Memoirs of a College Baba (NSFW? because language)

Memoirs of a College Baba:

Hey fellas and fella-ettes. Long time no see. I need to start coming here more instead of just lurking in the chat. I mean, I check the site daily, I just don’t speak out too much. Anyways, I’m basically done with college now. Sorta. Got one more semester because of a STUPID FRIGGIN math class that it’s 100% my fault that I didn’t take. And I just thought I’d offer some advice to you little gremlins, if you decide to go. If not, potential life advice? Idk. Whatevs.

1.) College is pretty dope. Let me preface this by saying that it won’t be dope for everyone. For some people, it can actually be pretty suck. And being suck is no fun. But college is a great way to broaden your horizons and all that garbage the fill you with in high school. I’ve learned a lot about myself and junk. If me from now told me from high school that I’d like chemistry about as much as I liked the internet back then, past me would slap now me and keep playing AdventureQuest and Mega Man. But hell, it’s cool. I probs deserve it.

2.) Classes aren’t super hard, but are totally super hard. What I mean by this is that, in a sorta general way, they’re as hard as you make them. Example. When I was a young gremlin, I studied for all of my exams and did meh to well. Got them A’s and B’s. Senior Peg doesn’t do much of that study thing. Well, comparatively. But I still get those sweet A/B’s. These don’t come without a lot of stress. Basically, what I’m saying is don’t be like me. Study as much as you need and then some more. Like, I was doing really bad in one of my classes this semester and the final saved me. The final that I didn’t much study for. Which was bad. And stressed me out a lot. Pulled a B from a D+. And with no curve, too. DON’T! RELY! ON! THESE! THINGS! They don’t happen enough to be worth anything.

3.) Majors aren’t super important early on. I entered college as a computer science major. Seriously, since I was like five, I’ve wanted to make the sweet vidya games. And look at me now! I know how to code like……for and while loops. Comp sci was overrated and I hated it. So I kinda bs’ed my way into chemistry and fell in love with it. BIG ‘OL BUT! Doing what I did isn’t super important. You can be undeclared up until the end of your sophomore year where I go. Hell, you can, at some places, graduate with a “General Studies” degree. It’s basically just an Associate’s Degree. Then choose your path. You have PLENTY of time to figure out what you like. Like, two whole years.

4.) Emotions. Those gross, sticky things that we all have living in the back of our skull-boxes. College fills you with them. Love and hate and stress and sadness and happiness and ALL THEM OTHER ONES! It can be kinda weird at first. And by “at first,” I mean the whole time. They’re a fine balancing act that become hard to manage, but don’t worry. You probably won’t crack that eggshell you call your sanity. Speaking of sanity, mental health is also kinda a part of this. Seriously, though, take mental breaks. I’ve have super stressful weeks where I just work my ass off all week and nothing results from it. Then, the weekend sucks and I roll around in bed all day. Taking mental health days, if you can afford to, can reduce these bad feelings. Get your work done early, if you can. Then, take a day off. They’re wonderful and make dealing with the stress sorta easier.

5.) Food. Eat healthy, but also don’t. This is the end of the time where you can eat what you want and still reshape your body into something that society at large would be happy looking at. (AND NO! I don’t mean to offend anyone by saying that. Love who you are and don’t fall into the BS that social media and magazines want you to believe. I'm using that language for effect.) Be yourself, but not unto excess. Everything in moderation, etc., etc. On another note, healthy food can taste good. Chicken and broccoli are cheap as dirt and with a splash, JUST A SPLASH, of soy sauce, make a pretty nice breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can eat creative, tasty, and healthy food all at once and still be living fine on a budget. Also, college food is GENERALLY a ripoff. Get a meal plan for as long as they absolutely require you to, and then stop being lazy and learn how to cook for yourself. Cereal and milk counts as cooking, yes.

6.) Uhh...be clean. That’s all I have to say. Wash your damn self.

7.) Friends. Make some. I regret not making some faster. They make for good study pals and good emotional support. Emotions. Remember those? Friends can help you manage them. Living in a dorm is a good way to start, but venture out. I’ve basically lost all my dorm friends and now I have cool chemistry friends. Friends in your major tend to last longer, especially if you continually take classes together. Seriously. I met a girl in my Physics II class. She was just a smart girl that sat near me. Now she’s one of my good pals and we’ve taken many a class together.

8.) Teachers and Faculty. They are resources. Use them. They want to be used. THIS ALSO APPLIES TO GRADUATE STUDENTS!!!!! It is literally their job to help you. Sometimes you get bad ones, but usually not. Hopefully not. Bad staff make for a bad time. My advisor used to be kinda balls, so I went to the lady that manages all the chemistry classes. Now me and her are friends. My advisor also got better at his job and I work for him now. Which is pretty cool. Which leads in to......!

9.) Undergraduate Study Things. These are experiences where you do free labor (or sometimes paid labor) in your field. You’ll be working for a grad student or a professor. These can be hecka fun or an absolute shitshow. I’ve experienced both. Flip a coin. Those are pretty much your odds. But do them anyway. You learn stuff and can make some cool friends and meet cool people and learn cool stuff.

Anyway, it’s getting kinda late and that’s all I can think of for now. Seriously, take all of these with a grain of salt. They’re heavily biased towards my perspectives and my college experience. Anyways, this thing is over 1000 words. I’m gonna go post this and fall asleep soon after. Peace dudes, and I’ll try to be more active here. I have poems to finish and I miss talking to you guys.

2

1 Comments

Reply

Frosti^coord

 

May 5, 2017 at 10:33pm

comp sci > chemistry

OTHER THAN THAT THOUGH, good post man, definitely can relate on a lot of those points, haha. College is/was some good shit

Preview