College Advice Needed

what do you want to study?

 

If you know your problem from high school, just stop doing what you did.

You know you'll need to study more, so do that. There is really isn't a trick to studying. If you wanted to try to trick yourself into studying, you could always try to buddy up with the hot girl in class and have a group study.

 

If you know what your problem was in HS, don't do it in college. You'll have to read and study if you plan on transferring to a decent university -- I'm guessing A&M would require at least a 3.0, if not a 3.5, to transfer, depending on what your SAT and all that was like. It wouldn't hurt to contact somebody in admission there to get a gauge on it.

If you can't keep your GPA high with that many classes, drop one to get to 12 hours.

 

Ok here's the thing. I'm currently at A&M. I'm in engineering...and it is hard. The classes themselves, IF YOU STUDY, they are very do-able. But, you factor in clubs/frats, then all the projects (a week before finals, I had 4 projects going on at the SAME TIME), it gets difficult.
If you are thinking about transferring anywhere the first thing you need to learn is time management. You'd be suprised how much making and following a schedule for yourself helps.
All that being said, its a really good uni, lots to do if you become involved in clubs, no matter what those tu guys say. Oh and you'd be suprised how people can become suddenly nicer to you once they find out you're an aggie.

Bottom Line....you know what you did wrong in hs. That's good. Slowly work your way into studying mode, and you'll really do fine. You don't have to be smart to do well. You just have to know how to study well. Good Luck!

 

If you want to do your absolute best, you generally have to slack on the "college experience" (which generally includes partying, drinking a lot and other freedom-based activities).

There's really no secret method to getting good grades. If you want to ace tests, you have to know the material. If you want to know the material, you have to either learn it in class and take notes or study from a book.

 

2 years with a 3.0 in JUCO will usually get you into any public school in Texas. The major/school you want however, completely different story.

 

I graduated in 2007 with a similar major from Sam Houston State, and as of about 2005 I know that A&M had shut down most of their communications majors, including broadcasting, because we had a lot of transfers. I don't know if they've reopened since then, but if that's what you really want to do you'll probably want to look into schools like North Texas, SHSU, and possibly UH or Texas State. UT has a more film oriented program IIRC, but it is very tough to get into.

 

Time management. Besides a handful of students, few can juggle a great social life and stellar academics. Learn to say no to friends and any invites half the time, and be firm. Have a daily planner and stick religiously to it.

Treat college like a 9-5 job. Eat breakfast, shower and shave, and dress appropriately for class. Sit in the first three rows. Go to office hours for every class at least once a week even if you don't need help. From 9 to 5, you have to be in an academic mindset the entire time. Don't think those empty blocks between classes means free time. Do your homework/reading chapters/etc. Make an effort to go to the library if you get distracted at home. Make sure to have term papers finished and printed (after several revisions) the day before they're due.

Sophomore year, start looking for internships and build your resume if you haven't already. The days when summers could be spent idly are gone. Come senior year, you should have a job lined up for you if not graduate school.

Surround yourself with ambitious, honest, and overall good people. And every 2 weeks at least, go out with friends on weekends and do whatever you please. Build your network. Spend under 30 minutes on Facebook and show the crowd you exist. Avoid relationships if you can. Being in one is like taking another class. Added stress, money spent, less time, etc.

Manage your personal finances and don't waste too much on alcohol or eating out. Buy used furniture at cheap deals when people move out. Take out student loans if you have to. Don't be afraid of debt. If you get the right job, you'll easily be making good money to pay it all back.

Go on a study abroad trip at least one semester. Take an unusual class or one very different from your major. Every month, at least read one good book, watch a new movie, and go to a football game.

I apologize in advance for the unstructured paragraphs above and any poor use of grammar (on a smart-phone). Good luck.

 

I agree so far except for the dressing up part...i get it's part of treating as a job, but if you're going to do better if your dressed comfortably, then go for it.

I think it all comes downt o going to class. If you didnt study before, then you'll probably find it very easy to skip class since teachers usually won't care if you attend. You'll miss notes, hints, and possible extra credit and other useful stuff.

Keep it simple. Go to class every time unless the teacher specifically says not to. Listen to what they ask of you and what they require you to learn for the class. Study and do that and you'll be fine.

 

This may not be your only problem. Plenty of people ace high school with minimal study.

As for college advice, do not pick a joke major. Broadcast journalism is a joke major. I seriously doubt that any significant percentage of people majoring in that at a less than desirable school go on to land positions in the field. Do something that will make you employable, like accounting.

The other side of this is to avoid assuming that a decent white collar job will be waiting for you on graduation just because you have a shiny new piece of paper. Those days ended long ago. You need to work hard to build actual skills in your chosen field while in school, even if you have to accept unpaid positions.

Making some short-term sacrifices to your happiness will save you from a future of working the counter at Starbucks or Barnes & Noble like the majority of today's grads.

 

My simple trick (and I was the same as you) was to sit in the middle of the front row in every class, right under the professor's nose. It makes it very hard to mentally drift off and very hard to go unnoticed when you skip, so you don't.

I know it sounds crazy but I guarantee you you grades will be better. And, if you need to get some consideration from the prof, you will at least get recognized and heard.

 

You need to check and see if HCC participates in a program with A&M. You may be better advised to sit out a semester and go to a junior college that participates in A&M's Transfer Articulation Program.

HCC does not participate. It will be harder to get in from there unless your grades kick ass.

I also would recommend making an appointment to go see an admissions counselor at A&M's Houston Prospective Student Center. They will give you the no BS options on how to get into A&M from your situation.

Good luck...and Gig 'Em.

 

I think you're dead on. Keep in mind that most colleges will only take 30-60 credits as a transfer, max. They're in business to get you there in class, not give you a diploma for a few classes taken.

 

I would generally take five classes a semester, which basically meant 3 hours of classroom time a day, so I'm guessing our situations are similar in terms of workload. What's worked for me:

Approach school almost like a job. For me that meant from 9am to 4pm, I did work. Three hours a day were spent in the classroom, three hours was spent doing homework, reading through the textbook, making flashcards (it's WAY better to flashcards incrementally, as opposed to trying to make 200 when you need to study for an exam), organizing and reviewing notes, etc. Somewhere in there I would generally take an hour break for lunch.

(Also, it seems like common sense, but don't goof off or space out in class, make a conscious effort to stay focused and take notes. Resist the urge to text.)

But yeah, trust me, if you just do that you should be fine. It takes some discipline, but what you'll find is that by keeping up with your work, you won't need to spend an exorbitant amount of time studying, you won't pull all nighters writing papers, and most importantly your nights and weekends are free. The only time I've ever done schoolwork on a weekend was when I had a big exam on a Monday.

Seriously, if you have the self discipline, you'll find that you work more, but you don't actually work hard, if that makes sense. It just makes everything come way easier.

 

I kinda relate..

You should focus on your goals. think of your parent and most off all yourself. Enroll in a course that you really enjoy and make you fulfilled

 

This is GREAT advice, maybe except for the social stuff at the end...he should do what he wants to relax unless he's shooting heroin or something...

Getting a good study group with 2 or 3 other people that are good students helps A LOT...but you have to contribute and not be there just to mooch off of them, that's weaksauce and you'll probably get kicked out of the group (rightfully so) . Try to team up with some folks that are on the same plan you are so you can try to be in all the same classes until you graduate.

 

Take advantage of everything that's available to you, study groups, office hours, study partners, library services, free tutors, etc. Try to build a rapport with your professors. If you show up to office hours every week and show that you're putting in a good effort, the prof will kind of look out for you a little bit. It helps a lot when you're taking a class that you might struggle with.

 

The whole college experience of partying and clubs gets a little old and boring after a while. You'll grow out of it. Pretty soon instead of "party, Yeeaahh!!" you'd be going "chemical engineering books, new edition, Yeeaah!!!"