Spice up your college experience
By Patience Still
College, oh the life, the challenge, the fun, the blah blah blah. Everybody talks about it everybody says who needs it everybody says can’t succeed without it (it’s really a personal decision what you do with knowledge).
The question is do you want for two four six eight, twelve years to sit in an uncomfortable seat (made to try and keep you awake), in an out of season temperature room (hot in summer, cold in winter) and listen to someone else’s opinion about stuff. Really, the challenge is discovering exactly what you’d like to spend the rest of your life paying loans for and can you actually afford it. There are ways of affording it…take out a loan…get a grant… hit up the parents you’ve been angry with the past 5 years. Make sure whatever you do you make it worthwhile.
Why go to college, well why not, do you like to learn, do you feel the need to have something to brag about to people who don’t really care, or do you need the feeling of achievement. Whatever YOUR reasons, I SAY go for it. If it ends up being a hassle and mistake, welcome to life, you live make mistakes and recover…sometimes you learn from mistakes too. Not everyone by default most learn through error. Some instructors actually use the trial and error method to teach, some know how to teach. Finding the right instructor is hard, but if you’re serious about you can work it out. Take the Challenge.
So the furthering of the mind thing can get worn out real quick and the thought can be dreadful, but there’s always an upside (or so I’ve heard.). The people. People, you will meet every type of person possible in the crowded walkways of college (crowded during high enrollment). Once you’ve been through those halls you’ve been to Planet of at Least One of Everything. Now you can relax and be you, seriously you-if you know who you are.
Anyways before you enroll sometimes finding out exactly what your classes\curriculum involves is helpful. Go find the department head or one of the instructors and find out the supplies needed, average class cost, exactly what the class entails, who the recommended instructors are (easy does not mean the best). If you’re going to invest time and money you don’t really have, go with the best. Save ahead of enrollment, many times the hidden cost are what get you ( dare you to try and find a pen for sale costing less than 3 bucks-and works).
Not sure what you want to major in- don’t go to a four year $60,000 a year college to find out you don’t enjoy being a scientist like the ones you see on TV. Take a single course which doesn’t require a prerequisite and check out the scene before you invade the space. Some colleges and organizations offer workshops don’t do it unless you can get a credit towards your classes, well lets not say don’t. If you don’t mind putting in the time and not receiving anything for it, go for it. Workshops and training are good. At least you’ll have some background when you start the actual classes- even though you’ll probably be taught everything in reverse from what you learned.
If you’d rather just jump in and see how things go, remember it’s your four years, your headaches, and your $5per hour job paying off $17,000 worth of loans. Its also your future your setting up for, so work that $5 hour job and get the degree to secure that $80,000 a year or week (wouldn’t that be something) career.
Final words: there are none on life experiences as their different for everyone, don’t be influenced by this article (that’s not why it was written) just be smart enroll and be smart to graduate. Oh and talk to those who’ve dropped and see how many actually regret it. You only live once (as some believe) make decisions you believe are good for your career goals and may you have a wonderful life when you reach college.