[Ncabs] Continuation on First Semester Discussion

[Brice Smith]

Jewel,

My apologies for somehow missing this earlier. I think the four
courses you selected with your advisor will be great for a first
semester; they don't sound overly intense and the fact that you find
most of the subjects easy or fun will help.

My general advise would be to start with courses you think you are
interested in or are easy. In other words, If you're an English or
communications student, don't cram all your general science and math
courses into your first semester to "get them out of the way early--"
that's generally a huge mistake.

I don't remember my first semester's schedule entirely, but it
honestly wasn't all that challenging. However, I did sign up for an
economic course that I had to drop mid-semester. I dropped the course
because the specific professor I chose relied heavily (and I mean
heavily, ...) on graphs and visual models.

with that, talk to other students about the professors you've signed
up for to get some opinions on their teaching styles If you can.
Searching the web for teacher-specific reviews might help. I'd like to
say that the professor doesn't matter and that If you work hard you'll
do fine, but unfortunately two different teachers can teach the same
course using completely different methods. Ratemyprofessor.com might
help; so might college-specific forums and message boards. NC State
has "the wolf web," Wake Tech might have something similar.

My best advise is to honestly evaluate yourself and think about what
techniques for learning and managing schoolwork and time work for you.
While sleeping until noon is great on the weekends, do you really want
to fill your schedule with evening classes? to answer this, think
about when you work and learn best instead of whether or not you want
to get up early. I like sleeping late, but hate night classes -- so I
sacrifice sleep for early morning classes.

How do you learn best? do you like audio books or prefer Braille or
using Jaws to listen to text? I hate audio textbooks, but If they work
for you stick with them. You'll learn more about how you personally
learn as you progress through college, but getting a handle on your
personal learning styles, techniques, and time management skills can
help with the stress of college.

By the way, I've unashamedly changed my degree three or four times in
the past two years. While I'm hopefully certain of what I'm doing now,
it doesn't hurt to spend your first semester taking courses you know
you will need regardlesl of the major you ultimately select.

Brice

On 5/11/10, Jewel S. <herekittykat2 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hey all,
>
> At the end of the conference call, several of us talked about first
> semester of college...what class load is best, what a new student
> shouldn't take and should or shouldn't do, and such like that. I'd
> like to continue this discussion on the list here. So...
>
> What did you take your first semester of college? Why did you choose
> those classes, and did it go well? If you could go back and do it
> again, what would you have done differently, and why? What advice do
> you have for a college freshman preparing for their first semester in
> college?
>
> For myself, I'll be starting my first semester in the fall. Not
> technically, since I did a few semesters at another college in
> 2003-2004, but that didn't go well, and I dropped out to concentrate
> on my work as a nanny. However, this will be my first semester as a
> blind student, though I did have the physical problems then that I do
> now (back and neck problems, balance issues, memory lapses). Priority
> registration is next week, and I'm pondering my course load. Talking
> to the advisor, we came up with the following:
>
> English 111...basic Freshman English (my best subject, so an easy one)
> Communications 120...Interpersonal Relationships
> Psychology 150...General Psychology (One of my favourite subjects, and
> one I found pretty easy in high school)
> Spanish 111...Freshman Spanish (I did three years of Spanish in high
> school and while I'm rusty, I can communicate in Spanish with some
> comprehensibility)
>
> This courseload is for an Associate of Arts Transfer degree toward a
> Bachelor's in Elementary Education, which I hope to transfer to Peace
> College here in Raleigh to obtain. What do y'all think?
>
> Feel free to share your first semester or plans for your first
> semester, your thoughts and advice, tips and hints. I'd love to hear
> all!
>
> ~Jewel Shuping
> Raleigh, NC
> Wake Tech Community College
>
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