Written by Jasmin
The school year is rapidly approaching, and I’ve been eager to get together with my friends before we all head back to school. Today I was able to have lunch with a close friend who I haven’t seen in several months. As we talked about our plans for the fall, the conversation eventually turned towards “Where Are They Now?” musings about people we knew in high school. We had several success stories to share, but there were just as many tales of dropouts, pregnancies, and more. As I get closer to the end of my college career, the number of the people in the second category keeps increasing and a part of me wonders, what determines who succeeds and who doesn’t?
Obviously there is no simple answer to that question. However, I’ve learned several things over the past two years that may be useful to future students. College is definitely a learn-as-you-go experience, but these tips may help you (or your child) make a smooth transition to “the real world.”
1. The statement “college is a time to explore new things” is a lie.
That may seem harsh, but the reality is that the degree requirements of most schools leave you with little time to “expand your horizons.” On top of major requirements, there are often university requirements (at ND we must have 2 semesters of both Philosophy and Theology, etc.) and college requirements (languages for the College of Arts, calculus for the College of Science, etc.), and these can take up a lot of room in your schedule. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t try out new things (I took Japanese my Freshman year and loved it), but don’t be fooled into thinking that you can sample a bunch of courses your first year. You will end up paying for it later, when you find out that they don’t count (more on this in #2).
2. Learn what counts and what doesn’t.
A failure to do this is what keeps a lot of people from graduating on time. Not every class is worth credit toward a degree, and the sequence and type of classes you need is often major-specific. Additionally, there’s a difference between the number of credits you need to graduate (around 120) and the number of credits you need to earn a degree (around 30). So, you can have enough credits to graduate but no degree and vice versa.
3. Go into college with a plan.
Like number one, this goes against much of what people will tell you, but it is true. In college, you have an unprecedented level of self-reliance and responsibility, and it really is up to you to make sure you reach the finish line. The cost of education is going up each year, while the value of an undergraduate degree is going down every year. Soon, it will be the equivalent of a high school diploma with regards to the amount of job security it provides someone entering the workforce. These and more reasons make it important to create and follow a path for yourself in college, based on your career and lifetime goals. Is it more important for you to get practical experience (internships, jobs) or stellar grades? Will your major likely lead you to a job post-graduation or into graduate school? Asking yourself these kinds of questions will help you figure out what you want to get out of the next 4 years and how to accomplish it.
4. Know your major before you pick your major.
College is so different from high school, because you are no longer striving to be “well-rounded.” You are training to become an expert in a particular field (hence, why you have to attend hours and hours of lectures on the subject!). However, it’s important to know what the major entails before you declare. Case in point: I am a Spanish major, and, contrary to popular belief, being a Spanish major is not about learning the Spanish language. It’s about analyzing the periods and authors relevant to Spanish and Spanish-American literature. Thus, if you want to be a bilingual doctor, a Spanish major is a bad idea, because you will spend hours learning about Baroque Poetry while all you really want is to know how to say “scalpel” in Spanish. Doing a bit of research beforehand can save you from taking difficult classes that have nothing to do with your chosen career path.
5. Spend time with people who have the same goals you do.
My friend mentioned this today, and I think it’s a piece of advice worth mentioning. If you surround yourself with people with good study habits, you will likely have good study habits. If you surround yourself with people who party all the time, you will party all the time. Good friends are not only useful (as study buddies, proofreaders, etc.), but they also want and encourage you to do your best. If they don’t care that you are bombing a class, they aren’t your friends. Real friends would never be OK with seeing you fail.
6. College, like life, is fleeting–don’t waste it!
I’ve only been in college 2 years, but it truly has been the quickest 2 years of my life. I am going to graduate a semester early, and it is sobering to realize that I am over halfway finished with my undergraduate career. They didn’t lie when they said it would fly by, and I’m glad I can look back and say I made good use of my time as an underclassman. College is all about choices; some make the choice to succeed, while others make the choice to fall short. It’s rarely easy, but who said it would be?
Great article. Brings back memories of college. I’m happy that you’re using your time wisely in this degree. That can be a challenge to do! Now, let me recommend to you that you get your masters sooner than later after graduating with this degree, because it really is easier.
Good luck to you.
Jasmin, I was so excited to see another article from you. 🙂
What great insightful and handy advice. Not only for the ones heading out, also good advice for the parents helping them get there.
I agree Amanda, great article and it certainly brought back memories for me and I graduated in 1977 from college.
My son just graduated from college. It took him longer than 4 years. I didn’t realize that there was anyone out there that graduated early anymore so kudos to you , Jasmin. My son played college baseball his first 2 years and switched majors and universities, so it was bound to take him longer but I am very thankful that he graduated and he was able to get a job this summer in his field.
I agree with Jasmin that college is not the time to explore new things. College in itself is a “new thing.” Savor every minute because it goes by so fast.
I am also trying to encourage my son to go get his master’s degree soon. He tells me he will in a year. I hope so.
My gosh, Jasmin, you are one of the more level-headed people I know of ANY age. I really admire you because there are plenty of smart 18-year-olds out there but smart and level-headed don’t always go hand-in-hand. This is a great list. I particularly like #5 – so true.
Great article, Jasmin! I would also like to add that college is very different academically than high school. I know that was one area where I was unprepared when I went to university. I skated by in high school putting in minimal effort and graduated with a 3.8 GPA, but when I got to college…totally different. It only took me a semester to figure it out, but that semester did a job on my GPA. I managed to graduate with a 3.5 GPA from college, but it took some serious doing to get it back up there.
One thing that is being done in the school I teach is having all 8th graders create a four-year plans in the spring of that year. It is important that students begin planning for their post-graduation goals early. You would be surprised how many of my students have said during their senior year that they want to go into the medical field, and yet they never took any advanced science courses. It is getting to a point where even high school is limited on how much time can be spent on exploring new things.
Excellent, Jasmin. You are a smart lady. I agree with “have a plan” especially. It can really save you money…big money…to graduate early or on time.
Jasmin,
You said you were graduating early. Is that because you graduated from high school with college credits or are you just taking heavy loads of classes each semester and during winter and summer session?
Thanks for the comments everyone! (By the way, that’s me standing on the far left :-))
Amanda,
I’m hoping to do Teach for America right after graduation, and most people get their Master’s in the 2 years they are in the program. I might use that extra semester I have to get my ESL certification as well. (I currently teach ESL at a church near school.)
Pam,
I really hate the “explore new things” mantra that they throw at your Freshman year, because it takes people down the wrong path more often than not. The same advisor who tells you “Oh yeah, go ahead and take Beginner’s Basket Weaving, 20th-Century Television, and Basketball” during Freshman year will be the same one saying “By the way, you still need 22 credits to graduate” Spring semester Senior year. I have plenty of friends who are very good students that will be stuck taking all “hard” classes for the next 3-4 semesters because they don’t have any major classes completed. Plus, since most schools like to boast about their small class sizes, there’s always the possibility that you won’t get into the class you need. (I hate registering for Spanish classes–there are only 19 students per class and the upper-levels fill up so quickly, I always have to pray that I get the ones I need.) The key is to spread out your classes, so that you can balance out a couple of major classes with a couple of electives every semester.
Jennie,
I am friendly with a bunch of people at school, but the number of people I count as “friends” is pretty small. My roommate and my other close friends at school are all people who actually study, turn in work on time, etc. It’s no coincidence that the people who make the academic probation list tend to run in the same circles.
Gina,
I agree. I didn’t really have to try in high school, partially because we had so much homework (more like busywork) that all you had to do was turn in to get an automatic A. Most of my college classes (especially Spanish) are only 2-3 papers, a midterm, and a final, so bombing one basically dooms you for the rest of the semester.
I like the idea of having 8th graders make a 4-year plan. One area I notice a lot of people lacking is language. It’s a basic requirement for almost every major, and it’s almost impossible to major in a language if you haven’t taken it before college (intro level classes tend not to count). I agree that things like science and math have to be taken into account starting in high school–I think the starting level for those subjects in college tends to be organic chemistry and calculus, respectively.
Ann,
You said it! Notre Dame is expensive, and I really can’t afford to pay for an extra semester/year. I don’t think most people can, given that tuition increases almost yearly.
Pam,
I entered college with 18 AP credit hours, which put me over a semester ahead, in terms of credit hours. AP credit usually can’t count toward a degree, but mine really helped because I was able to skip the beginning levels of both of my majors (Psych and Spanish), and go straight to the upper levels. Like I mentioned above, those beginning level classes usually don’t count toward a major, but they are a prerequisite to taking the upper levels, so I was able to start earning major credit first semester Freshman year.
Besides going to Spain, I’ve never done any winter or summer sessions, any my class load doesn’t seem heavy (to me at least :-P). I think that being sure about what my majors were before entering college was a big help, since I’ve never switched or needed to drop a class, etc. I have friends who are still uncertain about their majors, and we are going to be Juniors, so they will have to scramble to finish on time. My last 2 semesters (next spring and next fall) will actually be pretty relaxed since I’ve gotten almost all of my “yucky” classes out of the way.
As always, Jasmin, your articles are chalk full of practical and very wise advice.
Your advice is timely. My own daughter will be starting her senior year of high school. One thing I am stressing to her and have learned from my own experience is for some students, community college is the place to start. I really wish your brains, perseverance and ability to know what you want could be bottled up because many parents of teenagers would eagerly purchase this concoction. 🙂
I think your advice is good for anyone attending college, but obviously certain institutions are more expensive than others. For the student who isn’t ready to commit to a particular major at 18, sometimes dabbling isn’t the worst thing, however, I am not really in favor of doing it a four-year college unless you have money to burn (I am pretty sure that doesn’t include anyone reading here LOL).
Anya,
I agree community college is a good place to start. My best friend went to community college for 3 semesters and then transferred to a 4-year institution. She saved a bunch of money and was able to jump right into major classes (she’s a Journalism major), get info on who to network with to find out about graduate school, etc.
Jasmin,
You’re contributions here have been very interesting. I also graduated early due to AP credits. I was also on a mission to finish quickly due to finances. I paid about half and my parents paid the other with various loans and scholarships. Fifteen years later, still paying $200/ month for about another 2 years or less. It was frustrating for me to graduate with so much debt but I had someone along the way say something that now means a lot.
It was something along the lines of “people always have car payments in life. So what is so bad about paying for education for 15 years or so? It matters more in the long run and should be worth it.”
I also think I was so focused because I was so frugal and realized the sacrifice so thought I should “button down and focus.” Exploring options wasn’t even in my stratosphere of thinking. I don’t think it is wrong, though. Just some people take more chances than others. I was too tightly wound and focused on doing what I thought was “right.”
I guess with that last part I just mean to say take each opportunity with a little bit of consideration for possibilities, not what always seems to be the “right” choice. You’ll never get this time back for yourself.
Keep us posted!!!
So true! I graduated in 2006, and I agree that you have to be SO careful to make sure everything you take will count.
My brother attended a junior college for two years before he transferred to U of AL (Roll Tide!!), and he found that several of his credits did not transfer. I would advise someone to seriously speak with advisors at both institutions before planning their curriculum.
CincyMom,
My biggest motivation for wanting to graduate early is finances, and I too will graduate with debt. I like the quote you mentioned, it helps put things in perspective. I’m glad I took the opportunity to try some new things (I’m debating whether I should take Portuguese for Spanish Speakers of 2nd year Japanese next year), but I’m also relieved that I didn’t get so caught up in “taking easy classes” that I fell behind.
Angela,
Great advice! I’ve noticed that it’s becoming more popular for schools to offer classes that could potentially count for several things (i.e., you can claim it as either a Social Science or a History credit, but not both), and that just makes it more confusing. I already know that I need to make an appointment with a dean, because I allegedly haven’t fulfilled my Lit requirement. I went to see a dean last year and he told me that my Spanish lit course could double-count towards the major and towards the university requirement, so now I have to get that straightened out.