Gee ... I'm a college dropout, and a statistical casualty of sex, drugs, and alcohol. Mind you, being a freshman was (credit-wise) the best two years of my life. My professors loved me, but I absolutely hated my fellow students. To the bone. I once made the mistake of dogging one of my professors on what just happened to be the topic of his dissertation. (Whoops.) When I apologized after class, and spelled out my case (modern presumption toward history) he just chuckled and said, "Yeah, but do you expect anyone else to understand that?" The most common question I ever heard from my professors and grad assistants was, "So, why are you failing my class?"
Two pieces of advice:
• Don't date. At the University of Oregon, of which I am proudly a dropout (2 1/2 years), and perhaps it's the people I knew, but a few things could be said about dating and school: When you're a freshman, it's like dealing with high school all over again. I made the mistake of latching on to one in order to avoid the mess of it all. Don't get me wrong, she was a sweet and ... well ... um ... yeah. But strangely, the people I knew who managed to pull off dating and school had bullshit majors (there were already too many MBA's and lawyers) and, by the seemingly obsessive nature of their outlooks (again, it may be the people I knew ...) they had bullshit relationships. I prayed that people like this didn't reproduce. Their children would be privileged trash. Just something I noticed. Be careful. I can't guarantee the same experience for anyone.
• I, quite obviously, did drugs incorrectly. My biggest mistake was admitting it when I officially filed to drop out. Shooting myself was severely an option at the time, but if you don't like the school you wind up at, don't stay there. Find somewhere else immediately if you can. If you can't, beware of using drugs in combination with Pink Floyd. Make sure you find a copy of Saucerful of Secrets, the book by Schaffner and be careful not to build your own Wall.
My favorite college story might be my freshman year--original freshman year ... not the dragged out period before I had enough credits to consider myself a sophomore. Said a lovely grad assistant with sparkling eyes, "Well, what did you get on the midterm?"
Says I, "Ummm ..."
Says she, with radiant smile, "Bad?"
Says I, "Well, I went on a jag that weekend. I was hung over on Wednesday." (Note, that was the day of the test.)
"Hung over?"
"I ... didn't take the midterm."
Watching that smile come crashing down was ... well, in retrospect it was a moment of human beauty. But it caught my breath at the time, chilled my heart just a tad.
She frowned and thought about it for a moment.
"Well," she sighed. "We can't have that, can we? Okay, write me six pages on ______ by Monday's discussion and we're square."
I wont tell you what that paper was. It was ridiculously simple.
Strangely, I think that was the point. I can't figure out why she made it so easy for me to get a better grade for the midterm than I would have gotten taking a multiple-choice test when I didn't even bother to show up for the freaking test in the first place.
Thus, my advice: You will not experience such a moment of human beauty. Not ever. Period. End of story. Don't argue with me on this, I wasn't supposed to get it, either. But I did. I cannot tell you why, and I have often thought about it. You will not get this experience, so be careful with drugs & alcohol at college. Seriously. I wasn't.
And just look at me now ... I can't stop annoying you all.
thanx,
Tiassa
Oh, for heaven's sake. What? I can't even be stupid enough to post a thread instead of a post and then have to delete it? Come on, pleeeeeze? Someone kill this 'cuz I'm not allowed to?
Two pieces of advice:
• Don't date. At the University of Oregon, of which I am proudly a dropout (2 1/2 years), and perhaps it's the people I knew, but a few things could be said about dating and school: When you're a freshman, it's like dealing with high school all over again. I made the mistake of latching on to one in order to avoid the mess of it all. Don't get me wrong, she was a sweet and ... well ... um ... yeah. But strangely, the people I knew who managed to pull off dating and school had bullshit majors (there were already too many MBA's and lawyers) and, by the seemingly obsessive nature of their outlooks (again, it may be the people I knew ...) they had bullshit relationships. I prayed that people like this didn't reproduce. Their children would be privileged trash. Just something I noticed. Be careful. I can't guarantee the same experience for anyone.
• I, quite obviously, did drugs incorrectly. My biggest mistake was admitting it when I officially filed to drop out. Shooting myself was severely an option at the time, but if you don't like the school you wind up at, don't stay there. Find somewhere else immediately if you can. If you can't, beware of using drugs in combination with Pink Floyd. Make sure you find a copy of Saucerful of Secrets, the book by Schaffner and be careful not to build your own Wall.
My favorite college story might be my freshman year--original freshman year ... not the dragged out period before I had enough credits to consider myself a sophomore. Said a lovely grad assistant with sparkling eyes, "Well, what did you get on the midterm?"
Says I, "Ummm ..."
Says she, with radiant smile, "Bad?"
Says I, "Well, I went on a jag that weekend. I was hung over on Wednesday." (Note, that was the day of the test.)
"Hung over?"
"I ... didn't take the midterm."
Watching that smile come crashing down was ... well, in retrospect it was a moment of human beauty. But it caught my breath at the time, chilled my heart just a tad.
She frowned and thought about it for a moment.
"Well," she sighed. "We can't have that, can we? Okay, write me six pages on ______ by Monday's discussion and we're square."
I wont tell you what that paper was. It was ridiculously simple.
Strangely, I think that was the point. I can't figure out why she made it so easy for me to get a better grade for the midterm than I would have gotten taking a multiple-choice test when I didn't even bother to show up for the freaking test in the first place.
Thus, my advice: You will not experience such a moment of human beauty. Not ever. Period. End of story. Don't argue with me on this, I wasn't supposed to get it, either. But I did. I cannot tell you why, and I have often thought about it. You will not get this experience, so be careful with drugs & alcohol at college. Seriously. I wasn't.
And just look at me now ... I can't stop annoying you all.
thanx,
Tiassa
Oh, for heaven's sake. What? I can't even be stupid enough to post a thread instead of a post and then have to delete it? Come on, pleeeeeze? Someone kill this 'cuz I'm not allowed to?