How were your college years?

[Jobba]

Im soon joining college as I am 16. I would like to know about how your years were. What did you get your degree in?

[Ol Smoke]

My college years were filled with the realization that nobody gave a shit if I came to school or not.  It's my money and my education.

That is where you learn about being productive.  Your first year is your first year of real life.  Gone is the hot chick clique.  Nobody really

looks good in college.  Your are to damn tired to worry about your wardrobe.  You get up at 6 am and go to bed around 11 pm.

I loved every minute of college.  It was like adulthood 101.  The funniest thing is to go back to your school one year later and watch how

the kids are doing the same thing they have always done.  And, look at how young they look.  Every person who has gone back to see

their school after 2 years, says the same thing,  I didn't look that young when I was in HS.

 

I majored in two things.  My first was Radiological Technology (Xray) and I got an AAS degree.  My second trip was to get an AAS degree in computer technology.

I then when to a California school for my Windows Professional license and my Cysco License.  It was a 9 day, all study, hell at a boot training school for PC Techs.

 

The main thing about college is that you don't really have anyone there taking care of you, except you.  Friendships in college never last.  Real life takes over after you graduate.

I have never talked to anyone from my graduating class except for two guys that I worked with in Salem.  For me it is the eeriest thing to think about those guys that I went to

school with for 3 years.  In my mind they are still 22 years old, but then reality sets in and I realize, they are all 62 or older.  Old and grey and probably fat like me.  And it only seems

like last week.

[UAdave]

I have a BS in Computer Information Systems. College can be alot of work but it is the best times of your life. Like Smoke said it's very big in getting on your own and taking care of yourself.

[Xernicus]

I'm in college right now, though I went through Running Start and took classes myself as early as age 14.

What I'm going to say will make me sound like a harda$$, but trust me, this advice given to me is what has helped me

1. Nobody gives a crap, you need to buckle down yourself.
2. If you don't work hard in your classes, you're being one selfish SOB.
3. Try to get as much college prep in while you're in high school as you can. Scholarships mean everything, though it means you have to work harder both in high school and in college.
4. Where there's a will, there's a way. College can be very depressing, but it's also the turning point in your life.

[Razzled]

I served in my beloved corp. That's how I spent my college years.

[docwarren]

Went to college right out of high school. Was going for a degree in electrical engineering. I too learned that nobody gave a crap if you showed up or not. Lived at home with parents. Smoked too much weed and drank too much booze to care about classes. Yeah....... ended up with a 0.92 GPA.

 

Fast forward 6 years. I'm married, working nighshift as a flight medic and taking a full load of pre req's and some crappy classes not needed to bring my GPA up to (eventually) a 2.6 to be able to apply for the nursing program. Would work Friday, Saturday & Sunday all night, drive to the college Monday morning, sleep in my car for 2 hours and hit classes every day for the rest of the week from 9 am until 4 pm. That was just the pre req's.

 

Fast forward another 2 years after doing that and I'm still working Friday, Saturday & Sunday as a flight medic and nursing classes & clinicals Monday through Friday for 2 more years. Ended up with a 3.8 GPA and a career that has many options.

 

I am convinced that college is a maturity based decision, but as a teen, you can't see it until you're older. I just wasn't ready right out of high school. I didn't have someone depending on me, like I did the 2nd time around. The 2nd time around was a blast...... but....... it was a struggle mentally & physically. I had a lot to overcome because I didn't take it seriously the 1st time.

 

What you do today has effects later down the road. Good and bad. Part of me wishes I would have had the work & study ethics my first time around. But, in a way, I'm glad it took me 2 tries. Who knows where I would be if I had taken that path in electrical engineering.

[gibson66]

Docwarren is totally right. You're completely on your own and it's up to you to make the right decisions. Some don't, and have a great 4 years of drinking and smoking, pull a minimal gpa, and end up with massive debt and no career options. It's not easy to make the transition into adulthood and stick to it, but it's completely rewarding if you do. 

[Thundercats]

The Marine Corps was my college.