College is disorienting. It’s very different. Some people (I was one of them) initially get really overwhelmed by exposure to the wider world: things like managing your own time, making judgments independent of your parents’, encountering other people’s cruelty, dealing with relationships, deciding among different professional/academic interests, staying hopeful and pragmatic despite tough competition. Growing up is tough and confusing and I think usually involves a lot of missteps and angst. I’m only just out of college and I certainly haven’t got it all figured out.
But my advice is to take care of yourself—do things that help you stay resilient despite all the confusion. First, get enough sleep, a nutritious diet, some exercise, and again ENOUGH SLEEP. Second, friendship is incredibly valuable, especially the friendship of stable, successful people you can look up to. The time you spend on friendship isn’t wasted. Third, never miss deadlines and never skip class. Old-fashioned rules like that are a bulwark. You may be experimenting with new activities, or having personal drama, or going through a tough time: but if you never miss deadlines, you’re quite a bit safer from real catastrophe. Fourth, nobody ever died from knowing too much math. Put some attention into learning things that you can use to support yourself in the future. This doesn’t mean you should pick a “safe” major—there are no safe majors—but plan for the future, and acquire quantitative skills no matter what. Fifth, love yourself. Hokey, but very, very real.
I hope I’m able to follow through on the taking care of myself bit. Its sorta annoying how many people know stuff like that, but don’t actually do it.
Slight question:
What kinds of math do you find cool/helpful? I know a lot of calculus, a good deal of statistics, basic probability stuff, and a smattering of information theory (enough to not get totally lost on wikipedia). Am I missing any? Linear Algebra comes to mind.
It depends what you want to do with yourself: if you have a technical major, the mathematical requirements will become clearer. (For example, graph theory is much more important in computer science than in, say, physics.) For general knowledge, learn linear algebra and multivariable calculus. If you haven’t already, read a book/take a class that’s heavily proof-based—for example, Rudin’s Principles of Mathematical Analysis. Being comfortable with formal proof is necessary for a number of disciplines (not just math) and is, I think, good for your brain. (I think of learning to prove as a similar kind of transformative experience as learning to read—except that nearly all of us learn to read and not so many of us learn to prove.)
I cannot believe I forgot to mention this. This is immensely good advice.
You can stay and should up to 3 AM talking to friends about deep and interesting things, but you should never require all-nighters to get your work done.
never skip class
A slightly refined suggestion: have perfect attendance for the first month and a half, and then only skip if you’ve already worked ahead as much as possible. You don’t want to judge the value of a class by its introduction or review period, and the only thing worse than wasting time in a trivial but necessary class is doing poorly in a trivial but necessary class.
I thought it was an old wives’ tale/not applicable to me. But when I actually tried the experiment, documenting how I felt on 4 hours of sleep vs. 8 hours of sleep, I realized that I was happier and more intelligent when rested, and that I understood lectures much better when I didn’t doze off! If you doubt that this is applicable to you, try the experiment.
I never actually needed all-nighters to finish my work. If you space out your studying it’s never necessary.
What I wish I’d known:
College is disorienting. It’s very different. Some people (I was one of them) initially get really overwhelmed by exposure to the wider world: things like managing your own time, making judgments independent of your parents’, encountering other people’s cruelty, dealing with relationships, deciding among different professional/academic interests, staying hopeful and pragmatic despite tough competition. Growing up is tough and confusing and I think usually involves a lot of missteps and angst. I’m only just out of college and I certainly haven’t got it all figured out.
But my advice is to take care of yourself—do things that help you stay resilient despite all the confusion. First, get enough sleep, a nutritious diet, some exercise, and again ENOUGH SLEEP. Second, friendship is incredibly valuable, especially the friendship of stable, successful people you can look up to. The time you spend on friendship isn’t wasted. Third, never miss deadlines and never skip class. Old-fashioned rules like that are a bulwark. You may be experimenting with new activities, or having personal drama, or going through a tough time: but if you never miss deadlines, you’re quite a bit safer from real catastrophe. Fourth, nobody ever died from knowing too much math. Put some attention into learning things that you can use to support yourself in the future. This doesn’t mean you should pick a “safe” major—there are no safe majors—but plan for the future, and acquire quantitative skills no matter what. Fifth, love yourself. Hokey, but very, very real.
http://xkcd.com/356/
Thanks.
I hope I’m able to follow through on the taking care of myself bit. Its sorta annoying how many people know stuff like that, but don’t actually do it.
Slight question: What kinds of math do you find cool/helpful? I know a lot of calculus, a good deal of statistics, basic probability stuff, and a smattering of information theory (enough to not get totally lost on wikipedia). Am I missing any? Linear Algebra comes to mind.
It depends what you want to do with yourself: if you have a technical major, the mathematical requirements will become clearer. (For example, graph theory is much more important in computer science than in, say, physics.) For general knowledge, learn linear algebra and multivariable calculus. If you haven’t already, read a book/take a class that’s heavily proof-based—for example, Rudin’s Principles of Mathematical Analysis. Being comfortable with formal proof is necessary for a number of disciplines (not just math) and is, I think, good for your brain. (I think of learning to prove as a similar kind of transformative experience as learning to read—except that nearly all of us learn to read and not so many of us learn to prove.)
I cannot believe I forgot to mention this. This is immensely good advice.
You can stay and should up to 3 AM talking to friends about deep and interesting things, but you should never require all-nighters to get your work done.
A slightly refined suggestion: have perfect attendance for the first month and a half, and then only skip if you’ve already worked ahead as much as possible. You don’t want to judge the value of a class by its introduction or review period, and the only thing worse than wasting time in a trivial but necessary class is doing poorly in a trivial but necessary class.
Expanding on the sleep thing:
I thought it was an old wives’ tale/not applicable to me. But when I actually tried the experiment, documenting how I felt on 4 hours of sleep vs. 8 hours of sleep, I realized that I was happier and more intelligent when rested, and that I understood lectures much better when I didn’t doze off! If you doubt that this is applicable to you, try the experiment.
I never actually needed all-nighters to finish my work. If you space out your studying it’s never necessary.