General

Surviving College with Ritopls

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NGaUZcT9Lw]First thing's first, I need you to listen to this song while you read this thread.[/url]

Okay so it's that time of year again: back to school. Some of you have probably started, but the rest of us start next week (I go back on Sunday). I thought I pass the vast knowledge I've picked up from my 2.25 years of college down to those who may not know what to expect, or maybe are just a little nervous about the huge transition they're about to make.

Alright so let's get some quick and EASY tips going. I'm not going to give you those cheap tips like "look for textbooks online instead of the bookstore," or "don't do drugs," -- these are some Q U A L I T Y TIPS!

Tip 1: If you don't like waking up early, don't take early classes. E A S Y! Sure, you may have to take some early classes sometimes because the other sections are full or there are no other sections, but I'd say that doesn't happen most of the time. College is all about finding out the person you truly are: if you want to start at 11 am the earliest, go for it. Personally, this is the route I picked my first year when I was more concerned with playing video games till 2 am and holding onto my virginity than waking up early. I mean, there are pros and cons to later classes. One obvious pro is more sleep, or later bed time. One obvious con is you end later than people who chose early classes. You be the judge. If you think you can handle waking up for 8 am classes (and managing to look presentable for qt's), then go for it. Personally, 8 am's are a little crazy for me. However, 9 and 10 am's are my jam.

Tip 2: Go to office hours. For those of you who don't know, office hours are times where your professor is (probably) forced to sit in a room to answer students' questions. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Rito, pls. We go to way better schools than Stony Brook. We're actually not retards like you so we don't need any extra help." Hey, no one said you needed extra help! You think I need extra help with my classes? Pssh. But even if you are comfortable with the material, going to office hours is still a great idea because you'll be able to get to know your professors, which could lead to some opportunities down the road. And if not, your professors have probably done some bad ass things in their lives that they'd love to talk about.

I'll give you two stories. Fall 2014, first semester at Stony Brook, I took linear algebra with this Asian MILF. My lord was she hot. Even my roommate thought she was hot, and he wasn't even into Asians. This woman was so unbelievably hot. And she's married to this goofiest looking Asian guy, but I digress. Anyway, her class was really easy, but I still went to her office hours sometimes. I went the second week of class to introduce myself because she was so hot, and I asked some question about a homework. At first she was a little short with me, but I guess it was because there was a bit of a line behind me (I didn't care, it turned me on). But as I kept going, she would actually explain things to me and laugh and it was great. At the end of the semester, I asked her about being a TA for her. She told me that she'd pick me if I got an A in Calc 3. So we'll see. Because being a TA for her would be amazing. She would just be giving me orders all the time...

And here's another story. Again, first semester at Stony Brook. I was taking Calc 1 because my calc credits from the University of Michigan didn't transfer because Stony "teaches them differently." It was a bunch of crap, the calc at Stony was a lot easier than at Michigan. Anyway, my professor wasn't an actual professor, just a TA (this happens sometimes). He was 24 and looked 17. He was also tanned and Eastern-European. Suffice to say, no one took him seriously. One day he put his desktop on the projector and I saw a League of Legends icon. I went to office hours for him to review the midterm that everyone bombed, and I mentioned League of Legends. We talked about League for like 45 minutes (no one ever went to his office hours because he sucked), and then he was pretty generous with giving me points back, and after that I answered questions in lecture when no one else wanted to. Ended up with an A.

Tip 2.5: Go to your TA's office hours. If one of your classes has a small recitation where the TA leading it has office hours, maybe go to that too -- especially if that class is for your major. The TA will likely be a grad student who knows how undergrad is and can give you advice. You know what? Just go to office hours if you think the person teaching you is attractive and you want to have sex with them. For my economics recitation last semester, I didn't go to my TA's office hours because he was kind of an ass, but went to them for this Chinese girl who ran a different section because she was cute and nice and she gave me tips on how to become a TA!

Tip 3: Make friends. Put yourself out there. Seriously. I don't care how quiet or uncomfortable around others you are, talk to people. You know what I wore to my University of Michigan orientation? A 'Cool Story' shirt from Hot Topic. Imagine a 260 pound kid wearing that shirt with cargo shorts. That was me. And I still made some friends. And now that I'm actually cool, I have tons of people who know me on campus. Friends are so easy to make in college -- especially the first week, as everyone will be as desperate for friends as you. Just go out of your comfort zone a little and try things you never thought you would try and you'll be glad you did. Because I've experienced college as a kid who just went to his classes, then went back to his dorm to play League of Legends, and I've experienced college as a kid who skipped class because he was up all night smoking with a girl, and I'll tell you.. the second way is way more fun.

One good tip for making friends is to leave your door open while you're in the room. Never close your door. If your door is open, people on your floor will likely stop by and chat you up and you'll look socially capable! Moreover, never turn down any invitation. If someone asks you if you want to grab something to eat and you're not hungry, go. You don't have to eat, but grab a bottle of water or something. Never turn down invitations, because there may not be more.

Tip 3.7: Your roommate doesn't have to be your best friend. Don't force him to be. You may get the weirdest roommate ever. I'll describe the three roommates I've had. My first year, I was with this Chinese kid who was actually from China. The first semester was great: he introduced me to his Asian female friends (one of whom was my first college crush/relationship), loved talking about soccer and League, was great at math, and taught me a little Mandarin. Second semester? Things got weird. He would sit on the floor randomly in awkward positions while Skyping with this girlfriend who went to a different school, and he ate raw onions. BY THE WAY IF YOU GET AN INTERNATIONAL ROOMMATE AND HE OR SHE BUYS A CAR, YOU WILL NEVER SEE THEM EVER AGAIN.

Second roommate was supposed to be for a year, but I ended up dropping out 2 months into the first semester. He was really chill. He liked classic rock music and his parents owned a farm (they were Michiganders), and they brought me out to dinner whenever they visited. He was a little awkward, but so was I, so it worked. We got along with some of the people on our floor (an Indian guy with a hot sister and another kid from China) and we had chill times. He even talked to my Maple ex when we Skyped. It was fun.

Third roommate was from the first year at Stony Brook who was this super chill white kid from Long Island. He had a car and talked black and it was great. He is also the first person I've ever met who I thought was smarter than me. So, that's something. We had such a legendary year with our floor, it was crazy.

But ya, point is, you can get weird roommates, so make sure you talk to people in lecture. I always make it a point to introduce myself to five people in each of my classes the first week of school. This leads me to have a pretty big circle of acquaintances, and resources for when I miss class or need help with something. Btw, just because someone goes to college, doesn't mean they're smart. In my 2.25 years of college (at top 100 schools in the world), I've met... maybe 12 smart people. The rest were retards. So, if you're getting an easy A in a class and you know someone who isn't, help him or her. People will literally do anything for people who help them with grades. I've gotten invitations to parties, dates, and meals -- on top of being known as a helpful, caring, INTELLIGENT guy. So don't be the guy who doesn't let anyone borrow a pen because you're pretty much competing against each other, just help people out.

Tip 4: Have fun. Just have fun with it guys. I guarantee college will be the best time of anyone's life. There will never again be a place where thousands of barely legal girls are gathered in one location for 4 years. So you know what? Go to a party. Skip class to go to the beach. Drink alcohol until you swear you'll never drink again, just to do it again the next day. College is so much more than a degree: it's an experience. Don't stay in the library on the weekend to study to make sure your 93 becomes a 96, just go back to your room and get ready to go out. Honestly, what's the difference between a 3.5 and a 4.0? It's very little compared to what you'd have to give up to have the latter instead of the former. Take some B's if that's what it takes for you to become social.

Only four tips because 4 is my favorite number.

I hope I helped. I'll leave you with a quote that helped me really understand college offered by a lab TA I've had, "There is a difference a degree and an education." You get what you put into it. If you want to take easy classes and bs your way through them, sure, your GPA will be good, but what good will they really do? Put some effort into actually learning the material so you can at least take something away from the experience.

I know you'll all do great. :^)