The "give Lina College Advice" Thread

[LinaSt.Cecilia2772]

So I'm not dead, I've just been out of the country for 7 weeks and moved into college at Mount St. Mary's University yesterday.

 

Things have been so crazy, so I thought I'd ask you wise people who have gone through college or are alumni of The Mount for college advice. It can be anything you think I should know, whether it be finances, social, academic, etc.

 

Absolutely ANYTHING will be VERY MUCH appreciated!

 

Ready, set, go!

 

 

[PhuturePriest]

Sharpen your crazy-fast typing skills for classes.

[LinaSt.Cecilia2772]

Sharpen your crazy-fast typing skills for classes.

 

I'm already a fast typer, but thanks!

[GeorgiiMichael]

First off, welcome to the Mount community! 

 

Go to 10pm daily mass at Pang Chapel regularly. It's a good crowd, and it's a great time for daily mass if you can't make the 7 (or 7:30, I can't remember) seminarian mass at IC or the noon mass in Kane Chapel.

 

Be wary of the FOCUS Missionaries. Not that they're bad, but there's some unnecessary drama that comes with the whole FOCUS crew. They're nice enough, but stay away from actually joining their little team or whatever.

 

Get to know seminarians and priests. They're cool. There's really nothing else to say on that point.

 

Explore Frederick and Adams counties. There's a nice little 24/6 (no Sundays) Adoration chapel on Tract Road up in PA. Tract starts in Emmitsburg though, on 140.

 

Join the Militia Immaculata. They say a rosary every week, and it's a good way to meet cool devout undergrads and seminarians, as there are a few who run it.

 

If you can, go on a Kairos Retreat. 

 

Heck, go on any retreat you can.

 

Get to know your professors. They're all really great. Well, no, that's not entirely true. But a lot of them are, and you'll figure out who is cool pretty quick.

 

Make time for Café runs, but be careful not to spend all your dining dollars (or whatever they're called now, they changed the meal plans the year after I left).

 

Don't feel too pressured to "get involved". You'll make great friends no matter what, and you don't want to overburden yourself with too many activities. You still have classes, after all.

 

If you're up late and can't get to sleep, go on a rosary walk by yourself around campus. It's incredibly peaceful late at night, and it's quite prayerful. Depending on how fast you pray, you can probably finish up the concluding prayers or even the last full decade in IC, while kneeling in front of the Mary altar. That was always my favorite way to complete a late night rosary walk. Then I'd just walk back leisurely to my dorm, enjoying the night.

 

And last of all, enjoy it. The Mount is a great place, with a great community. And you'll meet some of, if not your absolute, best friends there. 

[Basilisa Marie]

OH EM GEE WHAT BUILDING ARE YOU IN?   I'm a former Sheridan RA, so, I have mucho experience with the...er...idiosyncrasies of that place.

 

I second everything GeorgiiMichael said.  

 

In addition...

 

Go on a CRUX trip. Go on a few. You'll rarely have an opportunity to go rock climbing or snow shoeing or rafting or caving for such a little fee (same thing applies to music lessons, like piano or another instrument, it's something ridiculously low). You should do a couple before you graduate. :) 

 

You don't have to be best friends with your roommate(s), but you do have to live together. If you haven't filled it out already, take your roommate contract seriously. Be upfront with things you're comfortable or uncomfortable with (whether it be food or lights or boys staying past quiet hours [yes, that's not allowed, but since when do all people follow rules just because they're rules?]). If you have a problem with your roommate, don't just suck it up and let it fester.  Try to talk to her, and if that doesn't work, talk to your RA. RAs are trained in conflict mediation. 

 

Almost all the professors (I'd say all, but that's not entirely true) really, really want to see their students succeed. If you're struggling with something, take advantage of their office hours, dropping in or making an appointment. Seriously, it can make all the difference in the world, including to your GPA. I speak from personal experience.  They'll usually go easier on you if they can tell you're making an effort. 

Along the same lines, there is absolutely no shame in getting a tutor.  Not everyone is good at everything.  I tutored people in theology, and was tutored by a friend in philosophy, particularly metaphysics and epistemology.  

GeorgiiMichael might be able to speak to this too, but for my year, Freshman year was a huge time of experimenting and reinventing yourself.  Lots of people were trying new things and expanding their comfort zones, trying to figure out who they were and what they wanted to do.  Like he said, don't feel like you have to do EVERYTHING or hyper-extend yourself, but be open to trying new stuff.  A lot of people will change over the course of four years, including yourself. 

 

Program Public Safety's non-emergency number into your phone.  You'll need it, at least for when you get locked out of your building. I was a chronic offender. :)  Bring your ID EVERYWHERE.  

Along those lines, if you or someone you know or some random stranger you see gets in trouble and needs help, get an RA or call Public Safety yourself.  Ignore anyone who says that you'll get in trouble too if you report something.  And if you happen to be in the wrong place in the wrong time and get "written up" (it happened once to my most straight-laced, god-fearing resident), don't worry, it's not the end of the world, just explain things when you go to the residence life office for your meeting. 

When it snows, I've heard that lunch trays make good sleds.  Not that I'd ever condone such behavior.  On a similar note, don't leave your work to the last minute.  You don't want to be the only person missing out on a huge snowball fight in the Quad because you still have to write your essay. 

Only freshmen wear their lanyards. :) 

 

If you fly from home to school, the Mount's shuttle service is the most unhelpful, terrible, expensive thing ever. Offer your friend half the price of the shuttle to take you to the airport, fly out of Baltimore, and you'll be set.  If you drive, ignore this.  Also if you drive, parking tickets add up fast if you don't pay attention.  

The printers at the library will ALWAYS break when you have to print out your SUPER IMPORTANT paper and have TWO MINUTES before class starts.  If you get in a pinch like that, email it to your professor instead, so you have proof that you have it done in time, then asap print out a copy and bring it by their office. 

 

Use the library.  

AHHH I"M SO EXCITED FOR YOU you're going to have an amazing time.  :) 

[Era Might]

Society sells you a dream with college, and then hands you a bed and a bill. It's an economic investment, forget the idealistic nonsense. Unless you are an aristocrat for whom college is a luxury, or you happen to live in ancient Greece, have a plan for how you plan to get a return on your college investment. In plain English: figure out now how what you are doing is going to help you make money when you finish. If you just want to learn, the library is free.

Edited August 20, 2013 by Era Might

[Ice_nine]

don't let your student debt force you into the crack trade.

[PhuturePriest]

OH EM GEE WHAT BUILDING ARE YOU IN?   I'm a former Sheridan RA, so, I have mucho experience with the...er...idiosyncrasies of that place.

 

I second everything GeorgiiMichael said.  

 

In addition...

 

Go on a CRUX trip. Go on a few. You'll rarely have an opportunity to go rock climbing or snow shoeing or rafting or caving for such a little fee (same thing applies to music lessons, like piano or another instrument, it's something ridiculously low). You should do a couple before you graduate. :)

 

You don't have to be best friends with your roommate(s), but you do have to live together. If you haven't filled it out already, take your roommate contract seriously. Be upfront with things you're comfortable or uncomfortable with (whether it be food or lights or boys staying past quiet hours [yes, that's not allowed, but since when do all people follow rules just because they're rules?]). If you have a problem with your roommate, don't just smell of elderberries it up and let it fester.  Try to talk to her, and if that doesn't work, talk to your RA. RAs are trained in conflict mediation. 

 

Almost all the professors (I'd say all, but that's not entirely true) really, really want to see their students succeed. If you're struggling with something, take advantage of their office hours, dropping in or making an appointment. Seriously, it can make all the difference in the world, including to your GPA. I speak from personal experience.  They'll usually go easier on you if they can tell you're making an effort. 

Along the same lines, there is absolutely no shame in getting a tutor.  Not everyone is good at everything.  I tutored people in theology, and was tutored by a friend in philosophy, particularly metaphysics and epistemology.  

GeorgiiMichael might be able to speak to this too, but for my year, Freshman year was a huge time of experimenting and reinventing yourself.  Lots of people were trying new things and expanding their comfort zones, trying to figure out who they were and what they wanted to do.  Like he said, don't feel like you have to do EVERYTHING or hyper-extend yourself, but be open to trying new stuff.  A lot of people will change over the course of four years, including yourself. 

 

Program Public Safety's non-emergency number into your phone.  You'll need it, at least for when you get locked out of your building. I was a chronic offender. :)  Bring your ID EVERYWHERE.  

Along those lines, if you or someone you know or some random stranger you see gets in trouble and needs help, get an RA or call Public Safety yourself.  Ignore anyone who says that you'll get in trouble too if you report something.  And if you happen to be in the wrong place in the wrong time and get "written up" (it happened once to my most straight-laced, god-fearing resident), don't worry, it's not the end of the world, just explain things when you go to the residence life office for your meeting. 

When it snows, I've heard that lunch trays make good sleds.  Not that I'd ever condone such behavior.  On a similar note, don't leave your work to the last minute.  You don't want to be the only person missing out on a huge snowball fight in the Quad because you still have to write your essay. 

Only freshmen wear their lanyards. :)

 

If you fly from home to school, the Mount's shuttle service is the most unhelpful, terrible, expensive thing ever. Offer your friend half the price of the shuttle to take you to the airport, fly out of Baltimore, and you'll be set.  If you drive, ignore this.  Also if you drive, parking tickets add up fast if you don't pay attention.  

The printers at the library will ALWAYS break when you have to print out your SUPER IMPORTANT paper and have TWO MINUTES before class starts.  If you get in a pinch like that, email it to your professor instead, so you have proof that you have it done in time, then asap print out a copy and bring it by their office. 

 

Use the library.  

AHHH I"M SO EXCITED FOR YOU you're going to have an amazing time.   :)

 

The Mount makes freshmen where lanyards? That's not nearly embarrassing enough! :P Benedictine makes its freshmen wear these beanies. If you are caught without one on, people yell "Freshmen without a beanie!" and you have to get on top of the highest point near you and caw really loudly like a crow. It's not even a campus-only thing. People have went to Wal-Mart, and over the intercom they heard "Freshmen without beanies on aisle 10!". They take their beanies pretty seriously. :P

 

Edited August 20, 2013 by FuturePriest387

[Winchester]

Don't go. Learn welding.

[dUSt]

Don't do drugs.

[GeorgiiMichael]

Society sells you a dream with college, and then hands you a bed and a bill. It's an economic investment, forget the idealistic nonsense. Unless you are an aristocrat for whom college is a luxury, or you happen to live in ancient Greece, have a plan for how you plan to get a return on your college investment. In plain English: figure out now how what you are doing is going to help you make money when you finish. If you just want to learn, the library is free.

...

 

That being said, don't study anything you don't enjoy because you will be miserable. 

[Era Might]

...

 

That being said, don't study anything you don't enjoy because you will be miserable. 

 

Yeah, study whatever you want, just make it a plan for the future. Just learning a bunch of stuff and then jumping into the water is going to cause a lot of difficulties. And what you study does not necessarily have to line up with what you plan to do. You can study law and go into business, or English and go into politics. Mainly I just want to save you a lot of trouble. You hear about it every day in the news, young people buried in debt and surprised to learn that a degree is pretty much a commodity, everyone has one. Your plan and preparation is what will set you apart, not your degree.

[Basilisa Marie]

The Mount makes freshmen where lanyards? That's not nearly embarrassing enough! :P Benedictine makes its freshmen wear these beanies. If you are caught without one on, people yell "Freshmen without a beanie!" and you have to get on top of the highest point near you and caw really loudly like a crow. It's not even a campus-only thing. People have went to Wal-Mart, and over the intercom they heard "Freshmen without beanies on aisle 10!". They take their beanies pretty seriously. :P

 

Dude, that's horrific.  I'd die of embarrassment in my sensitive little freshie state.    :hehe2:  

 

No, freshmen don't HAVE to wear their lanyards; they just do, because freshmen get to campus first for a few days of orientation activities, and lanyards are meant to be worn.  Over the first month or two people realize that people keep their keys and lanyard in their pocket or purse or purchase a tiny Vera Bradley bag for their cards and keychain.  

[Basilisa Marie]

Yeah, study whatever you want, just make it a plan for the future. Just learning a bunch of stuff and then jumping into the water is going to cause a lot of difficulties. And what you study does not necessarily have to line up with what you plan to do. You can study law and go into business, or English and go into politics. Mainly I just want to save you a lot of trouble. You hear about it every day in the news, young people buried in debt and surprised to learn that a degree is pretty much a commodity, everyone has one. Your plan and preparation is what will set you apart, not your degree.

 

I think you make a fair point.  Mount students have to complete a Leadership portfolio as part of the core curriculum.  It started after my time there, but it goes over a lot of job skills you don't necessarily get in the traditional classroom, like resumes and stuff.  It seems like it gives you a lot of resources for interviews and makes you familiar with the Career Center and whatnot. 

 

IMHO, I think there are so many other things people worry about during their freshman year, I think the stuff you've talked about becomes more of a concern once they've figured out how to survive college. :)  

[franciscanheart]

Steer clear of people who purchase anything Vera Bradley.