Advice to high school graduates part 2
In my previous blog, I mentioned about being prepared for college. College is not difficult, but it is challenging for most students, no matter how good you are. The reason is you are going to a new environment, making new friends, meeting new teachers, and learning new way of study. Also you are maturing into an adult and maturing is a difficult process for any young person.
When you select a college to attend, you must do it because it has something to offer you such as a special program that you want. You must choose a college where you can achieve the most and be successful. Never select a college because your best friend is going there or your boyfriend or your girlfriend is going there. No matter what school that you go to, you will meet new friends so do not worry about not having friends. In college, you have to make decision about the field of study. This is not an easy decision but you have to make it wisely and logically. It is your life and your future so you must do research about the market trends before making decision. When you have all the data to help you to come up with a choice, discuss it with your parents and explain to them why you are making that decision. If needed, ask for a meeting with a career advisor from the school to help guide you but in the end, it is you who must make the decision.
The first few weeks in college are where many things can happen, especially for students who are not well prepared. You are expected to study at least two hours for every hour of class. That is not easy because it only took you two hours to study a day in high school and you did well so you are wondering if this rule is too strict. There are so many activities and new friends to meet so for the first few weeks, you did not follow the rule. Suddenly you are behind the class and have to catch up. Instead of using those weeks as a time to get on with the flow of the class, many students are left behind and could not catch up. In my 30 years of teaching in college, I saw it happened all the time. Students would come in with all kinds of excuse because they are behind the class. In the end, few could catch up but many failed and dropped class.
Failure to get on with the flow of class is a major problem to most college students. The reason students cannot catch up because new materials keep on coming and they cannot get it under control. If a professor assigns homework, you should to do it immediately. Do not wait until the night before because there will be more homework, more materials and you will be overwhelmed. In high school, there are excuses for turning in late. High school students are very good at having excuses such as “I am sorry because I am sick” or “I have to take care of my grandmother as she is old and not feeling well, can I turn in homework next week?” In college, there is no such excuse. If you are late, you get zero. You are an adult and you are responsible for your own learning. If you care about your work, you should not turn anything late; even you have to stay up late at night to do the work. By keep up with the class, you learn responsibility and are responsible for yourself. If you want to do well in college, please take this advice: Keep up with the class and do not stay behind.
When you go to college, nobody knows about what you did in high school. Who you were, how good or how bad you were does not mean much in college. College is a time to make a fresh start. You could be an average student in high school but with some studying disciplines you could be a top student in college. You may be a talented student in high school activities and have many admirers but if you do not keep up with your class, you will not be as popular as you think you are. In college, time management is very important. You have to learn how to fit everything into a limited amount of time that you have and you really do not have much time. In high school, you go to school for a period of time and the rest of the time is yours to spend however you want. In college, you have many classes at different times each day, you have to study for each class (Remember the rule: two hours for each hour in class). If you have four class a day that means eight hours of studying. In this case, you do not have much time for extra activities and sleep. This is a shock to most first year students as they are not aware of it.
You go to college to get educated, you go to class to learn and it is a full time job. You will need self-discipline to manage your time effectively. You must learn to turn off the television, quit the video games, stop the chat room or text messages and keep your mobile phone off to focus on study. You must learn to wake up early to go to class. Do not wait for your mother to wake you up. It is your responsibility and your discipline. Of course, getting up at 7:00 to go to class at 8:00 is not easy, especially if you study late at night but you must do it. And you do not want to miss a class. If you skip one class, you will do it again and you will not be able to catch up. You will fail.
In college you will meet new friends and this is important. You need friends who have similar goals and directions. You need friends to talk with and share similar experiences with. You must choose wisely who will be your friends. Select people who share the same likes and dislikes, who enjoy doing the same activities as you do. Remember that college is a fresh start and you are given the chance to start over, leaving some of your high school friends and making new friends. If you choose wisely, your new friends in college could be your friends for life. Good friends will help you in your time of difficulty. They will console you when you are having a hard time or struggling through a particular challenge. Good friends will be there to back you up when you need them, so choose them carefully.
Please remember that friends offer significant influence on your behavior as you will become like them. You will change to act like them and adopt the words that they use, as well as their behaviors. You may not agree with me, but I have seen it happen all the time. I saw good students misbehaved when they were with bad students. I saw best student failed easy class after a few weeks involved in alcohol and illegal drugs under the influence of some undesirable people. When you go out with a group of friends, you may not realize that you started using words that they did and act like them, this is just the beginning. If they drink, you will drink too. If they smoke, you will smoke too. If they have sex, you will have sex too and if you are not careful, you will have to live with the consequences.
It is important to choose friends who share the same standards as you, that way, you can help each other. Be with people who will support and care for you, and who are similar to you and your interests. Having friends who share your dream, share your goals, and share your future can make you a better students and better person. Never forget why you are going to college and your responsibilities to your family, to your society and to your country. If you keep these in mind, I am sure you will do well in college and in the future.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
