Friday, January 14, 2011

Hubris

Classes have commenced, a new term has begun here at Elmira College. The bookstore has refilled its shelves with text books only to be nearly wiped out by all of the students picking up all their necessary text books for their classes. It is important to remember that ultimate goal in which everyone is working towards. Last year term 2 saw my GPA slip from the best I have ever done in my academic career which was term 1 my freshman year. For the freshmen, college life has grown familiar and the new found freedom of living on their own has finally set in. Take caution that this does not become your hubris.

So many students fall prey to this tragic flaw that it may make it difficult to ever recover; I did not say impossible though. There are certain pit holes that can be avoided with due warning.

Keep on doing your reading and homework
A sense of confidence can be the greatest weapon or the most tragic of flaws. Nothing will hurt you more than falling behind because you think that it doesnt pay off. Trust me, you'll learn this lesson the hard way.

Stick to your sleep schedule
Nothing will hurt you more than anything less than a good nights sleep. If you have an 8 a.m. class in the morning and are up until all hours of the evening, chances are that this is going to affect your attendance. With teachers that have strict attendance policies a few late nights could cause enormous problems for you down the road. Work ahead and avoid those late nights in the lounge that I had during my freshman year while my roommate got a good nights sleep in our room.

There will be other parties
It's college, there's not only going to be one party a year. Most parties that happen during the week aren't even worth it, the smart ones will be the ones that only go out on the weekend. Plus thats when the best parties happen, let's be honest. No classes the next morning will draw anyone out.

Moderation
This one goes hand in hand with the last tip. Moderation is key for everything. For parties, for studying, for everything imaginable. Spending 10 hours studying is just as inefficient as going out on a Monday night. Well probably not, but it's the analogy that counts. You're going to fry yourself cramming for 10 hours and its scientifically proven that your retention rate is significantly lowered. Study an hour or 2, nothing more a night. Work ahead so that you can be the one who says, wow this guy actually knows what he's talking about.



I can't guarantee that you will follow that advice that I have given, but at least its something that might alter your decision at least a little bit. It's much more valuable to take the advice of someone who fell into each of these pit holes and survived to tell the tale than to take the advice of someone who has never left their room besides for class and pulls of a GPA of 4.0. That may look good on paper, but it's you that makes whats on paper come to life. Grab your destiny by the horns and see where it leads you.