General Discussion

Hiiii
It was my first day of college today (though I'm 14, I got in through a program).

It was pretty nerve-wracking and I'm a bit concerned about the workload (doubly so because I'm so young and the last year of school I attended was freshman year of high school lmao)

The program I got into requires I maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above for my four years there... does anyone have some tips or something that might help me get accustomed to the new environment? I'm kinda stressed rn so anything would help! Thank you!

@Psychofruitcake

I went to college online, which is a lot harder than campus I think because you really have to kick your own butt to keep up.

Time management skills are good to hone.

Listening to old video game music (8bit style from the NES days) can help you focus way more. It is odd, but it's true! The music of those games was designed to keep your attention. I personally love the Castlevania soundtrack, it got me through many essays, haha! In college you are more or less your own boss, and you can't cut yourself slack. Treat yourself as if you were your own student.

Balancing work and play helps keep you from burning out. I would work for 45 minutes to an hour on something, then relax for 20 or so. Find what works best for you! And do not be afraid to ask your professors for help.

For The Future - Your Adult Life

I highly recommend that you learn a vocation when you are officially an adult/nearing that part of your life.

I don't mean to scare you, but college mostly just ensures that you will have a lot of debt. 40% of BA holders can't find work in their field as of a late 2015 study. My other half has his Master's in Accounting and he still can't find anything more than temp work.

I, on the other hand, know a vocation. I am employed full time and make decent money and I have never once used my degree (unfortunately). A vocation is a trade that is indisposable, such as Vet Tech (which is what I am gearing up for), Dental assistants, etc.

The coolest vocation to me is Welding. 16 month program that throws you into a high demand field that pays ridiculously well.

I'm not saying a degree will never help you, but as an adult, I wish 14 year old me had known how awful things would get. The problem is that student loans were made "sticky". Meaning, declaring bankruptcy will not save you from it anymore. The result of this change is that lenders stopped caring about how much money they approved because they would never lose out on it, and in turn, colleges started increasing their costs for profit because the lenders were giving away whatever they felt like.

If you are still intent on continuing college when you are older, DEFINITELY get into Tech or Programming. Those are the only professions, in my humble opinion, that would ever help you pay off that huge debt.

@psychofruitcake - College... at.... 14 ...?
Holy hell, I don't even have advice because college hasn't started for me just yet but omg.

-stares at birth certificate- I feel old and unaccomplished, lol.

@Zehla
Oh my that's a lot of advice! Thanks so much, I will definitely try that NES music thing! And the info on vocations is much appreciated. c;

@Roadhog
Ha, thanks! Yeah it's kind of scary, I'm mostly concerned abt maintaining my GPA lol.

@Psychofruitcake

No problem!

Since you got into college at FOURTEEN though, you're probably pretty awesome, and getting a four year degree oddly will help you no matter what in most cases. Many employers just see "Bachelor's" and automatically you are a better candidate in their eyes - even if it isn't related to the job! My BA has helped me in my field even though I don't work in what I studied for, haha. I guess having a degree just screams "I am dedicated!" which is a great thing.

So, compounding your BA with a related Vocation will probably set you up for extreme success. You're getting a head start in life most people never get. You will have a BA by the time you are EIGHTEEN.

I am 27.

I probably won't be able to retire because I am very late to the game with the whole "having a nice job" thing.

Every time you feel like you can't do it, just sit back and think about how amazing your future is going to be, and how when you're 65, you'll be on a nice sandy beach :D

Good luck!

It's all about time management and not getting overwhelmed. If you're not used to such a large workload I'd suggest getting a planner and sticking with it and also looking into "productivity hacks." I would probably not have graduated without personal kanban, which limits the number of things you can work on at once so you won't get overwhelmed and so that you can focus better on those things and finish them quicker and better.

Make friends with others who want to keep up well in school, too, but do not forget to unwind.

@Psychofruitcake

Hello! I'm currently a senior in college right now. The most important thing for me has been getting things done early. Even if that means starting your final essay a month in advance, it sucks, but future you will be so glad you did it! As well as studying in advance. The best way I was able to have information stick in my mind was when I studying a little bit every day a week or two in advance of the test and build on that after each day. This way you get the information repeated often and a lot so for me atleast I can remember it a lot better! Also learning to prioritize. Sometimes there will be too much work to do in a day, and sometimes you're just exhausted and need a day to relax. Or you're sick. Sometimes I had to do what was most important or worth the most points and not have time for a different homework that was worth less.

Above all just be sure to be confident and ask for help if you need it, hopefully your school has some help resources you can use! Good luck!!

@Psychofruitcake I'm going to second everything that deputykuriboh said. Time management and getting things done early will be your ticket to success. Something that I had to learn was that there will never be THE BEST, MOST PERFECT TIME to start/work on an assignment. Don't buy into the fallacy that there will ever be a time when everything will make sense and you'll do amazing perfect work all in one go. That time doesn't exist, so it's better to get started now. Also, you'll figure out relatively quickly if you need clarification from the professor or need to do more research, which will save you so much stress.

Alternatively, the great thing about starting early is that if you sit down one morning to work on a paper and literally nothing will come into your brain, you can decide to leave it for an hour or two and come back to it with a more refreshed brain. By starting early you can allow yourself that time to mull things over and hit it again with your brain humming along, minus all the stress about time constraints.

And above all, congrats! Learn loads and have fun, okay?

@Megalodonius @Jeais @deputykuriboh @breelligerent

Thank you all so much for the advice!

Sorry, I was super tired yesterday and couldn't find the energy to respond to you guys when you first responded. I will definitely consider and try all your strategies for studying and such! Thanks again :D