Listen & Read

Some advice to you pre-collegiate students. So this coming fall you will be freshmen at the school of your choice, your parents choice, or that of your SAT scores. Well congratulations, you are in for quite a ride. Do not, I repeat DO NOT be alarmed, you are in for what they say is the best time of your life, and they are not lying. 

However there are a few tidbits of information that I would like to share with you because it's always good to share, it let's you know that someone cares or at least tries to, 

1. Do try new things 
2. Don't be shy and say hello to that new cutie across the hall or across the classroom, remember that rejection is a part of life and in that case there are always more fish in the sea
3. Don't smoke just to look cool, it's a stinky habit and there are other people out there like me who love their lungs and want to breathe easy–don't mess it up for the rest of us
4. Do not join in the litter chain and spread garbage all over campus, it sucks and is not a cute trend to partake in 
5. Do go in undecided, there is nothing wrong with not know what it is that you want to do, soon enough you will make up your mind and be glad that you got your GE's out of the way and its a great way to save time because you wouldn't be changing your major every other semester 
6. This goes well with #5, but don't be afraid to change your major if you already go in with something set, it's really ok
7. Do try the dorming experience or something of the like, it's part of college and it's part of growing
8. If you can DO go study abroad, it will be an experience that you remember forever, kind of like that first kiss that you wish to repeat, or prefer to forget hehehe, it's like that ; )
9. Don't be afraid to take out student loans if your short on money for classes, because sometimes you just have to 
10. DONT take out student loans to buy clothes and stereo systems that you don't need and will hardly use because it's a waste of money and not very smart–go to school naked if you have to (j/k) or shop at a thrift shop and make it vintage!
11. Don't slack on your credit card payments if you have one, having good credit is important so if there is no need to swipe for something you can't pay now, don't get it
12. Looking good is great, but excess spending is not! I must if I must, reiterate the importance of spending your money wisely, if you want use your debit card, it won't build up your credit, but it won't put it in the negatives either and STAY AWAY from those glamorous loans with high interest rates that you know you aren't going to use for books
13. Ladies you are beautiful yes, but don't make yourselves gullible, you are freshmen, of course those older cuties are going to tell you that you look good and what have you, don't fall into their trap, save yourself the heartache and have good sweet & clean fun
14. Gentleman try out for those sports that you were so good at in high school, they can foster your future careers
15. Join all of the clubs possible even if you only end up liking one, this is how you build your connections, meet people and experience college
16. Try to find an on campus job even if the rate is minimum wage, you should be having fun and studying, not working to get rich–that's what the time after graduation is for, duh!
17. Call mom and tell her you love her if your dorming, she misses you 
18. Don't be afraid to go Greek, there is nothing wrong with being in a fraternity or sorority, just make sure that it's right for you and if you don't end up going on line to pledge, at least you tried
19. DO your homework it gives you more time to party hehe and make sure that your teachers know your name, this should be the number one thing you do because it is important and always comes in handy to have a good relationship with your teacher–more fun to grade you 
20. Go on www.ratemyprofessor.com and if they say that the professor is hard and you don't know him personally, don't take him because you will be kicking yourself later–the chili pepper is for hot professor, so you know
21. Be aware of the freshman 15 which is gained from all that college food, eat  healthy and be healthy–it's ok to have pizza for breakfast, just make sure that your in a good physical condition too
22. Make sure that you know where the health and wellness centers are, they can give free condoms, physicals and some even have HIV testing–WRAP IT BEFORE YOU TAP IT!!!!!!!!!
23. Sport your ipod from class to class, it keeps you awake and peppy & if your walking alone, you look super chic with colored earbuds and nice shades
24. The library is there for you to use, take advantage of all those goodies that your campus offers you and make sure you have interned before graduation,  makes job hunting easy 
25. Most importantly HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is college, you can't really do it over again
Love it because you love me 
-B. 

Parents

They don't really know what it is that you do in school, just that you are going for an education and should have probably already graduated–"what's taking you so long anyway?" 

Their hopes for you are to become a doctor, a lawyer or maybe even a teacher because it's a good title and something that they can brag to the ladies at the checkout counter from the five and dime. 

Term papers, research papers or interviews with transcriptions "what is that?" they muse while trying to figure out the purpose of you doing any of the like. 

When you feel like changing your major into something else, talk it over with your friends or even your teacher because your "supposed" student advisor will only tell you what classes you should take with out even asking to see if maybe you already took them. It's an appointment that must be made weeks in advance because of their busy schedule and when you get to the door, before you even knock there is a note that says "running late…" and when your advisor does show up she scribbles down your RAN number on a piece of paper and tells you she has to hurry to get through the line that is out the door. 

OK yeah, whatever!

You study and study knowing that its just something that you have to do although your parents really have no clue what it is that you do in school, but they expect you to get a job as soon as May comes and graduation is done. With out even your diploma in hand they tell you to go job hunting because the competition is fierce (yes fierce, not their choice of words, but mine–vocabulary 101 =p) and "what are you going to be doing home all day anyways?" 

Sure, sure, sure. Send off your students to look for jobs or better yet, try finding one for them in what has nothing to do with their field but tell them to take it anyways because they need "experience", yeah it doesn't matter what kind just as long as you have it. 

So does that mean that if someone went to school for accounting, they should work at the human resource office downtown because they can learn a lot from dealing with cranky people all day with the common denominator that they are unhappy. 

I don't know, call me crazy but I just think that perhaps there should be some sort of break in between for students to really figure out what it is that they want so as to major in such and then not have the pressure of their parents soon after telling them to get a job because after graduation is when we really ask ourselves what it is that we really want to do for the rest of our lives. But of course this is a forbidden topic with parents who can't remember what we majored in and then will say "than why didn't you take that instead?" 

Oh joy oh great! 

The life of the perpetual teenager who is no longer an adolescent but a young adult still going through the same issues, or so I guess.

Are you going through it too?

-B.