Poor College Kids Club

[Scar]

@
And @cheetah oh my god???? That's awful about the whole roommate thing :c
At least you didn't get in trouble too, though? At my school's orientation they said that if your roommate sold drugs, you could be charged as well...

I..uhh I lied lol I told them I had no idea. They didn't pursue anything with me fortunately.

Well that's a situation where it's good to lie haha, it wouldn't be fair if you got charged just for knowing about it

[Golden]

Oh man, college.

I've mentioned this in another thread and a couple times before but I'm currently studying in London in an experimental program by my university (UC Berkeley) where they take almost sixty freshmen abroad their first semester (okay, we had to take classes during the summer session so it's technically not our first semester but y'know). We just got here Sunday and classes start next week so that'll be interesting.
We're also going to go see As You Like It at the Globe Theatre Wednesday and I am so pumped.
As I mentioned, we had to take summer classes so I've already had some college experience. Though it is a little different for me since I live over the hill from Berkeley and thus went home a lot of the weekends (plus some nights when I was feeling particularly crappy and wanted to snuggle my dog for a bit).
I have also discovered that I may be the only college student ever who really needs to spend more money. Mostly because I have this really bad tendency to just not eat a damn thing. Like, days between actual meals [Disclaimer: don't do that, kids, it's not good!]. But that had a lot to do with not having an actual kitchen in the dorms and we do have kitchens in our flats here so I get to cook! I love cooking.

I'm intending to study biology -- currently thinking Molecular and Cell Biology as a major. But I pretty much just want to take ALL THE SCIENCE. The nice part about this London program is that when I get back the only general education requirement I will still need that my major wouldn't cover anyway is a philosophy class. That's it. It's great.

I probably have more to say but it's 3:00 in the morning here and I still need to shower and stuff so I'm going to start heading for bed.

[Scar]

@Golden that's really exciting! I would probably be too nervous to go overseas for college, I'm not good with people so I would be completely alone haha :3
Have fun seeing As You Like It! That's one of my all-time favorite Shakespeare plays (kinda bias since I played Rosalind during high school but whatevs), and seeing it in the Globe Theater is super awesome O:
And I agree with wanting to take all the science <3
Good luck with everything, I'm sure you're going to do awesome and get a lot of great experiences out of it!

[Splashy]

hello yes I am also in college

I'm going into my sophomore year at Vassar College and am still undeclared- I'm thinking a combination of a major/minor with either English or Greek and Roman Studies as my major. Started out a prospective Psych major but I could never read scientific papers for four years urk. I also fell in love with the GRST department here. 
also basically a dance minor if we had one because of how much time I spend in the Dance Department jfc we should really have a minor for how much we have to do to be a part of the Department's company 

My roommate freshman year was awful. She was terrible at sharing space and we had a tiny room with one closet. First thing she asked me was if she could have our entire closet because she had further to go and it was just like no????? Also she would spend the entire year slowly trying to take over my space. ugh. Also would leave dirty dishes everywhere and her BO was ABYSMAL at the end of spring semester and she snored REMARKABLY loudly. also would always talk at me even when I had huge headphones on and was obviously working or not otherwise paying attention. also got up at like 5:30 am to get ready and would play her music so loudly it was the worst

also sexiled me for six hours with no warning and when I eventually said grapefruit it and walked in she was ASLEEP and had just NOT TOLD ME I COULD RETURN. walked in on her while I was on crutches with my MOTHER with a guy because she didn't think I was coming back that weekend. I legit just get into the building at 2 am on Halloween and she claims the room with a text message without even asking me while I was drunk tired as all hell in a cat costume in heels dying of thirst and super excited for the cold water in my room
and ugh she needed to learn that I lived there too basically. 

but I have some awesome friends even though I'm kind of in between friend groups after distancing from my first one due to new members making the vibe not fit me anymore and am sort of a part of this theater group but only really know like a few of them but I'm hoping to immerse myself or find a new group of non-dance people next semester. kind of freaking out that nobody actually likes me but that's just not true and I know it- something I always struggle with! 

[Scar]

@Splashy oooh a Greek/Roman major sounds really cool! I'm taking a Roman studies course this semester online, and I'm really excited about it c:
Also oh my gosh your old roommate sounds awful! I wouldn't have had the patience to put up with it, I would have asked to have a roommate change or something.
Sorry about your old group of friends, I'm sure that you'll be better off without them if the new friends were making you uncomfortable. And people definitely like you, don't even worry about stuff like that <3

[hyperadam]

@Allaire lmao no I go to uwaterloo, near Toronto. It's one of the best schools in canada for engineering, a faculty I'm conveniently not in

@Scartail i always thought bio was a popular major bc it's so open... At least, that's what it's like here. It's kind of a major for people who like science but aren't sure what they like about it

One of my friends went to Waterloo for math in first year, but now she's doing economics at Ryerson.

Biology is totally a Big Thing at my university too, to the point where it's kind of annoying. Even large portions of the physics department are related to medical imaging and biophysics (I've managed to wedge myself into the experimental condensed matter niche.).

I would actually argue that quite a few biology majors aren't doing it because they like science but because it's one of the best places to start working towards medical school. Or at least that's the impression I get.


Anyway, I'm going into my fifth year of an honours degree in physics with a minor in computer science. I still haven't actually finalized my schedule for next year because the computer science department is taking forever to announce the names of the professors for each course, and I need to talk to the instructors for some of the courses I want to take in order to get special permission.

Provided things go as planned, next semester I'll be taking Electromagnetic Theory I (Actually retaking it, because I got a bad mark the first time due to insufficient math background and sleep deprivation), Quantum Physics II, Discrete Structures I, and Artificial Intelligence I. I'll also be working on a year-long thesis project, which I'm currently in the process of preparing for by reading papers and all the notes and data that have been left for me.

I'm also starting to look a bit into where I would want to go to grad school. Obviously schools like University of Toronto (Even though I turned them down for undergrad because U of T annoys me...) or McGill (It's the best school in the country, says my dad the McGill alumnus who still occasionally wears his McGill shirt) are worth looking in to, but I really want to focus on schools who are doing research similar to what I'm working on. Of course, staying where I am now is also an option, too.

[Scar]

@hyperadam I agree with the whole medical school stepping stone thing; I know two girls from my old high school who are entering the biology program so that they can go to vet school from there. But still, the biology program at my school is really small... Maybe it's because my university is smaller than most? Most of the freshmen are majoring in English or Literature though, but maybe that will change after the first year?

Your classes for next year sound both extremely cool and extremely difficult, good luck! I think that for graduate school, you should definitely go with somewhere that focuses on (or at least has a really good program for) what you want to research. It'll make it that much easier/more enjoyable for you in the long run. In my opinion, anyway c:

[hyperadam]

@hyperadam I agree with the whole medical school stepping stone thing; I know two girls from my old high school who are entering the biology program so that they can go to vet school from there. But still, the biology program at my school is really small... Maybe it's because my university is smaller than most? Most of the freshmen are majoring in English or Literature though, but maybe that will change after the first year?

Your classes for next year sound both extremely cool and extremely difficult, good luck! I think that for graduate school, you should definitely go with somewhere that focuses on (or at least has a really good program for) what you want to research. It'll make it that much easier/more enjoyable for you in the long run. In my opinion, anyway c:

It might not even just be size, but the university itself. My school just has a lot of stuff related neuroscience and medical technologies going on, one of the bigwigs in the physics department specializes in MRI stuff, that sort of thing. We even have a first year physics course (Which all of the physics students laugh at) specifically designed for biology and med sci students.

Yeah, I'm really excited but also kind of worried about the work load. The problem is, I ended up a bit behind in my physics module and started my comp sci minor late, so I'm scrambling to finish all of my course requirements this year and don't have any time for electives.

Yeah, obviously continuing what I want to do is important, but at the same time I don't think it would hurt to branch out a bit. Not like a different field, but at least something that's not identical to what I've already done. Well, I've still got time to decide, and I'm sure my supervisors will be willing to give me advice.

[t3nt4k103941023]

my dad bought me my favorite pizza and the leftovers are all I've eaten this week so far lol

[fireheart]

Biology and Chemistry are both really big at my university as well, for the same reasons already mentioned: it's good for the pre-med students (mostly cause a lot of the courses for the majors are already in the pre-med track). Pretty much everyone I know in pre-med is majoring in Biology, Chemistry, or Biochem, though I know there's a few Philosophy majors peppered in here and there.

Also @hyperadam yeah, those courses do sound difficult but also super fascinating! It's great that you're getting really into research, imo. I'm not doing an honors compsci major, but I'd really like to assist a professor in a research project while I'm at school if I can.

[Scar]

@hyperadam ohhh yeah, that could be it as well. My university is big on environmentalism and philosophy and literature, so that could be why there are so many of those majors as opposed to science ones.
It's great that you want to branch out a bit! That's always a good thing imo.

@lavender that sounds like heaven to me tbh. Left over pizza = <3
If I were living in a dorm I feel like I would just buy one pizza a week and that would be all I hate all year...

[Pine]

college yes i do college. I'm a psychology major doing a double minor of education and sociology.

I'm entering my third year at UMass Amherst which is a giant state school in a very college friendly area. Y'all were talking about acres, and my school is 1463 acres, to put it into perspective. The school is giant and can get to be kind of a hassle to get around. However I really like being in a big school, there's a lot of opportunity in places you'd never have in a small school. The whole area has five colleges in which we can take classes in all of them, and there's decent transportation to get on and off. It's a super progressive and cool area - amongst all the farms.

My first two years I lived in dorms on the giant hill which suuuuccked. They were p awesome dorms tbh, and I met some awesome people, but in reality it was a 20 minute hike from ANYHING on campus. I moved off campus tho and am living in my own house now about 10-15 mins from campus. We live next to a goat farm. A rooster crows every morning. And afternoon. tbh pretty constantly.

I like the college setting, but I'm kind of struggling with academia. I love the freedom you get but with working nearly full time and Attention Problems the typical lecture style classroom setting doesn't quite work for me. I'm only taking two classes this semester but filling my credits with a TA positon and sexual assault counselor training. So cool stuff.

[Golden]

So dorms! The Berkeley dorms are pretty typically dorm-ish, except we have actual keys. Like full-on metal keys connected to this large diamond-shaped piece of plastic. They're incredibly annoying to keep track of. And not only are they necessary to get into your room and the dorm building itself, they're also needed for both the elevator and the stairwell. Meaning if you're on the ground floor and realize you forgot your keys in your room you better hope someone's around to call the elevator for you or else you're pretty screwed. Oh, and the elevator is paaainfully slow.
For London, we're in flats so six or so people share a couple bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen area. It's a nice set up! Of course the flat I'm suppose to be in was still being renovated so we and another group of girls have been in different flats and are moving up to our new ones tomorrow. It's possible I might have a single room and share a flat with only one other girl since some stuff we got on our first day here seemed to suggest that, but we'll find out tomorrow. In any case, the girl in question will definitely be my flatmate and she's pretty cool. We've actually been hanging out together a fair amount the past two days since we have a lot of friends in common. She's more my speed than the two roommates I had in Berkeley -- they were both really nice and we got along, but they were a little... preppy for my taste? Not sure if that's the best word to use, but basically we were just into different things and had different friend groups. They also went to bed ridiculously early (often by 11 pm which might as well be 5 pm by college kid standards) whereas I am very much a night person and like to stay up to 4 am on a regular basis. So I would always have to sneak in late at night, which sucked because a) due to a inconveniently-placed dresser you had to open the door ALL THE WAY to get inside, letting in a ton of light from the hallway, and b) our door began creaking really badly about halfway through the term. You could hear it from all the way down the hall. So, while they were not bad roommates by any means, I'm kind of glad I don't have to deal with that.
But the elevator is painfully slow here too. It gives the Berkeley one a run for its money.
Also our keycard is PURE WHITE, no writing or anything. It's weird.

[t3nt4k103941023]

I'm still so sore and finding new bruises from moving into my dorm
it's on the highest floor of this building and the A/C isn't working very well... and this building is apparently short-staffed this week ;0;

I feel a lot better than my friend who moved into the brand new dorm building...
where they haven't even had the outlets tested yet even though everyone's supposed to move in this week... Also they're still jackhammering around her dorm

[Sunneth]

yes... the college thing... don't remind me...

I go to a small private school about two hours from home, in the pacific northwest. I'm going into my senior year and I'm a French major with a children's literature & culture minor.

the idea of even being near schools as big as some of yours scares me, yeesh, my school is a lot smaller. like a lot.
"... approximately 3,300 students enrolled. As of 2015, the school employs 216 full-time professors on the 156-acre (630,000 m2) woodland campus."

(click to show/hide)

anyway yeah I go back at the beginning of September, and I have a book I'm supposed to be reading before then and an audition to be practicing for but I just can't get myself to do them ;; I feel like I should like school but I'm pretty sure I have undiagnosed depression and anxiety that make me really struggle and want to stop existing instead of doing work and it's making it really hard. like I'm really struggling with the idea of going back to a senior seminar that I have no idea what it'll be like, a lit class that will probably be like the one that gave me anxiety/panic attacks whenever I couldn't do the readings (which was like every day), an art class that, while it's only art 101, i've never taken an art class before, especially not at college level, and it'll probably be way more effort and busywork than I can handle, along with the fact I can only draw cats....... AND I'll have the usual symphony and lessons
well. at least I don't have classes on Fridays

in addition to those classes fall semester, I'll have to prepare for my January Martinique stay (the syllabus for which looks frightening too)
but. Martinique is the last class I need to graduate, so then I'll be done before spring semester. i'm so excited to get out of school hell, but I'll really miss my symphony friends and I'm heartbroken I probably won't get to play with them at all in the spring. unless somehow I can find a place to live in town and a job so I can be a community member... which judging from how successful my adult life has been so far I kind of doubt. (I've never had a job and I don't think I have enough skills, motivation, or confidence to do like. anything. how am i supposed to find a job i can do)

so I'm really excited to get out of a place that make me suffer but I'm not really for the real world at all. help. heeeeeeeeelp

but dorm-wise this semester I should be a bit happier! my first year I was in an all-girls dorm which, while it wasn't bad, a lot of the events/meetings were social-justice themed and like... it was just too much... my next two years I lived in the French wing of the language building which was really fun because we had things like french movie nights, dinner with the faculty, emails [partially] in french... it was good practice, even if we all kind of. didn't end up SPEAKING a lot of french ever.
but this year I'm moving into the upper-division dorm, into a wing with my best friend, and I hope I'll actually make friends with the people :') there's one girl in particular who I liked seeing and my friend said she wanted to know me too (we're very similar people apparently) so like. yeahhhhh

I actually lived in that exact wing (in my best friend's FUTURE ROOM) in june when I was taking my summer class. I wd40'd the horrifyingly squeaky closet doors. i hope she appreciates me.

(I wrote most of this post on my new phone with ~~~gesture typing~~~ there's bound to be something in here i missed when proofreading. I hope it's funny)