r/college

I’m an incoming freshman this year, and my first day of classes is in a few days. Given this, my teachers have begun posting introductory announcements on Canvas. Nothing crazy there.

However, one of gen ed teachers just made an announcement today that said “Please have make sure you have your book and have read chapter 1 along with the syllabus for the first day”. I asked a senior I know about it, and he said he has NEVER heard of that being asked before and finds it quite ambitious and ridiculous of my teacher. According to him (and some other reddit posts), most people don’t even buy their books until after the first class (though I know that’s not technically recommended).

So what do you think?? Is this a crazy ask from her? Has anyone else ever experienced this? Thanks for reading :)

i just finished my high school im gona start college in 20 of September
i never really study that hard but in college i want really study so i look online and find out about the studying with me mathod so im asking who it work should it be a call with strangers and study together or call a friend irl and study together or put i youtube videos of someone studying

and if u know any good mathod add it too
( the subject are : math/physics/ chemistry/ electronics/ and some other)

Hello all, I’m a sophomore in university and a math major. I was planning on taking calc 3 instead of calc 1 at a community college at the same time as me completing my normal 4 year semester. That said my university offers 4 calculus’s, and the cc I am doing my calc 3 covers both calc 3 and 4 contents at my school. I have only ever done calc 1 besides this but I self taught myself calc 2 over the summer and want to get ahead of the curve. Is it possible to take that class and skip the rest of the calcs assuming it transfer over and fulfills both 3 and 4?

Hi my schools has been turning off the wifi at 12:04 every night and its really annoying the wifi appears visible but the data doesnt work at all. I used to be able to get past this with my hotspot but my dorms cell service isnt useable. I cant get any work done and this is very fustrating. My friend was talking about using a vpn to get past it but im not sure how.

i recently quit my full time job after going back and forth about it for months. the work environment had gotten pretty toxic and my new manager was a huge micromanager, and i was honestly just miserable going to work every day.

at the same time, i’m in college and trying to actually prioritize school and finish my degree. working 40 hours a week while keeping up with my classes was becoming way too much, so i finally decided to leave and focus on college instead.

i felt SO relieved when i first quit, but now that it’s actually done i keep having moments where i’m like… did i really just quit my stable full time job?? 😭 i plan on getting a part time job on campus that allows downtime where i can work on assignments! im thankful for my partner. we’ve had so many discussions about this & he gave me his full support so i can focus on school. im thankful he is taking care of most of our larger expenses. i have enough money saved as well. i graduate in may and plan on finding a job in my field. but part of me is like omg i cant believe i quit a stable job.

i’m curious if anyone else has done something similar. did you quit a full time job or take a big pay cut to focus on school? how did it work out for you? do you feel like it was worth it?

I'm back in school for cybersecurity, and lately I've been feeling like I'm not actually learning as much as I thought I would. A lot of it is textbook material, answering questions, and completing assignments. I can get the work done, but a few weeks later I feel like I've forgotten most of it.

I also don't feel very confident that I could take what I'm learning and actually perform in a real-world situation. It sometimes feels like I'm learning something just long enough to pass the assignment/test and then moving on.

I'm wondering if I'm looking at college the wrong way. Is the point more to get the degree/certs and then develop the practical skills through labs, personal projects, internships, and eventually working in the field?

For those of you already out of college and working, how much of what you actually use day-to-day did you learn in school vs. after school? And did you feel like you forgot a lot of what you learned in college too?

Hello. I tried posting this in another forum but it was not the correct one. I am hoping I am in the right place.

I started a class today and there is book that is required for the course. The issue, and why I am feeling a bit off about it, is that the author is the writer, and the publisher. The book is from their business and it’s only available on amazon in a paperback. Usually our books go through our bookstore through the college, so we could use financial aid. Its also over 30 dollars without shipping. I am just wondering if this is normal for professors to do or if its not. Thank you

Edit: Thank you all for answering. While I feel some were a bit harsh, I appreciate you all for clarifying. I would like to clarify a bit though. I am less concerned about the professor writing their own textbook, many of you pointed out valid reasons for doing so. The part and the main reason I asked is because it is sold on Amazon and not through my colleges bookstore. The bookstore at my college offers purchases to go directly onto our schools charges and can be paid through financial aid, but even if financial aid does not cover it, it can stay on the school account to be paid off later in the month. This book was needed for the course next week, so in order for it to come in time, I had to buy the book yesterday out of pocket. While 30ish is not alot at all for a textbook for someone who is a broke college student, its a-lot especially if its last minute.

Again I appreciate everyone for the insight and I apologize for not being clear.

Alright it's your first week in college. Your parents or whomever dropped you off in this brand new environment likely hours away from home especially if you went aboard like me. Perhaps you're older want to have a better college experience.

Place ALL and I mean ALL of your assignments in your calendar. Your google calendar, reminders or whatever. Put it in! This way you can track deadlines and get a headstart on major ones like exams, projects or whatever. It's your grade. Your responsibility.

You don't need those 3-5 subject notebooks. Get several composite notebooks of different colors and label them for their respective classes. Yes you can still use your old or previous years school supplies. Same with your electronics depending on your major.

Only get the book if it's actually required. College textbooks are ungodly expensive but most of the time you don't even need it. If you can't get that particular edition of the book, the previous edition will work. The only differences between editions is the chapter order, page count and maybe a few paragraphs here and there. There's likely a free PDF somewhere if you look hard enough.

Dive into LibreOffice and other open source. It's Word compatible with all the features and you don't have to worry about not having access to YOUR work because you don't have a Microsoft subscription. I recommended LibreOffice to my students because they had tech issues with Word and it's free.

Speaking of free, use any and all campus resources & facilities. You're technically paying for it so you might as well use it. The library, computer lab, recreation room, gym, clinic, therapy, transit, career center and more. This can be your way of socializing, doing maintenance and developing long term healthy habits. For instance if your school has a dental program. Use it. A local clinic is doing a health fair and is offering vaccines and informing about nearby resources. Check it out.

Get weather/climate appropriate clothing and durable pairs of shoes. Jackets, rain coats, umbrellas, boots and whatever as you may need.

If you're a bit older or have a job, go to a credit union & open High Yield Savings Account(HYSA). Many chain banks will offer literal pennies in terms of interest. Along with having insane requirements to avoid maintenance fees. I'm looking at you Wells Fargo and Bank of America. However, if you're an international student then you likely don't have specific documents. Contact with the international office and see what you can do.

Additionally talk to people. Your teachers, advisors, classmates, roommates if you have them and any relevant person. Think about it like videos games. Talk to everyone. You might a side quest, an item or vital information on how to progress. How do you think people get jobs and opportunities? They asked.

Protect yourself. Physically, mentally, emotionally, financially etc. Avoid bad crowds and influences who encourages your worst traits or make you take new ones. This can be tough as these can be friends, family or romantic partners. Distance yourself. Find a better group. Low contact or no contact. Do whatever you can keep yourself safe because some people are content in leading a life of destruction and are glad to bring you along for the ride.

This is primarily for the younger men. I'm 25 turning 26 so I'm reaching Unc status. Don't gamble unless it's a multiple choice question. Getting into generational debt before you can legally drink is sane. You don't need to be the richest, get the most girls and be the most physically imposing or intimidating. Be you! I get it. You see all these guys on social media having a more successful life than you. It sucks. However you have to know that ANYTHING can be faked these days. Rentals, taking stock images and videos and more. There's an entire industry for this. Do what's best for you and your situation. Living authentically is better than living artificially to impress randoms online.

Sometimes you have to take that L. You fumbled a good relationship. Failed a test. You underperformed or whatever. Things happen. There's nothing you can do about it besides pick yourself back up and be better.

Finally have interests and hobbies outside of school. Make yourself well-rounded and not another corporate drone who only goes to work and home. Maybe a club or small group here and there. Participate in events. Check your school's boards and social media accounts to see what's around. Travel around town to see what's there.

I genuinely don’t care what time I work as long as it doesn’t mess up my sleep/grades. However, I don’t know if coming home at 11pm is the move.

I always read the comments when an assignment is returned, but I rarely do anything with them afterward.

The feedback is spread across rubrics, comments in the document and short notes in the grading portal. By the next assignment, I remember that something was wrong with my structure or evidence, but not the specific pattern I was supposed to fix.

It feels wasteful because the professor has already told me where I’m losing marks, yet I keep starting each assignment from zero.

Does anyone have a system for carrying feedback from one assignment into the next?

Semester hasn’t even started and I’ve messed up :(

My first day of an English class lets out only 10 minutes before an unfortunately very necessary doctors appointment that takes 20 mins minimum to get there. The appointment can’t be rescheduled as she mentioned it was her only slot, but I don’t want to make a bad impression on the professor first day. How should I go about this? I worry about annoying her by emailing such an annoying thing before the semester has even begun, but I don’t want to just get up and leave early without notice. How do I fix my goof up here?

I’m not terribly big on parties but really want to have fun & get myself out there in college. one of the biggest hurdles in HS was honestly not having the right connections to get invited to all of the parties, but also the fact that I refuse to drink.

even with my friends in small groups at night, I would laugh along & hang out with them & make mocktails for myself & make sure they are safe & responsible, but it just gets to the point where it feels as though everyone else is on a different world & I feel moreso like a babysitter (though I avoid doing so). I’ll dress cute, maybe have an energy drink & try to relax, but it just gets so frustrating how much partying seems to be surrounded by alcohol.

I know obviously one of the main strategies is to befriend people with similar lifestyles like that, but its not as though I want to avoid any party with alcohol, I just want ti minimize the feeling of not belonging.

edit: just to clarify, whrn I say I feel like a babysitter its not so much as taking care of them as it is just watching them do stupid shit they wouldn’t typically do sober, & the occasional friend who asks me pre-drinking to take her phone away if she tries texting guys again (which is honestly pretty entertaining, so its more-so the former)

I'm a biology major going into my second year of community college next month, and I'm considering minoring in psychology since I really enjoy it and have already taken some psych classes (2 last year and 1 in HS). The issue is that I don't know much about minors in college and how they work. Is it worth it or even possible? Would it open up more potential job opportunities, or it it just kind of a bonus? Also not sure if it would delay graduation or not. Any advice is appreciated

For context, I spent the first two years of my education (1st and 2nd year of university) as a footballer (college soccer player) in a small school in a small state in the USA where I was on a scholarship. Went through injuries, sat on the bench, and lost my love for the sport. I was also stuck in a tiny town in working class america, not really a robust college town where I could make a lot of friends, go out, socialise to the level I wanted to, etc.

I feel like I am halfway through university and I haven't experienced what I wanted. yes my dream was to play the sport I thought I loved at the next level but I did not realise as a naive 18 yo that I also wanted to go out, be in more clubs, and connect with friends. Ive now spent two years training, working out, studying, and meal prepping for a dream that is never going to work out.

I am transferring to a big state school for my next two years but wanted any advice from people who have either been student-athletes or people who have been in similar positions, thank you

Hi, Im 19f starting college next month and unsure of what i should bring.

The college im going to is 6 hours away from my hometown (south of ireland to northern ireland) and the next time ill be going home is probably around christmas time!

Also is there any niche things that most people dont think about that i should bring?

Next semester I’m taking 5 classes and working and somewhat concerned about it all. If you work and do school do you find it doable? How many hours per week outside of class do you spend on school work? Any tips? Do I just not sleep? Should I just aim to pass each class and move on?

Only 20 schools actually make more money than they spend. Most pass at least part of the cost to students, often concealed in fees, which can add up to between $3200 to over $10,000 in cost to each student over four years.