College life

CC life isn’t too stressful, so long as you stay on top of your work. It’s best to do all of the readings ahead of time (not always realistic, but definitely will help).
Study groups are helpful. Try to study with A students - that helps.

I just found out about a really excellent study strategy called the “Pomodoro Technique”. Essentially, you work assiduously for 25 minutes without any distractions, and take a 5 minute break from all work. Repeat, and after two hours total, take a 15-20 minute break. It’ll essentially make procrastination a non-issue. If I knew about this my freshman year, I would have been far less stressed. I cannot recommend it enough, seriously. You can modify the time constraints to better fit your personality/style. You should be fine with classes - just know they are generally more demanding than high school, there will be times where you will have to spend an entire day or two (or week ~O) :smiley: ) studying. It can get intense, but you’ll acclimate.

Check that technique out, though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT70iCaG0Gs

http://tacticalstudent.com/overcome-procrastination-easily-by-tricking-your-brain/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique

Try to exercise regularly. It’ll uplift your mood, make it easier to study, and give you more energy. Once you’re in the habit, it’s easy to do, and will help you. Try to create a schedule that will work best for you. Night classes are often burdensome. I advise against them, unless they are necessary (took 2 night classes last semester). I’ve found that I like a spread out schedule much more than a condensed class schedule. It’s just more convenient, often. Plan your time, and stick to it.

I just took a reading test, and I read 377 words per minute. I like to read leisurely, though - it’s sort of necessary with a major like philosophy. The primary thing is comprehension, I think. Read as you see fit. I find that I read faster once I’ve adjusted to a certain author’s style of writing.

Regarding books you should read - it all depends on what you like, what you haven’t read, etc. Here’s a list of a few books that I’ve read recently or particularly like:

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (by far my favorite book)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (short book, but definitely read it if you haven’t already, it’s really good)
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (this book is a satire, but it’s pretty entertaining and was definitely a fun read)
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (just a classic)
The Stranger by Albert Camus (short read, the language is easily comprehensible, and is widely recognized by many college students you’ll run into - good to have read for general for conversations and whatnot)
Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Frederich Nietzsche (get the Hollingdale translation if the book seems interesting to you - I’d say it’s fairly dense, you definitely have to read and reread things to understand what he’s getting at, and even then you probably won’t, but this is my favorite philosophy book/novel and I really enjoyed it)
The Castle by Kafka (sitting on my bookshelf, I want to read it soon)
Invisible Man (just picked it up)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (I really enjoyed this book)
Puud’nhead Wilson by Mark Twain (EXCELLENT book, Twain is hilarious)

Definitely read Frankenstein and The Stranger. Dickens was fun, but his books are long. Same with Charlotte Bronte (I have Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights on my bookshelf - the Bronte sisters are apparently both great). I love Nabokov - he has tons of novels that are extremely well-written, so he may be good to look into. There are some really great books that are probably too lengthy to garner your interest, but if you’re curious, I can add to this list. I can recommend a good amount of books, but I don’t know what you’re interested in, what you’ve read, which authors you like, and so on.