Skip The Traditional College Advice And Read These 20 Unconventional But Genius Tips Instead
College is really freakin' hard sometimes, so I always looked up tips and hacks to make it easier. I wish I had read this Reddit thread started by u/Realistc_Working_99 that asked for "unconventional" college wisdon.
1."Keep track of your notable projects and assignments (or even events and interactions with people) for your resume and for interviews. Include things that show your proficiency in soft and also hard skills. Write a short summary of what you did or learned. Basically think, 'how can I use this experience to help sell myself to a future employer?'"
2."All-nighters are overrated. Learn to do an all-dayer instead."
3."You should never skip an exam because you don't feel prepared. You can get lucky and still pass!"
4."Whenever you're reading through papers and articles [for research papers], do a full copy and paste of any sections that might be remotely relevant to your paper, along with its full citation. It makes it so much easier in the long run because you won't have to go through the hassle of trying to re-find sources when you start fleshing out the paper and have the 'Oh wait, I think there was an article about this' moment."
5."Doing your assignments and going to class are 80%–90% of what you need to do to graduate."
6."It’s OK to choose to make a C in one class so you can be sure you make an A in another."
7."I go to campus to do any school work even when I have no actual reason to be there. There are limitations that differ with everyone, but in my case, I was a a 15 minute walk away from campus, so I'd spend some time in the common areas frequently even if I didn't have classes for the day, or even the whole week. Because there were always big groups of people, I'd feel oddly peer-pressured to do my work. It helps because I need a little push sometimes to get started on something, and staying in the comfortable confines of my dorm didn't help."
8."If you’re fast, the school library usually has a few copies of each textbook [for free]."
9."Some colleges have a clinic students can go to for free (lab tests aside). If yours does, go!!! If you’re in the US, this is the cheapest healthcare you will probably ever have access to, and it’s important to take care of your health now. If you do, your older self will thank you."
10."Accept the fact that some classes are just going to be difficult, regardless if you think it’s a weed-out class or not. Not getting an A in Calc II or Organic Chemistry or whatever isn’t the end of the world. Take it and move on."
11."Undergrad and grad school are VERY different. Do not go to grad school unless you actually want to learn. While not true for every student or every class, generally I found my undergrad was very grade-based and memorization/recall based rather than discussion and learning. It's hard for professors with large classes, particularly when half the students don't want to be there. I got As in classes I never attended. In grad school, this is completely different."
12."Sometimes, you learn way more getting a B with a more difficult professor than an A with an easy one."
13."Utilize the school resources, you are paying for them (library, gym, career services, mental health, and tutors)."
14."RateMyProfessor is basically useless. You will occasionally find warnings of professors with policies you dislike but it’s very rare that anyone who passed the class well will remember to go rate the good ones. Make friends with upperclassmen and graduate TAs to find what classes or professors might share your interest. Or just go hang around in the department and ask the professors themselves what the class covers. Ask your advisor. Just don’t trust the vindictive rants of people who didn’t do the work and then got surprised they didn’t pass the class."
15."Read the syllabus and the student handbook. The syllabus helps you pass the class but the student handbook for when you came in determines when you graduate."
16."EAT BREAKFAST! It doesn’t have to be fancy. I have a bowl of cereal every morning, same brand for the past two years (it still hits 🤤). You need that energy for class even if you’re getting lunch right after. Nothing is worse than sitting through a class on an empty stomach!"
17."I'm a professor, so take the following with a grain of salt, but...go to office hours. This isn't an unconventional tip, I suppose, but it's certainly one that is underused (I feel confident in saying this based on my own experiences and those of many, many colleagues). Office hours can be really fucking useful. Faculty generally hold a few office hours each week where you can pop by and talk with them about almost whatever (e.g. class, coursework, fields of study). In my experience, graduate students are often eager to meet with faculty. Undergraduates, on the other hand, often seem to avoid office hours unless necessary."
"If you're not sure what you would do or talk about in an office visit with a professor, here's a few ideas:
- Ask for specific help with the course (this one probably is a bit obvious, but still important). Literally no one on campus can explain the class materials better than the professor of that course. We really want to help our students learn.
- Talk to your professor about their research. This can give you all kinds of weird insights into the class you are taking, what interests the professors have in the materials you are covering, and just getting to know them as a person.
- If the professor is in your major/minor department, go talk with them about your course of study. Which classes are you interested in? What sort of path did they take to end up working in this department? You might also find out (eventually) if there are research opportunities in the department or projects that are looking for help. At my school, there are so many opportunities for students that go underutilized, and professors can be a great help in getting you pointed in the right direction.
- Just pop by and say hi (important: do this during office hours, not during their regular working hours!). If the professor looks busy, don't tarry, but most of us really enjoy having students pop their head in and say hello. We are genuinely interested in building professional relationships with our students."
18."Take your first two years at a community college to save a ton of money. Transfer to the college from which you want your degree. Community colleges can be awesome. I took my psychology and sociology classes on an outing to the legit haunted county courthouse and jail for 'parapsychology' on a Friday night. It was super cool."
19."Get a job that pays you to study. If you need to work and can't find a job relevant to your major, look for a job that basically just needs a warm body to do some things here and there. I had jobs as a night time security guard and overnight hotel receptionist. Both jobs had responsibilities, but both also had a bunch of downtime built in. I used that time to study, write papers, etc. They essentially paid me to study, paying enough for books, facility fees, and some tuition. I had enough spare time at work that I generally didn't need to study outside of work. So I'd work like 34 hours a week, have classes for like 16 hours, and the rest of my time was my own. It was great!"
20.Finally, "It’s better to get a 10% on an assignment rather than not turning it in because you know it’s trash."
