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EggNogMan
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I'm going to State in the fall for engineering (not sure what type yet).. and I found this site randomly, so I decided to give it a whirl.

Anyway, any tips for me my freshman year? If it helps any, I'm planning on taking ENG101, CH101/102, MA242H, E101, E115, and FLS201 or 202 (depends on which one I feel like taking). I've checked the open section thing, and I think for FLS202 the profesors listed are Spring, Carson, Kestenbaum, and someone else, and for MA242H the profesor's Zenkov. Any input on any of them?

And yes, I'm aware that when I do go and register my schedule will probably be crappy, but hopefully I can fix it in my favor afterwards.

Any input for me?

6/30/2008 8:47:31 PM

FykalJpn
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a) use this: http://www.scsaberg.com/gd/

b) drink plenty of water before you pass out

6/30/2008 8:51:11 PM

Chief
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Academically your hardest obstacles will be to actually go to class and study. Freshman year is usually the easiest since most shit (and since you were accepted under engineering) is still fresh and most likely a repeat of what you had in high school. Don't get cocky, it gets tougher, but usually is just time consuming. All of those classes listed are fairly easy no matter who you have, but personally I hated Zenkov. Reminded me of a russian caveman and didn't explain things well.

6/30/2008 9:14:45 PM

NC86
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carry your laptop around to check if people are dropping the classes you want to take. First day there are a ton of changes and drops that you can practically mold your schedule into whatever you want.


Try to test out of E115, all you'll need is to study it for one day and place out of it the next. I think its section 001 where they offer the place out exam for E115.


Going to class helps out a lot. Some classes it doesnt help at all and this is where the book will be your friend.


Dont make the wrong friends, dont join a fraternity, keep your cool and make friends with people on your floor/suite.

6/30/2008 9:23:13 PM

NeuseRvrRat
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don't do the place out thing for e115 b/c knowing how to do that AFS stuff will come in really handy

6/30/2008 9:24:59 PM

mcfluffle
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c) avoid tww

6/30/2008 9:34:27 PM

ndmetcal
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pick at least 1 day a week where you dont get shitfaced

6/30/2008 9:40:59 PM

pooljobs
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offer to help girls fix their computer, its a great way to meet dates. if they don't fall in love with you right then its because you aren't around them enough, so just show up all the time.

6/30/2008 9:44:08 PM

mdbncsu
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Noen came up with a really good list a while back. I think he still has it on his website. There is also a thread around here somewhere, probably the lounge, that is several pages long.

Here is Tyler's list from: http://www.snotmonkey.com/articles/34-things-to-make-your-time-at-ncsu-more-enjoyable/

Quote :
"
34 Things to make your time at NCSU more enjoyable

Let me spill out the REAL gems.

1) Registration means NOTHING. If you want in a class and it’s full (which it will be until you are a junior), GO TO THE CLASS ANYWAY. Go the first three days AT LEAST, and 90% chance you will get in. Get the classes you WANT, don’t let your advisor or anyone else tell you differently.

2) DO NOT BUY BOOKS. Wait at LEAST two weeks before buying text books. Then your textbook is over 50 bucks, borrow it from a stupid classmate, and take it to Kinko’s and photocopy it (500 pages runs about 17.50). Much easier to highlight and carry around. I put the chapters for each book i needed along with paper in a single 2 1/2? notebook.

3) Find a friend with a car, or several if possible. The busses suck for everything but drunken rides home. Cars are awsome. If you have a car, bring it. There are TONS of hidden places to park around state without needing a permit or pass. Also there are always people selling permits the first couple weeks of school, and especially after christmas.

4) The meal plan and boardbucks are a joke. After your mandatory freshman year, don’t waste you or your parent’s money. You can eat much better and cheaper from the grocery store, and there are plenty within bus/walking distance of school. Refer to #3 to get to the good stores.

5) Take at LEAST one design course. They are the best way to relieve stress, meet girls, and find crazy people to party with. Also take at least one Psychology course, also great for meeting the ladies.

6) DO NOT BUY PRINT QUOTA. Go to the Chass Lab or cheat the unity system if you need to print something on campus. Print Quota is a waste of money. Never buy a wolfcopy card either.

7) If you need to print BIG stuff, go to the School of Design labs. They have HUGE full color plotters that only cost $2.40 per linear foot and you can cheat out of these as well (also remember to print everything as PDF)

8) NEVER DO FIRST YEAR COLLEGE. It is a complete waste of money. Pick a major, if you dont like it change, FYC is a joke and just sets you on the path to nowhere.

9) Get a laptop. Desktops are big and ugly.

10) Don’t get suckered into buying a loft. Wait out your freshman year and get one for free at the end of spring semester when all the other people move out. If you can find a good one for 20 bucks or less then buy it.

11) USE THE GYM. Go and go often, its the best deal for a full gym you will ever have.

12) Never use the health center. In my 3.5 years they NEVER diagnosed me correctly, nor did any of my friends get diagnosed correctly. Go to a real doctor, and stick with them.

13) Never apply for ANY credit card on campus or that is sent to you in the mail.

14) Open a student checking account with the SECU or BB&T. If you need a credit card, get one through them. Keep about 100 bucks in there, don’t bounce any checks. You will get rewarded big time when you graduate and get a real job.

15) Go downtown. Live after 5, First Fridays, many other kickass events happen downtown, and they are free and fun.

16) Don’t take on a steady boyfriend of girlfriend until at LEAST your junior year. You will miss out on much of the college experience if you don’t wait. Don’t let occasional sex bother you, it’s college, no one will remember anyway.

17) UT sucks, don’t live there unless you plan to dropout anyway. Get an apartment or house before UT.

18) Along the same lines, everyone should spend at least their first year on campus. Preferably their first two years. Definitely get out and do stuff, it’s when you will meet most of your lifelong college friends.

19) Never do anything more than 20 hours a week.

20) If you want to work, get a work study.

21) The library is good for two things: cramming before exams, and sex in the stacks. There is little need to ever venture in there otherwise.

22) Meet a couple of upperclassmen in your major. Find out who the best prof’s and best classes are. Shedule ahead to get in those classes.

23) Never be afriad to challenge a grade or a decision by a professor. Fight the system and you will usually win.

24) Remember college is NOT to prepare you for a specific career, it is to make you a well rounded individual. Do not choose a major based on it’s career paths, choose a major based on YOUR INTEREST.

25) Refrain from keg stands, beer bongs, and all other binge drinking methods. Binge drinkers are not cool, and you will be talked about for all the wrong reasons. The sober guys are the ones who take home the ladies.

26) Don’t even bother with a fake ID in raleigh. Go to house parties until you are 21. Seriously it isnt worth the chance of getting busted. Don’t drive drunk underage.

27) If you live on campus, and you are drunk at a party, DO NOT GO BACK TO YOUR DORM ROOM. Stay at a friends, or crash at the party house for the night if possible.

28) Take philosophy of religion. At least open yourself to questioning your faith, it will only make it stronger.

29) Take at least one PE course every semester. Learn something new, find a new pasttime.

30) Be outside at least 4 hours a day doing something when it is above 65.

31) If you want to rush your freshman year, go ahead. But dont pledge until your sophmore year. And even then, think about it, college can be a lot more fun with no strings attached.

32) Go to EVERY organizational meeting in the fall. It can account for at least HALF of your meals for several months. Join the ones that you are actually interested in only after all the freebees have stopped.

33) GO POTLUCK. Living with someone you already know sucks ass.

34) DO NOT BUY A COMPUTER FROM THE BOOKSTORE/BEST BUY/CIRCUIT CITY. Go Online. Get one from DELL when they run a special (they ALWAYS run a special). Save yourself a lot of money. OR Wait until you meet a nerd in your suite/dorm who will build you a custom computer for practically nothing."



35. Leave The Wolf Web, don't ever come back, LEAVE NOW or don't complain about the countless hours of your life that you will waste here. You have been warned.

6/30/2008 9:53:07 PM

StillFuchsia
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Your schedule will be easy until you get to a real engineering course. So enjoy it.

Quote :
"don't do the place out thing for e115 b/c knowing how to do that AFS stuff will come in really handy"


Place out, just study the online text. There's no need to waste all that time in the class to "know how to do AFS stuff" because the entire thing is online if you forget anything:
http://www.eos.ncsu.edu/e115/online_text/

[Edited on June 30, 2008 at 9:58 PM. Reason : .]

6/30/2008 9:54:16 PM

dgspencer
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my input on ma 242H

don't take ma 242H.
I took it my first semester at 8:05 everyday. If you've got an engineering degree, you've got an engineering degree, I don't really understand getting honors on your degree.

and I joined a fraternity, but if you're going for honors, maybe it's not for you.

[Edited on June 30, 2008 at 10:14 PM. Reason : trying to save some unnecessary grief]

6/30/2008 10:12:56 PM

drunknloaded
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under no circumstances meet dnl if you are a female...you are probably ugly anyway

6/30/2008 10:35:45 PM

Jrb599
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Quote :
"Don’t even bother with a fake ID in raleigh."


knowing that Noen wrote that made me laugh.

6/30/2008 10:37:44 PM

EggNogMan
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The input's been pretty useful so far.

^^^Nah, I'm in scholors, not honors.. scholars seems significantly easier

^^And no worries, I'm a dude

6/30/2008 10:42:00 PM

Walter
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I had Zenkov for 341 a while back and he wasn't very good at teaching

it also didn't help that he has a thick Russian accent

6/30/2008 10:57:45 PM

packboozie
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Quote :
"Don’t drive drunk underage."


Drive drunk if over 21 though.

6/30/2008 11:10:36 PM

StillFuchsia
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Quote :
"Nah, I'm in scholors, not honors.. scholars seems significantly easier"


It is. I mostly took honors courses outside math and engineering, though. I took PY208H and it wasn't too bad, but otherwise I took a first-year inquiry course, two honors courses for the Ben Franklin program and an honors seminar in Political Science. Anyway, I was just trying to say that there are lots of course options for Scholars: don't feel like you have to force yourself to take MA242H if you don't want to.

6/30/2008 11:26:43 PM

EggNogMan
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^True. Math was my forte throughout high school though so I think I'd do decently. I hope i will anyway

6/30/2008 11:30:57 PM

LS1powered
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go into a major that actually has chicks.

dont do engineering unless you like to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day once you graduate. And again, you don't see any chicks.

6/30/2008 11:35:24 PM

StillFuchsia
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^^ I'm sure you'll be fine

[Edited on July 1, 2008 at 12:09 AM. Reason : ^ ]

7/1/2008 12:07:13 AM

ncsu919
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^^no. major in something you like and want to do for the rest of your life. you will find a girl, you dont need your major for that.

7/1/2008 1:07:42 AM

lmnop
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Quote :
"35. Leave The Wolf Web, don't ever come back, LEAVE NOW or don't complain about the countless hours of your life that you will waste here. You have been warned."



If you are late registering for a class and there is only one section with any seats open, that professor probably has a bad reputation. Check him/her out before you register.

Also, register as early as possible.

Go check out the bathrooms in Harrelson.

7/1/2008 1:34:05 AM

simonn
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absolutely test out of e115. the class is so long and dumb and the TA is probably a jackass.

7/1/2008 6:38:01 AM

Wraith
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Quote :
"Try to test out of E115, all you'll need is to study it for one day and place out of it the next. I think its section 001 where they offer the place out exam for E115."


I don't know about other types of engineering, but if you end up doing mechanical or aerospace, make sure you that you actually know the stuff if you are gonna test out, don't just take the test and forget it all. You will need to remember your basic Unix commands in some later classes.

Quote :
"dont do engineering unless you like to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day once you graduate. And again, you don't see any chicks."


Not true.

7/1/2008 9:38:06 AM

ApexDave
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yeah, pass out of E115 unless you've got a real poor understanding of computers. they are right about the TA's too, the couple that I know are really weird

as for chemistry, 101 is pretty hard to screw up. I had Ison, she was good and also put all her powerpoints online which helped a lot. Neyhart was good too, I had him for 201 but I think he teaches 101 also.

7/1/2008 9:44:29 AM

Vix
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Quote :
"Never use the health center. In my 3.5 years they NEVER diagnosed me correctly, nor did any of my friends get diagnosed correctly. Go to a real doctor, and stick with them."


This isn't true for everyone. Sometimes all you need is cough syrup with codeine and bed rest. The health center is good for the first one, and cheap digital thermometers.

7/1/2008 10:22:36 AM

CalledToArms
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Quote :
"dont do engineering unless you like to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day once you graduate. And again, you don't see any chicks"


not necessarily true. I'm not just sitting at my desk anymore than most professions my friends are doing. I've gotten a lot of cool on-site work as well.

And if you are that worried about having "chicks" at the place you work when you graduate I would say your priorities are a little mixed up.

7/1/2008 10:23:18 AM

Hurley
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Dont make the wrong friends, dont join a fraternity, keep your cool and make friends with people on your floor/suite.

- learn your shit in engineering, it's fun when its all said and done
- dont use solutions manuals, else you are a worthless piece of shit.
- keep your grades up, and maintain some sort of life outside school... go to parties, drink, meet new people, get off campus a few times a week.


and just remember, it's as fun/terrible as you make it.

7/1/2008 10:56:13 AM

capncrunch
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Get a thumbdrive with a little room, 2gb or more. You only get a couple hundred megs on the lab computers and it fills up fast.

Take a look at some of the engineering design teams (like wolfpack motorsports or the aerial robotics team). An engineering extracurricular can be lots of fun, you'll learn stuff, like machining, that other people won't, and you'll have excellent resume experience. But really its so you can actually do what you're studying for.

1st year (or two) you're taking math and general science and some humanities
then you start with the basic theory for a year
then it's intermediate theory for another year.
It's not until senior year that you are actually taught / made to tackle a real engineering project.

7/1/2008 11:03:25 AM

CalledToArms
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^ yep pretty much with the year by year.

i think my junior year in ME was the most difficult and also the most boring. It was nothing but theory and equations and I didn't completely understand it as much as I memorized the formulas for tests and just saw how and where to use them. Just seemed like you got this stuff jammed down your throat without being taught very well with useful examples at times. The most difficult part was simply the pure amount of HW and assignments I had though.

By senior year I was getting to do some hands on stuff, by far my favorite year in ME.

7/1/2008 12:44:04 PM

dgspencer
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yeah once Statics and Dynamics weed out their fair share it becomes harder because you don't have those guys to bring down the class average anymore.

with the exception of Kuznetsov's Heat Transfer class last semester, not really that anyone in that class was stupid, just that it was the only class I really had a curve in.

7/1/2008 12:49:04 PM

evan
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Quote :
"Go check out the bathrooms in Harrelson."


ahahaha

7/1/2008 4:14:20 PM

bigun20
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It aint that bad......just stay focused. freshman and sophomore years are by far the easiest so have a little fun then. Junior and Senior year you have way way way way way to much hw to do but if you stay focused and are serious you can get it done.

7/1/2008 6:21:34 PM

drunknloaded
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best place to shit is ground floor harrelson handycap bathrooms

7/1/2008 7:30:39 PM

skyfallen
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^ dude...harrelson fuckin sucks. i hated trying to find a bathroom in that building.

7/1/2008 9:22:10 PM

drunknloaded
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the bathrooms on the inside of the spiral sucked...but the bathrooms on the ground floor had deadbolts and were for handicap persons(literally only seen like 3 people in a wheelchair since i been at state)

7/1/2008 9:23:43 PM

NeuseRvrRat
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Quote :
"dont do engineering unless you like to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day once you graduate"


this is horrible advice. the engineers i work with on my internship do a lot of fieldwork. about 50/50.

7/1/2008 9:51:37 PM

FykalJpn
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it depends on your area, but real engineering is typically behind a desk

7/1/2008 9:52:58 PM

NeuseRvrRat
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^that's a load of bullshit. how the hell do you define "real engineering"?

Quote :
"It's not until senior year that you are actually taught / made to tackle a real engineering project."


unless you get a summer internship or something. i'm already working on 3.

7/1/2008 9:55:02 PM

FykalJpn
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design

7/1/2008 9:57:15 PM

NeuseRvrRat
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^that's a terrible definition. real engineering is working out all the fucking kinks that designers were too dumb to think about.

chances are he won't have a design job anyways

7/1/2008 9:58:57 PM

FykalJpn
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uh, design is undoubtedly the most fundamental part of engineering

7/1/2008 10:03:59 PM

NeuseRvrRat
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it's just the start.

design is always real engineering

real engineering is not always design

you seem like a designer who needs to get off your high horse. so get down and give the man some decent advice.

[Edited on July 1, 2008 at 10:19 PM. Reason : engineering = using technology to solve problems, now that's fundamental]

7/1/2008 10:18:48 PM

FykalJpn
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ahaha

have you ever met an engineer that wasn't a little cocky?

7/1/2008 10:24:26 PM

NeuseRvrRat
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yes, yes i have.

and he sure as hell wasn't a fucking designer.

7/1/2008 10:31:25 PM

FykalJpn
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i'll believe it when i see it

7/1/2008 10:35:06 PM

occamsrezr
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I wonder if that creepy security guy is still in Harrelson looking for teh gays doing teh gay sex in the men's bathroom on the spiral. He always creeped me the fuck out.

7/1/2008 10:39:44 PM

dgspencer
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the best designers are always guys that have field experience.

7/2/2008 2:10:49 AM

Mindstorm
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Quote :
"I hope i will anyway"


Yeah... When you take MA242, be warned if you take it with Moody T. Chu. He'll grade you against the performance of your peers (what he told us in his class) and that may have the potential to pull your grade up or down.

Oh yeah, you might also end up taking the class with some of the most caustic, horrible, most deserving-of-death nerds that will ever set foot on NCSU's campus, just because. This way you get to hear fun things like arguments about goddamn cartoons and computer operating systems for the whole class.

Here's a couple other things you might not think about, and since you seem like you'll probably do pretty well in undergrad, here's some suggestions if you're considering going to graduate school.

Mindstorm's Plagiarized El Cliffo's Notes for teh n00bs:

1. Talk to your department head about any grad school stuff that's important to you or that you have questions on.

2. 2. Plan out your degree audit so you take the courses you want to take as soon as possible, and have a "backup" class if that class is canceled.

3. Don't cheat, unless you like pissing away your tuition so you can be a lousy no-good bum.

4. Don't skip class. Motherfucker I said don't skip class!!!

5. Don't make friends with a bunch of slackers in your major.

6. Don't raise your hand in class every three minutes to offer a personal experience or to criticize the teacher or answer their question.

7. Don't forget to do your homework, and start on it early.

8. Join your professional organization early (freshman year, once you've picked your major).

9. If you're antisocial and stubborn as hell, consider getting a student job as a freshman to earn some money and to burn some hours productively.

10. Move off-campus to an apartment after your first year, if you like personal space and hygiene.

11. Get an internship, a job, or do summer classes every summer.

12. Consider doing a co-op if you are going into college with no money, limited financial support, and are uncertain if you really want to work in your major.

And if you are wondering about my reasoning for any one of these points, look below at your own peril.

[/brevity]

1. Talk to your department head about any grad school stuff that's important. Do they have requirements for handing out scholarships? (GPA minimums?) Are there research jobs offered on job boards or by email, or do professors hand them out on a personal level? (Important for getting an RA or for getting your MS, at least it was in my dept.) Are there graduate versions of undergrad classes that you should take if you are going to grad school? (Some classes, like CE425 and CE525, are the same class with different workloads, and the heavier workload may provide you some helpful insight that will prove useful in advanced graduate courses.)

2. Plan out your degree audit so you take the courses you want to take as soon as possible, and have a "backup" class that you'd want to take instead if the courses you want to take get dropped/are full/aren't actually offered to you (because of your major), etc.

3. Don't cheat. No copying homework, no solutions manuals, no mooching off of group members, no copying of questions from somebody's test/quiz. If you do this, you'll totally fuck yourself by having learned nothing at all by doing it. If you're caught while doing it, you've put a bad mark on your record that will show up if you try to continue here for graduate school.

4. Don't skip class. Motherfucker I said don't skip class!!! It's that important. Yes, it's super boring sometimes, sometimes you don't want to get out of bed (and it's only CH101 and that teacher is boring and you want to fap while your roommate is away), sometimes you just want to go to the gym. It will also make it harder for you to keep your grades up as you'll miss that hint the teacher gave about the question that WILL BE ON THE TEST, and in that class that doesn't take attendance you'll be pissed when you show up and hear that the teacher took "bonus attendance" to give everybody a free homework grade. This stuff happens, and it's better to constantly show up and keep the material fresh in your mind.

5. Don't make friends with a bunch of slackers in your major. Be warned, you'll get sucked down into the pits of hell working with people that turn in 50% work. Pay attention when you see people walking around asking for help. The people who are too aggressive in trying to get your contact info, in getting you to meet up to help them on an assignment, or that just come off as rude when asking are likely just trying to get you to do their work and their thinking for them. My major had people like this, make sure you don't let them drag you down.

6. Don't raise your hand in class every three minutes to offer a personal experience or to criticize the teacher or answer their question. Participating periodically is great, and I do encourage it as you can clear up what you're not understanding simply by asking questions during class. Do not, however, be that guy that goes and bugs the teacher about 30 times each class with stupid stuff that wastes everybody's time and criticizing the fact that the teacher copied one equation wrong (the rest of the class probably caught onto this, and you don't always have to be the one that corrects the professor/instructor).

7. Don't forget to do your homework, and start on it early. I got a rough time for having a motherfucking medical emergency that left me throwing up in the toilet and jabbing myself with needles and prickly things all night. I mean when I went to speak with said professor in order to negotiate a late submission for the assignment, and I was basically blamed for my problems and was made to feel like I was a problem student who turned in shoddy work. There's not much you can do about asshole professors like that once they get tenure, unless you want to be a dick and get on their bad side (keep in mind you'll have classes with them in the future!). The only wisdom I can offer you, having put up with professors with shitty attitudes like this (that I still have to put up with in grad school, mind you), is to not have to deal with it in the first place. Get your work done early, while your mind is working and your body is cooperating. Working on it the night before, being sick, and having to tell the professor that you have to turn in your homework a few days later because you were sick will reflect poorly on you.

8. Join your professional organization early (freshman year, once you've picked your major). It's a great way to meet friends, to find neat stuff to do that relates to your major, to get nifty resume boosting officer positions, and to learn relevant stuff about your major. In ASCE we invite companies in to present themselves, what they do, some work they're doing now, and to pick up some resumes and talk with students who might be interested in their work, or in an internship, or whatever. It's a fantastic thing that I wish I had joined as a freshman.

9. If you're antisocial and stubborn as hell, consider getting a student job as a freshman to earn some money and to burn some hours productively. Let's face it, a lot of people on TWW don't function like normal, social human beings. I didn't until I had a fun job that made me realize I enjoyed talking to people (I just hated about 95% of the people I had met in my life up until I had that job!). May I suggest the NCSU bookstores? Not only is the pay absolute shit (sweet!), but you get free textbooks on loan if you work a minimum of 15 hours a week (nifty if your parents give you $$$ for textbooks ), AND they will work around your class schedule to let you get your 15 hours no matter what. This is a great way to get some party money, or just some money so you can go see a movie or perhaps eat somewhere besides the on-campus dining facilities every now and then. You'll need the money later, so you may as well earn it while you're anti-social and wasting time inbetween class. This will also teach you some of these awesome skills: Time management. Social interaction. Conflict resolution. Teambuilding skills. You'll easily pull in $500+ a month, plus you could save $400-800 per semester on textbooks (though you'll want to buy some of them to keep as design references if you're an engineer).

10. Move off-campus to an apartment after your first year, if you like personal space and hygiene. For the cost of on-campus living with food for the fall and spring semesters, you could pay for half the rent for your average 2-bedroom 2-bathroom apartment near NCSU for a year. Your quality of life will be much better in an apartment, but your social life will be shit unless you already have friends. So, spend your first year in the dorms making friends with people who don't want to rape you and spend your remaining years in an apartment, cherishing your friendships and appreciating the fact that you don't have to wipe piss off the seat every time you take a dump.

Very candid, I know, but I think it's some decent advice.

7/2/2008 2:46:26 AM

Mindstorm
All American
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Part two:

Oh yeah, one more for ya:

11. Get an internship, a job, or do summer classes every summer. Don't just piss the time away. Some people may say "omg you're not going to get summers like that any more when you graduate, go enjoy them and party", but keep in mind that you are going to college because you want a decent paying job that has benefits. You should use the summer months to save up money to pay for your apartment expenses/car/beer/girlfriend, and to get experience at local places that hire interns in your field. If you can't get an internship, sign up for summer courses and see if you can knock some of the boring shit out of the way. Having the flexibility to have a 12 credit hour semester every now and then will be VERY key to not losing your mind. Sometimes you'll say "holy moses, I hate this bitchy ass teacher" and wish you could drop the class for something else. If you have AP/IB courses that counted for college credit, or if you've taken some classes during the summer session, you will have this flexibility! I've used it more than once, and it really saved me from having to do violent things to people who deserve them.

Oh yeah, one more:

12. Consider doing a co-op if you are going into college with no money, limited financial support, and are uncertain if you really want to work in your major. Not only is the money good (w00t, $texas!!!11), but you'll also be dealing with subject matter relevant to your major the whole time you're working at your co-op! You'll quickly learn whether you want to commit suicide rather than continue on with your major, or if you love it so much you want to do it for the rest of your life. One of my old friends from high school had this very revelation, and he switched over to my major after he returned from his co-op and is now very pleased with his decision. It's a great way to earn some money to dump into a savings account, too, and this is also super duper essential for when things get serious later on in college. You might have to pay for some big car repairs (or you'll have to replace your car), or maybe you'll have an incident that gives you PTSD that leaves you unable to function normally for a year, or maybe you'll decide you need more time to work on your senior year courses, or whatever! It's very nice to have some money in a money market account that you can just take from when you hit some bad times in college.

[brevity]

OK, that's all I really have now I guess. I think I'm gonna post el cliffo's notes for this post at the very start so you chowder monkeys don't have to read all my rantings.

(PS: You'll find that I'm responsible for 90% of the posts on this site that are 8 pages long that nobody wants to read, second only to ReceiveDeath should he ever return and resume the EUPHALO business.)

7/2/2008 2:47:15 AM

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