Willow: "Isn't college cool?": The College-Talk Thread

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

So, who here is in college?

If so, what are you studying and what do you plan on doing when you graduate?

 

[Blondie Bear]

I'm working on my PhD in English. Normally I'd say I plan to teach, but unless the academic economy gets much better in the next 5 years or so, that might not be an option. So I'm also working on getting a solid publishing base so I can write fiction, too, just in case. I would LOVE to write full time, but that's not horribly financially feasible, hence the teaching.

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

I'm doing a Bachelor in Psychology and am in my 2nd year now. After that, I'm gonna do a Master (duh), and possibly some PhD, but that's as far as I've planned.

I just love college. This is probably a really immature thing to say, but is there anything better than living with your friends, party all the time, stay up all night, and just have all the other fun that is frowned upon in family life?

 

[Kean]

I'm just about to start my last semester of an English and History (double major) degree. If things go my way I will follow it with a Masters in Irish Studies. I'm toying with the idea of a PHD, although I'm not really sure what I could do with it apart from lecturing and I'm not going to get a PHD just for the sake of having the letters after my name so we'll see.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Well, as some of you know, I am majoring in English and Theater (undergrad) and planning on graduating in June. After that? I'm seriously considering going for my teaching certificate, maybe taking a year off, and then heading to grad school, probably in Education or maybe Film. I don't know, though. I have been thinking of joining the AmeriCorps, too, or getting certified in ESL.
*sigh* I'm feeling a bit lost and exhausted, lately.

 

[Dancing man]

Blimey theres some smart members on the board.

I went to college once dropped out and got a job instead I was doing computer programming.

 

[Black Eye Guy]

I started college in 08, hated it with a passion, I was doing Visual Communication, which was like graphic design, but I preferred the computer side of the course, so I dropped out, worked for a year and a half and am now back in first Year, doing Multimedia, Programming and Web Design, and loving it!

 

[Rack]

I have a bachelor's degree in South Asian Studies. In the 6 years since I've graduated I've made a living:

--as a musician
--managing a restaurant in the French Quarter
--working on a horse ranch
--rebuilding houses after hurricane Katrina
--volunteering at a school in North India
--doing my current soul-less customer service job :wink:

Goes to show you...life's full of surprises! Study what you love, what inspires you. Use all the resources your school has to offer. Get to know your professors! They can open so many doors for you....

 

[Kean]

Goes to show you...life's full of surprises! Study what you love, what inspires you. Use all the resources your school has to offer. Get to know your professors! They can open so many doors for you....

They should really hammer this into students heads from day one and keep on hammering it in throughout your entire undergrad. The way University is set up (in my University at least) you could go your whole 4 years and never know a professor. That is especially problematic if you want to do a Masters and need academic references!

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

They should really hammer this into students heads from day one and keep on hammering it in throughout your entire undergrad. The way University is set up (in my University at least) you could go your whole 4 years and never know a professor. That is especially problematic if you want to do a Masters and need academic references!

This is so true. I am fortunate as I attend a very small private college (around 8,000 students) and only about 4% are English/Theater majors, so I know all my professors pretty well, and they're all very approachable and nice, dedicated people. They notice if you aren't in class! So, skipping class is not a good option, as chances are you'll run into one of them on campus!

 

[Blondie Bear]

Study what you love, what inspires you.

Exactly. So many people look at college as a doorway to a job, and it can be that, but it's really built to make you a more well-rounded, well-read, well-educated person. While a degree may help you get a better job, that shouldn't be the whole point of going to college.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Exactly. So many people look at college as a doorway to a job, and it can be that, but it's really built to make you a more well-rounded, well-read, well-educated person. While a degree may help you get a better job, that shouldn't be the whole point of going to college.

AMEN, sister. Why do you think I spend all my time reading, writing about what I read, and acting in plays? The hours are long, but it's fun, and that's the point. Life is too short to sell out. For me, studying art/lit/drama allows me to learn more about people, a constant source of interest for me 😉

I know many people who are studying business or communications because it's "practical" but the stuff they're studying looks so boring! My friends are always telling me my classes sound so much more "interesting" then theirs. 🙂

This quarter is going to be so insane! I'm taking: The History of the English Language, Acting 2, and Spanish 2 (UGH!). Plus, working my two jobs. It's going to be insane! But then, after that...I'm done!

 

[Kean]

This is so true. I am fortunate as I attend a very small private college (around 8,000 students) and only about 4% are English/Theater majors, so I know all my professors pretty well, and they're all very approachable and nice, dedicated people. They notice if you aren't in class! So, skipping class is not a good option, as chances are you'll run into one of them on campus!

Our classes are in these huge lecture theatres so they have no idea who is coming and who isn't. You have to go out of your way to interact with the Lecturers. We do have tutorials (smaller group discussion seminars) but the Lecturers don't always take these, especially for the foirst couple of years it is nearly always TA's or Graduate students who handle them. I'm lucky I've managed to get to know three Lecturers really well but I know plenty of people who want carry on studying and they are really struggling to find references.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Our classes are in these huge lecture theatres so they have no idea who is coming and who isn't. You have to go out of your way to interact with the Lecturers. We do have tutorials (smaller group discussion seminars) but the Lecturers don't always take these, especially for the foirst couple of years it is nearly always TA's or Graduate students who handle them. I'm lucky I've managed to get to know three Lecturers really well but I know plenty of people who want carry on studying and they are really struggling to find references.

Having that option to be anonymous is probably nice at times, though. Like when you're behind on your work and don't want to be called on...

Do you know how many times I've been behind of the massive amount of reading I seem to continuously have, and a professor has asked me something like,

"So Becky, what did you think of the portrayal of masculinity in this poem, specifically the second stanza?"

...and I totally didn't read it? lol

 

[Kean]

AMEN, sister. Why do you think I spend all my time reading, writing about what I read, and acting in plays? The hours are long, but it's fun, and that's the point. Life is too short to sell out. For me, studying art/lit/drama allows me to learn more about people, a constant source of interest for me 😉

I know many people who are studying business or communications because it's "practical" but the stuff they're studying looks so boring! My friends are always telling me my classes sound so much more "interesting" then theirs. 🙂

This quarter is going to be so insane! I'm taking: The History of the English Language, Acting 2, and Spanish 2 (UGH!). Plus, working my two jobs. It's going to be insane! But then, after that...I'm done!

While I agree with study what you love (it's what I did) there is the reality that it doesn't always lead you to a job. Even with the economy in the gutter nearly all the companies that have tried to woo my graduating class have been business based. The fact of the matter is the only job actually open to me is teaching abroad. I have lost count of the number of people who are about to finish or have finsihed an non-business related undergrad but are doing business Masters.

---------- Post added at 03:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:31 AM ----------

Having that option to be anonymous is probably nice at times, though. Like when you're behind on your work and don't want to be called on...

Do you know how many times I've been behind of the massive amount of reading I seem to continuously have, and a professor has asked me something like,

"So Becky, what did you think of the portrayal of masculinity in this poem, specifically the second stanza?"

...and I totally didn't read it? lol

We get a bit of that in the seminars but the stance is basically that we are all grown ups now and we chose to be here so we better work off our own backs cuz the Lecturers are sure as Hell not going to hold our hands.

I'm not sure which version I like more lol

 

[Black Eye Guy]

Having that option to be anonymous is probably nice at times, though. Like when you're behind on your work and don't want to be called on...

Do you know how many times I've been behind of the massive amount of reading I seem to continuously have, and a professor has asked me something like,

"So Becky, what did you think of the portrayal of masculinity in this poem, specifically the second stanza?"

...and I totally didn't read it? lol

True, both courses I did are small, but the one im in at the moment isn't as heavy with actually having to be there, as long as you can keep up with the work. The last course I did was crazy it was like 9 - 5 mon - fri, and they took a roll call between 9:05 - 9:10 and 1:05 - 1:10 and if you missed one of those rolls you were marked absent for half the day it was crazy. Not how college should be at all!

I've always had problems with authorities that treat you like a child and when I started the course I turned into such a brat, I would turn up late every day, never had work done on time, and was constantly called on it. One day we had a big project was due and the lecturer said I would never get it done, I told him I would and then went to leave, and he said I could go to lunch that I had to work, we had a huge yelling match in the class about how he can't make me skip lunch (I think I through out a stupid argument like food is a basic human right) He said if I left I would be failing so I sat down waited for him to leave and then left, came back an hour later and he wasn't impressed but I still got everything done by the time - Such a good moment!

It didn't help the whole class were all nerdy as hell and would be there like 9 - 8, and I was there as little as possible. I started getting them to do this thing where we went to the pub a liquid lunch on fridays, and had Tequilla fridays, and we'd be coming back to class drunk, it was awesome!

What about lying, you guys have any good lying stories for lectures. I got so sick of my course I took the whole month of October off, then came in to tell them a relative had died and this big long spiel about having to keep traveling up and down the country because we had to keep going to other family members. The next day I went to paris for a night with friends, we'd booked it last minuet to go for dinner in paris, come home the next day and go back to college, we got back and I had exams which I explained I couldn't do and they gave me a 3 month delay on them. I then went in for the next few weeks, decided I hated the course and dropped out. And then went on the class trip to Germany drinking for 3 days!

I actually ended up going to the same college this year (different course clearly) but went back to visit them and was informed I was a bit of a legend and the guys in my class tell all new students about the first year, that never came in, didn't do the work, took a whole month off, left the country for dinner, and dropped out but still came on the class trip

Which I think is pretty awesome, but it kinda makes me feel this time round college has been kinda boring, actually going to class and stuff!

Anyone else ahve similar stories, because thats whats college is really about!

 

[Hero]

I'm in my third year at a university studying media & film. Hopefully I'll be working behind the scenes of films when I graduate, with plans of opening up my own film company later on. I've actually done surprisingly well in college. I had a 3.6 cumulative GPA until this semester when it plummeted to a 3.2 but ehh... When I complete the Spring 10 semester I'll already be 4 credits into my senior year. I actually want to graduate earlier than 4 years so I think I gotta take a couple summer courses or a winter.

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

Lucky for me, what I love (Psychology) happens to be also pretty practical.

I just really don't know any professors. We always have courses for 7 weeks, then an exam and other courses start, so every professor we have we only have for 7 weeks. How are you supposed to get to know any of them. Also, we're about 220 people in my year, the lectures are not manditory, and the tutorials mainly led by older students. It's like we have no contact with them.

 

[Karol]

I´m a law student, in my country this is a "undergrad" course, so to speak. I´ll start 3rd year January, too bad the course takes 5 lol

I really don´t plan to work with it, I´m only studying it cause I like the subject and it is an easy going thing for me... I hate all kinds of job evolving Law, and don´t really get along with law people. I´m planning to graduate, try to get a job for living, probably a public one, and then study fashion. 😀

I started Journalism, English/French translation, than got into Law, so I can´t drop Law too haha

 

[Bluebird]

I never went on to higher education, just sort of arsed about the past few years. Nah, really it was cos uni didn't appeal to me, and I have no idea what I want in a career. I'm don't have many career ambitions. But I wouldn't say I was stupid, I did well enough that I could have easily went to uni if I wanted to.