College living arrangements Part I: Dorms

Living arrangements tend to be an afterthought when you begin your college career and obsession from your sophomore year on. Whether you're living at home or striking out on your own to find housing, you're in for an adventure.

On Difficult Classes

We're nearing the mid semester mark and a lot of students are coming to advisors to ask about dropping courses or to see if there's an easier teacher to take that tricky course with next time around. Some of them are complaining about personal difficulties or problems with bosses. Here's the thing: tough classes suck. Personal problems can suck the life out of you and so can nasty bosses. I've had them all and I know from first-hand experience that any one of those is a pain in the ass, but combine two and it's rough. The catch is that the Universe seems to have a sick sense of humor in that it frequently will throw you a curve ball right when you need your whole brain the most.

Beyond the parties: study habits and grades

As I mentioned in a previous post, regardless of how you feel about a class, the grade goes on your transcript if you don't drop it. That means if you get an F or even a C in a class, that low grade will continue dragging your cumulative grade point average down unless you repeat the course and replace the grade. (Not all colleges will even replace the lower grade with the new grade. For example, Penn State University counts the grade for the repeat and the previous grade in the student's GPA.)

College isn't Burger King

Thanks to the Baby Boomers, we are in the midst of what must be the most protracted version of childhood in any civilized society. I recently faced the challenge of developing a presentation on how to increase retention starting in the classroom, and one issue I knew I had to address with faculty was the joy of "helicopter parents." It used to be that if a student had an issue with a professor, the student got a real-life lesson in effective and ineffective negotiation techniques coupled with the realization that a lot of people pursue careers in academia because they can't play well with others. In case this is news to anyone: when you're in the workforce, you will have to deal with some insane egomaniacs who are in a position of power over you--it's called having a boss. You know Michael Scott from The Office? He's a nice version of a lot of the weirdos that rise to the top.

Introducing College for the Clueless

Years ago, when I was a college student, I was clueless, so I don't feel right passing judgement on anyone just for being clueless. What bothers me is when people who are clueless choose to remain clueless instead of empowering themselves with knowledge.