The College Thread

[m0rninggl0ry]

Ay my Coli college people, lemme put you on some game from a recent (<2yrs) graduate. I wish I had someone to advise me on some landmines to avoid. I was the first child in my family to attend undergrad in the US (both my parents have advanced degrees from the US, but their undergrad was in Nigeria so different ball game).

1. Try your best to keep at minimum a 3.0 or better. You don’t know if you’ll want/need grad school in the future, but you don’t want to eliminate yourself from the race early on.

a. Sub point: try your best to get as close to a 4.0 your freshman year. Your classes are generally easier and it’s easier to maintain a good GPA than to try and pull up a bad one.

2. Depending on where your school is located (urban, suburban, rural etc) try to live off campus after your freshman year (sophomore year if you still need to get into your “rhythm”) On-campus housing is usually more expensive than off campus and on-campus housing isn’t as enabling. Also, if you can find a cheap house to rent with 2-3 of your boys then your place can turn into the “spot”. I’ll caution you with this one though, it’s nice to room with your boys, but make sure they’re level headed. Not the kind of dudes that want to turn up Monday-Monday. Gotta have boundaries. Having the “spot” that people come to on the weekends to socialize is pretty much easy access.

3. GET AN INTERNSHIP BEFORE YOU GRADUATE! This was my saving grace in college because my GPA was terrible. I was fortunate to work at my college’s career center and I cannot tell you how much game I was put on from not just the staff but by sitting through employer presentations. Since I didn’t have the grades, I had to start small. Took a stipend internship and then worked my way up. By the time I graduated I had four internships to my name, all within the Consulting-type sphere.

4. If no money isn’t an issue/not too much of a stretch, then study abroad. Preferably for an entire semester and I would say in a developing country. While yea, it’s nice to study abroad in London, your perspective may not change as much as if you studied in say Brazil or Ghana or China. I interned in South East Asia and that internship really expanded how I see the world. We live in an evermore globally connected world. With that is opportunity, but also competition. The earlier you realize this, the better prepared you’ll be.

5. Time management. Really just find a way to nail this to the T. Your life moving forward will be so much better for it. Try your best to cut out procrastination. Time is your most valuable asset.

6. Have fun. College, imo, is not the best time of your life, but can be one of the more enjoyable if planned well. You have the access of an adult but without the responsibilities of one. Use it wisely.

Note: My view is slightly slanted as financially I was fortunate not to take out loans due to benefits, in-state tuition, parents’ contribution and private contribution.

Best advice!!!

 

[m0rninggl0ry]

@phcitywarrior what are you doing now

 

[brandy]

So yes, it counts. Thank you.

Btw, congratulations.

So I was right with my original plan, apply to 10. I was looking at costs but some schools have application waivers





Congrats

Are you in the UK or USA?

 

[phcitywarrior]

@phcitywarrior what are you doing now

Work in Corporate Sales Strategy and Operations for a Hospitality firm. Just clocked 2 years at the company.

 

[Starski]

Finally wrapped on my associates at 25, got a 4 semester full ride to a state school heading their for finance this fall... let’s get it.

 

[m0rninggl0ry]

Are you in the UK or USA?

USA

 

[m0rninggl0ry]

Work in Corporate Sales Strategy and Operations for a Hospitality firm. Just clocked 2 years at the company.

 

[brandy]

USA

If you have a chance to go to graduate school fair, ask if they offer waivers for students and the criteria for them. Sometimes your financial aid department offers them. My school's fin aid offered waivers for the GRE. It reduced the cost.

I didn't pay anything to submit my applications because of an academic program I participated in, but I did have to pay to send my GRE scores and mail transcripts.

 

[Hip-Hop-Bulls]

Question. I have my associates, and I start my bachelors program in september but am already thinking about my DBA in the future. Seeing how brutal it is to actually get accepted, Any advice on DBA/PhD applications?

 

[Goon for hire]

Anyone majoring in nursing here? I’m going to be majoring in nursing minoring in military science at N.C. state this august

 

[UberEatsDriver]

I think I have 2 job offers coming. Well I know for a fact I have 1. So it will be a full year after I got my masters when I start work.


To anyone going to grad school for an MPA make sure you already work for the government/non profit before you take the degree or make sure you apply to jobs immediately as soon as you start classes with this degree.

 

[UberEatsDriver]

@phcitywarrior you work in operations? I’m going to PM you.

 

[phcitywarrior]

@phcitywarrior you work in operations? I’m going to PM you.

Yea I got some strategy and ops experience. Feel free to shoot me a PM

 

[Freedman]

Summer Semester started today. Taking Linear Algebra but I've taken a couple Differential Equations classes where we used matrices so I'm feeling it's gonna be light work

 

[Obreh Winfrey]

Summer Semester started today. Taking Linear Algebra but I've taken a couple Differential Equations classes where we used matrices so I'm feeling it's gonna be light work