin434

[AuraAce 1,126]

I'm starting my senior year, I think i'd still be in Junior in the US. I really don't know what to expect. The teachers and quite frankly the whole school board are looking at my year group with high expectations because we've just swapped to a different grading system and my year group are the first to undertake exams in this condition.