Something to think about

"all hope abandon, ye who enter here"
said the sign i read that was hanging above her bed
and the sirens over wailing
but a man cant ignore the signs
you gotta keep a good eye
on the winding road ahead
and my first sin was a young american girl

and i spent time 'neath the tressels
with the punks and the dimestore saints
kept faith and a switchblade tucked beneath my coat
and i ran with dirty angels
slept out in the rain
we were scared and tired and barely 17
and my first sin was the fear that made me old

and i walked down by the shipyards
near the place where i was born
saying "ah maria, if you woulda known me when..."
but she just smiles by the light on the navesink banks
saying "listen baby i know you now"
and she steps into the river
and i just stand by the moon
thinkin' 'bout a ghost i hear at night
and she says your first sin was a lie you told yourself

Surviving College my way

The Real College Survival Guide

            College is quite possibly the most exciting and thrilling event in a young adults life, yet some college students fail to find the fun.  It is easy to drown in schoolwork and become so overloaded with classes and stress that the only thing that you can think about is the slow ticking of the clock leading towards another day, possibly as miserable as the one you are trapped in.  Don’t let this discourage you, there is definitely fun to be had at college, while still getting the better half of your work done, and I will help you out with this little college survival guide; also known as the “Satisfy your parents while still having more fun than them guide”.

            One of the first things that you have to remember while in college is the single undeniable fact that you simply do not have money.  You may think that you have money, but really that is your parents money and by spending it on those jeans at the mall you really aren’t satisfying them are you?  A smart thing to do is budget money, set aside a select amount per week, and then another amount for weekends.  A strong warning to you, do not overspend your week money, and end up dipping into you weekend money; weekend money is essential to your survival.  The amount of money that you can allow yourself to spend during the week may vary quite a bit depending on if you have a job on campus or whether you have a meal plan at the cafeteria.  Bringing us to our next point, cafeterias or meal halls.

            Cafeterias are the enemy; out to steal your meal points and leave you with no food at the end of the semester begging your parents for more points, thus upsetting them and straying away from the whole satisfy your family goal.  While being your enemy, they happen to be also a large part of your survival.  Without food as a college student, tests, stress, and homework becomes much more complicated as you find yourself distracted by a growling stomach.  A good way to conserve points while still eating every meal of a day is to have a stash of breakfast sort of foods in your dorm allowing you to eat in and save your points for one meal a day.

            Weekend money will be your best friend over the next four years, allowing you to go out with friends, entertain a member of the opposite sex of your choice, and even stay in and watch a few movies with some friends.  I have realized that as a college student the amount of movies that you watch will exponentially multiply compared to the amount you had watched in the past, whether or not you have a ton of friends or not.  Another fun thing to do on weekends is go to innocent party’s with a nice game of ping-pong, and sleepovers on the couch.  Remember that explanation for the future, it may come in handy when your parents come to visit and you have ping-pong balls in your dresser.  Finding the right party tends to be a complicated act, balancing your choice between the on campus party which risks your housing, and the off campus party which risks your legs, and also the walk back may risk more serious things.

            Coming into college you may be worried about a lot of things, the most worrying thing possibly being dorm life.  Who your roommate will be, will you even have a dorm to exist in, or will you live off campus and ride your bike onto campus everyday.  If you are a freshman I would definitely suggest the on campus dorms due to the amount of new friends that you will make.  You meet so many different types of people in the dorm and over time you learn to deal with all of these different kinds of people whether they become your friends, or the kid that you avoid.  As far as getting along with your roommate goes, you really don’t have any choice in the matter, the fact is that the two or three of you will get along frankly because you have no choice.  Some roommates become better friends that others, spending every moment together, while others only talk when they are both in the room at the same time.  Never the less, it is very hard to not be friends with your roommate without trying very hard.

            Move-in day is often the peak of excitement in the first couple of weeks of college for many students.  Some students pack like they are moving away for the rest of their lives and some only pack a couple of changes of clothes.  As far as clothes go, I brought all of mine, but it is not necessary, there are a lot of breaks and clothes for different seasons can be sent up at any time of the year.  Some important things to pack that a lot of students don’t think of are as follows: enough posters to cover your wall, a radio capable of annoying your neighbors, a mini- refrigerator if your room mate does not have one, hangers for clothes, tape, scissors, tools such as screwdrivers for taking apart your friends furniture.  This is obviously not everything that someone needs to pack but it is a good start.

            As a freshman straight out of high school one of the more tempting things to do is cut class a couple times a week, a feat much easier accomplished in college.  This is not necessarily a smart idea, once you start cutting as class it is very hard to stop.  The mindset that missing that class isn’t affecting your grade sets in and you end up not going to the class at all.  Contrary to popular belief, not going to a class does in fact hurt your grade quite significantly.  Also one of the largest differences between high school and college is that your paying for your classes, hence its your loss when you miss one. 

            One of the most important things in college is confidence; confidence is the key to making quick friends, being popular, and doing well in class.  The easiest way to make friends is to approach people in the first week of college because everybody is in the same situation as you are and everybody wants friends.  It is good to meet new people fast because as those people gain friends they will introduce you and your friend group will quickly grow.  It is always nice to be able to wave to dozens of friends on your way to every class.  Having confidence will also lead to success in your classes, you will not be scared to ask questions and get those questions answered.

            Overall college should be the most fun years of your life, allowing you to make life-long friends, learn lessons that will follow you for the rest of your life, and become an overall more mature person.  Taking yourself too seriously can be the downfall of you and can only lead to even more stressful situations.  Good luck, and I’ll see you on the other side.