College Tips You Might Actually Use

Most colleges began their respective academic years last week (RIT started this week). To help out those who are just getting started with college and those who could always benefit with some tips, I thought about some things I have learned during my college experience so far.

On Buying Books

The purchasing and using of college books is nearly a science. Frankly I think they could create a research class out of this practice alone. If you are a freshman, you probably logged into your school’s website, clicked ‘Buy My Books’ and entered your credit card. Several hundred dollars later, you picked up the books at the bookstore.

This is going to be great and so easy! you say to yourself. No my naive fellow student, no it is not. Let me hit you with some hard truths. You are unlikely to read even 50% of the assigned readings. Your teacher will probably be handing out copies of most of the pages you need. Lastly, you definitely overpaid.

But fear not, you can do better. The only true way to do that is through experience, which will teach you a lot about your book needs. Here are some tips I have found useful at RIT:

• Never unwrap the book until after the first class (and maybe even later). Your parents probably told you this and they were absolutely right. Professors within the same course/department often have different styles that require/do not require various “assigned” books. Following this tip will ensure that you (A) have the right book and (B) your professor is using said book. If either of those things is false, you can return it without issue if it is still in the shrink-wrap.

• Use caution when buying from your campus bookstore. Campus bookstores might seem like a friendly place. All the employees are students who are familiar with getting you the assigned books. Your professors will tell you to go there. However there are plenty of alternatives that can save you a ton of money.

  By using sites like Half.com, or even Amazon.com you can save cash (as in half price). Someone on your campus might have set up a smaller, school-specific book trading site (RIT has Bookmaid) which are usually higher risk/higher reward (read: lower price, shady dealings). Be sure you triple check ISBNs and Edition numbers when buying books outside the campus store.

  Please note that sometimes your class might require a school-specific version of the book. In that case you have been conned into buying from the bookstore (or your friend who took it last semester, score!).

• Only worry about the required textbooks. When you see the word ‘recommended’ next to a book listing, replace it with ‘do not buy’. Sometimes recommended texts are useful, but often times they are simply overkill. Even if you are completely new to the subject I would recommend waiting on buying recommended. Sometimes the primary text will do enough to clue you into the field, and you can save fifty bucks (plus).

On Choosing Classes

I think most freshman have their classes selected for them, but after that you will have plenty of flexibility in choosing your courses.

• Make use of your academic advisor. Most colleges if not all provide each student with a contact within their department known as their academic advisor. This person is a great asset to consult when planning your schedule as they know which courses require the most work, and which will count towards obscure requirements on your planning sheet. Which of course brings me to…
• Consult your major’s course requirement sheet! At RIT, the CS roadmap looks like the last page here (PDF). I know it sounds simple, but many people schedule without actually examining their major’s requirements carefully. This information is also essential because you should be planning ahead to some degree. I personally plan one quarter in advance, so for example right now I have a very good idea of what I will be taking in the winter. I even have some plans for the spring. You do not have to plan out your whole curriculum week one, but staying one semester ahead will be helpful.
• Check professor reviews. The most popular is Rate My Professors, but I prefer college specific options. RIT has Tiger Reviews and I would imagine most colleges have similar options provided by their student government. You have to take reviews with a grain of salt, because some are made by people who did no work and blame the professor. I would say they are more useful for finding good professors than avoiding bad ones. If you type in a name and that professor has all positive reviews, you are set. I highly recommend consulting these resources (and first hand accounts if you know previous students) before selecting your course.
• Value professors over perfect timing. I learned this last year and will live by it from now on. If you have to take classes at strange and perhaps inconvenient times but are guaranteed a solid teaching staff, definitely take advantage of that option. It is much more beneficial than having the perfect schedule with regards to times. I am currently taking primarily evening courses, but I am set with much better professors and it is definitely worth it.

Other Assorted Tips

• Avoid the all-nighter. It might sound cool, but it really is not worth it. You pretty much waste your sleeping time and the entire next day. However staying up late is a must at some points. I once started coding a project at 1am and finished at 4:30am three and a half hours later. It had to be done by 12pm the next day. Stuff like this you have to try at least once…actually maybe you should not. At least I was able to sleep for 7 or so hours which is the absolute minimum I recommend. Speaking of…
• Sleep. Often. This is more subjective. Some people have to stay awake, but there are others like me who rely on frequent naps. I also find that napping allows you to partake in post-midnight tomfoolery while still remaining fresh for your day.

Sidnote: Just scanning those last two bolded tips tells you a lot about my priorities at college. I enjoy sleep, what can I say. Anyway…

• Eat healthy. Or at least try your best to do so. You do not want to be one of those hit with the freshman fifteen (or fifty, which I have seen in real life). When you hit the cafeteria, avoid the cheeseburger line. Find the salad and pasta bars and make them your friends. I personally gave up everything fried and all carbonated beverages (read: pop). You do not have to necessarily go to these extremes, but set limits on yourself. Maybe you only get the cheeseburger twice a week. I must add that eating healthy does still allow a little freedom. I have one meal a week I designate as all bets are off, eat whatever you want. It might be hard at first to control your eating desires, but of anything on this list you will probably be most grateful you followed this advice.
• Hit office hours sometime within the first month. This is a great tip (in my opinion) that could pay dividends later in the course. Every professor is required to hold office hours where students can drop by an ask questions. If you do not drop by, the professors are wasting their time. By visiting their office hours you set yourself apart from the other college students who are too lazy to do this. It shows the professor you care about the course. Even if you do not need any help, try to stop by with a question that might let them flex their knowledge about the subject of the course. You might get some tips for the course, and if nothing else you stand out from your lazy, apathetic peers.

How To Get A’s in College

If you are looking for more tips and experiences from others, check out How to Get A’s in College. I consulted this book and many of the stories contained within it in writing this post. The book is a compilation of Reader’s Digest-styled excerpts from college students across the nation. There are a ton of quotes and advice that made me think about my college experience and how to improve it. I recommend it particularly for new college students as the information will be most useful for that group.

As a disclaimer please know that publishing company Hundreds of Heads provided me with a copy of the book. I was not paid to read it. I apologize to them for taking so long to use their book for a post, as there was a confusion with the post office (the book was sent during my recent move).

In Closing

There are so many more tips that I could write, and I just might do that in the future. However if I do not end now I will just keep typing and typing. I hope that some of these tips are useful to you. I also hope that they make sense because I have been writing this in between classes over the last few days.

Do any of these sound useful? What tips do you have for college students?