The University Thread

[AnthonyD1993]

Don't curse yourself.

Right now, I'm sweating my ass off. School is just feeling like high risk stock investment, for me.

To be honest, I'm just hoping I wind up with 93 percent at the end of the year. I'm hoping to have one quarter with a 4.0 GPA, and this could literally be my last chance to do so. I've never had this high of a grade at any near halfway point, and knowing some of the material I've submitted, I shouldn't have that right now, either.

I felt the way that you do right now when I first started at college. I only wound up changing my major because that was the major factor in me really sweating bullets. It might not be the best thing for you since I don't know your situation, but I was finally able to settle in after I switched majors.

 

[Brutaka]

I finished orientation and I picked my classes and now I'm extremely excited to be going to NIU in a little over a month, however, there is one little issue I have. I'm not too good at starting up conversations with people I'd like to meet, I can make a conversation if I'm involved in a situation but otherwise I draw up blanks. How do you guys start conversations with seemingly random people?

 

[AnthonyD1993]

I finished orientation and I picked my classes and now I'm extremely excited to be going to NIU in a little over a month, however, there is one little issue I have. I'm not too good at starting up conversations with people I'd like to meet, I can make a conversation if I'm involved in a situation but otherwise I draw up blanks. How do you guys start conversations with seemingly random people?

To be honest, I didn't really say much during my college orientation. I wound up meeting people after I was settled in as a freshmen. When I started meeting people, I was looking for common interests. One of the easier ones for me was video games. Just find something that people talk about and try to find a way to add to the conversation. That's what I did, and I got friends from doing that.

 

[Swagger897]

Yeah..... I'm in deep, deep trouble...

So I had to take a summer semester class for my degree, as they don't teach it during the spring/fall semesters. Regular semester = 16 weeks, full work-load. Summer semester = 8 weeks, same work-load as 16 weeks. Not to mention my family dragged me on vacation with them, boom, 7 weeks, and then I had ecoli for a few weeks, boom, 6.5 weeks. THEN, my teacher left for a week, boom, 5.5 weeks, and above all, I don't have Internet down where I was living (weekend house to evade on campus stuff), so I could only do it at the school. Unfortunately, jobs got in the way so staying late to finish up wasn't a possibility, and as a result I got behind in class. REAL FAR BEHIND.

So tomorrow at 12:01am, (Wednesday) all the work is due. SO far, I've completed one assignment. There was no way I could do work I missed while keeping up with what was getting spewed out. Now, if I don't pass this class (right now there's no way in hell unless she takes out almost all assignments) I'll have to wait an entire year before I can advance further with my degree, something the parents won't take too kindly at all.

I've been working for almost 36 hours non-stop, and I've gotten to the point that I'm able to see my computer refresh the screen at 50 fps... I started with 40 assignments, plus about ten random other ones somewhere else to do. I've gotten those ten knocked out, and one of the 40 done. I've got about 10 incompletes at about 50-65% completed, and it seems like it just wont end. Each assignment has roughly 10-19 question in it, and about 10-25 individual questions within the question. It's an absurd amount of work to do, even if I were able to attempt to finish the night of the assignments.

You're probably asking "why aren't you still working then? Time is precious??" Well, I've just about had enough. I'm only able to complete these assignments to about 70% at max, and it takes around an hour to do each one. There's no way I can finish another 30 more like this. I don't know what to do, and I really wish tomorrow never comes...

 

[AnthonyD1993]

Yeah..... I'm in deep, deep trouble...

So I had to take a summer semester class for my degree, as they don't teach it during the spring/fall semesters. Regular semester = 16 weeks, full work-load. Summer semester = 8 weeks, same work-load as 16 weeks. Not to mention my family dragged me on vacation with them, boom, 7 weeks, and then I had ecoli for a few weeks, boom, 6.5 weeks. THEN, my teacher left for a week, boom, 5.5 weeks, and above all, I don't have Internet down where I was living (weekend house to evade on campus stuff), so I could only do it at the school. Unfortunately, jobs got in the way so staying late to finish up wasn't a possibility, and as a result I got behind in class. REAL FAR BEHIND.

So tomorrow at 12:01am, (Wednesday) all the work is due. SO far, I've completed one assignment. There was no way I could do work I missed while keeping up with what was getting spewed out. Now, if I don't pass this class (right now there's no way in hell unless she takes out almost all assignments) I'll have to wait an entire year before I can advance further with my degree, something the parents won't take too kindly at all.

I've been working for almost 36 hours non-stop, and I've gotten to the point that I'm able to see my computer refresh the screen at 50 fps... I started with 40 assignments, plus about ten random other ones somewhere else to do. I've gotten those ten knocked out, and one of the 40 done. I've got about 10 incompletes at about 50-65% completed, and it seems like it just wont end. Each assignment has roughly 10-19 question in it, and about 10-25 individual questions within the question. It's an absurd amount of work to do, even if I were able to attempt to finish the night of the assignments.

You're probably asking "why aren't you still working then? Time is precious??" Well, I've just about had enough. I'm only able to complete these assignments to about 70% at max, and it takes around an hour to do each one. There's no way I can finish another 30 more like this. I don't know what to do, and I really wish tomorrow never comes...

Does your college by chance offer Incomplete grades? I know that my college does, and all an Incomplete states is that the work must be done outright by the end of the next semester. I know that they are only given with special consideration or if a certain percentage of the work is done, but you might as well ask and give it a shot if your college does that. I know a girl in one of my spring classes got one because she couldn't attend due to being in a car accident. Your instructor might be willing to work with you if you tell them the situation.

 

[Swagger897]

Does your college by chance offer Incomplete grades? I know that my college does, and all an Incomplete states is that the work must be done outright by the end of the next semester. I know that they are only given with special consideration or if a certain percentage of the work is done, but you might as well ask and give it a shot if your college does that. I know a girl in one of my spring classes got one because she couldn't attend due to being in a car accident. Your instructor might be willing to work with you if you tell them the situation.

Well I have told here on multiple occasions that I don't have Internet down there, and I doubt they would grant me that. If anything I expect to see an email tomorrow morning about my situation.

My largest concern in my GPA. After the fall semester of senior year HS, I never wanted to trash my GPA again and that seems to be happening all over. Nothing I can really do that's feasible, or economical. The entire point of me going to a small college was to save money but I foresee it as being just as expensive of a mistake.

I'll try tomorrow to call the administration and see what they might have.

 

[AnthonyD1993]

Well I have told here on multiple occasions that I don't have Internet down there, and I doubt they would grant me that. If anything I expect to see an email tomorrow morning about my situation.

My largest concern in my GPA. After the fall semester of senior year HS, I never wanted to trash my GPA again and that seems to be happening all over. Nothing I can really do that's feasible, or economical. The entire point of me going to a small college was to save money but I foresee it as being just as expensive of a mistake.

I'll try tomorrow to call the administration and see what they might have.

I know that struggle since I wound up having to fight to get over a 2.5 GPA in high school and struggled to get my college GPA to a 3.0 after being an absolute clown in my freshmen year. If you get the e-mail, I'd try telling them that work got in the way (along with the illness- especially emphasize the illness) and you couldn't catch up due to a situation out of your control.

 

[Swagger897]

I know that struggle since I wound up having to fight to get over a 2.5 GPA in high school and struggled to get my college GPA to a 3.0 after being an absolute clown in my freshmen year. If you get the e-mail, I'd try telling them that work got in the way (along with the illness- especially emphasize the illness) and you couldn't catch up due to a situation out of your control.

Well the bad thing about that is I can't pull the sick card, because I can only miss four days in an 8 week semester that meets twice a week. I was gone on vacation, so there's two, and then I had to leave for the other day, so three. So, I guess really three absences, and the fourth is final, but anyways, I don't think that they'll give me much but kind words.

I'm going to have to commute from my main house to the school I guess. Something that could be an hour plus, and riddled with cops...

 

[TB]

@Swagger897 - you're making an awful lot of excuses for why it not your fault instead of either telling your family no or planning ahead and doing extra work before the vacation so you're not as far behind.

And I have absolutely no idea what difference the police make.

Also, log the hell off of GTP and get to work.

 

[Swagger897]

you're making an awful lot of excuses for why it not your fault instead of either telling your family no or planning ahead and doing extra work before the vacation so you're not as far behind.

Excuses you may call them, but they are legitimate reasons when all work is done via the Internet. If I could have spent even more time doing work before vacation, I would have. I had nothing to do on Wednesdays so I even went to school then for hours attempting to catch up but with futile results. The amount of work we were given in 16 weeks was hard enough, this, in 8, impossible. The instructor agreed with everyone. The only people who I asked what they averaged said C's, and the possibility they wouldn't make. I have no hope. I'm so far from a C, it would take another 72 hours maybe to even think of having an average near 50%.

And I have absolutely no idea what difference the police make.

On my strip of I-85, they'll pull you over for anything and everything. I know where they hide (even though that's illegal in GA) but still, their discretion. I don't want to be late, nor do I want to wake up at 4 A.M. to go to class.

 

[AnthonyD1993]

@Swagger897 - you're making an awful lot of excuses for why it not your fault instead of either telling your family no or planning ahead and doing extra work before the vacation so you're not as far behind.

Also, log the hell off of GTP and get to work.

I can't speak for him, but in my online class, the weekly folders each week only appear on the start of a new school week. If I had access to the folders before hand, I'd be working ahead. But I can't so I'd be a week behind if I went somewhere without internet (which frankly doesn't happen unless I go to a campground, and the only campgrounds I go to anymore have wifi so it doesn't really matter).

On my strip of I-85, they'll pull you over for anything and everything. I know where they hide (even though that's illegal in GA) but still, their discretion. I don't want to be late, nor do I want to wake up at 4 A.M. to go to class.

I have to side with TB on this one because a cop patrolling a stretch of road and setting up speedtraps really IMO has nothing to do with it. If I commuted to college, I'd have to drive 80 miles one way to get there. I still can get there on time (hour and a half consistently, hour and 45 minutes if I get caught up in traffic) even though M52 is often a highly patrolled stretch of highway in this part of Michigan. I mean, worst case scenario is that you tell your instructor that you was held up in traffic and that's it. There's really not any reason to blame traffic for schoolwork issues.

 

[Swagger897]

the weekly folders each week only appear on the start of a new school week. If I had access to the folders before hand, I'd be working ahead

They appear whenever the instructor unlocks them... Sometimes it's Sunday, sometimes it's Tuesday the minute class ends..

 

[True-blue-8]

Anyone attending University of South Wales in September?

 

[Swagger897]

Anyone attending University of South Wales in September?

pretty small select group of us in here... you're probably a needle in a haystack if that.

 

[True-blue-8]

pretty small select group of us in here... you're probably a needle in a haystack if that.

I thought so too lol, but I've met a few from Newport here so worth a shot lol

 

[Swagger897]

Yeah... the thread got pretty quite over the summer (duh) but it might pick up soon again...

Need more nerds in here.

 

[CinnamonOD]

About to finish my first week of University.

It's more of an introduction week, we get to know part of the campus and the faculty building and who's on charge of what.

 

[Lizard]

I am 1 month off starting my final year.

Yay dissertation.

 

[AnthonyD1993]

I'm currently taking the final class I need for my degree online. One week down, five to go.

 

[Brutaka]

I start my first year next week, any last advice?

 

[AnthonyD1993]

I start my first year next week, any last advice?

Are you going to be a dorm student or a commuter? Either way, I'd try to meet as many people as possible, but I have more advice to give if you live in the dorms.

 

[phillgt2002]

Ahhh, the feeling of going back to hell. Feels good, doesn't it?

 

[Akmuq]

I can't wait to go back, though I am waiting on exam results to find out if I'm into second year.

 

[True-blue-8]

My application to student finance wales was successful and I received a student loan.

Initially my course was a 3year English degree. I missed my grades in every subject by 2 or 3 marks (I know how annoying) but they've given me a place in a 1year higher education course. If I pass this I go straight into the second year of the degree (thinking about it this way may be easier lol) but as it's a different route, do I need to let student finance know? Or will they be made aware of it and make changes themselves?

 

[Brutaka]

Are you going to be a dorm student or a commuter? Either way, I'd try to meet as many people as possible, but I have more advice to give if you live in the dorms.

Dorm

 

[AnthonyD1993]

Dorm

I figured I'd ask before posting because I didn't want to waste my time with a useless post and yours for reading a useless post.

One thing I would do is time your routes to get to classes so you have a rough idea of how long it will take to get to classes. I did that to get a feel for how long it would take me and added 20 minutes to it so I could account for any sudden issues that arise.

Spend as much time as possible with your dorm mates (if you have any) to learn about them. During the learning time, do not leave any valuables or cash exposed. Make them earn your trust- don't give them it.

Having a steady routine is even more important in college than it is in high school. Create one with this term, and then schedule classes in the future based off of the routine (or a new routine if habits change).

Try to get homework done ASAP and try to plan any shopping trips on weekends (the latter worked for me). In the case of homework, if its done early, its on time. There are some programs that won't even let people turn in late work. The one I use to submit assignments will deduct if it is even a minute late.

One more thing- emergency drills are done often. I had 2 fire drills per term, and of the 6 annually (quarter system), one was after midnight. Colleges will penalize students for failing to comply with drills. I know of a guy who got suspended because he didn't leave his dorm for two consecutive fire drills.

 

[Lizard]

One more thing- emergency drills are done often. I had 2 fire drills per term, and of the 6 annually (quarter system), one was after midnight. Colleges will penalize students for failing to comply with drills. I know of a guy who got suspended because he didn't leave his dorm for two consecutive fire drills.

Oh I remember those in my first year. Although half of them were due to faulty alarms.
Unis here don't own the accommodation though so can't kick you out.

After about 6, 3am wake ups everyone stopped caring if they went off. This left the staff in shock at the next drill.

 

[PeterJB]

In freshers week in 1st we had a drill at 6 am. Other than that we had it go off at 1 am after someone burnt their bacon to crisp, and also 11 pm and 11 am.

 

[Beeblebrox237]

I start my first year next week, any last advice?

Don't drink too much (but still enjoy yourself) and get your work done. Other than that, enjoy the student life!

 

[Lizard]

1 am after someone burnt their bacon to crisp, and also 11 pm and 11 am.

Did that. Cooking prawn crackers.

Lucky no one was in on the day I did it. I got back from Christmas a day early.