First year of College

[Juice Box]

Going to my first year of college at University of Illinois next year and had a few quesitons. Im gonna be majoring in Business Finance (not directly...but through their Liberal Arts program) and wanted to know how the first year is like. Arent the classes usually pretty BS stuff...easy to get good grades? I need to form up a deal with the folks involving good grade on my part to let me get a car soph year...but I dont want to over-estimate my capibilities. I did pretty well in HS..i think around a 3.5 overall. Would a 3.6 be pretty attainable for first year in college? What kinds of stuff should I try and do?

 

[robothouse77]

was you HS private or public?

 

[icejunkie]

here

 

[tfinch2]

I had a 3.76 after my first year in college. I get mad at myself now because I probably could have got a 4.0 with 10% effort instead of 2%.

 

[Mo0o]

Depends on the school and class population. First year at Duke can be pretty annoying since everyone is straight out of high school with tons of motivation so everyone is studying. This fervor obviously twindles as time goes on.

 

[Ausm]

1st two years of college was review for me...


Ausm

 

[Safeway]

Well, I managed a 3.75 or so this past year (my first year). The classes I took were upper-division since I was able to take AP credit and dual-credit from other sources. Alot were Honors classes too. If you don't do anything, you can easily make a 2.00. My sister fvcked off at SMU and got a 1.9 GPA, and she is a smart gal. She will be a senior there next year and currently has a 3.6 GPA since she has been making As since then.

 

[Schadenfroh]

3.8GPA freshman year (premed), went to a public highschool that did not even offer chemistry or physics (long story about how it came to be that way)

 

[akubi]

my college was pass or fail freshmen year

 

[Juice Box]

yeah I come from a public HS and took all honors/AP classes...didnt really try at all and got a 3.5 Im hoping I can still have fun but work my ass off and get good enuf grades for my parents "approval" I know my sis messed up big time in college and got in some deep sh!t there...

 

[SouthPaW1227]

I went to a lame-o high school so college work hit me hard. I made a 3.5GPA the 1st semester and a 3.7GPA second semester. It's not cake, but it only gets harder. Try VERY HARD to get the best grades you can, as you'll need them as GPA boosters later on.

 

[dquan97]

I did horrible the 1st year, due to an extreme amount of video games and lack of attendance and studying. Managed to graduate in 4yrs though

 

[cchen]

Freshman year was my most difficult.... I was way too lazy. But so was everyone else

 

[Furyline]

Just finished my freshman year. It was certainly more difficult than high school, I worked much harder. Ended up with a 3.8.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I had a 3.8 in HS, and 1.6 in college.

HS was extremely easy, and required no effort. (I only took 3 AP courses though, and things may have changed since when I was in HS ... 1994-1998).

I never went to class or studied in college, and that hurt my grades a bit.

 

[chrisms]

I got a 2.7 freshman year, but this involved many skipped classes, half-assed papers, and a few hybrid online courses. I usually either got an A or a C, the classes where I got an A had decent professors and I just did all my work and aced the exams. It isn't that tough as long as you don't totally give up like I did.

A 3.0 will be simple for most people, I don't think it would be extremely difficult to get a 3.5.

 

[ggnl]

It's easy to get good grades if you actually go to class. Like many freshmen, I didn't have the self control to go to class once my father wasn't there making me go. Consequently my grades stunk, and I spent the rest of my college career trying to recover.

I had a cumulative GPA of 2.3 at the end of my first year, and graduated with a 3.5.

 

[SouthPaW1227]

Originally posted by: ggnl
It's easy to get good grades if you actually go to class. Like many freshmen, I didn't have the self control to go to class once my father wasn't there making me go. Consequently my grades stunk, and I spent the rest of my college career trying to recover.

I had a cumulative GPA of 2.3 at the end of my first year, and graduated with a 3.5.

Yep. Bringing a GPA up is terribly hard, that's wh it is SO important to get a good freshman start...it lets you relax a little later. Don't fret, you'll have tons of time for video games. Just go to class; treat college like a job and you'll be fine.

 

[rgwalt]

Really it is more about what classes you will be taking and your own level of self discipline. You have to be self motivated in college. Your profs and TAs won't ride you about turning in homework or papers, doing the readings, etc, and won't care what grades you get on exams. If you are willing to commit yourself to put in the time necessary to be successful, then you don't have to worry about it. The problem is that there are lots of distractions in college... rec sports, the gym, parties, meeting new people, video games/TV/movies with friends in the dorms, women, etc.

If you are willing to put in the time, I'm sure you could manage any GPA you want. Look at your potential schedule and compute your GPA assuming you got a couple of B's, and the rest A's.

Good luck!

R

 

[Juice Box]

haha you all make it sound like its so easy NOT to go to class...I take it they really dont care if you go or not?

 

[SouthPaW1227]

Originally posted by: Juice Box
haha you all make it sound like its so easy NOT to go to class...I take it they really dont care if you go or not?

They really don't. It doesn't effect them one bit. But it will effect you, I promise.

 

[chrisms]

Originally posted by: Juice Box
haha you all make it sound like its so easy NOT to go to class...I take it they really dont care if you go or not?

It is easy. If you skip class, the professor will not say anything to you, and I assume won't even notice. The only thing they ever get upset about is if you show up late every day and disrupt the lecture.

And when you skip its not like you have to provide an excuse later.. it just goes down as an absence. Regardless of whether you were sick, drunk, sick drunk, or had a funeral to go to, it goes down as an absence.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: Juice Box
I take it they really dont care if you go or not?

Exactly, you're supposed to be an adult in college, responsible for your own actions. Professors will not bother to be your babysitters, they only care about teaching the students that want to learn.

Also be careful, some intro / freshman classes are low-level and easy, others are intentionally much harder to weed out students that shouldn't be taking more classes in that area.

And do care about GPA, having high GPA will give you a better choice of internships / co-ops to make connections for after you graduate and to get some experience for your resume. GPA can also help for getting a better first job.

 

[cw42]

I did terrible my first year. Dropped my math class, and failed compsci. I'm doing ok now in my third year, 3.2 gpa.

 

[everman]

Your professors may not say it outright, but some do get very annoyed when only half the class or less shows up on a regular basis, only to visit for exams.
It certainly helps a lot to be there every day if you want anything like a letter of reccomendation, but first year is a bit early for that.