Monday, October 20

The Most Important Things I've Learned at Community College

 
I know it's been forever since my last post, and I apologize for that. However, my mind has been a barren wasteland for the past few weeks, and nearly all of my energy for writing dried up with it. Recently, I've just craved reading something good! The ecstasy of picking up a book, and dissolving into it's pages is something I haven't felt in months. Because of this, I feel that in turn, my writing has begun to suffer as well. Without words to stem the river of the mind to life, where else can you derive the motivation to pass into a world you barely have control over in the first place? It's just another essential that makes books even more amazing: they bring life within a life. (It's like inception.)

You found ways to avoid buying textbooks. | 37 Signs You're Owning This Whole Being Broke Thing

   So, turning away from my introductory deviation, I'll now get to the reason for this post. The most important things I've learned in community college. If this doesn't make you want to skip it altogether and just slide right into a university, I don't know what will!

1. Group projects = sleepless nights spent agonizing over the stupidity of human kind. 
Honestly, people. When we go to college, regardless of what kind, we don't just assume that those who actually want an A should do the group work 100% of the time. (Yes, that sucker is indeed me.)  On top of that, when you get an F in an exam and then feel it's your right to dish out your complaints to every ear that will listen, just remember, it's your own bloody fault. (Those who study: will continue to study, those who don't: enjoy your lifelong work at McDonalds.)

2. Suck up to your teachers, regardless of how stupid it feels.
I know this sounds pretty dumb, but trust me, it's saved me so many times. Teachers actually listen to you when they feel like you actively participate in the class, and give a heck about what they're saying.  On your first day, choose a seat right at the front, and then follow that up by staying after class and asking the teacher to go over material that you didn't understand. The two classes I did this in are pretty easy going, I haven't had many issues with the instructors. The one class I chose not to I ended up dropping. (It was English, my most ADORED subject. Though the situation was much more complicated than this, look at the coincidence!)

3. People are jerks, don't let them walk over you. (Long angry rant of disparaging adjectives for human kind removed.)
I secretly wrote a whole post on this one topic, but it just felt to negative for me to release. It was great to get it out all in writing, but I just haven't quite decided to what extent I should/want to laden you guys with my problems. However, to get to the gist of this, no matter who you are or what the situation is: stick up for yourself. Once others see you don't have real guts the news travels like a wildfire. You'll have people you don't even know imposing on you in ways you didn't even think were even on the clipboard. By your actions, you show people how to treat you.

4. Welcome to the world of liberality.
Just don't even mention religion, politics, sexuality, education, or pretty much anything pertaining to your real opinion on life. From now until graduation, just assume that you are a sheep among rhinos, and that you might as well be burned over the things that don't matter than over the things that do. It doesn't hurt as much that way.

5. Your syllabus would be your best friend if professors actually followed it.
Wait, what? We have a syllabus?... I even wrote it myself? Wow. Maybe we should actually use that thing!

Until next time guys,
please comment with your own advice/experience!

4 comments :

  1. I'm laughing out loud here especially with number 1 and 2. So true! Group activities were torture to me. And yes, some teachers don't know what they're getting themselves into and you just have to suck that up. Or complain like what we did. Still, some teachers have "back ups" in the high places so. :D

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  2. Though most students really do deserve that 'F', I had to drop Calculus II despite how much I studied, and yes, I will blame it on my teacher. Community College teachers are the best paying jobs out there. And it's virtually impossible to fire a bad teacher. It's not my fault! I'm not to blame. Even if this guy is good at teacher lower maths. He can teach upper maths, but he doesn't explain it or do it nicely, I think. :P But yes, ALL of this is absolutely true! My best friends in class are my teachers, more often than not, I avoid group projects like the plague, and if I do speak up about my beliefs around people, I at least can bite back with my accusing gaze that pierces the soul and makes grown men fall comatose to the epicness of my eyes. Maybe that's slightly exaggerating. But most English teachers don't teach English. I just looked at my sister's notes for five minutes before any quiz, lived off of 'skin of the teeth' writing, and got a B. If it was a REAL English class -and if I didn't mouth off so much-, I probably would have received an A.

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  3. Ohmygoodness, this made me laugh.
    However, I've got nothing of wisdom to share with you. :( Eat some chocolate and just keep trucking on I guess. :)

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  4. i know what your going through i had a teacher that did the same thing to me, she accused me of every-thing under the sun that you could think of,

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