Congratulations, you made it!
The 12-week journey between tossing your mortarboard and slamming the door on your parents is over. During this summer trek, you may have read pieces on “How to Succeed in College," but for your freshman year, I believe it is better to learn how not to fail.
Unlike K-12, where the law forces parents and administrators to keep you in school, OU has neither the capacity nor time to ensure that all 21,000 students graduate. No bells, nine absence policies or calls home.
To overcome the odds of failure, I would like to offer a few pieces of advice.
First, and most important, join a group. With its prestige and size, OU is just large enough to be lonely. Whether the group is based on religious beliefs, a hobby or a small country in the Mediterranean, finding an organization will do wonders when homesickness sets in, or you fail your first test.
On Student Life’s website, studentlife.ou.edu, there is a list of 423 free student organizations, ranging from Linguistics Club to the Jugglers Association.
Can’t find one that fits? Create your own and the university will help you fund it!
Next, pick the major you enjoy. Although engineering can lead to wealth, you will likely find that freshman Engineering Orientation was a lost three hours after you switch to letters junior year.
Look through the OU catalog and find the major that peaks your interest, not your pocketbook. It may mean a cut in starting salary, but I promise you will be happier to graduate in four years.
On the subject of money, the “broke college student” stereotype did not appear on its own. Nothing causes stress like 32 cents in your checking account. To keep more of your 32 cents, you must constantly defend it from the university.
If you are not careful, the costs of parking tickets and dorm visitation fines can easily destroy your plans to save up for an iPad or the new Ugg boots that are just so cute.
In nine months, these tickets alone cost me $300 to $400.
If you think no one is watching while you park in priority or sneak your girlfriend in past midnight, a parking attendant or resident adviser will appear from behind the soda machine and hit you with a $25 fine.
So, there is my advice. If you get involved, do what you love and hold onto your pennies with all your might, I believe you will find that the best four years of your life have just begun.
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b00mer 1 year, 9 months ago
"piques," not peaks
localsooner 1 year, 9 months ago
"Next, pick the major you enjoy. Although engineering can lead to wealth, you will likely find that freshman Engineering Orientation was a lost three hours after you switch to letters junior year."
Students with $40,000 in student loans and no job because they picked a dumbass major will NOT be happy....learning to study will not only save money in the short term, but actually give people the ability to make their student loan payments.