50 Tips for College Students

50 tips to make your college experience more fun and satisfying!

I did the "extended tour" of college. From about 1991-2002. I did get 4 degrees, so at least I have an excuse. :) I've also been an adjunct professor, so I've also been at the other side of the classroom.

1) The Freshman Fifteen does exist. So does the Freshman Twenty. Watch how many starches and processed foods you are eating.

2) Pizza - the ubiquitous college snack. See #1.

3) If it's either take out a loan or quit school, take out a loan.

4) If you can live harmoniously with someone in a 20×20 ft. space, you can do anything.

5) Flip-flops: Wear them in the dorm shower. Always.

6) Always attend the *real* class, and use the Internet one for review.

7) If you are not a morning person, don't schedule classes for 7am. You will not go.

8) Get involved on campus. All work and no *productive* socializing is boring.

9) Too much socializing = bad grades. Everything in moderation.

10) If you are feeling overwhelmed, are having problems sleeping, or have gone through a breakup, visit your college's counseling center. If you are feeling suicidal at any point, call your college's crisis center number or call 911 immediately.

11) There are a lot of free activities on campus. Take advantage of them.
12) Many colleges have free tutoring centers on campus. Take advantage of them.
13) Sit near the front of class.
14) Attend the whole class. Even if you feel like you will just die if you sit there any longer. Even if you feel your brain start to ooze out the side of your ear. Because we (professors) sometimes give really important info at the end of class.
15) Recopy your notes after class. Or if you've typed them (which is recommended), do a quick read-through after class.
16) Remember that although you are 18, your college may have the right to contact your parents if you are caught drinking underage.
17) Don't do anything stupid (read: illegal). It will go down on your permanent record. Seriously. At every college you apply to after this one.
18) Register for classes as early as possible. Early bird catches the worm and all that.
19) See how your first semester goes before you consider getting a job. See how heavy your course load is first.
20) Find a bank that also has branches in your hometown. Get your account connected to your parents' account so they can transfer money to you.
21) Use direct deposit and automatic withdrawal for paychecks/loanchecks/ check checks. Less chance of you losing it.
22) Use virus protection and firewalls on your laptop.
23) The student bookstore (online and in real life) can have great student discounts on hardware/software.
24) Reconsider bringing a car to campus your first semester. It can be a pain to park.
25) Pack the clothes you need for college, and then take half of that amount.
26) The more underwear you have, the less you have to do laundry.
27) If you are doing laundry on campus or at a laundromat, stay with your clothes. Otherwise they may walk off while you are gone.
28) I can't emphasize this enough: INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO YOUR PROFESSORS AND GO TO THEIR OFFICE HOURS. This is so important, I'll tell it to you again: INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO YOUR PROFESSORS AND GO TO THEIR OFFICE HOURS. We're nice people. Seriously. And we really like it when someone is interested in our classes.
29) Use the college's career resource center - not just when you are going to graduate, but when you are figuring out what you want to do with your life. It's a free service. Use the free services.
30) For the love of God, please, please do not leave candles burning in your dorm room or apartment. Or those incense burning thingies. Bad things happen when those are left on.
31) If you have a tendency to be messy, your roommate may be compulsively neat. The general rule is that the messier you are, the more neat your roommate will be. Try to pull it together. Especially regarding food. Always throw out leftover food. That's just gross, messy or not. Learning how to adapt to someone else's living style is a wonderful learning experience. Really. And if you complained about having to share a room with your siblings while you were growing up, when you get to college you learn that you are actually ahead of the curve. :)
32) Stay on campus on weekends. If you go home every weekend because you are homesick or have a girlfriend/boyfriend back home, you will be missing out on a lot of the college experience.
33) Get your flu shots. Yearly.
34) Use condoms. Every time.
35) Long-distance relationships are a challenge to keep up when you are away at school.
36) If you get that "ick" feeling that you shouldn't be doing something or shouldn't be somewhere, stop doing it and get out of there.
37) You may feel like your parents are hovering too much. Look at it this way: they've been taking care of you since you were a baby. That doesn't just stop. Cut them some slack. The more independent and wisedecisions you make on your own, the more they will have confidence in your abilities as an adult.
38) Just because you and your roommate were friends back home doesn't mean you will be compatible roommates. You find out new things about people when you are sharing a small space. But you can work it out. Even if you and your roommate are total strangers and are completely different - you may become great friends.
39) If your roommate is doing something that bothers you, ask yourself the following three questions: 1) Am I being reasonable in being bothered by this? 2) What's the best way to talk to my roommate about this? 3) What are some solutions to this issue? If all else fails and the issue is very important to you and you've talked to your roommate to no avail, talk to your Resident Assistant.
40) Practice safety. Don't walk home alone in the dark. Walk with someone. Many campuses have services where you can call and someone will walk back to your dorm with you.
41) Just because you *can* do something doesn't mean you should.
42) Use flashcards to quiz yourself when studying. And get someone else to quiz you with them. If you always quiz yourself with your own flashcards, you may skip over some that you don't know the answer to.
43) You may not know what you want to do for a major. It's okay. There are people much older than you that still aren't sure what they want to do with their lives. That's okay. See your academic adviser for help. Pay attention to which classes you really look forward to - that can be a clue as to what you might want to major in.
44) If you have a dining card/pass - do not treat all your friends to lunch and dinner. That is real money. Real money that you will be asking your parents for when it runs out.
45) Study groups can be helpful - but keep it to between 3 and 5 members (including you). More than that, and it turns into a social event.
46) If you have ADHD or a learning disability, apply for accommodations as soon as possible - even right after you find out you've been accepted to school.
47) Sleep. Get it. Get enough. You may be laughing at this, being a college student and all...but you need to get enough sleep.
48) Wash your hands. Often. Living in the dorms is a communal living experience. Germs love communal living.
49) Keep in touch with your friends from back home, but be open to meeting people of all different cultures and interests.
50) Enjoy your college experience - it's one most rewarding experiences of your life, academically and socially.

Selamat Hari Ibu (22-12-2011)

Kasih ibu kepada beta tak terhingga sepanjang masa. Hanya memberi, tak harap kembali,bagaikan surya menyinari dunia.

Bait nyanyian di atas sangat populer dan selalu dikumandangkan oleh anak-anak sejak di TK (taman kanak-kanak). Kalimatnya sederhana,namun maknanya sangat dalam. Kucuran kasih ibu kepada kita bagaikan sang surya yang setiap saat melimpahkan cahayanya untuk memberikan kesegaran penduduk bumi, namun tak pernah minta balasan apa pun dari kita.Ada lagi pepatah klasik yang menyatakan: Kasih anak sepanjang galah, kasih ibu sepanjang jalan.

Kasih dan perhatian ibu kepada anakanak tak ada putusnya, ibarat jalan yang tidak mengenal ujung. Sementara perhatian anak pada ibu sungguh tak sebanding. Ingin membuktikan? Coba disurvei, berapa jam sehari anak memikirkan ibunya, dan berapa jam sang ibu memikirkan anaknya? Berapa kali sang ibu mendoakan anakanaknya, dan berapa kali sang anak mendoakan ibunya? Sedemikian tulus dan mulianya sosok ibu sehingga bumi ini juga dinisbatkan sebagai ibu (mother earth).Bumi senantiasa memberi pada manusia. 

Semuanya diberikan.Tanpa dukungan dan kebaikan bumi, manusia akan sengsara. Sayang, manusia sombong dan tidak tahu berbalas kasih, ibu pertiwi dikhianati dan disakiti. Ujung-ujungnya pasti manusia yang akan sengsara. Nasihat agar anak memuliakan ibu juga sangat populer diceritakan secara turun-temurun di Sumatera Barat melalui legenda Malin Kundang yang kemudian berubah menjadi batu menangis karena menyesali perbuatannya menyakiti hati sang ibu. Di zaman Rasulullah SAW juga ada pemuda bernama Alqomah yang sakit keras dan saat mau meninggal sangat tersiksa karena ibunya masih sakit hati atas kelakuannya.

Baru setelah sang ibu memaafkan, Alqomah menghembuskan nafas terakhirnya. Mengingat peran utama ibu tak lain adalah mengasihi dan membesarkan putra-putrinya agar kelak tumbuh pintar, dewasa, dan mandiri. Sifat yang mulia ini juga dilekatkan pada lembaga pendidikan atau sekolah yang kita sebut ”almamater”. Dari bahasa Latin, almamater artinya ibu yang mengasihi dan memberikan makanan bergizi agar para siswa tumbuh sehat.Makanya sekolah sering disebut sebagai rumah kedua (second home) atau ibu kedua (second mother). 

Di dalam Alquran dan Hadits pun ditegaskan,betapa mulianya sosok ibu sehingga anakanak Adam wajib mencintai, menghormati, dan merawatnya, terlebih ketika mereka sudah masuk usia lanjut. Makanya dalam ajaran Islam tidak dikenal pembangunan rumah jompo sebagai tempat penitipan orang tua.Orang tua itu pembuka pintu langit yang akan menurunkan berkah tak terhingga bagi anak-anaknya yang merawat dan mencintai, sabda Rasulullah SAW. 

Ketika ditanya oleh seorang pemuda,siapa yang paling berhak memperoleh penghormatan dalam hidup ini? Rasulullah SAW menjawab: ”Ibumu!” Siapa lagi? ”Ibumu.” Siapa lagi? ”Ibumu.” Siapa lagi? ”Ayahmu.” Jadi jelas sekali bagaimana ajaran Rasulullah SAW dalam menghormati sosok ibu. Lalu ada seorang pemuda yang menangis, dia sedih sekali tidak lagi memiliki ibu karena sudah meninggal, lalu bertanya pada Rasulullah SAW: Saya ingin sekali membalas budi ibuku,tapi sudah meninggal.Apa yang sebaiknya saya lakukan? 

Rasulullah SAW menjawab: Doakan almarhumah ibumu, dan hormati serta sayangi ibu-ibu yang kamu jumpai di mana pun, nilainya akan sama dengan berbakti kepada ibu kandungmu. Dalam kajian psikologi perkembangan anak dikatakan, pendidik yang paling hebat adalah ibu. Dalam teori dan praktik hypnoparenting misalnya penanaman nilai dan sugesti yang paling efektif adalah dilakukan ibu di saat anak hendak tidur atau sambil bermain. 

Makanya sangat dianjurkan ketika ibu tengah menyusui anaknya atau meninabobo mengantarkan tidur, momen itu sangat bagus untuk membisikkan doa dan cerita-cerita sehingga anak-anak memiliki rekaman kuat di bawah sadar tentang nilai-nilai luhur dan memiliki mimpi besar. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa single parentyang dilakukan seorang ibu bagi anakanaknya jauh lebih sukses ketimbang single parent oleh seorang ayah. Doa, kasih sayang, dan kerja keras seorang ibu yang dilihat dan terekam dalam bawah sadar anak-anaknya bagaikan humus atau pupuk bagi pertumbuhan jiwa anak untuk tumbuh menjadi pohon besar yang kuat terterpa angin. 

Demikianlah, pantas sekali kita berterima kasih dan senantiasa hormat serta mencintai ibu-ibu kita.Namun,ada satu sosok ibu yang menimbulkan keprihatinan kita semua yaitu ”Ibu Kota Jakarta” yang tidak bisa menjadi teladan kota- kota lain di Indonesia serta tidak memberikan rasa aman dan nyaman. 

PROF DR KOMARUDDIN HIDAYAT

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