Switched-On :: Blog

August is near and I’m getting really excited. On August 17th I leave for college. I’m going six hours away from home. It may seem scary for some but I think I need the far away school. My parents and siblings drive me nuts. I hardly ever get to relax because someone is always bothering me. It may not seem like a big deal to some but I really want to leave. There are other people who I talked to going to the same school as me who told me that they are really scared and nervous for leaving. I have no idea why they could be and don’t understand their reasoning. I can’t wait to be on my own, take care of myself, and have the freedom I always wanted. I just think living in a dorm is like being a hotel for a long period of time. As for now I have no idea how school will go but I know I will make the best of it.

- Tatiana

With all that money being fed into them and all the prestige of being a university, one must remember that people are turning all the gears within a college. We know people can sometimes be dumb, which translates to universities handling paper work in a less-than-perfect way. Applications, financial aid, room selection, and any other piece of paper turned into a college can be handled wrong. Lost mail, bad faxes, or careless employees can royally affect how smoothly a college transition goes so remember to stay proactive. Call or email offices to remind them that you did your end of the work and that they must follow through. Worst-case scenario is that you file some paper work and it never gets process because no one made sure to check if everything went as it should. Think of all college paper work as a million dollar check that you deposit at the bank. Chances are that you’ll be making sure that that million-dollar check finds its way home safely. Apply this same method to anything turned in to a university and make sure to save/print any evidence that proves you didn’t do anything wrong. Cover all your bases when making this transition.

- Ruben

As a college student, variety in life gets pretty crazy. Universities start and end their terms differently. Some have semesters while others have quarters or trimesters. Individual schedules have great variety as well, with people being able to take the same class at two or three different times. People of different majors have to take different classes. It gets increasingly difficult to find people to hang out at the same time that you are free even if you go to the same school and are of the same major. Then it gets even worse when you have friends out of state or even out of the country. Perhaps I’m just going through a lonely phase — but really, I’d like to see some familiar faces soon because I have a feeling this whole gathering thing may be even more difficult as people find jobs and move on to their own lives. Does growing up mean losing some of the familiar faces you once knew?

- Ruben

This is a warning to all future college goers and eager seniors. I know that the deadlines for college acceptance notifications are already here, but heed my warning. I’m a current college freshman so trust me. I am wise and I know things. I am like your fairy godmother, here to guide and protect you. So now that I’ve shown my credentials and gained your trust, you must listen to me. If you do one thing in your whole college career it is these next words: Never Go to a College with a Quarter System! Don’t do it! Please anything but that! It would be a better idea to enroll in clown college and take up the name Mr. GigglePants. Just don’t even consider it. If you have already decided to enroll in a school with a quarter system then get out while you still can. It’s too late for me, but you young ones still have a fighting chance. The reason for such an objection is that every other school without one is or will be ending within the next week. I, on the other hand, still have 5 MORE WEEKS! So listen to my advice and have an early summer next year. I’ll be doing homework instead.

- Ruben