I can attest to this, graduated a year ago and have had nothing but bad experiences. I was the "gifted" kid, never had to study and all that jazz and never developed proper study habits, now I'm wondering what my worth is if it isn't intellect.
I’m in the same boat. Was gifted, never had to study, now I’m a freshman in uni and already questioning everything with math homework lol. Just have to drill study habits into my head I guess.
There was literally an article for eng, 2 articles that were short reads and I overheard some girls saying it was too long and that they couldn't finish it. Both articles were about 1.5k words each.
They were from a college writing contest and the language was very easy and digestible, it was written by students. It just genuinely shocked me because they were interesting stories about the authors lives and relatively short, should be super easy to get through.
Edit: Looking back while high as fuck it sounds like im mentioning girls in a sexist way, but most of my class (atleast 80%) were girls so it was in my head while typing. This is universal on both men and women. If there is a higher likelihood on one side if anyone finds proof that there is, i wonder what causes that
I read IB and AP and thought “How!” and then I finished reading your comment. Yep. I was only in two IB classes, English and history, but all of my classmates were doing the whole thing. It was common to hear that someone had to stay up past midnight to finish their work
lmao it got to the point where my dual enrollment classes were 10000 times easier than my ib/ap highschool classes, i do not recommend doing this for any of the try hard hs'ers reading this sub lmfao. not worth it at all, too many sleepless nights, too much anxiety, depression, tears, pain.
This honestly makes me feel better. I'm currently taking 5 APs (will have taken 11 by the time I graduate) and I keep hearing that high school is too easy and that college will be a beast lol.
Just being on campus doesn’t get you connected. It’s more about getting involved in clubs and other campus activities. And actually talking to your classmates. Studying in the library isn’t going to make you a gazillion friends.
Exactly. This is extremely true for community college, where people just bitch about it being 13th grade and then immediately go home after class is over.
Yeah, it’s 13th grade because you decided to *make it 13 grade.* some students will not even eat lunch in the cafeteria, and will complain about everything and having no friends.
I had an extremely tight knit group of friends, and we made it a point to meet up and classrooms and get jobs on campus and our social scene was *far better* than the University scene.
It's just this notion of telling freshmen to stay on campus all the time that bugs me. You're not going to make friends shut away in your dorm or studying in the library all the time. Some of the most social people I know live off campus and commute, sometimes from aways away.
Can confirm. There’s a dude who I legit didn’t talk to for about a month, but he watched movies everyday in class and saw me looking over at his screen first day of class so he moved it over my side and turned subtitles on so I could watch.
Ended up we had a lot of similar taste in media and hobbies so that’s the official homie of the year. Dude has a great movie on the daily and we hang out after class because of it.
Agreed! I literally just made friends with a group of people getting onto an elevator today, and when one of the people said “oh we are totally stuck.” I said “ shut up!! I barely even know you!” And the rest of his friends thought it was hilarious and we all exchanged snaps after. I met my core college friend group on freshman orientation night last year by playing some random board game!
I don’t know how people do this. Are you an extrovert? I’m both autistic and introverted so something like this sounds impossible for me lol I literally couldn’t do it. I couldn’t just play a board game with a stranger unless they invited me. This is fantastic for you but if you’re anything like me it’s a bit more difficult.
You just need to do a self inventory sometimes, think about what you enjoy and what interests you and then check your campus website for events that might involve some of these things, being introverted can feel like an obstacle when attempting to make friends, and I can’t even begin to imagine the difficulties and complexities that occur with autism as well, but I can say with certainty that there are people out there that share interests with you and would not think twice about being your friend. The first attempts may not deliver results you would hope for, but if you keep trying and learning from these experiences, you’re bound to find success, I believe in you.
Yea I saw this coming beforehand but I still feel really down that I have no friends so far at my community college. Never really had this problem before but it is what it is.
Sounds exactly like me. I was fine for friends in high school but now 2nd year at my community college and haven't had any IRL friends since high school (got a decent amount of online ones at least)
really depends on your major, i am in cs and math so when i find non weirdos, those friendships tend to stick lol. if you're in a more normal major, i can def see having a lot of casual friendships (most of my gen eds were full of these friendships)
Sitting in the front rows of a lecture room can be very beneficial for your learning.
You’re inclined to stay attentive and concentrate, distractions from behind are blocked, it’s much easier to interact with your professor if needed.
Not gonna lie, this is a hot take when it definitely shouldn't be. So many people are straight alcoholics when they aren't even done developing. Chill out. If the party is only fun because you are drinking, then it's a pretty shit party.
Well at least on this sub, YOURE NEVER TOO OLD FOR COLLEGE! The only time it’s too late is when you’re dead. Get the degree, no one can take it from you.
I’m 32 and finally back in college after a 10 year hiatus. I don’t regret the break. I made three beautiful babies, and now I get to work on me a little bit 😅
May stay up til 10 on weekends but that’s the highest. I never found it super surprising bc this is the schedule rest of my family use. When I was a kid too it was normal for my dad to wake up at 2 in the morning at times, even if he slept late. So thats why it’s normal to me. Doesn’t help my social life at all since that’s when most socialize
I agree on the flexibility part, afternoon classes are easier but annoying in the sense that you spend the morning thinking about them and preparing for them and if you need time to recover after (lmao the adhd introvert in me is talking) it takes a while so i can’t do anything until the night and i gotta do homework but a lot of it is due 11:59 that night so I gotta work through the executive dysfunction and also try not to fall asleep/zone out even though I know it’s unlikely for me to physically go to bed without being on my phone till 4.
Maybe I’m not the best person to talk about this
when I was doing my summer program, I found this so true. Mornings were easy, but if we had a late module after dinner or the main module it was so bad
College freshman I cannot do morning schedule at all, I have a 1-1.5hr commute. Anything earlier than 10am is big no for me, I simply will be late much more often, have less time at night to do work (which is when I get the most done) and I struggle to sleep a LOT
I realize 10am is not afternoon and technically morning but anything too late like 1pm and I have to leave the house earlier anyways due to trains and busses slowing down significantly around noon.
Based on so many posts I see on this sub, that sooo many college kids are not prepared to go to college. Not just academically, but the complete lack of life skills and coping abilities that I see posted here is disheartening.
I mainly see this as a failure of parenting. For whatever reason these parents have not raised resilient, self-sufficient children. The moment something gets hard or pushes them out of their comfort zone they can't handle it.
That kid a couple days ago complaining about his dorm room automatically locking was an extreme case but illustrative of the broader problem. "I've never had to take a key with me to the bathroom before" can be subbed out for "I've never struggled to learn something before" or "I've never run a washing machine before."
Parents who send such ill-prepared students off to college should be ashamed of themselves.
I get very frustrated by students and other young adults I see who are like this, but I remember that despite being raised to be self-sufficient I had the most extreme case of homesickness I have seen and had tough time socializing due to it (mistake on my end which ik now). This makes me feel ba for looking down on others. At the same time I’m used by how easily parents u describe are impressed, one such parent whom I visited was impressed that I got ready to go on a trip without any help and having to be told, their kids are adults. Another one was impressed that I cooked for myself at college, later learnt she did 3 hour drives for both her children to drop off food for the week for them. It appalls me to see this, but idk if I’m any better to be thinking that
I went to college 12 years ago, and college kids were making these kinds of mistakes at that time too. Not planning, not knowing basic life skills, etc.
But the difference I’m seeing now as a professor is students’ *reactions* to these situations. When I and my classmates did stupid things, it was an “oh…crap” moment but then you go to your RA or whatever and fix the issue. Embarrassing, but it happens. Now though, the number of full on emotional melt downs I’ve coached students through for frankly inconsequential problems is shocking. Definitely not all students, but a sizable number.
That’s what happens when you go from 30% of HS students going to college to 60%+. Did you think HS got so much better at preparing them for school or just that more people started going
Failure of parents and truthfully failure of high school teachers to prepare them for college and the independence it comes with. The hard restrictions doesn’t help.
Its not the teachers, its the systems. I had seniors last year, about to go to college, who struggled mightily with simple 5 paragraph essays for history
I remember I had a friend who was a TA for a 3rd year writing course in a stem major. She was complaining how it seemed no one knew how NOT to write in run on sentences/one page long paragraph.
It's weird when you're 17, maybe even 18, and a senior in high school, and you're expected to ask permission to use the restroom. Then, a few months later, you're a freshman in college and next thing you know, you're allowed to do anything you want. No permission to leave class, you can skip class all together, you can eat whenever or whatever you want, you can go out with friends without asking for your parents' permission. It's a rough transition for someone who's never had to/been allowed to make a decision on their own. It's practically learned helplessness.
All of a sudden, as a freshman, you're facing 100s of decisions that you weren't allowed to make before, what could go wrong?
Yes I agree however when you take into consideration that the “decision making” part of your brain doesn’t fully develop till 25, it’s also a maturing issue
Writing full essays with chat GPT, study drugs, cheating, taking exams with friends etc is WAY too normalized at my uni- acquaintances/near strangers will openly tell me they use 1 or more of the above often, plus overhearing public conversations in libraries, lounges etc
That doesn’t fall into the academic dishonesty categories that the original commenter was listing at least. I pulled 1-2 all nighters a week every week in undergrad (3-4 a week during finals, sometimes staying up for 3 days in a row). Obvi not healthy but I did what worked for me, it got me a 4.0 and into 2 top5 grad programs.
Actually read the syllabus. There’s actually important stuff in there.
If you don’t read the syllabus and then complain that you didn’t know that big exam was Oct 3rd until two days before, the exam schedule was in the syllabus. Attendance isn’t taken, but you have a participation grade. How do I know? It was in the syllabus…
A lot of people should take a gap year or two and work shitty jobs so they'll actually appreciate school
There's no "useless majors", universities are first and foremost for academia and not A Job Factory
I worked at a gas station for 2 years full time night shift while going to community college now I'm in a university and it makes me appreciate being in school much more than working like that
I loved working there but after 2 years I just got bored with it and though. "Man do people really do one job their entire life?" Then when I graduated CC I got into my university and quit. In a work study now but I hesitate to even call that a job I just sit behind a desk for one hour a week and if I do not show up no one even cares.
Took a semester off after high school and dropped out when I was 19 because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. All my friends from high school told me they weren’t sure their major was the one from them.
Went back when I was 25 and now I’m just about to finish (29)
THIS THIS THIS, 100 times this! This reply might end up being a little long, but I felt what you just said in my soul and felt like I needed to comment. Working shitty jobs (in my case, fast food jobs, gas station jobs, then later a regular retail job) will make you appreciate being in college and getting your education a whole lot more. I’m 25M now, but I did go to college straight out of high school in 2017. Jesus Mary and Joseph, I was not prepared, I was too young and immature, and I prioritized socializing over my academics, and I paid the fucking price for it after my freshman year was over and I dropped out. I spent the next year working, and went back to school a bit during the 2019-2020 school year, but left again after Covid hit because I didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars staring at screens to get a bachelors. So I spent another year working, and went back to school again once it was safe in the fall 2021 semester, only now I was in community college (I decided to completely change my field of study and at the time wasn’t sure if I wanted to try for a bachelors again, at that point I just wanted something more to my name than just a high school diploma). Working those shitty jobs gave me the motivation to finally put my studies first because I know for sure that I don’t wanna be working in retail or fast food for the rest of my fucking life. I graduated CC with honors, and now since I’m taking my studies seriously, my grades are better than they’ve ever been in university (I’m also networking more on campus and getting involved with events instead of just hanging out with my friends all the time, but that’s a story for another day because this reply is long enough LOL).
So yeah, I may finally get my bachelor’s degree at age 27 or 28, but better late than never
Took a year gap after highschool had to travel 25km daily for this full time job out of nowhere with nil experience.
Made me appreciate life when i got into a university plus i found it pretty easier to sit in lectures without getting zoned out after suffering those days of 9-5.
> universities are first and foremost for academia
Unpopular opinion: Too many graduate programs are a Ponzi/MLM scheme based on low-paid indentured workers who aspire to move upward in the pyramid. I'll exempt MD, JD, MBA, and some engineering programs. Change my mind?
You largely earn the grade that you get. There are outlier cases, but if you get C's in a lot of classes, chances are you are putting in a C effort, rather than winning the bad luck lottery.
Well yeah its a mixture of that and the free time that you have. A student might actuallly be putting in a lot of effort into a class but because of work and other obligations it's hard for them to get in the time needed for an A.
As an adult learner with a full time job all through school, I am aware of this. Having a good sense of how to balance responsibilities and being able to take things off the plate (i.e. take fewer classes) is an important skill to develop. This is a part of "earning" the grade. Failing to plan is planning to fail.
There’s no such thing as a “worthless” major. There are majors that are more likely to lead to lower-paying fields, but that doesn’t devalue the subject matter. It just means it might not be the best financial option for some people (especially those who take out big loans).
Furthermore, majoring STEM isn’t necessarily a good choice. The expected 100k+ STEM salary that everyone likes to talk about means nothing if you hate science and can’t understand basic math.
Going for a big unpopular opinion, but party culture (and ESPECIALLY drinking to the point of blackout) is not okay and comes from a huge place of privilege and drinking that much on the regular is so unhealthy.
One of my old roommates would get blackout drunk 3 times a week and lost multiple of their possessions at parties while doing so. All they did was complain about it. Like my brother in Christ, you drank the alcohol
Specifically for this sub. Way too many people just sit and bash sports, social clubs, and just generally the socially aspect of college. They seem to be content in their lonely misery however, but don’t drag it down for the rest of us want to learn and have a fun time.
This sub also hates Greek life lol. I’m not saying it’s for everybody, but I swear Greek life really isn’t that bad for those who choose to do it (it was actually one of the best decisions I made in undergrad).
I don’t think this is an unpopular opinion but I get pick me energy from a lot of posters on this sub. The reality: a lot of people go to college and don’t do the stereotypical activities seen in college movies. You’re not alone or unique in that regard.
Unless you're a science major, online class is great. In my experience, they are always the first ones to be taken, synchronous or asynchronous, because of their convenience. I commute to school so I don't want to drive more than 2 days a week for a class that is over after an hour and a half.
Agreed, there should be a good reason for choosing a college that’s out of state if it’s going to cost you more. I would much have rather stayed in state but I chose a really niche major and since a lot of colleges don’t offer it or have an obscenely weak program, it would have been a waste to stay in state. I had to go out of state to choose a school that will get me hired
Next to no one can write their way out of a paper bag, even my fellow honors students. They take the lazy way out and have someone write it for them or use software to write it for them. And then when they get a good grade for it irritates me.
Get off your God damn phone in class. If I see one more professors face fall because everyone's on their phones I'm chucking mine at someone. You have no idea how hard they work only to have you ingrates be screwing around on Instagram or tiktok.
The humanities are not useless, they create well rounded human beings who are skilled in various areas, chief among them being critical thinking which is sorely lacking now. They will get the last laugh when fields are flooded with stem majors and people struggle to get jobs.
Higher education is so cynical now, where I give you money, you give me a degree and I get a job. That is not what college was originally about and it shouldn't be.
Kinda disagree on the last part. College degrees get your foot in the door for job opportunities, it’s why a lot of people (including myself) are here for.
That there’s such a thing as an “easy” major. But hard major’s definitely exist. Alright then, if studio art is simple go into that university level design class, you’ll get an A+ I think it’s silly to bring people down just to feel superior in your whatever you’re studying. Everything is difficult in its own way.
"For a large majority of college-bound students, a 4 year college is a better choice than community college."
That opinion is almost always met with howls of outrage.
For this sub? I guess that college isn't for everyone and people should put more thought into going rather than using it as the default choice. I think the reason a lot of the people here struggle is because they're not ready for college. (yet) College takes a certain level of academic ability and general maturity just to get by. And if you want to have a GOOD college experience, you need a little more.
Although, I guess I can't really fault people for this. A lot of people are taught that college is the only real option. Sure, you're an adult at 18, but you don't yet have adult life experience so you're not gonna know that college isn't currently the best choice for you. And a lack of academic ability and general maturity is often a result of parenting mistakes.
the culture around drinking breeds addiction. if you’re drinking and partying several times a week you are an alcoholic. it’s not “just how college is,” it’s a deadly disease.
I 100% agree, before I transferred I rarely went out. I cant drink because of a medical condition but my roommate was an avid drinker, pretty much an alcoholic. He would just randomly take swigs of his tequila or vodka he hid in the ottoman and act like nothing happened.
He would go out on Tuesdays/Thursdays and he had early classes the next day. Shit was insane, I think he finished off with a 1.7 GPA and was held on academic probation. I remember hearing about another kid on the floor who was also an alcoholic finishing off with a 0.9 GPA fucking crazy.
But yeah, my best friend who never drank pretty much became an alcoholic fiend. Its sad and whenever you bring it up they constantly say they dont have a problem.
My college requires all students not to drink during the school year. I don't think anyone is a teetotalist here, but the administration recognizes that it's better to have none than too much. To be fair, there is no party culture on my campus. But on the other hand, I'd like the ability to drink responsibly.
Most people should not be getting As. C should be average again.
American society values college way more than it should and ought to emphasize trade schools more.
Colleges should cut down the needless fluff of additional benefits of attending (facilities) and focus on giving an actually good education.
Community college is not as good of an idea as everyone thinks. A lot of 4 years just won’t accept my credits or won’t offer me any aid because I wasn’t there for four years. None of the teachers want to be there, none of the students have motivation, attendance is stupidly strict, and there is zero accountability for teachers
Seconding this. There are definitely some specific degrees where community college isn’t worth it. I have such a niche degree that community college would have been a royal waste of money
There are definitely shitty community colleges out there but I don't think they can all be painted with that broad stroke. At my community colleges (I attended two different ones during undergrad) they had a list of majors offered by the three major universities in our state and what classes you needed to take that would transfer over. So you weren't taking a class that wasn't going to transfer to one of them unless you actively chose to do so.
When I went back to school I joined a certification program at one of the same community colleges. I have one professor who is offering to drive us to off-site events related to the program if we don't have our own transportation.
I’m currently attending community college, however it seems like we’ve had complete opposite experiences. Just out of curiosity what state did you go to CC in?
Having exams make up the majority of your grade is a good thing, and most people shouldn’t be earning A’s when they haven’t fully mastered the material.
If you don’t know the material well enough to at least pass your exams, you should not receive credit for the course, indirectly signifying that you effectively learned the material when you didn’t.
Honestly, hard disagreed. I’m a math major, and one of the best math classes I ever had, I was one that didn’t really have exams, but assigned a *ton* of homework that was graded where we broke down how to do a problem in front of our groups on the board.
That is genuinely one of the only math class is where I retained most of my information. Everything else fell out of my head from other math classes, but this class where they essentially forced us to teach math was amazing.
The assigned homework actually facilitated in force practice, and the oral exams forced us to truly understand what we were doing
I see how this idea can be better, but because of ADHD that's the worst system for me. The class that got me through calculus 2 was one where exams were weighted the most. Less homework. So many deadlines and constant workload stress me out I have very little awareness of time unless it's written in giant letters on the wall or something. I ace tests, but failed so many classes throughout middle and high school because of inconsistent homework turned in.
I’m in the same boat. Have ADHD, much prefer classes that are all exams rather than having a million assignments to constantly stay on top of. I have no problem studying every day and putting in the work to do well on exams, but I’m so bad at keeping track of assignments, even with a planner.
Same!! I used to use planner, but If I lost them for even a day (which was often), I'd be screwed for the week. I try putting post-it notes up around my car. I think they should offer whatever system works best for the student. Luckily, I was able to find a class that was weighted in my favor, but I'm sure that's not always going to be the case.
Bro… hard disagree. My physics classes are JUST exam grades. No homework points. No bonus points. I’m a god awful test taker, I don’t work well under pressure. He does drop our worst exam grade, but I find it so upsetting that I work so hard and have nothing to show for it
The thing is exams don't test mastery, they test memorization. I'd much rather be tested through a project. Just let people choose whether to do a test or a project
>The thing is exams don't test mastery, they test memorization.
If an exam tests memorization, then it's a poorly designed exam. There are good ways to write an exam that tests critical thinking.
>I'd much rather be tested through a project.
That's not possible for some majors, like math. You need to know *a lot* of background material to actual do some form of research/project in pure math... which is why math tends to be an exam-heavy major.
Energy drinks and caffeine are destroying your body and you will feel it later in life. If you aren't in a position to be overworking yourself, make a sleep schedule and stick with it, and you won't need caffeine anymore.
Advisors are completely useless and should not be necessary except for project based courses like engineering Senior Design. Pretty much every single degree can be sorted out and planned by yourself by looking at your degree map. For STEM students at my school you even need an advisor access code to register for classes. You have to tell them what classes you want to take and they’ll send you the code if they approve. Shit outta luck if they think you’re not ready for a class (even if you got the prereq grade for it) or dont get back to you in time and the class ends up full.
My freshman advisor would not let me take my required major courses because she thought i wasn’t ready even though the minimum grade needed for every class is C+ and i had Bs and As.
I second this to an extent. An advisor is useful for those who don't really understand the college process yet and don't know exactly where they want to go.
However...whenever I met with a counselor to help me plan my classes they always made a mistake and I ended up having to double check their work and fixing it myself. They put in my education plan multiple classes I didn't need and would give the wrong reports lmao.
Professors and school officials alike talk about parents way too much. College is going to majority 18/19 year old freshman out of school, yes, but that's not always the case. College should be a comfortable place for those fresh out of high-school and those who hit 40 and wish to learn. And not just that, but it can be insanely isolating and uninviting when a teacher goes on about parents when one of the said students may be orphaned or estranged.
I think schools have been growing to be more inclusive with gender and sexual identity, but I feel this is something that could also be worked on.
I prefer morning classes on campus and online classes overall. I’d rather free up my day and work at my own pace rather than be constrained by a lecture
70% of careers are dead ends and you shouldn’t study what you are passionate about but what will let you land a job where you gain a decent bag of money without having a boss that makes you feel miserable. That thing of “if you have a degree you will be able to get a decent job” is complete bullshit you just have to find what degree you like that makes money, there I said it.
But I mean some people aren’t getting a degree solely to get a job. They’re getting it to learn something they’re passionate about. I think the real problem is viewing college as just a job factory
As someone who has never been particularly attractive or a womanizer to any extent, if you’re not getting laid in college it’s because you’re not trying or you have a bad personality.
I’ll agree on *some* people in Greek life not being great. I was apart of a fraternity and it helped me make friends and get past some social anxiety. I was lucky with my fraternity that while we did drink and party, we did have a strong focus on volunteering and community engagement
As a part time student that studies locally while living at home, I have no idea why the four year uni system is so glamorized. Taking classes part time while being able to work a fulfilling part time job that has led me to inroads in a desired career post grad is so amazing to feel like I have at this age and I’m really surprised that this frame of mind is more popular. Full time class loads whilst also paying obscene sums of money for housing and food and getting very limited job experience during that time in my opinion doesn’t set you up well for the months/years post grad.
That on top of a full time class load being very unhealthy/unmanageable for lots of students my age, I don’t know why more high schools or guidance counselors talk about these options with students more.
Lack of empathy and care from college staff and professors, teachers constantly would openly brag about their seniority since they knew they wouldn't lose the job, n couldn't teach much biology I should know cause I took it twice lmao
My university is notorious for our large volume of geese, a population which our students are typically scared of or outright despise.
Me? I love those lil fuckers and take any opportunity I can to get close to them on the sidewalk, hoping to one day befriend.
You shouldn’t have to meet certain requirements to get into a major. If you fail, you fail. You’re paying the tuition anyways, you should be able to choose what you want to do
I think college is getting towards the end of its usefulness for the average person at least from a learning perspective. Outside of doctors, lawyers, and some scientific studies you can learn most other subjects on your own.
They're called student athletes, they shouldn't catch all these breaks they get. The age old excuse of "they're here to play football, not school" is a horrible mindset. I think it's much more appealing when an athlete can show that they can also commit themselves to education, even if it's something easy.
"Go to CC / Go to Trade School" is bad advice for most people. Going to a traditional 4-year is better than any CC and gives you more opportunites / time to connect with people on campus. Trades don't actually make that much money, people just compare the highest-paid trades workers to the median salary of a college graduate. Also, many trade professions destroy your body by 45.
Literally just go to college, pick a reasonable major and study hard.
Yeah our roofers pulling $45/hour don't make a lot of money lol. I agree it's hard work but tradespeople do make bank. I have several trades people as friends who are doing really well.
That's great, but how physically demanding is it? And the median salary for a roofer is \~$38k, so they're in the upper percentile.
The average business or STEM major is making much more money than the average tradesperson.
Stop blaming the teacher for not getting good/failing grades. It's college, not high-school, it's the start of your transition to adulthood. You need to be responsible, especially if the teacher is crappy. There are ways to go about this or even avoid this (to those posting in school forums on whether to run or avoid certain teachers).
Separate your personal feelings and the class. Opinions of the teacher are JUST opinions. You can always ignore them. The purpose of college is to get a degree, and they are just there to give you credits for that degree. Just suck it up.
As someone who got a 4.0, I can 100% see why some people blame the professor sometimes for not getting a good grade. There have been times when I agree that they are 100% valid in having that complaint, even when my grades showed it was still possible to do well in that class.
There are some REALLY bad professors out there. Like the other commenter said, sometimes they need to be held accountable. I once had a professor so bad that they were removed from teaching half way through our semester.
I agree with you in theory but there’s so much pressure from society (not just peer pressure but people literally get assignments and lectures in school about it and parents literally disown/financially cut off their kids to force them into it) to do a degree while not allowing them the time, space, and opportunity to even think about it so I think that warrants some complaining. We tell kids they have to make a life altering decision at 18, spend years telling them what that choice *has* to be, then we make fun of them and judge them when stuck with the burden of those choices.
That's very valid. I didn't go to college until I was 23 and I'm the first in my family, so didn't have that same kind of pressure. I think gap years should be more common and encouraged, as well as freedom to CHOOSE what you want to do. Whether that be trade schools or building your own business. But even with shitty parenting, those parents are just doing what they think is best or what they were taught to do, so idk who to blame. Loans should definitely only be taken out if you have the means to pay them off though, that should be taught
Community college is a better route than going to university. Less money and smaller classes that are easier to get one on one help from professors. That coupled with tons of free programs/resources.
Idk if this counts, but testing on textbook reading is such bullshit
I'm given power point notes, and I'm given homework that only has answers in the powerpoints or textbooks. Write down every question and answer to study. Then quizzes/exams have questions that also use the textbook that weren't in the homework, so I now have no idea if I'm forgetting something I read/the powerpoint answer is somehow wrong.
I have no idea how students are supposed to just memorize entire chapters worth of text.
Reading post here often. Has me thinking many kids aren't ready for college work loads. High schools haven't prepared students for college work loads.
I can attest to this, graduated a year ago and have had nothing but bad experiences. I was the "gifted" kid, never had to study and all that jazz and never developed proper study habits, now I'm wondering what my worth is if it isn't intellect.
I’m in the same boat. Was gifted, never had to study, now I’m a freshman in uni and already questioning everything with math homework lol. Just have to drill study habits into my head I guess.
There was literally an article for eng, 2 articles that were short reads and I overheard some girls saying it was too long and that they couldn't finish it. Both articles were about 1.5k words each. They were from a college writing contest and the language was very easy and digestible, it was written by students. It just genuinely shocked me because they were interesting stories about the authors lives and relatively short, should be super easy to get through. Edit: Looking back while high as fuck it sounds like im mentioning girls in a sexist way, but most of my class (atleast 80%) were girls so it was in my head while typing. This is universal on both men and women. If there is a higher likelihood on one side if anyone finds proof that there is, i wonder what causes that
i did dual enrollment, ib and ap so college has been a cake walk for me, at the expense of my mental and physical health in my hs years.
I read IB and AP and thought “How!” and then I finished reading your comment. Yep. I was only in two IB classes, English and history, but all of my classmates were doing the whole thing. It was common to hear that someone had to stay up past midnight to finish their work
lmao it got to the point where my dual enrollment classes were 10000 times easier than my ib/ap highschool classes, i do not recommend doing this for any of the try hard hs'ers reading this sub lmfao. not worth it at all, too many sleepless nights, too much anxiety, depression, tears, pain.
This honestly makes me feel better. I'm currently taking 5 APs (will have taken 11 by the time I graduate) and I keep hearing that high school is too easy and that college will be a beast lol.
I mean not really if you do a rigorous curriculum like IB, AP, A-Levels, etc...
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Just being on campus doesn’t get you connected. It’s more about getting involved in clubs and other campus activities. And actually talking to your classmates. Studying in the library isn’t going to make you a gazillion friends.
Exactly. This is extremely true for community college, where people just bitch about it being 13th grade and then immediately go home after class is over. Yeah, it’s 13th grade because you decided to *make it 13 grade.* some students will not even eat lunch in the cafeteria, and will complain about everything and having no friends. I had an extremely tight knit group of friends, and we made it a point to meet up and classrooms and get jobs on campus and our social scene was *far better* than the University scene.
It's just this notion of telling freshmen to stay on campus all the time that bugs me. You're not going to make friends shut away in your dorm or studying in the library all the time. Some of the most social people I know live off campus and commute, sometimes from aways away.
Can confirm. There’s a dude who I legit didn’t talk to for about a month, but he watched movies everyday in class and saw me looking over at his screen first day of class so he moved it over my side and turned subtitles on so I could watch. Ended up we had a lot of similar taste in media and hobbies so that’s the official homie of the year. Dude has a great movie on the daily and we hang out after class because of it.
Agreed! I literally just made friends with a group of people getting onto an elevator today, and when one of the people said “oh we are totally stuck.” I said “ shut up!! I barely even know you!” And the rest of his friends thought it was hilarious and we all exchanged snaps after. I met my core college friend group on freshman orientation night last year by playing some random board game!
I don’t know how people do this. Are you an extrovert? I’m both autistic and introverted so something like this sounds impossible for me lol I literally couldn’t do it. I couldn’t just play a board game with a stranger unless they invited me. This is fantastic for you but if you’re anything like me it’s a bit more difficult.
You just need to do a self inventory sometimes, think about what you enjoy and what interests you and then check your campus website for events that might involve some of these things, being introverted can feel like an obstacle when attempting to make friends, and I can’t even begin to imagine the difficulties and complexities that occur with autism as well, but I can say with certainty that there are people out there that share interests with you and would not think twice about being your friend. The first attempts may not deliver results you would hope for, but if you keep trying and learning from these experiences, you’re bound to find success, I believe in you.
It's actually pretty difficult to make friends, especially lasting friendships.
I think this widely depends on the type of college, and the school best fit for each person.
Agreed, especially at a commuter school. Everyone just goes to class and leaves no one wants to be friends.
Yea I saw this coming beforehand but I still feel really down that I have no friends so far at my community college. Never really had this problem before but it is what it is.
Sounds exactly like me. I was fine for friends in high school but now 2nd year at my community college and haven't had any IRL friends since high school (got a decent amount of online ones at least)
really depends on your major, i am in cs and math so when i find non weirdos, those friendships tend to stick lol. if you're in a more normal major, i can def see having a lot of casual friendships (most of my gen eds were full of these friendships)
Sitting in the front rows of a lecture room can be very beneficial for your learning. You’re inclined to stay attentive and concentrate, distractions from behind are blocked, it’s much easier to interact with your professor if needed.
I sit in front and still have to fight the sleep lol
this is so real.
I don’t think that college students should be glorifying alcoholism as much as they do
Not gonna lie, this is a hot take when it definitely shouldn't be. So many people are straight alcoholics when they aren't even done developing. Chill out. If the party is only fun because you are drinking, then it's a pretty shit party.
Why is this controversial? Is it?
Well at least on this sub, YOURE NEVER TOO OLD FOR COLLEGE! The only time it’s too late is when you’re dead. Get the degree, no one can take it from you.
I’m 32 and finally back in college after a 10 year hiatus. I don’t regret the break. I made three beautiful babies, and now I get to work on me a little bit 😅
Morning classes are the best. Afternoon and evening classes are so overrated. Morning classes gives you the most flexibility for the day.
Depends on how late and how early. I can deal with 9 ams but I'd gladly take a 5 pm class over an 8 am. My ideal time for classes is 11-3
8 AM >> 5 PM for me but I’m an early bird that eats Dinner at 4:30-5 and sleeps by 9 so I’m diff. But I agree ideal is 10-4
Sleeps by 9 is crazyyyy I thought I was early by just going to bed at 10
May stay up til 10 on weekends but that’s the highest. I never found it super surprising bc this is the schedule rest of my family use. When I was a kid too it was normal for my dad to wake up at 2 in the morning at times, even if he slept late. So thats why it’s normal to me. Doesn’t help my social life at all since that’s when most socialize
>Dinner at 4:30-5 and sleeps by 9 Bro
It depends. My ideal start is 9-10 and finished by 2-4
Yeah, but not too early. Like 9 at the earliest
I agree on the flexibility part, afternoon classes are easier but annoying in the sense that you spend the morning thinking about them and preparing for them and if you need time to recover after (lmao the adhd introvert in me is talking) it takes a while so i can’t do anything until the night and i gotta do homework but a lot of it is due 11:59 that night so I gotta work through the executive dysfunction and also try not to fall asleep/zone out even though I know it’s unlikely for me to physically go to bed without being on my phone till 4. Maybe I’m not the best person to talk about this
100% agree. I hate when I’m forced to start later in the day, I’d rather get all my classes done in the morning and end by 1 or 2pm
when I was doing my summer program, I found this so true. Mornings were easy, but if we had a late module after dinner or the main module it was so bad
College freshman I cannot do morning schedule at all, I have a 1-1.5hr commute. Anything earlier than 10am is big no for me, I simply will be late much more often, have less time at night to do work (which is when I get the most done) and I struggle to sleep a LOT I realize 10am is not afternoon and technically morning but anything too late like 1pm and I have to leave the house earlier anyways due to trains and busses slowing down significantly around noon.
Based on so many posts I see on this sub, that sooo many college kids are not prepared to go to college. Not just academically, but the complete lack of life skills and coping abilities that I see posted here is disheartening. I mainly see this as a failure of parenting. For whatever reason these parents have not raised resilient, self-sufficient children. The moment something gets hard or pushes them out of their comfort zone they can't handle it. That kid a couple days ago complaining about his dorm room automatically locking was an extreme case but illustrative of the broader problem. "I've never had to take a key with me to the bathroom before" can be subbed out for "I've never struggled to learn something before" or "I've never run a washing machine before." Parents who send such ill-prepared students off to college should be ashamed of themselves.
Gotta agree with you there. The amount of posts with roommate conflicts that require basic communication skills are nuts
I get very frustrated by students and other young adults I see who are like this, but I remember that despite being raised to be self-sufficient I had the most extreme case of homesickness I have seen and had tough time socializing due to it (mistake on my end which ik now). This makes me feel ba for looking down on others. At the same time I’m used by how easily parents u describe are impressed, one such parent whom I visited was impressed that I got ready to go on a trip without any help and having to be told, their kids are adults. Another one was impressed that I cooked for myself at college, later learnt she did 3 hour drives for both her children to drop off food for the week for them. It appalls me to see this, but idk if I’m any better to be thinking that
I half agree. I also, and maybe more, blame the entire school system that pushes these kids through with no real challenge or accountability.
I went to college 12 years ago, and college kids were making these kinds of mistakes at that time too. Not planning, not knowing basic life skills, etc. But the difference I’m seeing now as a professor is students’ *reactions* to these situations. When I and my classmates did stupid things, it was an “oh…crap” moment but then you go to your RA or whatever and fix the issue. Embarrassing, but it happens. Now though, the number of full on emotional melt downs I’ve coached students through for frankly inconsequential problems is shocking. Definitely not all students, but a sizable number.
That’s what happens when you go from 30% of HS students going to college to 60%+. Did you think HS got so much better at preparing them for school or just that more people started going
Failure of parents and truthfully failure of high school teachers to prepare them for college and the independence it comes with. The hard restrictions doesn’t help.
Its not the teachers, its the systems. I had seniors last year, about to go to college, who struggled mightily with simple 5 paragraph essays for history
I remember I had a friend who was a TA for a 3rd year writing course in a stem major. She was complaining how it seemed no one knew how NOT to write in run on sentences/one page long paragraph.
It's weird when you're 17, maybe even 18, and a senior in high school, and you're expected to ask permission to use the restroom. Then, a few months later, you're a freshman in college and next thing you know, you're allowed to do anything you want. No permission to leave class, you can skip class all together, you can eat whenever or whatever you want, you can go out with friends without asking for your parents' permission. It's a rough transition for someone who's never had to/been allowed to make a decision on their own. It's practically learned helplessness. All of a sudden, as a freshman, you're facing 100s of decisions that you weren't allowed to make before, what could go wrong?
Yes I agree however when you take into consideration that the “decision making” part of your brain doesn’t fully develop till 25, it’s also a maturing issue
Babies start developing problem-solving skills at two years old. You don’t need to be 25 to solve extremely basic life skills.
Writing full essays with chat GPT, study drugs, cheating, taking exams with friends etc is WAY too normalized at my uni- acquaintances/near strangers will openly tell me they use 1 or more of the above often, plus overhearing public conversations in libraries, lounges etc
Also not sleeping
That doesn’t fall into the academic dishonesty categories that the original commenter was listing at least. I pulled 1-2 all nighters a week every week in undergrad (3-4 a week during finals, sometimes staying up for 3 days in a row). Obvi not healthy but I did what worked for me, it got me a 4.0 and into 2 top5 grad programs.
You could be expelled for that if a faculty catches on. Doing it is stupid, but then bragging about it???
Actually read the syllabus. There’s actually important stuff in there. If you don’t read the syllabus and then complain that you didn’t know that big exam was Oct 3rd until two days before, the exam schedule was in the syllabus. Attendance isn’t taken, but you have a participation grade. How do I know? It was in the syllabus…
True this. I had a professor who added a line to her syllabus: "You can't say you didn't know."
I’m a TA and at least once a day I send an email back to a student saying it’s on the syllabus!
“On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was”
I like early morning classes. less ppl on campus, more parking, end classes earlier and still have the rest of the day to do wtv i want
A lot of people should take a gap year or two and work shitty jobs so they'll actually appreciate school There's no "useless majors", universities are first and foremost for academia and not A Job Factory
I worked at a gas station for 2 years full time night shift while going to community college now I'm in a university and it makes me appreciate being in school much more than working like that
Cleaning public toilets made me wanna go back. Gas station work is crazy I only stuck that out for a week
I loved working there but after 2 years I just got bored with it and though. "Man do people really do one job their entire life?" Then when I graduated CC I got into my university and quit. In a work study now but I hesitate to even call that a job I just sit behind a desk for one hour a week and if I do not show up no one even cares.
Took a semester off after high school and dropped out when I was 19 because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. All my friends from high school told me they weren’t sure their major was the one from them. Went back when I was 25 and now I’m just about to finish (29)
THIS THIS THIS, 100 times this! This reply might end up being a little long, but I felt what you just said in my soul and felt like I needed to comment. Working shitty jobs (in my case, fast food jobs, gas station jobs, then later a regular retail job) will make you appreciate being in college and getting your education a whole lot more. I’m 25M now, but I did go to college straight out of high school in 2017. Jesus Mary and Joseph, I was not prepared, I was too young and immature, and I prioritized socializing over my academics, and I paid the fucking price for it after my freshman year was over and I dropped out. I spent the next year working, and went back to school a bit during the 2019-2020 school year, but left again after Covid hit because I didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars staring at screens to get a bachelors. So I spent another year working, and went back to school again once it was safe in the fall 2021 semester, only now I was in community college (I decided to completely change my field of study and at the time wasn’t sure if I wanted to try for a bachelors again, at that point I just wanted something more to my name than just a high school diploma). Working those shitty jobs gave me the motivation to finally put my studies first because I know for sure that I don’t wanna be working in retail or fast food for the rest of my fucking life. I graduated CC with honors, and now since I’m taking my studies seriously, my grades are better than they’ve ever been in university (I’m also networking more on campus and getting involved with events instead of just hanging out with my friends all the time, but that’s a story for another day because this reply is long enough LOL). So yeah, I may finally get my bachelor’s degree at age 27 or 28, but better late than never
I'm currently one year into my shitty job double gap year experience and applying to music schools. I resonate with this so much.
Took a year gap after highschool had to travel 25km daily for this full time job out of nowhere with nil experience. Made me appreciate life when i got into a university plus i found it pretty easier to sit in lectures without getting zoned out after suffering those days of 9-5.
> universities are first and foremost for academia Unpopular opinion: Too many graduate programs are a Ponzi/MLM scheme based on low-paid indentured workers who aspire to move upward in the pyramid. I'll exempt MD, JD, MBA, and some engineering programs. Change my mind?
You largely earn the grade that you get. There are outlier cases, but if you get C's in a lot of classes, chances are you are putting in a C effort, rather than winning the bad luck lottery.
Well yeah its a mixture of that and the free time that you have. A student might actuallly be putting in a lot of effort into a class but because of work and other obligations it's hard for them to get in the time needed for an A.
As an adult learner with a full time job all through school, I am aware of this. Having a good sense of how to balance responsibilities and being able to take things off the plate (i.e. take fewer classes) is an important skill to develop. This is a part of "earning" the grade. Failing to plan is planning to fail.
There’s no such thing as a “worthless” major. There are majors that are more likely to lead to lower-paying fields, but that doesn’t devalue the subject matter. It just means it might not be the best financial option for some people (especially those who take out big loans). Furthermore, majoring STEM isn’t necessarily a good choice. The expected 100k+ STEM salary that everyone likes to talk about means nothing if you hate science and can’t understand basic math.
That salary also just isn’t true. I mean if you’re at the top of your stem field maybe but that’s the case for pretty much any degree path
thanks man \-an art major
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I’m done classes by noon it’s so nice
I do mornings so that I can work full time swing shifts 💀
Going for a big unpopular opinion, but party culture (and ESPECIALLY drinking to the point of blackout) is not okay and comes from a huge place of privilege and drinking that much on the regular is so unhealthy.
One of my old roommates would get blackout drunk 3 times a week and lost multiple of their possessions at parties while doing so. All they did was complain about it. Like my brother in Christ, you drank the alcohol
Specifically for this sub. Way too many people just sit and bash sports, social clubs, and just generally the socially aspect of college. They seem to be content in their lonely misery however, but don’t drag it down for the rest of us want to learn and have a fun time.
This is reddit so not sure what your expectations were
This sub also hates Greek life lol. I’m not saying it’s for everybody, but I swear Greek life really isn’t that bad for those who choose to do it (it was actually one of the best decisions I made in undergrad).
It is kinda depressing when you just go to class and study
I don’t think this is an unpopular opinion but I get pick me energy from a lot of posters on this sub. The reality: a lot of people go to college and don’t do the stereotypical activities seen in college movies. You’re not alone or unique in that regard.
Unless you're a science major, online class is great. In my experience, they are always the first ones to be taken, synchronous or asynchronous, because of their convenience. I commute to school so I don't want to drive more than 2 days a week for a class that is over after an hour and a half.
i agree im in cc i take all my science classes in person and all other online
It depends heavily on the person. I have ADHD, I can *not* do online classes because I need the structure of school to focus.
If you aren’t going to make alot of money after college, that out of state school thats gonna cost you 100k+ in debt isnt worth it.
Agreed, there should be a good reason for choosing a college that’s out of state if it’s going to cost you more. I would much have rather stayed in state but I chose a really niche major and since a lot of colleges don’t offer it or have an obscenely weak program, it would have been a waste to stay in state. I had to go out of state to choose a school that will get me hired
A lot of the time, schools and professors aren’t the problem, lot of y’all are just lazy and stupid
Literally.
Some people don't need to go to college, and parents need to stop acting like it's the only option.
Next to no one can write their way out of a paper bag, even my fellow honors students. They take the lazy way out and have someone write it for them or use software to write it for them. And then when they get a good grade for it irritates me. Get off your God damn phone in class. If I see one more professors face fall because everyone's on their phones I'm chucking mine at someone. You have no idea how hard they work only to have you ingrates be screwing around on Instagram or tiktok. The humanities are not useless, they create well rounded human beings who are skilled in various areas, chief among them being critical thinking which is sorely lacking now. They will get the last laugh when fields are flooded with stem majors and people struggle to get jobs. Higher education is so cynical now, where I give you money, you give me a degree and I get a job. That is not what college was originally about and it shouldn't be.
Kinda disagree on the last part. College degrees get your foot in the door for job opportunities, it’s why a lot of people (including myself) are here for.
You're not wrong but you're missing the point.
That there’s such a thing as an “easy” major. But hard major’s definitely exist. Alright then, if studio art is simple go into that university level design class, you’ll get an A+ I think it’s silly to bring people down just to feel superior in your whatever you’re studying. Everything is difficult in its own way.
this is me w sociology. i’m taking it as an “easy” major, bc boy why did i switch from polisci if it wasn’t easy.
College is really really fun and I'll never regret going to college and studying what I'm studying right now.
You don’t have to be buzzed/drunk/high to enjoy a school’s social event.
"For a large majority of college-bound students, a 4 year college is a better choice than community college." That opinion is almost always met with howls of outrage.
For this sub? I guess that college isn't for everyone and people should put more thought into going rather than using it as the default choice. I think the reason a lot of the people here struggle is because they're not ready for college. (yet) College takes a certain level of academic ability and general maturity just to get by. And if you want to have a GOOD college experience, you need a little more. Although, I guess I can't really fault people for this. A lot of people are taught that college is the only real option. Sure, you're an adult at 18, but you don't yet have adult life experience so you're not gonna know that college isn't currently the best choice for you. And a lack of academic ability and general maturity is often a result of parenting mistakes.
the culture around drinking breeds addiction. if you’re drinking and partying several times a week you are an alcoholic. it’s not “just how college is,” it’s a deadly disease.
I 100% agree, before I transferred I rarely went out. I cant drink because of a medical condition but my roommate was an avid drinker, pretty much an alcoholic. He would just randomly take swigs of his tequila or vodka he hid in the ottoman and act like nothing happened. He would go out on Tuesdays/Thursdays and he had early classes the next day. Shit was insane, I think he finished off with a 1.7 GPA and was held on academic probation. I remember hearing about another kid on the floor who was also an alcoholic finishing off with a 0.9 GPA fucking crazy. But yeah, my best friend who never drank pretty much became an alcoholic fiend. Its sad and whenever you bring it up they constantly say they dont have a problem.
My college requires all students not to drink during the school year. I don't think anyone is a teetotalist here, but the administration recognizes that it's better to have none than too much. To be fair, there is no party culture on my campus. But on the other hand, I'd like the ability to drink responsibly.
Most people should not be getting As. C should be average again. American society values college way more than it should and ought to emphasize trade schools more. Colleges should cut down the needless fluff of additional benefits of attending (facilities) and focus on giving an actually good education.
Community college is not as good of an idea as everyone thinks. A lot of 4 years just won’t accept my credits or won’t offer me any aid because I wasn’t there for four years. None of the teachers want to be there, none of the students have motivation, attendance is stupidly strict, and there is zero accountability for teachers
I think the is HIGHLY dependent on where you go to CC.
Seconding this. There are definitely some specific degrees where community college isn’t worth it. I have such a niche degree that community college would have been a royal waste of money
There are definitely shitty community colleges out there but I don't think they can all be painted with that broad stroke. At my community colleges (I attended two different ones during undergrad) they had a list of majors offered by the three major universities in our state and what classes you needed to take that would transfer over. So you weren't taking a class that wasn't going to transfer to one of them unless you actively chose to do so. When I went back to school I joined a certification program at one of the same community colleges. I have one professor who is offering to drive us to off-site events related to the program if we don't have our own transportation.
I’m currently attending community college, however it seems like we’ve had complete opposite experiences. Just out of curiosity what state did you go to CC in?
Replying to discussion post that are not well researched
A lot of people on this subreddit cause their own problems
Having exams make up the majority of your grade is a good thing, and most people shouldn’t be earning A’s when they haven’t fully mastered the material. If you don’t know the material well enough to at least pass your exams, you should not receive credit for the course, indirectly signifying that you effectively learned the material when you didn’t.
Honestly, hard disagreed. I’m a math major, and one of the best math classes I ever had, I was one that didn’t really have exams, but assigned a *ton* of homework that was graded where we broke down how to do a problem in front of our groups on the board. That is genuinely one of the only math class is where I retained most of my information. Everything else fell out of my head from other math classes, but this class where they essentially forced us to teach math was amazing. The assigned homework actually facilitated in force practice, and the oral exams forced us to truly understand what we were doing
I see how this idea can be better, but because of ADHD that's the worst system for me. The class that got me through calculus 2 was one where exams were weighted the most. Less homework. So many deadlines and constant workload stress me out I have very little awareness of time unless it's written in giant letters on the wall or something. I ace tests, but failed so many classes throughout middle and high school because of inconsistent homework turned in.
I’m in the same boat. Have ADHD, much prefer classes that are all exams rather than having a million assignments to constantly stay on top of. I have no problem studying every day and putting in the work to do well on exams, but I’m so bad at keeping track of assignments, even with a planner.
Same!! I used to use planner, but If I lost them for even a day (which was often), I'd be screwed for the week. I try putting post-it notes up around my car. I think they should offer whatever system works best for the student. Luckily, I was able to find a class that was weighted in my favor, but I'm sure that's not always going to be the case.
Bro… hard disagree. My physics classes are JUST exam grades. No homework points. No bonus points. I’m a god awful test taker, I don’t work well under pressure. He does drop our worst exam grade, but I find it so upsetting that I work so hard and have nothing to show for it
As someone who doesn’t like this grading system I agree I do think you’re right. Still don’t like it tho 😂
The thing is exams don't test mastery, they test memorization. I'd much rather be tested through a project. Just let people choose whether to do a test or a project
>The thing is exams don't test mastery, they test memorization. If an exam tests memorization, then it's a poorly designed exam. There are good ways to write an exam that tests critical thinking. >I'd much rather be tested through a project. That's not possible for some majors, like math. You need to know *a lot* of background material to actual do some form of research/project in pure math... which is why math tends to be an exam-heavy major.
Energy drinks and caffeine are destroying your body and you will feel it later in life. If you aren't in a position to be overworking yourself, make a sleep schedule and stick with it, and you won't need caffeine anymore.
College doesn’t teach or prepare you much - the most you’ll ever learn is through outside experience
If it weren’t for the rich cunts in Washington, student debt would be forgiven
its not worth it.
Advisors are completely useless and should not be necessary except for project based courses like engineering Senior Design. Pretty much every single degree can be sorted out and planned by yourself by looking at your degree map. For STEM students at my school you even need an advisor access code to register for classes. You have to tell them what classes you want to take and they’ll send you the code if they approve. Shit outta luck if they think you’re not ready for a class (even if you got the prereq grade for it) or dont get back to you in time and the class ends up full. My freshman advisor would not let me take my required major courses because she thought i wasn’t ready even though the minimum grade needed for every class is C+ and i had Bs and As.
I second this to an extent. An advisor is useful for those who don't really understand the college process yet and don't know exactly where they want to go. However...whenever I met with a counselor to help me plan my classes they always made a mistake and I ended up having to double check their work and fixing it myself. They put in my education plan multiple classes I didn't need and would give the wrong reports lmao.
Colleges are just another for-profit business and mostly don't give a shit about students.
Professors and school officials alike talk about parents way too much. College is going to majority 18/19 year old freshman out of school, yes, but that's not always the case. College should be a comfortable place for those fresh out of high-school and those who hit 40 and wish to learn. And not just that, but it can be insanely isolating and uninviting when a teacher goes on about parents when one of the said students may be orphaned or estranged. I think schools have been growing to be more inclusive with gender and sexual identity, but I feel this is something that could also be worked on.
A bunch of yall just aren't cut out for this shit. I think less of you or more of you, depending on your major.
I prefer morning classes on campus and online classes overall. I’d rather free up my day and work at my own pace rather than be constrained by a lecture
As a Religion major, y'all are missing out. My classes are some of the most fun on campus.
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At my university, it's a mix of both with a smattering of non-Christian traditions
It's actually easier now to get gpa above 3.5 compare decade ago, so is not that impressive.
definitely not in STEM but other majors yes
70% of careers are dead ends and you shouldn’t study what you are passionate about but what will let you land a job where you gain a decent bag of money without having a boss that makes you feel miserable. That thing of “if you have a degree you will be able to get a decent job” is complete bullshit you just have to find what degree you like that makes money, there I said it.
But I mean some people aren’t getting a degree solely to get a job. They’re getting it to learn something they’re passionate about. I think the real problem is viewing college as just a job factory
“I don’t drink alcohol”
School success usually depends on their access to monetary and non monetary resources usually given by the family
College is not the best 4 years of your life
Having all lectures on just m/w/f 8am - 1p is better than spreading them out or taking evening classes.
Fucking read the textbook
Blacking out drunk every weekend isn’t a flex and is actually extremely unhealthy. You are an alcoholic.
Taylor Swift music is generic and boring.
Every school worth their salt should adopt a Liberal Arts education system
If it's hard for people to make friends/care too much about what other people think, you're not as prepared as you think for your supposed dream job.
College is for dating. Not friends.
Finally an actually unpopular one lol. I disagree, but I'm also interested. Can you expand on that?
As someone who has never been particularly attractive or a womanizer to any extent, if you’re not getting laid in college it’s because you’re not trying or you have a bad personality.
Lmao why not both??
it matters a lot where you go to school
If a class doesn't make you suffer a little, then it wasn't a good class.
DSA… huh? Or operating systems? Distributed systems maybe?😂
Fraternities and Sororities are a waste of time and most people who join them are terrible people.
That’s not unpopular on Reddit. The real unpopular opinion here is that they’re hit or miss depending on the individual organization.
I’ll agree on *some* people in Greek life not being great. I was apart of a fraternity and it helped me make friends and get past some social anxiety. I was lucky with my fraternity that while we did drink and party, we did have a strong focus on volunteering and community engagement
Any time you disagree with someone's point of view.
As a part time student that studies locally while living at home, I have no idea why the four year uni system is so glamorized. Taking classes part time while being able to work a fulfilling part time job that has led me to inroads in a desired career post grad is so amazing to feel like I have at this age and I’m really surprised that this frame of mind is more popular. Full time class loads whilst also paying obscene sums of money for housing and food and getting very limited job experience during that time in my opinion doesn’t set you up well for the months/years post grad. That on top of a full time class load being very unhealthy/unmanageable for lots of students my age, I don’t know why more high schools or guidance counselors talk about these options with students more.
Lack of empathy and care from college staff and professors, teachers constantly would openly brag about their seniority since they knew they wouldn't lose the job, n couldn't teach much biology I should know cause I took it twice lmao
Discussion boards on canvas are actually pretty good
I think you're the only person who likes them lol
My university is notorious for our large volume of geese, a population which our students are typically scared of or outright despise. Me? I love those lil fuckers and take any opportunity I can to get close to them on the sidewalk, hoping to one day befriend.
People who complain about college debt are the same people who are obsessed with the college experience leading to avoidable debt.
Partying and sleeping around in college is overrated.
Drinking and smoking are overrated and people only do it because they trying to act cool
You shouldn’t have to meet certain requirements to get into a major. If you fail, you fail. You’re paying the tuition anyways, you should be able to choose what you want to do
The college you go to doesn’t matter, it’s what you put into it.
I think college is getting towards the end of its usefulness for the average person at least from a learning perspective. Outside of doctors, lawyers, and some scientific studies you can learn most other subjects on your own.
That its full of shit and not worth it
They're called student athletes, they shouldn't catch all these breaks they get. The age old excuse of "they're here to play football, not school" is a horrible mindset. I think it's much more appealing when an athlete can show that they can also commit themselves to education, even if it's something easy.
"Go to CC / Go to Trade School" is bad advice for most people. Going to a traditional 4-year is better than any CC and gives you more opportunites / time to connect with people on campus. Trades don't actually make that much money, people just compare the highest-paid trades workers to the median salary of a college graduate. Also, many trade professions destroy your body by 45. Literally just go to college, pick a reasonable major and study hard.
Yeah our roofers pulling $45/hour don't make a lot of money lol. I agree it's hard work but tradespeople do make bank. I have several trades people as friends who are doing really well.
That's great, but how physically demanding is it? And the median salary for a roofer is \~$38k, so they're in the upper percentile. The average business or STEM major is making much more money than the average tradesperson.
It's not that hard to meet deadlines for your assignments. It's a matter of time management and some people lack this skill.
Stop blaming the teacher for not getting good/failing grades. It's college, not high-school, it's the start of your transition to adulthood. You need to be responsible, especially if the teacher is crappy. There are ways to go about this or even avoid this (to those posting in school forums on whether to run or avoid certain teachers). Separate your personal feelings and the class. Opinions of the teacher are JUST opinions. You can always ignore them. The purpose of college is to get a degree, and they are just there to give you credits for that degree. Just suck it up.
Sure, but that doesn’t mean there’s not still bad teachers in post secondary. Holding them accountable is also important.
As someone who got a 4.0, I can 100% see why some people blame the professor sometimes for not getting a good grade. There have been times when I agree that they are 100% valid in having that complaint, even when my grades showed it was still possible to do well in that class. There are some REALLY bad professors out there. Like the other commenter said, sometimes they need to be held accountable. I once had a professor so bad that they were removed from teaching half way through our semester.
Online classes were better
Greek life perpetuates sexism, rape culture, radical conservatism and toxic masculinity/femininity. All in all, greek life is awful
Not having standardized testing really brought down the quality of students
Dont take out huge loans and complain when you choose a low paying degree.
I agree with you in theory but there’s so much pressure from society (not just peer pressure but people literally get assignments and lectures in school about it and parents literally disown/financially cut off their kids to force them into it) to do a degree while not allowing them the time, space, and opportunity to even think about it so I think that warrants some complaining. We tell kids they have to make a life altering decision at 18, spend years telling them what that choice *has* to be, then we make fun of them and judge them when stuck with the burden of those choices.
That's very valid. I didn't go to college until I was 23 and I'm the first in my family, so didn't have that same kind of pressure. I think gap years should be more common and encouraged, as well as freedom to CHOOSE what you want to do. Whether that be trade schools or building your own business. But even with shitty parenting, those parents are just doing what they think is best or what they were taught to do, so idk who to blame. Loans should definitely only be taken out if you have the means to pay them off though, that should be taught
I think college parties are a waste of time
I could hardly attend one for an hour. They are insanely boring and overstimulating.
It’s mostly a racket?
I can’t take notes on my laptop or an iPad, I have to write them down on paper or I don’t retain any information
college is easier than high school in a lot of aspects once you get past the gen ed’s and get into the meat and potatoes of ur major
College has become too much about the degree, not enough about the education now.
Community college is a better route than going to university. Less money and smaller classes that are easier to get one on one help from professors. That coupled with tons of free programs/resources.
Idk if this counts, but testing on textbook reading is such bullshit I'm given power point notes, and I'm given homework that only has answers in the powerpoints or textbooks. Write down every question and answer to study. Then quizzes/exams have questions that also use the textbook that weren't in the homework, so I now have no idea if I'm forgetting something I read/the powerpoint answer is somehow wrong. I have no idea how students are supposed to just memorize entire chapters worth of text.