EXCELLENT QUESTION.

I was amazed at how much colleges have changed from my day to my kids. (Technology, food service, activities to name just a few.) It was as if I lived in a third world nation compared to what is offered today.

These other posts are correct. Education is one of the few things we pay good money for and then try and get as little as possible in return.

Something that I noticed happened in my Junior year. A Psychology class. The instructor (Probably a TA) was trying the well-worn line of questioning, "Is it acceptable to kill one person to spare many?" This was before Spock's death in the Star Trek movie.
After "discussing" the issue with the students for most of the class period the instructor got ticked off and more or less said that we had to agree with his ideas or risk getting the answer wrong on a test. What I learned was to remember what the instructor wants to hear, regurgitate it back on the test and then go on with my life and my principles.

Here is something else to consider, the ones who get the best grades are not always the smartest students. Those like Cheesey and Dhazer that go back to school later in life seem to understand what kind of effort it takes to succeed and are willing to make the effort. Follow their example.
It is way too easy to have a good time in school. It is much harder to have a responsible time.
The speed at which the courses go is stunning at first. Some of the classes are designed to weed out students.
Some of the instructors (even full professors) are horrible. It is hard to know who is a good instructor in your 1st semester. But before you sign up for subsequent classes ASK your friends who they had for a class. It makes a huge difference sometimes.
Finally one of the best jobs to have is to work the late night sift at the front desk at our dorm. It is a great time to do your homework without interruption. No one comes to the desk to bother you. And you get paid for it.

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Those are some great tips WPR. Your educational system works a lot differently than ours, but I'm going to college next year aswell.

I'm afraid I'll have to step it up though, I haven't been doing a thing so far. I see the importance of my education, but it's so damn hard to get myself to work. I'm getting through just fine now, but I'm afraid I'll have a harder time next year.

I'll pretty much repeat everyone else:

1. Get your work done
2. Ignore peer pressure, you're accountable only to yourself

I'll add:

1. Get help if you're struggling with any courses
2. Some classes, it's cheaper and easier to take them in a community college during the summer, such as Accounting and Chemistry 101. Make sure credits will transfer.

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You HAVE to be self motivated, or you won't make it. You will be throwing your money away.
Had i gone to college right after high school, it would have been a waste. I didn't apply myself, "coasted" through it. Even with that, i finished in the top third of my class. I wonder what i could have done had i really worked at it.
I went to college at age 32, and had over a 3.0 average. And i really enjoyed it, and had fun learning. I had a psychology professor that was a REAL nut case! He made the class so interesting, that i went back and took "abnormal psychology" with him. He was strange, and funny! He had this wierd habit of "tugging" at his left pants leg while he talked. Literally, EVERY pair of pants he wore had that spot wore out! His pants would have some fancy print on them, but that ONE spot, worn out! He was great! If every teacher was like him, every kid would want to learn.

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after reading Cheesey's post I realized it was a philosophy class that I was thinking about not psychology.

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Me in psychology.......whoda thunk it???LOLOL!!! :thumbleft:

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More hoo hoos.

You'll love it.

On a serious note, are you mature enough to go to college? I'm not asking this to insult you, but it's a serious question.

I wasn't right away. A lot of folks weren't. My first roommate at the 4-year school I went to wasn't either and dropped out. He used to get drunk every night and sometimes would pee in his sleep because he'd be so drunk. He had no business being in college.

The adjustments are huge. You're on your own. Some folks simply aren't ready for it. Some are.

I'm all for partying, but make sure you get your work done FIRST. Then celebrate. Also, beware of STDs. STDs are a reality in college. You don't want one. I take pride in never getting one and knew several people who did, and heard graphic descriptions of what they're like. You don't want to find that out first hand.

Now that we've scared you, on the flip side, college should be the best time of your life. You are free to do pretty much anything. Just make sure you get your work done.

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I would be wary of the quality of teaching you receive from a community college relative to university. I don't want to devalue the education you receive from community colleges but do investigate the difficulty in the summer school curriculum and then you can make an informed decision.

I did take 1 summer school unit (Company Law in 7 weeks is not as fun as it sounded when I applied, being the only time I could fit it in), but with the same institution that I am an undergraduate at.

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For me it was motivated.. are you ready for a four year grind. I wasn't motivated at first when I got to college.. call it burnt out from high school among other things.. mostly not playing ball in college like I had planned.. I should have taken a break from it.

Anyway.. with all the distractions that come with being in college you have to have a strong drive to succeed in college. There will be no one telling you that you have to get something done.. it will be all upon your shoulders to push yourself.. even when other things may try to distract you from the grind (Mostly Blonde, Brunette, and Redheaded fair skinned types.)

College can be a absolute blast, and if you allow it, too much of one to be honest.

For me, I made a daily list I had to complete before bailing out to do something else.. and I would punish myself if I strayed.. it was the only way I could have made it through.. and it sucked at times.

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To follow up on motivation, you have to know yourself whether you're studying the right course for you. If you feel that it's not in your best interests to complete the degree, then make sure you consult career advisors, parents, lecturers, anyone you need to, to make an informed decision. But do not confuse incompatibility with laziness. You need to look at yourself and ask if you're really against the entire law profession or you just can't be bothered learning the facts in Donoghue v Stevenson.

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