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[Scorpion]

I'm making the leap from highschool to college in two weeks so I thought I would see if I could get any useful tips/advice from other forum members.
some Qs:
1- Who else is gonna be a college freshman fall?
2-For those already in college, how did your video gaming habits change when you started college? I've been slowly weeding VGs out my life (selling all my consoles, games, etc).
3- Is it possible to maintain good grades and still be a casual or hardcore gamer?
4-How much harder is college than highschool? In highschool I almost got straight A's but never actually studied(i didnt go to the best HS), in college I plan on studying for close to four hours daily, will that give me a chance to maintain a high gpa(which is very crucial) or is doing well in college dependent on something else (like being naturally smart). Basically what I'm asking is, does maintaining excellent study habits/work ethic translate into good grades, or is that not necessarily the case?

thats all i can think of for now, anybody else wit Qs, feel free to ask

 

[human5892]

2-For those already in college, how did your video gaming habits change when you started college? I've been slowly weeding VGs out my life (selling all my consoles, games, etc).

I played a lot more.

3- Is it possible to maintain good grades and still be a casual or hardcore gamer?

Hahaha...yes. At my school, anyway.

4-How much harder is college than highschool? In highschool I almost got straight A's but never actually studied(i didnt go to the best HS), in college I plan on studying for close to four hours daily, will that give me a chance to maintain a high gpa(which is very crucial) or is doing well in college dependent on something else (like being naturally smart). Basically what I'm asking is, does maintaining excellent study habits/work ethic translate into good grades, or is that not necessarily the case?

For me, much, much easier. I loved the freedom that college classes afforded me, and the classes weren't even that hard. My freshman year, I skipped over 60 classes and still ended up with a 3.1 GPA that semester -- not great, of course, but not bad either. I'm not saying you should go ahead and do that, and I haven't done it since, but it's an illustration of how much easier it was for me than high school.

Of course, all colleges are different, and all people are different, so it's best if you just experience it for yourself and know your own limits.

 

[Scorpion]

"yes. At my school, anyway"

what school do you go to?

 

[MrAngryFace]

College is like High School, cept you can skip even more. Paying attention in class isnt worth much either.

 

[human5892]

DVC - it's a small private college in Doylestown, PA.

 

[distantmantra]

1- Who else is gonna be a college freshman fall?
Second (and final!) year graduate student.

2-For those already in college, how did your video gaming habits change when you started college? I've been slowly weeding VGs out my life (selling all my consoles, games, etc).
Aside from FFVII on my PC, I didn't play video games at all in high school. But for some reason, I got into them during college. I bought a Dreamcast on launch day, two weeks prior to starting college, and then I picked up a PS2 sophomore year and an Xbox junior year. Marathon Counterstrike sessions on the PC, and my roommate and I would always play 4-player Virtua Tennis on Sunday nights, followed by trips to Jack in the Box at 3:30am.

3- Is it possible to maintain good grades and still be a casual or hardcore gamer?
I graduated cum laude and played a ton of games all four years.

4-How much harder is college than highschool? In highschool I almost got straight A's but never actually studied(i didnt go to the best HS), in college I plan on studying for close to four hours daily, will that give me a chance to maintain a high gpa(which is very crucial) or is doing well in college dependent on something else (like being naturally smart). Basically what I'm asking is, does maintaining excellent study habits/work ethic translate into good grades, or is that not necessarily the case?
College isn't difficult, just make sure you actually study and keep up with your classes, a lot of people kill themselves with their newfound freedom.

 

[retardboy]

2-For those already in college, how did your video gaming habits change when you started college? I've been slowly weeding VGs out my life (selling all my consoles, games, etc).

Easily


3- Is it possible to maintain good grades and still be a casual or hardcore gamer?

Easily


4-How much harder is college than highschool? In highschool I almost got straight A's but never actually studied(i didnt go to the best HS), in college I plan on studying for close to four hours daily, will that give me a chance to maintain a high gpa(which is very crucial) or is doing well in college dependent on something else (like being naturally smart). Basically what I'm asking is, does maintaining excellent study habits/work ethic translate into good grades, or is that not necessarily the case?

College is easier than High School to me. To be honest, it's not too much different the first couple years because you're going to be taking GEs. After that, you start taking your major courses and honestly.... It doesn't really get harder since that is the subject you're interested in and you'll be listening more intently.

 

[Memles]

Less than two weeks and counting until I head off to University; Most Expensive University in Canada, even.

I'm expecting my gaming habits won't change; while I plan to study and work dilligently to get scholarships (Plus, I have a brother in his fourth year who has been getting the highest GPA of his majors for two straight years), I have actually been buying video games for the purpose of playing them. It's an odd strategy, but I really don't expect it will cause me problems. While I can understand that University(College) will end up being more difficult, for me the freedom will be a major factor. I think that having more time out of class, and not having to worry about every class every day will be enough to let me continue gaming...I think.

 

[sc0la]

My advice, enjoy every minute of it. Its going to be over soon

In my experience your gaming will peak in certain situations. I played a metric shitload of multiplayer games, Virtua Tennis, Soul Caliburs, Smash Bros, Mario Karts, Goldeney, Starcraft, Monkey Ball etc. etc. College really brought out the social aspect of that. Was some of the best gaiming in my life.

But don't forget the other stuff too, and certainly don't forget school

 

[yoshifumi]

College is like High School, cept you can skip even more. Paying attention in class isnt worth much either.

if anything, you should be able to play more videogames

 

[CavemanLawyer]

I'll be a freshman at Texas A&M. Leaving in two days.

 

[WHOAguitarninja]

Will be a freshman at university of maryland. Leave the 27th.

 

[Alcibiades]

I'll be a freshman at Texas A&M. Leaving in two days.

cool, I'm a senior (though I've got a couple of years left at least) there

GIG'EM

 

[Idle Will Kill]

I was a pretty hardcore gamer throughout highschool, but after my first year of college, I've completely quit videogames (except for an SNES). It's not really that I didn't have the time, but I guess I grew out of them. I still really enjoy playing other peoples systems when I can though. I will also probably follow the announcements of the next gen systems a bit, but probably won't buy any of them.

My first year was pretty much the same difficulty level as far as classes. I didn't do that good second semester (got a 2.9), mainly because I abused the freedom thing a little much.

 

[Boogie]

Less than two weeks and counting until I head off to University; Most Expensive University in Canada, even.

Which is.....?

And screw you guys saying it's much easier. I found it quite a bit harder.

 

[p_xavier]

Which is.....?

And screw you guys saying it's much easier. I found it quite a bit harder.

I agree, maybe they give the diplomas in the US, but I assure you I was one of the best student of my faculty, with a 3.34GPA for my B.Sc.. I actually had 98% in high school and was one of the best student on national exams.

Now entering the second year of my Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering... only 1 left after that!

 

[MIMIC]

I start at Ohio State University September 22nd

I loved orientation last week. I didn't want to leave.

 

[Father_Brain]

I'm leaving for Vassar on the 22nd. Orientation starts the following day.

 

[Memles]

Which is.....?

Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

 

[teh_pwn]

2. I play a little less. I play most console games during winter break, and PC games every now and then.

3. That depends on your situation. If you've got a tough load, and have a busy social life, then no.

4. High School was much, much harder for me. But I was on a very tough shedule. Half college level classes (which are harder than real ones, oddly enough) and half honors classes. I easily had 5 hours of HW a night.

 

[MetatronM]

College is A LOT less work on a day to day basis (in fact, most days I have no work to do outside of class at all...except for the end of the smester when it's paper time). Obviously classes are more challenging, but as long as you stay more or less on target with where you need to be, you'll be fine. For most of the classes I've had in college, simply attending class and paying close attention to what was being said has been more than enough to maintain As and Bs.

 

[NetMapel]

Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

No wonder, you guys are required to rent a laptop from the school, LOL !

 

[Memles]

No wonder, you guys are required to rent a laptop from the school, LOL !

Yep...Tuition of $7,485. Mind you, we're getting brand new laptops this year, so that's at least a good thing.

And...it's a "Lease".

 

[NetMapel]

Yep...Tuition of $7,485. Mind you, we're getting brand new laptops this year, so that's at least a good thing.

And...it's a "Lease".

$7485 tuition !? That includes the laptop, right ? Whew... thank goodness that the University of Western Ontario is only $5000+

 

[XMonkey]

I'll be a freshman at University of California Irvine this fall. I don't start classes until the 24th of september, which rocks.

 

[Father_Brain]

NM

 

[FoneBone]

Wesleyan University in CT, starting orientation on August 30th.

 

[Memles]

$7485 tuition !? That includes the laptop, right ? Whew... thank goodness that the University of Western Ontario is only $5000+

Yeah, that includes the Laptop. Add Residence onto it...minus some scholarships, my university education for one year will cost $12,000. And, I could have taken a $5000 a year scholarship from local Dalhousie University instead and been PAID to attend the school, as my scholarships would have exceeded tuition.

But it was Dal.

 

[IAmtheFMan]

Good luck buddy. I just finished four years of undergrad, and just this past Monday started my next 4 year trek in med school. ENJOY YOUR YEARS. Seriously, once you get out, you'll miss it immediately. I had so much memorable shit happen during college... I'm sure you'll do the same.

As for video games, you'll have plenty of times to play and get good grades, but do yourself a favor and turn 'em off for the first couple of weeks. Go out and have a ball; you'll never have a chance to do any sort of careless shit again in your entire life. Despite this, video games are GREAT to have in crowded dorms, and chicks love Monkey Ball.

College isn't much harder than high-school IMO, as long as you stay on top of your shit. If you do, I guarantee you'll have a lot more free time then ever before.

Once again, good luck and have a ball.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have this stupid Embryology stuff to look at...

 

[Scorpion]

"my next 4 year trek in med school"

good luck with that, I actually hope to attend med school after undergrad, i just hope i maintain a high enough gpa to get accepted.

 

[Swordian]

4-How much harder is college than highschool? In highschool I almost got straight A's but never actually studied(i didnt go to the best HS), in college I plan on studying for close to four hours daily, will that give me a chance to maintain a high gpa(which is very crucial) or is doing well in college dependent on something else (like being naturally smart). Basically what I'm asking is, does maintaining excellent study habits/work ethic translate into good grades, or is that not necessarily the case?

This really depends on what you're studying. Some majors, like Poli Sci or History, don't require much more than the occasional paper. Other majors, like engineering or hard sciences, require quite a bit more work. HS was real easy for me, but college has been quite the opposite. I'm double majoring in Math/CS and Japanese Studies, so I'm really busy with work 94.73% of the time.

 

[retardboy]

That's definitely true. I was CS, but changed major because I'm freaken lazy. I'm now MIS. Less stressful... It really does depend on what major you are.

 

[Atrex]

I move in on friday for my freshman year.......im interested in what all of you are planning on going into. As of now im thinking about a degree in biomedical engineering and hopefully eventually going to medical school to become a surgeon.

 

[BlackSalad]

I'll be a freshman at Texas A&M. Leaving in two days.

I'm going to be a freshman @ University Of Utah

Prepare to get your asses handed in football the first game ;D

 

[Teknopathetic]

RAWR. Freshmen at UCA, home of the Sugar Beats. Classes start tomorrow, I just registered today. Still don't have books, still haven't even got my room yet (though, it looks like I'll be in one of the on-campus apartments).

 

[IAmtheFMan]

good luck with that, I actually hope to attend med school after undergrad, i just hope i maintain a high enough gpa to get accepted.

Thanks. I won't lie to you; it's not the most fun process in the world, but it's not nearly as bad as some make it out to be. The only pitfall is O-chem and the MCAT, but if you just pit yourself down and study O-chem, it isn't too bad. The MCAT is a different beast, and probably the source of the most stress in undergrad, mainly due to the fact that it's only offered twice a year. Reading skills are almost essential, and you need to be pretty quick.

Anyhow, it seems that you're already concerned with your GPA which is good. I met countless "pre-meds" who would say they wanted to go to med school, and then proceed to not give a rat's ass about grades or anything. From what I infer from your statements, you won't necessarily be like that. On the other hand, (like I mentioned in my first message) go out and have a ball too.

 

[Pochacco]

Put down the games and get a life guys
I'm trying to say that in the nicest way possible.

 

[carbonbased]

2-For those already in college, how did your video gaming habits change when you started college? I've been slowly weeding VGs out my life (selling all my consoles, games, etc).

I'd say that's definitely a bad call. Warcraft III became a part of everyday life for me, and I put 60 hours into Soul Calibur 2 multiplayer during my first semester last year. It's much easier to meet people with similar interests in college, combined with the fact that most guys our age are into video games, means you'll always be able to get a game going. I don't think there was a single guy's room in my freshman dorm that didn't have a video game console.

3- Is it possible to maintain good grades and still be a casual or hardcore gamer?

I'm not exactly the best person to ask that question.

4-How much harder is college than highschool? In highschool I almost got straight A's but never actually studied(i didnt go to the best HS), in college I plan on studying for close to four hours daily, will that give me a chance to maintain a high gpa(which is very crucial) or is doing well in college dependent on something else (like being naturally smart). Basically what I'm asking is, does maintaining excellent study habits/work ethic translate into good grades, or is that not necessarily the case?

Well, it all depends on the class and teacher. Some classes can be breezed through with little more than note taking, while others require hours of work outside of class and study groups to succeed. Four hours is probably overdoing it though. This is college, try to have some fun.

I go to the University of Redlands, a small private university in SoCal, currently majoring in comp sci.

My freshman year, I skipped over 60 classes and still ended up with a 3.1 GPA that semester -- not great, of course, but not bad either.

Go to hell. :/ I got a D two straight semesters in Japanese due to missing maybe 12 classes each semester despite doing much better on my work and tests second semester. I hate teachers who grade based off attendence, if you can learn the material regardless then it really shouldn't matter.

 

[RevenantKioku]

Go to hell. :/ I got a D two straight semesters in Japanese due to missing maybe 12 classes each semester despite doing much better on my work and tests second semester. I hate teachers who grade based off attendence, if you can learn the material regardless then it really shouldn't matter.

Well in my Japanese classes we get graded daily on performance in the language, so its kind of mandatory.
The only thing I hate about my college years is having to have a part time job. I was able to not have one my freshman year, and it was great. Granted, I had a long distance girlfriend, and that was a big mistake, well, until I went home for a weekend. So don't do that.
But I spend almost more time at my job then at school, and with the hours all fucked up all around, I'm almost looking forward to working a solid 9-5 five or six days a week. Shit, that sounds kinda nice.
Anyway, to your questions.
I actually played more Magic in high school than I did video games, but once I got to college, gaming was actually a more affordable hobby, haha.
Is it possible to keep good grades? I have an overall GPA of 3.364 and a PFOS of 3.55.
The PFOS would have been 4.0 if it weren't for stupid Software Engineering.
I'm also a 4th year, 5th year credit-wise.
Of course college also opens you to new things.
I took a japanese class on a whim, and now I'm considering becoming an International Business major, because, well personal reasons.
The difficulty is based on where you are and what you're doing.

And don't feel like you have to give up gaming just because you're in college. Just do it if you want to and don't if you don't.
But on the same token, don't let any one thing consume your college years. Be it games, liqueur, women or even studying itself. Do it all.

 

[videogamer]

Thanks. I won't lie to you; it's not the most fun process in the world, but it's not nearly as bad as some make it out to be. The only pitfall is O-chem and the MCAT, but if you just pit yourself down and study O-chem, it isn't too bad. The MCAT is a different beast, and probably the source of the most stress in undergrad, mainly due to the fact that it's only offered twice a year. Reading skills are almost essential, and you need to be pretty quick.

Anyhow, it seems that you're already concerned with your GPA which is good. I met countless "pre-meds" who would say they wanted to go to med school, and then proceed to not give a rat's ass about grades or anything. From what I infer from your statements, you won't necessarily be like that. On the other hand, (like I mentioned in my first message) go out and have a ball too.

Yeah watch out for your GPA. Human noted that his GPA was around 3.1--- for a premed that's bad, unless you really want to go to the Caribbean. Premeds can be a competitive bunch. For my Bio major, just getting one A- can threaten the possibility of graduating with summa cum laude. If you play it safe... study more than most of your classmates and take light loads, you should be fine. Even the MCAT or Ochem are pieces of cake if you dedicate enough time to it. Do enough problems of each, and you will laugh at them on exam day.

IAMtheFMan: where are you in the process? I'm doing my applications this year.

 

[human5892]

Go to hell. :/ I got a D two straight semesters in Japanese due to missing maybe 12 classes each semester despite doing much better on my work and tests second semester. I hate teachers who grade based off attendence, if you can learn the material regardless then it really shouldn't matter.

Well, the funny thing is, my school has a general attendance policy: if you miss over four classes, you're supposed to automatically FA (Failure due to Absence). But many professors don't abide by that rule, either because a) they don't feel like wasting time with taking attendance, or b) they take a more reasonable assumption that if you know the material and are getting good grades, it doesn't matter how much you're present. Luckily for me, I just happened to get a few teachers who followed this latter philosophy. I was also encouraged to cut in my one class in particular, which was almost a verbatum repeat of a class I had my senior year in high school. I ended up skipping all but two of the lectures in that class and ended up with a B.

Of course, overall it was a very irresponsible thing to do, and I'm damned lucky I got away with it.

Yeah watch out for your GPA. Human noted that his GPA was around 3.1--- for a premed that's bad, unless you really want to go to the Caribbean.

This is true; however, I am an English major, and thus no severe emphasis is placed on my GPA, provided it's not astronomically bad.

 

[Mason]

I'm thinking of joining a fraternity this semester....but what I'm curious about is: does hazing still go on? I know it's illegal now and I know colleges have strict rules against it, and I know people say, "Really, it doesn't go on anymore. Too many pussies cried about it."

But I've also heard that behind closed doors, it still goes on. It's not that I can't handle it, but I just want to know going in if I'm going to get dragged behind a car by my penis or something so I can be prepared. Does anyone have any frat joining stories/experiences they can share?

 

[IAmtheFMan]

IAMtheFMan: where are you in the process? I'm doing my applications this year.

I just started med school this past week. Hasn't been too bad yet; only three classes so far: Biochem, Histology, and Embryology. We start Gross and Physiology in a few weeks.

By that point, I'm sure I won't have much time to be posting/lurking around here.

Yeah, applications kinda suck; I remember the one thing that I hated was individually entering every single friggin class I had into that AMCAS application.

Where are you planning on applying to? FYI I'm at UC (Cincinnati.)

 

[videogamer]

I just started med school this past week. Hasn't been too bad yet; only three classes so far: Biochem, Histology, and Embryology. We start Gross and Physiology in a few weeks.

By that point, I'm sure I won't have much time to be posting/lurking around here.

Yeah, applications kinda suck; I remember the one thing that I hated was individually entering every single friggin class I had into that AMCAS application.

Where are you planning on applying to? FYI I'm at UC (Cincinnati.)

Yeah, I'm not exactly looking forward to grad school either. I really want to stay in California near my family, so I'm taking a risk by applying to only CA schools. Unfortunately, UCLA and UCSF have yet to respond with secondaries. About the AMCAS: I have transcrips at about 6 colleges. Most people have NO idea how frustrating this is, but I I felt that the personal statement was the worst.

Good luck with med school. I can't believe you actually had time to visit this forum at all. Maybe you can have time to visit SDN... there are a lot of med school students who have time to make lots of posts there during the school year.

 

[Guileless]

Mason, real hazing is pretty much gone in the vast majority of places. Our litigious culture has seen to that. Of course there's no guarantee what will happen because it only takes one asshole to do it. But as long as you do a cursory investigation first you should be fine.

I went to a very conservative, traditional school where the Greek system--socially--is basically still like it was portrayed in Animal House. It's seriously almost like a time machine in many ways. Even there, real hazing is all but gone. It's just too risky now.

So you should definitely give it a try, as long as you find guys you like you'll have a lot of fun.

 

[Idle Will Kill]

Yes, you have to go through a lot of shit to get into a fraternity.

I actually pledged one of the most laid back frats on my campus last semester and it wasn't too bad, but I dropped out a week or two before completion because I decided a fraternity wasn't for me. From what I hear, Hell Week (the last week) can get pretty bad.

 

[Mason]

I actually pledged one of the most laid back frats on my campus last semester and it wasn't too bad,

Can you elaborate on "not too bad"? I read some horror stories and now I'm freaked out. And about "Hell Week," the frats here don't even have Rush Week if that's what you're referring to. They have open rush, where people can join at any time. Only the sororities do a traditional rush week.

 

[Celicar]

I was in a fraternity for all of a week too. I dropped too just because I didn't have enough time to devote to it. I spend too much time laying around and I didn't want to waste that time being someone's bitch for a semester.

 

[Idle Will Kill]

Can you elaborate on "not too bad"? I read some horror stories and now I'm freaked out. And about "Hell Week," the frats here don't even have Rush Week if that's what you're referring to. They have open rush, where people can join at any time. Only the sororities do a traditional rush week.

Rush Week is the very beginning of the pledging process. Hell Week is the final week, where at the end, you are initiated into the frat. I guess all fraternities do things differently though, so maybe there isn't even a Hell Week at the frat you are thinking of joining.

And honestly, I guess it had a lot to do with it being a very laid back fraternity, but there really wasn't much crap to go through, at least in my experience. Some members will do an intimidation thing, but from what I hear (once again, I didn't finish) is just a charade and they aren't actually like that. The lineups suck because you make yourself nervous (though there really isn't anything to be nervous about). My one friend who did finish the pledging told me a little about Hell Week, and it didn't sound very fun at all.