Whats with the rush to get through college?

People here, going into college for the first time, asking if 19,21,24 hours is too much. Saying they won't party and how they took AP courses and all that bullhonky. What is the friggin rush? Look at it this way people...Never again in your life will you be around so many people your age with so much free time. Never again will you be surrounded by so many of those with many of the same interests. Never again will you get summers off (unless you are a teacher I guess), not have to worry about bills, and have almost total freedom.

Some of the best advice I've heard from a tourguide when I was checking out colleges is "You are here for yourself. I failed my calc class because it was way over my head, but I thought I had to prove how smart I was. Now I know that I don't have to prove how smart I am, or how many classes I can take. Thats stupid. Enjoy the social life, because after 4 years, you will never see it again."

You can always learn more later. Unless your major requires you to take 20 hours a semester, there is no reason to.

 

[Lithium381]

I'm taking my time, i've got 5 or 6 years total.....only 1/3 done so far but that's okay
three years in community college doing all my GE and any classes that'll transfer for my Minor/major

 

[andrewjm]

possibly the cost?

 

[HardcoreRobot]

I agree. I think though, if you are going to an expensive school and acculumating a lot of debt, that weight should probably motivate you start earning.

 

[andrewjm]

possibly the cost?

 

[vi edit]

I had more fun out of college than I did in it because I actually had money to spend

Not to say college wasn't fun, but I like having my nights and weekends free and money in my pocket.

 

[Reliant]

Now that I'm a senior in college I'm in debt and I'm pretty tired of taking classes.

 

[Anubis]

my major required it and i still drank my face off for 4 years, it all depends on who you are, hell my friend Alex got a Fulbright and he took over 20 hours a semester and parties harder then anyone i know
my friend Joel was #1 in his class the one before mine and he took 5 classes every semester, we only need 4 and still had a 4.0 and was a triple major and he "had a life"

people need to figure out what they are capable of, and if they fusk it up then need to learn that themselves

 

[Ameesh]

Originally posted by: FallenHero
People here, going into college for the first time, asking if 19,21,24 hours is too much. Saying they won't party and how they took AP courses and all that bullhonky. What is the friggin rush? Look at it this way people...Never again in your life will you be around so many people your age with so much free time. Never again will you be surrounded by so many of those with many of the same interests. Never again will you get summers off (unless you are a teacher I guess), not have to worry about bills, and have almost total freedom.

Some of the best advice I've heard from a tourguide when I was checking out colleges is "You are here for yourself. I failed my calc class because it was way over my head, but I thought I had to prove how smart I was. Now I know that I don't have to prove how smart I am, or how many classes I can take. Thats stupid. Enjoy the social life, because after 4 years, you will never see it again."

You can always learn more later. Unless your major requires you to take 20 hours a semester, there is no reason to.

imo you goto college to be mentally stimulated, to learn a trade and round off your general education. you don't go to college to smoke pot and drink all the time. that may happen once in a while when you are having fun but its not the purpose of going to school. i'd say get your priorities straight

 

[memo]

i'd imagine they think everyone else takes a buncha hours too. it seems like the "challenging" thing to do. i tried 18 hours once, no go for me. i think its something where a person is a big fish in high school and still wants to come off as a big fish in college.

 

[Asharus]

The sooner you get through with college, the quicker you get more earning power.

The temps in my department are struggling to get permanent positions because they don't have a degree.

 

[StageLeft]

Yeah, you can learn more later, but you probably won't. if you come out of college with a pissant GPA it's not something easily repaird, since student loans and age will catch up with you.

I did the normal course load at college. I'm very glad that I was not one of the bums who took an extra year. It's not that the extra year itself is a big deal, but the kind of people who slack off and end up allowing themselves an extra year seems to be the bad thing. I'd just do a regular course load and make sure that you get your drinking in.

Some people, and I wasn't one of them, did manage to do a regular course load and have GOOD solid grades, while still socialzing a lot.

 

[Kipper]

Amen. People are too caught up in the rat race - to get married, have a family, make a bajillion dollars, get straight A's. I've enjoyed my three years with a relatively average GPA going into my fourth, and I'd like to stay for a fifth, but I'd have to pay for it and another seven years of graduate school awaits...I think a balance is necessary.

I plan on taking a full load (18 credits) both semesters of my senior year (6 classes). Am I nuts? Possibly, but I do need 33 credits to graduate, and I do have a lot of classes I want to take. Incidentally, I DO have a very active social life, and I plan on finding time for both. I'm here for the learning and the drinking.

People who say good grades and an active social life can't be done are fools. As a friend of mine put it, "If you drink your way through school and get subpar grades, you have an excuse. If you don't drink your way through school and you get subpar grades, you're just stupid."

 

[Heisenberg]

I don't understand the rush either. There also seem to be a lot of people here saying 20 hours isn't a problem. Unless they're all easy gen-eds or you're a genius, 20 hours is going to be a strain.

 

[gistech1978]

i never understood that either.
i know a guy who graduated in 2.5 years.
so he could be an accountant in dallas. sounds like fun.
but i guess hes making more than two and half times my salary at this point...

 

[skace]

DEBT (and how fast it is growing while you take your time)

 

[Kipper]

Originally posted by: gistech1978
i never understood that either.
i know a guy who graduated in 2.5 years.
so he could be an accountant in dallas. sounds like fun.
but i guess hes making more than two and half times my salary at this point...

The question is, however: would you be happier living as an account in Dallas? I sure as hell wouldn't. You couldn't pay me enough to do all that crap.

 

[zixxer]

wtf, I WISH I could slack off and just not do anything.


I'm looking at 40hrs work a week, plus 15hrs a semeser school

edit::

That's for two semesters... after that it's easy street with 12-13hrs a semester

 

[gistech1978]

Originally posted by: MadCowDisease

Originally posted by: gistech1978
i never understood that either.
i know a guy who graduated in 2.5 years.
so he could be an accountant in dallas. sounds like fun.
but i guess hes making more than two and half times my salary at this point...

The question is, however: would you be happier living as an account in Dallas? I sure as hell wouldn't. You couldn't pay me enough to do all that crap.

well same here.
but im not exactly loving being dirt poor in beaver oklahoma either.
haha.

 

[Atomicus]

People are forgetting that you actually need to get a job after college in order to not look like a loser:roll:

 

[Whisper]

College is about the education, yeah...but it's also (and in my opinion more importantly) there to help you learn about yourself. Learn your interests, passions, opinions...you really come into who you are while you're in college. Part of that is because there are so many other people around you doing the same thing, and you're constantly bouncing new ideas and trends off of each other.

Besides, if you want to be a workaholic, that's what grad school is for.

 

[Kipper]

Originally posted by: Atomicus
People are forgetting that you actually need to get a job after college in order to not look like a loser:roll:

Not really. I'm going to essentially be in school until I'm in my early thirties, but I don't see people around me calling me a loser. If you're happy, who cares? Screw them.

 

[Descartes]

Some people have different priorities. I certainly wouldn't want to just be starting my life at age 24, 25, or perhaps even later. I've accomplished most of my goals before I was 21, and if I had taken a more relaxed approach I might be just getting started like most people my age. I missed out on a lot of things that they took for granted in their years, but now I'm able to enjoy what I believe to be far more fruitful benefits. I have a financial foundation that allows me the freedom of choice and an ability to pursue all of my interests. Many of my friends are still living with roommates and having house parties, and that's absolutely fantastic if that's what they wish to do. I'm simply not that way, and so I chose a different path.

To each their own in what makes them happy.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Not me. I'm proud I took 5 years to get through school. I had a freaking great time that I wish I could live through again and I escaped with a 3.6 gpa. I may have fewer brain cells now though.

Just a footnote here... I did have a four year scholarship so I really only had to pay for 1 year. I can't speak for those who had to pay from day 1.

 

[rgwalt]

Finishing sooner means that you spend less in living expenses, and can get a job and start making money sooner. For some people, they don't have a free ride (whether by scholarship or by parents) for college, and have to pay for tuition, room, board, books, etc all for themselves by working and/or loans. Finishing in 3 years means that they can start paying back the debt sooner and they don't have an extra year of living expenses.

That being said, I encourage taking 4 years and no more than 5. It is very easy to get burnt out on school and party too much. They key is finding a balance, and recognizing when you need to grow up and act like an adult.

R