Ben's College Thread

[Ben63]

So do I have a story for all of you. But not yet.

Arrived at Pitt about 2pm yesterday and the whole move in process was actually pretty organized and went pretty smooth. I got all my stuff moved in by about 3pm. Spent the next 90 minutes or so unpacking and setting up my room. Then me and another guy decided we were bored so we went to the Pirates game. We left in the 8th inning only to have a really exciting 9th inning. Oh well.

So this is when my story begins. We get back to our dorm at about 10:15. I go up to my door, put in my card, no light. So I go back down to the security guard and she calls someone who is apparently going to come fix it. She said I should wait about 15 minutes. So I sit there, and I sit there, and I wait. No help. So after about a half hour I go back to the security guard to see what up, but now there's a new guard so I just ask the same question. He called for a mechanic and he told me to go and sit in my hallway and wait. And wait I did. He finally shows up at about 11:50. He swipes his card, no light. This means the battery in the card reader is probably dead. But did he bring his tools to fix a dead battery? OF COURSE NOT!! And are those tools anywhere near my dorm? OF COURSE NOT!! So he says he has to go back to somewhere else and get the proper tools. So I'm still stuck in my hallway. He finally comes back at about 12:45 am with this magic thing they call A KEY!!! You know those metal things? So he lets me in and I just want to crash and finally go to sleep but I have to wait for him to fix the problem, which only take 20 minutes. So at about 10 after 1am, he finally leaves and I can sleep. GREAT first night I'd say.

[captmojo]

So do I have a story for all of you. But not yet.

Arrived at Pitt about 2pm yesterday and the whole move in process was actually pretty organized and went pretty smooth. I got all my stuff moved in by about 3pm. Spent the next 90 minutes or so unpacking and setting up my room. Then me and another guy decided we were bored so we went to the Pirates game. We left in the 8th inning only to have a really exciting 9th inning. Oh well.

So this is when my story begins. We get back to our dorm at about 10:15. I go up to my door, put in my card, no light. So I go back down to the security guard and she calls someone who is apparently going to come fix it. She said I should wait about 15 minutes. So I sit there, and I sit there, and I wait. No help. So after about a half hour I go back to the security guard to see what up, but now there's a new guard so I just ask the same question. He called for a mechanic and he told me to go and sit in my hallway and wait. And wait I did. He finally shows up at about 11:50. He swipes his card, no light. This means the battery in the card reader is probably dead. But did he bring his tools to fix a dead battery? OF COURSE NOT!! And are those tools anywhere near my dorm? OF COURSE NOT!! So he says he has to go back to somewhere else and get the proper tools. So I'm still stuck in my hallway. He finally comes back at about 12:45 am with this magic thing they call A KEY!!! You know those metal things? So he lets me in and I just want to crash and finally go to sleep but I have to wait for him to fix the problem, which only take 20 minutes. So at about 10 after 1am, he finally leaves and I can sleep. GREAT first night I'd say.

...a sign of only better things yet to come.
Right, Mr Optimism?

[Turk]

Ben -

Sorry to hear about the rocky start getting home. Are you living in the Towers, and do they still call them Ajax, Babo, and Comet?

I am a pureblood yinzer who went to high school a few blocks from the Cathedral of Learning, and I hope you learn to love the city as much as I still do. Congrats on getting to Pitt - the university has improved greatly and the student demographics are much more diverse since the prehistoric era when I was wandering around Oakland. A friend I grew up with always joked, "I couldn't afford to go to college, so I went to Pitt." (Sound familiar, Crazies?) But I think the contempt was due to proximity more than anything else. In fact, I have hinted to the young Turks that Pitt might be a good school to think about when the time comes, and several members of the Turk flock are proud graduates...

A few "random n'at" suggestions:

1. If you didn't bring one, get a mountain bike from craigslist. Oakland is a pain in the butt for cars, and you need low gears if you have to go up Cardiac Hill on a regular basis. BTW, native 'Burghers grow up assuming it's completely normal to see cobblestone streets that go up a 45-degree hill , and parallel park uphill or downhill as needed. (Outsiders like Mrs. Turk generally take a look at one of these streets and the tall narrow houses dug into their sides, scratch their heads, and say "WTF were you people THINKING?!?") You can also bike along the Jail Trail along the river for some flat riding.

2. Go to Kennywood while the weather is still warm. No, it's not Hersheypark. Yes, it's still way cool.

3. Use Schenley Park as your backyard, especially for frisbee golf and ice skating.

4. Hit the Pittsburgh blogs for local flavor. I have a few I like in a futile effort to keep current about local news. A good starting point is http://thatschurch.com/. I think the author is very funny and a good writer, and she recently had a bit of local notoriety when she tried to stay anonymous. And you might also need to know the local vocabulary when talking to the natives: gumband, worsh, pop, arn, sweeper, jagoff, etc. Try http://www.pittsburghese.com/ for a sample.

Nothing to do with Pittsburgh, here's what I know now that I wish I knew then:

I believe one goes to college to get an education and to learn how to think about things from a different point of view, not to learn a trade. Take the classes that interest you with the best professors available, rather than maximizing GPA (not that there's anything wrong with that). For those large auditorium-based pre-requisite classes, get to know your TA and don't let them mail it in on you. Office hours are a professor's open invitation - use them. Try on a couple different personas while you're there and see how they suit you.

Gah, enough for now. I'll have to re-read this to see if I sound like a pompous blowhard. PM or flame me as you like. Be curious to hear your take on the G-20 event next month; seems like some people are getting their gutchies all in a bunch over it.

[Turk]

The Buccos almost stole another one tonight, until some schmoe gave up a 3-run bomb to Ryan Howard...

Forgot to mention I haven't been to Pitt's (relatively) new gym, the Petersen Center, a.k.a The Oakland Zoo... Ben, looking forward to your take on that too...

[wilson]

I believe one goes to college to get an education and to learn how to think about things from a different point of view, not to learn a trade. Take the classes that interest you with the best professors available, rather than maximizing GPA (not that there's anything wrong with that). For those large auditorium-based pre-requisite classes, get to know your TA and don't let them mail it in on you. Office hours are a professor's open invitation - use them. Try on a couple different personas while you're there and see how they suit you.

I very, very strongly agree with this, and I think Turk stated it very well. I am obviously intimately interested in issues surrounding undergraduate education, and there are varying, equally valid opinions on the proper approach. I second Turk's comments 100%, but I would also say don't hesitate to jump on the occasional class that could be both fun & interesting and a potential grade-padder...a non majors' class, or perhaps one you can take with a couple of buddies.
Also remember the following Mark Twain quote. It has been over-repeated to the point that it borders on hackneyed at this point, but it remains pretty profound:
"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." Both your schooling and your education are very important, and they will often coincide, but they are not one and the same.

[Ben63]

First day of Classes. Done.

Today couldn't have been easier. At 9 I had English Composition and we just went over the syllabus and did an icebreaker. Seems like an easy enough class we basically just write all semester and are given a grade for it at the end. No final.

10 was Psych 101. Classic 300 person intro class. Prof seems really cool and looks like Jose Canseco. We are graded on nothing but 4 multiple choice tests and the final exam is optional. Only other course requirement is participating in 4 hours of psychological research. Not difficult at all.

Only other class today was Business Calculus. This is the class I'm most concerned about but after looking through the book it is actually easier than the Calc class I took last year in HS. I'm just taking the lowest possible class to fulfill the requirement for my accounting major because I HATE that subject. So I think it will be relatively easy considering I've already taken it.

So all in all it was a pretty good day. Heading to game night tonight at the Newman Center which I'm pretty exited about.

[Rolvix]

First day of Classes. Done.

Today couldn't have been easier. At 9 I had English Composition and we just went over the syllabus and did an icebreaker. Seems like an easy enough class we basically just write all semester and are given a grade for it at the end. No final.

10 was Psych 101. Classic 300 person intro class. Prof seems really cool and looks like Jose Canseco. We are graded on nothing but 4 multiple choice tests and the final exam is optional. Only other course requirement is participating in 4 hours of psychological research. Not difficult at all.

Only other class today was Business Calculus. This is the class I'm most concerned about but after looking through the book it is actually easier than the Calc class I took last year in HS. I'm just taking the lowest possible class to fulfill the requirement for my accounting major because I HATE that subject. So I think it will be relatively easy considering I've already taken it.

So all in all it was a pretty good day. Heading to game night tonight at the Newman Center which I'm pretty exited about.

That's awesome, it's nice to have pretty easy classes I would suppose. I can't wait to attend college sporting events, at whatever college I end up at... How is your roommate? And how do you like the college in general? It seems like you are having a pretty good time!

Keep us updated, I know that many (especially me) are extremely interested in anything to do with college right now.

[Ben63]

That's awesome, it's nice to have pretty easy classes I would suppose. I can't wait to attend college sporting events, at whatever college I end up at... How is your roommate? And how do you like the college in general? It seems like you are having a pretty good time!

Keep us updated, I know that many (especially me) are extremely interested in anything to do with college right now.

I cannot wait for Pitt football games, though the Steelers are still the #1 game in town. The only football game I'm going to miss is Syracuse which really sucks because I wanted to see Paulus. Damn weddings... Basketball is hard to get into as a freshman because Pitt is such a huge school and the Oakland Zoo (2nd to only the Crazies) is relatively small. But I will most certainly go to all the games I can. But Pirates games are really fun and are extremely cheap as far as pro baseball goes.

I dont have a roommate. But seriously it is awesome. Not having to share a space is a huge plus and during the day everyone just leaves their door open and people just walk around and hang out. And if you need a quiet place to study you just close your door. No drunk roommates at 3am, lower chance of theft. I cant really complain about the single room. Not necessarily going to recommend it but I like it and it is just another thing for you to think about.

[Ben63]

Sitting doing laundey but Crazietalking at the same time. Who knew laundry could be so entertaining?

[Lavabe]

I met my wife while I was doing laundry.

Be careful, Ben.

[DukeUsul]

Yes, amazing things can happen at the laundry.

[DukeUsul]

Sounds like you're having a good time so far. Glad to hear it. My freshman hall were a bunch of douchebags. Glad you seem to like your neighbors so far.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

First day of Classes. Done.

Today couldn't have been easier. At 9 I had English Composition and we just went over the syllabus and did an icebreaker. Seems like an easy enough class we basically just write all semester and are given a grade for it at the end. No final.

10 was Psych 101. Classic 300 person intro class. Prof seems really cool and looks like Jose Canseco. We are graded on nothing but 4 multiple choice tests and the final exam is optional. Only other course requirement is participating in 4 hours of psychological research. Not difficult at all.

Only other class today was Business Calculus. This is the class I'm most concerned about but after looking through the book it is actually easier than the Calc class I took last year in HS. I'm just taking the lowest possible class to fulfill the requirement for my accounting major because I HATE that subject. So I think it will be relatively easy considering I've already taken it.

So all in all it was a pretty good day. Heading to game night tonight at the Newman Center which I'm pretty exited about.

If I may something that I've shared with my kids at school over the years.... you can't always tell what the semester holds based on the first day. Some professors/instructors are quite skilled at giving the impression that all will be simple and easy when the reality of the course is very different. If you continue to pay close attention to the requirements and assignments along what the professors says in class, you'll be on your way to success!