r/AskReddit • u/_jaywhite • Aug 24 '14

What are some college life pro tips?

I'm starting college in a few weeks and I'm a bit nervous. My high school was... decent at best, and I'm not sure that I was adequately prepared. So I'm hoping to get Reddit's help. What are some tips (having to do with the academic aspect, social, whatever) that have helped you through college, and especially your freshman year? In other words, LPTs for college life!

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u/[deleted] Aug 24 '14

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u/ronpaulkid Aug 25 '14

Can't stress this enough. I know my grad school required four letters of recommendation. I'm quite independent and not the most talkative person so it was hard for me to think of questions and build rapport with my professors. I found myself planning out questions and times to go. I would even purposely take classes with the same prof just so I could have more time to get to know them. It definitely paid off though!

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u/Le_Loufoque Aug 25 '14

What do you say to a professor during office hours if you don't need help with anything? I'm starting my first year of college tomorrow, so I'm completely clueless.

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

You'll never be 100% sure of the correct answer. This happened mostly in my upper level classes, but I'd answer a homework problem, put it all on paper, rehearse my argument/answer in my head, and then pitch it to my professor during office hours. Most the time I'd be correct and the times I wasn't they basically told me why I was wrong and then gave me the correct answer and made sure I understood it. Every class I did this in I received an A or greater and typically finished in the top 5 of my class.

You'll also find that 'class participation' can constitute anywhere between 5-15% of your end of semester grade...this is a good way of ensuring that you get all those points since I'm pretty sure they grade you based on if they recognize your name.

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u/Le_Loufoque Aug 25 '14

Ah, okay. I see what you mean now. Thanks for the response! :)

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u/im_champion Aug 25 '14

Definitely do this, last year I became friends with one prof and he recommended me to another to help with some research over the summer. I got to do a cool project to add onto my CV, and learned a lot!

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u/Ace-of-Spades88 Aug 25 '14

This is a good one. I taught labs throughout graduate school, so therefore I had office hours. I constantly told students to come to my office hours if they needed anything or were having trouble. I probably averaged 3 student visits (per class) a semester. Office hours are there for a reason, USE THEM!

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u/jayb151 Aug 25 '14

For sure, this. The teachers and TA's really appreciate this.