7 tips for first-year students to succeed Erin Leitner | TNR Contributor Be warned: college isn’t easy. Here are some tips. They might come in handy. 1.Homework, Sleep, Social Life: You can only pick two. Time management is an art form many students might not master until they are close to graduating. While understandable, do your best as a freshman to figure out your study habits and get in a routine early on. Classes only get harder the deeper you go in. It’s easy to promise yourself at the beginning of the year that all your work will be done on time, you will attend all your classes and will be fully prepared for every quiz, discussion and test. Still, you will probably soon find out when reality hits, wasted time is spent faster than the money you shove out each quarter for your classes. It will hurt even more when your grades come in. Do your best to get up at the same time every day. 2.Develop good relationships with your professors. More often than not, professors appreciate conversing with their students, especially about the subject they teach. From my experience, professors extremely dislike being ignored and many like feedback. Make an effort to go to the office hours they might offer, get to know them somewhat and allow them to get to know you. Many professors truly want to see students succeed and they will take extra steps with you if you show initiative. Don’t
confuse this with butt kissing to get a good grade. They will see right through it. Simply build good relationships with professors and they will be more inclined to aid you during and after college. Of course, we don’t live in a perfect world, and some professors are boring, tough and ruthless graders. Erin Zeis, a second-year English student, advises to ask students ahead in school about what certain professors are like. “It makes class easier and sometimes worth going to,” Zeis says. 3.Party ... not like a rock star. We know what you’re most looking forward to about going to college: partying. I’m not going to pull the parent card and say never party, but make a conscious effort to party in moderation and safely. This is especially important in Clifton. Party with trustworthy and responsible people. It doesn’t mean hanging out with lame people, but you will find you will be grateful for that friend that has your best interests in mind. “It’s cliché, but surround yourself with a great group of people,” says Ben Williams, a third-year journalism student. “If you do, then you’ll always have someone to help you out in a given situation, and you’ll never be bored on a Friday night.” 4.A roommate can become your best friend or your worst enemy. Being squeezed into a tiny residence hall room with someone you might not know does one thing for sure: you get to know him or her extremely well and fast. Early on, it’s good to
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FROM sense| 17 Constitution before a security checkpoint at the Richmond International Airport. But if there’s one thing Ohio was recognized for in 2010-11, it was for going a little loco — Four Loko, that is. The alcoholic energy drink, created by two former Ohio State University students and dubbed “blackout in a can,” caused several states, including Ohio, to end distribution of alcoholic energy drinks. Closer to home, the Best of UC awards were bigger and better than ever, with more than 22,000 votes. From 5 Guys Burgers and Fries who received their secondstraight Best Burger award to Woody’s being named the place to go for Thirsty Thursdays, we loved every moment of the Best of UC awards, and we can’t wait to do it again next year. We welcomed the largest freshman class in UC history (again), and, June 10 and 11, said goodbye to 4,842 graduates. We also said hello to new
set some ground rules and stick with them or things will get ugly. Although there may be a desire to go to college with a good friend from high school, Dillon Erlich, a third-year chemical engineering student, advises against it. “It will help you branch out more and do things differently than you did in high school if you room with people you didn’t know,” Erlich says. 5.Get involved on campus. Stretch yourself and join clubs, student groups, intramural sports or any extra social venture involved with college. “It will help you pass the time and make new friends,” says Paul Dentel, a third-year computer-engineering student. Even if you are only slightly interested in a group, go to a meeting or two. You might find a new passion or meet new friends. If you don’t enjoy the group you can always leave and try a different one. 6.It’s not bad to have an undecided field of study. Don’t stress about picking a major your first year or two. Just because some people know exactly what they want to do from the start doesn’t mean you have to narrow your frame of mind, too. In your first year or so, take your time and search for your niche. My advice is take classes that you think you may like or think you are good at. If you find that you enjoy them and do well in them naturally then you may be on to something. Also, try to ask people you admire about
their careers and emulate their advice into your life. Don’t limit yourself to just local acquaintances or professors, but don’t ignore them either. Try to contact those unreachable-possible-celebrities whose work might inspire you. They may not answer you, but if they do you will have some golden inspiration. You could also try to reach the people who directly surround your idol. They are likely the backbone of the individual you are seeking advice from and are usually equally talented and knowledgeable about the career path you are exploring. 7.Make time for yourself. College is rough. You are going to feel the most overwhelmed that you have ever been in your life. Always strive to get your work done, but don’t neglect your need to relax, eat right and exercise. College will take a toll on you; try to reduce stress, not by binge drinking, but by preparing yourself to be able to work effectively. Don’t get lazy. The faint of heart are quickly weeded out in college. You likely came here because you probably didn’t want to flip burgers for the rest of your life. You wanted to make something of yourself. That’s a great thing, and you need to be proud of yourself for testing and pushing for something greater. Keep in mind though; you are doing this for you and nobody else. Some might be helping you and want to see you succeed. Be grateful for them and don’t allow yourself to settle for less than your best.
FROM arab | 9 College of Medicine Dean Thomas Boat, Raymond Walters College dean Cady Short-Thompson and 20-year UC veteran Karen Faaborg took the reigns as the new executive vice president. Oh, and we can’t forget our favorite newcomer to the Cincinnati scene: Toppers Pizza. We had a couple other goodbyes as well: former executive vice president Fred Reynolds headed back to the City College of New York, while Neville Pinto, former vice provost of graduate affairs left UC in April. We also want to take a final moment to remember those we’ve lost this year, including Andrew Lynch, Dylan Morrison, Tania Lark, Andrew Howell and Melissa Kramer. Overall, it was a pretty amazing year at UC. We laughed, we cried; we screamed and we cheered. So enjoy your summer, Cincinnati, because come fall, it will be time to do it all over again.
If this wave of pro-democratic protests have taught us anything, it’s that the road to freedom and liberty is almost always paved with pain and suffering. Nothing comes easy when people attempt to reverse years of tyranny.
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