Back to School

College?
Yep, we ve been there and done that. But our undergraduate experiences span three decades, range from large state universities to boutique liberal arts colleges, run from quirky college towns to cosmopolitan urban areas. Still, we all managed to graduate and pick up some knowledge along the way, and now, here in our back-to-school issue, we pass along our accumulated wisdom to you. For incoming college freshmen, we hope this will serve as a prepatory course in the fundamentals of higher education. For our other readers, we hope it may serve as a touchstone to their college days or, at least, a reminder of why they never went in the first place.
11 Things every college student should know:

by Keith T. Barber UNC-Chapel Hill, Class of 1989

Learn how to budget your money.

Most college students are constantly broke. If you have some money in your bank account, spend it wisely. If you are on student aid, take a job in the library; that extra hundred bucks a week will go a long way on a university campus.

Learn the lay of the land.

Spend your first few days on campus making sure you know the quickest route to get from one class to the next.

Get involved but not too involved.

For incoming freshmen, time management is huge. You can’t fit everything on your plate, but if you manage your time well, you can always make your plate bigger.

Major in something you like to do.

Follow your bliss. If you choose a major that feels like work, change majors. What we have to do in life, we do with play. If you’re not having fun, you’re on the wrong track.

Get involved in the community.

Your college or university is part of a bigger community. As a college student, you have opportunities to volunteer your time and energy to causes you believe in. You never know what doors will open because of your good works.

Get to know the people in the administration.

College students avoid the administration building at all costs, but it’s a good idea to build allies in school administration. These are the people who will write letters of recommendation to your future employer.

Build personal relationships with your professors.

Even if you attend a big school, professors are generally accessible and welcome one-on-one interaction with students. If you’re struggling with a class, that’s the best time to schedule some office time. Then you can ask about extra- credit opportunities.

Enjoy your social life, but not too much.

Joining fraternities or sororities is part of the overall collegiate experience, but always be cognizant of the time demands these organizations will place upon you. A social life helps balance you out but never forget, you’re there to get your degree.

Flag football is a great way to blow off steam.

Intramural sports build friendships and offer a healthy outlet for all that freshman angst. This is the last time in your life you’ll be around so many people you have so much in common with. Never miss an opportunity to pursue new friendships.

Don t be in a rush.

When it comes to male-female relationships, remember you’ve got plenty of time. Don’t get too serious too soon. If you are seriously involved with someone before you leave for college, time and distance will test the relationship.

Take advantage of internships.

There are certain internship opportunities that are only afforded to college students, so act on those opportunities. A good piece of advice: Use the university or college to your advantage — make it work for you. You want to build your rsum without it being too lopsided.

Employers will look at the variety of extracurricular activities on your rsum. From the first day you walk on campus, remember that every day means something. Carpe diem!

Some advice you probably won`t take

by Jordan Green Antioch College, Class of 1998

You don’t need my advice about college. I know this because you’re 18 or 19 years old, and you’ve got everything figured out. I know this because I haven’t been in an institution of undergraduate higher learning in more than 10 years, and the world is different today. I know you don’t need to hear all the trite stuff about learning to drink responsibly, exploring your sexuality without becoming a slut and avoiding the “freshman 15” waistline expansion.

You don’t need to hear me extol the virtues of the humanities as a means of becoming a more complete person — that is, a citizen and a person who lives a fulfilling and worthwhile life. You won’t get it when I tell you that learning should be mostly about the joy of obtaining new knowledge, and only a little bit about landing a plum internship and securing employment.

Your plan is much more practical than mine was, and you’ve got firm ideas about marriage that neatly align with your career trajectory. Like I said, I already know that you’ve got it figured out. My collegiate career in studied rebellion won’t make sense or appeal to you — at least most of you. I went to college only grudgingly, dragged kicking and screaming to a small campus in southwest Ohio by my recently widowed mother. As a compromise, I went on a deferred enrollment plan only after taking a year off to pretend at being homeless, work as a telephone research associate in San Francisco, live at home with my mom in Kentucky, learn some things about landscaping and auto mechanics and write a novella.

I agreed to attend Antioch College only because the students and faculty seemed like a reasonably fun group of people to hang around, and some of them were simpatico with my aims to overthrow the government. The years since have been a long, steady march of cooptation and compromise. Since then, I’ve obtained a master’s degree from an Ivy League university and landed a semi-respectable position in the news media. I don’t know if these count as successes or failures, especially in the context of my original aim. I experimented with hallucinogenic drugs, indulged in binge drinking and engaged in sexual promiscuity during those four years from the fall of 1994 through the spring of 1998. In the context of my current commitment to a wonderful and good woman and in the context of my concerted interest in virtuous citizenship, these pursuits seem like somewhat embarrassing diversions. The only advice I can give is to enjoy them, but not for too long. You’ll be relieved to have gotten over them, and when you do you’ll find they have very little instructive significance on your current life. What turned out to be the central and most vital piece of my education was the rebellion that overtook our tiny campus in my second semester. The Republican takeover of Congress in 1994 led by Newt Gingrich threatened massive budget cuts, including reduction in student aid. Some fellow students more brash than I rampaged through the cafeteria spray-painting slogans and exhorting us to rouse from complacency to defend our own interests. The vandals were duly suspended, but the president canceled classes within days and invited faculty to lead teach-ins instead, on topics such as coalition building, media outreach and other tools of social change. We spread out across the prairie like 19th century evangelists organizing other campuses, and led rallies with hundreds of students in nearby Springfield and the state capital of Columbus.

In short order, we won that battle. Later, we fed the hungry in Dayton, screamed obscenities at the Ku Klux Klan in small Ohio towns, studied urban farming in abandoned neighborhoods in Detroit and visited a coal-fired power plant in West Virginia.

Any of the multiple jobs I’ve held after I received my diploma in May 1998 would probably seem incidental to the education I obtained at Antioch College, and don’t merit mentioning. But I studied the Southern Civil Rights Movement, the Beats and the Black Arts Movement poets and the history of country music. Sometimes I was lucky enough to have good professors, and other times I took advantage of the freedom to research independently.

In any case, they shaped who I am: my values and my abiding passions. Lastly, I will confess to feeling alienated from college students and the programmed activities of college life. What I hear about the college scene sounds sterile, joyless and devoid of curiosity. I hope I’m wrong about that. I think about the “baby college” concept, described skillfully on a National Public Radio program on a recent Saturday afternoon. Low-income parents attend classes to learn some basics about singing, talking and reading to infants in the womb, toddlers and small children. Inundating them with language. About using words instead of corporal punishment to set examples of patience, discipline and listening. About allowing children to explore, learn and act up instead of beating and berating them into passive submission.

Those are the only lessons that really matter, when it comes right down to it.

Things every college student should know

by Lindsay Craven Appalachian State University, Class of 2008

If your roommate stops taking their medication it s probably time to move out.

Sure they said it’s no big deal, they do it all the time but trust us, they’re going to get crazy and you’re going to suffer.

Washing towels and sheets should be done more than once a semester.

Crunchy sheets and towels are just wrong. Sure it may be hard to scrape up $2 or $3 in change to wash the big loads but it is a necessity. At least make an effort to take them home on the weekends and let mom do the dirty work.

Utilize the health clinic on campus.

It’s inevitable that you will get sick at some point of your college career. Every campus has a health clinic where you can see the doc for “free” (even if you paid for it in your tuition) and that doc will get you fixed up and medicated for next to nothing compared to the local family doctor or emergency room.

Pajamas are not acceptable forms of classroom attire.

It doesn’t matter how many people are doing it, PJ pants, a wrinkly T-shirt and Ugg boots or Sperrys are not acceptable things to wear to class. You look like a jackass and you’re stating to the world, “I hope nothing important happens in my life today because I am totally unprepared.” Make an attempt at looking presentable.

You should show up for class even if there is no attendance policy.

You and/or your parents are paying for that education so you might as well take some of it in. It sounds crazy but the whole college experience really is supposed to be about your education so it would serve you well to leave with a little more knowledge than you arrived with.

If there`s a free bus available, ride it. Gas isn’t cheap and if there is a free mode of transportation to get you around, take it. These can also be great tools for those long nights out when you can’t drive yourself home. There’s nothing like a DD you don’t owe a favor to.

Shop for books online.

Despite the book buyback most campuses offer, you are going to get screwed on your textbook purchases. They are highly overpriced and you won’t use them enough to warrant spending hundreds of dollars. Shop on Amazon and eBay to find those same books at a reasonable price and then you can likely sell it back on the website for the same price you bought it.

Take your time. With a failing economy there’s no need to rush out of college with a degree. You will probably still be jobless and living at home when you graduate so take your time and enjoy the ride. Take all those BS classes that don’t fall into your major.

Don` t sign up for 20 credit cards.

It can be tempting to sign up for the credit card to get the T-shirt with “college” stamped across it or the free Frisbee or the awesome glowing beer mug, however every time you sign up for a credit card you take a blow to your credit score, even if you don’t use the card.

Start networking now.

The job market is rough out there now so start talking to your professors and chat up the alumni at football games and see if you can make a connection that could lead to a job in the future. Some schools even offer to help students find internships so make a stop in your career center and see what tools you have at your disposal.

Shoes aren` t just for the shower.

It is an absolute necessity that you have those handy shower shoes when you move in to the dorm but you should also remember that you’ll need to wear those on every trip around the dorm, not just when you’re showering.

Encourage care packages.

Sure, they may be embarrassing to pick up from the post office but parents and grandparents will load you up with food, candy and cash if you let them.

Get a plant first.

It’s tempting to rush into buying a pet of some sort when you first move away from home to help dull the sting of being homesick.

Before you rush out to the pet store you should get a plant first and make sure you have the nurturing skills to keep an animal alive. This also applies to those of you moving into dorms and planning to get fish or another aquarium-dwelling animal; those need food too.

Clean out the fridge occasionally.

Reminder: food spoils and molds. You may have never witnessed this while living at home because mom took care of it for you. At college it’s your responsibility to make sure that the bread with green mold on it makes it to the trash.

A tramp stamp is not a requirement for graduation.

Think about your tattoos and where you put them before getting them. You may be cute and skinny now but think forward to the years after you have children or when you make it to the retirement home and decide whether those cherries surrounded by a tribal design will look as cute as they do now.

Shop at the grocery store, not your school market.

Even though the school market is convenient it is grossly overpriced. It may be a pain in the ass but head out to the nearest grocery store and load up there instead. You could also start clipping coupons and save money you couldn’t save on campus.

Get involved in something.

Join an intramural sport if you didn’t make a team or join a club that pertains to your hobbies or major. This is how you meet people you’ll know for the rest of your life and it gets you out of that cramped little dorm or apartment.

Take advantage of your advisor.

There’s a reason you are assigned an advisor, so use them. Some schools require that you see your advisor in order to sign up for classes but many make it optional after freshman year. Once you’ve decided on your major you need the help of your advisor to guide you through what classes you should be taking and when so you can graduate without any last minute surprises.

You don’t need a laptop in class.

There is a big misconception that all college kids come to class with their laptops. This isn’t true. Toting around your laptop can wreak havoc on your shoulders and back, and it’s just not necessary. Most professors post class notes on their website or school website so that students can print them off and lighten their load.

Avoid planning a wedding or having a kid while in college.

While this may seem like common knowledge it seems as though tons of college students forget it by their junior or senior year. You are going to be busy trying to prepare yourself to have a future; you don’t have time to place other things ahead of that. For those who do and succeed, however, we applaud you.

Notes from an unspectacular college career

by Brian Clarey Loyola University New Orleans, Class of 1993

I went to college a long time ago — before the internet and e-mail, before computerized registration, before cell phones and before they started giving college kids free laptops. Believe it or not, we used do our research in the library, poring through microfiche and bound volumes of periodicals. And if we wanted to call somebody, we had to find a phone to do it with and hope the other person was in. If not, we left messages on answering machines.

It was a different time socially as well. When I began at Loyola in fall 1988, Ronald Reagan was still president and was preparing to pass the baton to George HW Bush, who coincidentally was in New Orleans the day I arrived, addressing the Republican National Convention.

We were still afraid of nuclear war with Russia back then, still reeling from the stock market crash of 1987, still convinced we would likely come down with AIDS. During the course of my college career, the Cold War ended, the DJIA regained its losses and crept back up to its previous high of just under 3,000 points and we staunched the spread of AIDS by availing ourselves of the free condoms that, it seems, were everywhere in those days, even at my Jesuit university.

Things have changed even more in the 16 years or so since my matriculation, but I believe there are still some a priori truths to the college experience that just may help some of you entering the halls of higher education this year. First and foremost, college is a lot like everything else in life: You get what you give. To that end, you should meet as many people as possible, expose yourself to as many new things as you can handle, push your limits in terms of relationships, study, alcohol comsumption, travel, sleep deprivation and music appreciation. It’s a good time to feel out the territory beyond your comfort zone — and, if like me college is your first time away from your parents’ house, almost everything is outside your comfort zone. The point of all this new experience is, of course, self discovery. College shattered many of my previously held beliefs, beliefs I came to realize were based on nothing more than an amalgamation of the books I had read and things I heard my parents say. I formed real opinions in college and spent many late dorm-room nights defending those opinions. College gave me the courage to admit when I was wrong, the security to change my mind without feeling like a flake.

It gave me a foundation of knowledge from which I still draw to this day, but also gave me the opportunity to distinguish between theory and practice.

I was fortunate enough to realize what I wanted to do with my life early on in my college career, but most of my friends were there to figure all that stuff out and many of them work in fields that have nothing to do with their majors. So if you’re not sure what it is you want to do after graduation, pick a major that is interesting to you. A degree in history of philosophy will always come in handy, even if you end up running a restaurant or working in an office. And it would be wise to remember that college is not trade school. If you want to be guaranteed a job upon graduation, go to refrigeration school or learn to fix cars. Also remember that college is about more than formal education. In college I learned to wash my clothes, pay my bills, juggle a busy schedule, convince women to sleep with me, use public transportation, navigate a bureaucracy, survive a mugging, tend bar, cook a meal, wash dishes, plunge a toilet and pick a lock. These skills have served me at least as well as knowing who Carr Van Anda was.

One more thing: College, like life, is about relationships. Make lots of friends, hopefully ones who are fundamentally different from you, and log lots of good times together in the form of nights out, road trips, sporting events and all sorts of other ridiculous adventures, and make sure someone takes pictures. Bank all these memories, and then be sure to stay in touch with your college friends — I talk to some of mine almost every day and now, more than two decades after my freshman year, we are still grilling each other about the stupid things we did.