Things I Know Now That I Should've Known In High School
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Thursday, 22 November 07 - 11:16 AM (GMT -08:00) By Paula Vera in School |
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In my last year of high school, I listened to counselors, teachers, friends, older people... about the wonders of college. They provided insight on the different things I could discover if I went to a UC.
Everyone in my senior class was so excited when they received their acceptance letters to these private and public universities.
I wasn't. I was going to a community college.
My counselor was mortified when I told her. She couldn't help but look at me in confusion. She knew I had good grades, top 20 in the class, member of a decathlon, etc. etc. etc. She didn't hesitate to show me other schools, other community colleges better than the one I was going to (my college has an exaggerated tale). She showed me a school that was near the ocean, which would probably take 2 hours by bus. I simply told her, "Are you going to drive me there every morning?" Case closed.
Here is what I have taken away from my year of community college:
My counselor was mortified when I told her. She couldn't help but look at me in confusion. She knew I had good grades, top 20 in the class, member of a decathlon, etc. etc. etc. She didn't hesitate to show me other schools, other community colleges better than the one I was going to (my college has an exaggerated tale). She showed me a school that was near the ocean, which would probably take 2 hours by bus. I simply told her, "Are you going to drive me there every morning?" Case closed.
Here is what I have taken away from my year of community college:
More Money Saved
This is probably the number one reason why I went to a community college. My friends who are in a private or public university have taken out loans and will probably pay them off until they're in their late 20s, early 30s. One person who's in her 30s is still paying off her student loans and can't buy a decent house. How sad. Personally, I only pay around $350 a semester and that includes my books while some of my friends are paying $6000. Yeah, no thanks.
It Doesn't Matter What School You Come From
...when you're applying for a job. As long as you have experience, you work hard, you have talent and skill (and you can prove it), you'll get the job you're applying for. For example, if you've never had experience working but are sure you'll land that job just because you're from some top university, my oh my, you sure are fooling yourself.
Community Colleges Offer the Same Education
I have professors from the UCs, CSUs, and private universities. So what's the difference now?
I'm Not Missing the University "Life"
What's the point of going to college? To get an education, a bachelor's degree, and experience... right? My some-what "boss" told me that I'll be missing the university social life if I went to a community college. Yeah, like I'd like to get wasted, have my hair shaved off, have dumb frat guys running like idiots, roommates who steal my ice-cream, parties that never end...etc. Nope, I'd rather not experience the ever-so-popular "university social life" thank you.
And if you're asking about meeting new people, making friends and all that jazz, I've met many interesting people in my school. The majority of students are from different countries who have stories and different perspectives. As an International Business major, I love this kind of diversity!
And if you're asking about meeting new people, making friends and all that jazz, I've met many interesting people in my school. The majority of students are from different countries who have stories and different perspectives. As an International Business major, I love this kind of diversity!
This entry isn't a means to sway you off of going to a UC, CSU or private university. This is just to prove that you don't need to pay $28,000 a year for your education when you can get it for less.
Quality Does Not Have To Be Expensive and Counselors Aren't Always Right.
When picking a college: weigh the pros and cons, investigate on your own rather than relying on hearsay, and have the future as a base for your decision (i.e, do you want to pay off loans until you're 30?).
Overall, you're success depends on you, not where you come from.
Pass Your Exams!
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Sunday, 11 November 07 - 10:29 AM (GMT -08:00) By Paula Vera in School |
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If you procrastinate like I do, then this entry is for you to read. Let me just give you some background information on how I "study". First of all, people tend to think I'm some nerd that studies her ass off every day and night--in fact, I don't sleep. I'm just a walking zombie that gets off of studying. YEAH RIGHT. What most of my classmates and friends do not know, is that I study at the last minute. Yes, I am ashamed, but it's time for me to come out with it!Just recently, I had midterms week. Lo and behold, I do what I always do: CRAM. Here is how my studying day often goes:
- Get out of class
- Eat lunch and hang out with friends
- Go home (around 2 or 3 pm)
- Turn on the laptop
- Check e-mails, Google Analytics and Adsense
- Stumble for a few minutes
- Read interesting articles on Technology, Architecture, Money, and Entrepreneur How-Tos
- MySpace it for a bit and then check Facebook for 30 seconds, then leave.
- Since it's only 5 pm, I take a nap.
- I wake up at around 10 pm - 12 am
- I get out all the things I need to study.
- I promise myself that I'll study in the next 10 minutes or when it's 12 am.
- After some more Stumbling, I study for 10 minutes, then have a break.
- I go on YouTube and watch a few videos.
- It's now 3 am and I finally decide to crack that book open.
How To Cram It All In!
It's quite simple really. Some things I do are:- Make acronyms of lists - If you have to memorize, let's say, four things, then make an acronym out of them.
- Make a "short-movie" - Memorize this list: cherries, pig, tea cup, cell phone, camera. Then make a "movie" of some sort out of those five things. "Sara went to give cherries to a fat pig stuck inside a tea cup. She thought it looked funny, so she took a picture of the scene with her cell phone's camera." Crappy example, but you get the idea.
- Don't read everything because you're just wasting time. Read the important stuff--the words in bold, italics. Read the headlines--if it's about Hamburgers and Their Effects, then you better freaking read the effects of hamburgers. Headlines are like questions--answer them.
- Don't memorize definitions. Put them in your own words--into words you understand!
- *** Connect, Connect, CONNECT! - Connect everything you've learned into your daily life. If you're studying for Law, then connect law terms and theories with stuff you see on the news (OJ Simpson case, Britney Spears' case).
- Outline It! - If you know you'll be writing an essay, then get an outline ready. Nothing fancy, just make sure you have your introduction, your body (high school - 3 paragraphs, college - 4 to 5 paragraphs with a lot of ideas), and your tight ass conclusion. By doing this, you'll be prepared for your essay exam. You won't waste time on constructing the essay during the exam and you'll remember the things you've written.
During The Test
- Read the question and make sure you know what it's asking you. Circle the importance bits if you have to. If it's an essay question, make sure you deliver what's it's asking you to do.
- Before answering multiple-choice questions, read the question and see if you already know the answer. By looking at the choices, you might end up second-guessing yourself.
- Think logically for multiple-choice questions. Cross out the ones that don't fit together. If you have two choices left, then pick the best one (or you can always pick C--haha j/k) according to your own reasoning.
- Go over your answers. Not many people do this, but I do. There have been times when I've accidentally bubbled in a different answer when I meant to bubble something else.
- Sometimes, the answers are in the questions. Read the other questions, there might be a chance that the answer for another question is there (or it may be the professor's way of swaying you off).
- When writing an essay, don't freak out and sit in dismay. In fact, USE THE ADRENALINE! Because you wrote that nifty outline, rewrite it again on another piece of paper (that is, if your professor let's you have scratch paper). I always suggest writing your introductory onto another paper for 2-5 minutes until it suites the topic.
- Writing an essay is like having a conversation (better be a damned intelligent one!) about one topic. You have to connect every sub-topic with the main topic (that is, you have to connect every sub-body paragraph with your thesis!).
- Writing your conclusion. When you end a conversation, you derive ending thoughts. Make sure to include the sub-topic of every sub-body paragraph you had. This is your time to connect everything together! Oh, and make your last line powerful, intriguing, or catching to your reader/professor.
- Always check the time! Obviously.
I don't recommend cramming all the time, people. You lose sleep, you get groggy, and end up drinking coffee to stay awake and "high". Health-wise, it's bad for the bod and if you're a poor college student, all those coffee-runs are bad for the budget. heh Just remember my tips on "studying" and do it from time to time, a long time before exam day. In fact, use it in every day of your life--connect everything while in class and always think logically. I'm in the same boat as you procrastinators, and I hope to get out of it. I hope you will too. Happy Midterms! (Have you tried these tips? Leave a comment!)
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