Please help me improve my college experience

College Life
1

This is going to be long but I’ll try and keep it organized, separating it into 3 parts. Just advise where you can; I’ll take anything. Thank you so much in advance!

ON- OR OFF-CAMPUS?
I started off living on campus in a suite with 7 awesome guys. I’m normally very shy and these guys not only provided lots and lots of fun but got me to break out of my shell a bit. But I found it very hard to concentrate and study (due to my friends, video games, Netflix, etc.) and my grades weren’t as good as I wanted. And tuition at this school is very high. So I decided to move off-campus and commute for sophomore year. I started off loving it but now I’m so freakin’ BORED. I live like an hour from campus so I have to go through heavy Houston traffic every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning and evening. Then on my off-days I sit around with no one to talk to and then go hang out with church friends some evenings, who are chill but not as fun. And on top of all that, my grades didn’t even improve :|. I like not having class everyday, but I HATE the driving, I hate how long my days are when I do have class, and I immensely miss my friends and being able to hang out with them at will. Actually, only three of my original suitemates still live-on campus but one is about to move back on and another is thinking about it. I haven’t shared this with anyone because I previously said I liked commuting and don’t wanna go back on it.

My original roommate lives with another one of our old suitemates and they’re like best friends now. Both say they miss me a lot. My one friend that’s moving back on-campus in the fall says he wishes he could room with me; we were going to room together before we both decided to commute. He also said that next fall (2017), him and my original roommate wanted to get an off-campus apartment and would love if I joined in and got a 3-bedroom.

BUT I don’t want to have to spring the extra room & board costs back onto my parents. Commuting saves them like $4000 a semester. But I’m so unhappy commuting. Should I just suck it up or talk to them about paying for me to live on-campus again?

MY MAJOR
I started off wanting to do Chemistry because I wanted to be a pharmacist. Then I got a low C in my first chemistry class and decided it’d be too hard (though this is when I was super distracted). So I switched to Accounting because my mom’s an accountant and I figured I could get a job where she works, and my original roommate is an accounting major too. I’m in my 2nd accounting class this semester and it’s tougher than I imagined. I thought since my original roommate did so well in the 2 intro accounting classes that I would do well but I’ve come to realize he is much much smarter than I thought he was lol. I’m thinking about switching to Management but when I asked my original roommate about it, he pretty much said he thinks Management degrees aren’t very well-respected/good and said I should “give accounting more time” and that if I’m going to be going to school for 2 more years I should learn “actual skills”.

I think I could get through accounting, especially with the help of my friend but he’s already in Intermediate Accounting 1, planning on taking 2 in the summer, and seems to have an aptitude for accounting and just business in general. He got an easy A in this class I’m in right now and I’m barely getting Bs. And he had a crappy professor and basically taught himself the class. I’m not that good lol. I’m afraid it’s just not my thing.

What are people’s thoughts on majoring in business management? And is it worth it to fight through accounting? Any tips for taking accounting classes? My friend’s given me some tips but I think his study habits (aka “study like 2 hours a week if you think you need it”) suit him because he’s such a fast learner.

RESUME-BUILDING AND BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL
I’m very involved in church. I play in our church b-ball league, do some audio stuff for sermons, and hang out with some of the teens there. But I do want to get more involved with school and more “professional” stuff. It’s hard right now to get involved in school stuff since I commute and when I am on campus, I have class non-stop from like 9 to 5. But even IF I lived on campus again, what would I do? I could join the student government and accounting club like my friend is in

I want to be more “impressive” I guess. My friend is also a campus ambassador for Becker Professional Education and could get the CPA exam review for free if they like him. He’s also started looking at possible internships and has already interviewed with BKD and is going to be talking with some other accounting firms. He’s well-liked by the accounting professors and can probably get LORs from any of them. His roommate also has some connections as well as a student just entering nursing school. My other ex-suitemate (the one I may room with) has connections too as a finance major.

I feel like I’m behind when it comes to building a brand for myself. And I think it’s partly because I’m not active on campus. How important is it to build connections and a good resume? And what are some tips for doing that?

Again, thank you so much for ANY help you all provide!

2

I will try to give you a little guidance. First things first, take a deep breath and stop panicking!

1.) With respect to where to live: undergrad is about learning and getting a degree. This is where your focus needs to be. Live where you can best accomplish this goal. Also, no one will care if you say “Hey, I changed my mind and hate commuting from off campus.” People change their minds about things all of the time. Frankly, I highly doubt your friends even remember or care that you previously said you don’t mind the commute.

2.) Pick a major that YOU like and can be successful in. Don’t pick a major based on your parents or friends. What do you enjoy? What are you good at? Think about it. As a general rule, the introductory classes are some of the easiest. If you’re not doing well in those classes then it might be time to move on and try something else. This time, though, try to pick something that speaks to YOUR heart and plays to YOUR strengths. If, however, you want to gut it out with the accounting really re-evaluate how much effort you’re putting into the class - are you truly studying as much as you think you are? Also, remember that people need different amounts of study time. Your friend might have needed 2 hours per week, maybe you need 2 hours per day or more. There’s nothing wrong with needing to put a little bit more effort into your studies. I would caution you, though, to not decide your major lightly. It is VERY hard to go back to school and get another Bachelors degree if you decide you really should’ve majored in something else.

3.) The best way to “build a brand for yourself” is to do three things: 1.) Do well in your classes. 2.) Build and maintain connections with your professors 3.) Find internships/research opportunities. These are the things that will stand out on your resume. Outside of that if you want to join a major related club, it’s a great way to make connections with people with like minded interests, but is unlikely to be super important to a future employer.

Lastly, at 20 something (or nearly there), it is time to focus less on your friends’ opinions and think for yourself. Become your own person.

3

Thank you so much for your input mademoiselle2308!

Seeing as how my grades haven’t changed at all since starting to commute, I reckon moving on-campus won’t affect my grades. I’ m going to talk to my parents about it in the next couple of days.

I could definitely be studying more. I’m super tired all the time so I’m never in the mood to study. And when I’m at school, there’s no time to study with anyone because I only have an hour break throughout the day. I like my intro to management class right now, which led me to consider switching to Management. Not really sure what else I’m interested in to be honest. I’m not really sure how to even figure out what I’m interested in.

I’m definitely working on improving my grades. I’m not doing terrible but I’m not getting as many As as I would like. I’m not really sure how to maintain a relationship with my professors like my friend does. He says he just goes to their offices and “bugs them” lol but there has to be more to it right? I feel like I’m not good at talking to people either like he is. What do I say? On a plus note, I go to a small school so hopefully it’s not too hard to become memorable.

And can you clarify what you mean by research opportunities? Like research on my own?

And yes you’re right about that last part. I’m 20 and I realize I may be overvaluing my friend’s opinions. They do seem to be doing something right though. My original roommate is having loads of fun, has a crapload of friends, and still has a 3.7 GPA. I guess I just want to do what they’re doing to try and emulate their experience.

4

I would say definately live with your friends again. It really is a once in a lifetime experience. I originally wanted to live at home and save money but now am regretting it. College is the time to build your life and sets the foundation for your future. Living with these guys can give you great spontaneous experiences and can bond you for life. Especially since they’ve broken you out of your shell and you get along, you never know what they’ll introduce you to next.

For professional, definately get an internship. Not commuting will give you more time to focus on resume building skills. This can help justify the extra expenses.

5

OK so I think things are going to improve next semester. I’m staying in a 4-bedroom apartment on-campus with m friend who is moving back on-campus too, my original roommate, and his current roommate. I freakin’ loved rooming with these guys freshman year so I hope it feels similar!

I talked with my original roommate again and he didn’t change his opinion on Management but I decided to switch to it anyways. I also started going to tutoring sessions offered by my school for my current accounting class (taught my none other than my original roommate 8-|) so now I’m getting solid grades in my class and know what I’m doing.

I still need to work on not comparing myself so much to my friends though. I truly did literally roll my eyes when I came to my tutoring thing and saw my original roommate lol. I knew he was a tutor at our school’s success center but apparently he tutors for like 5 different classes and makes ~$150 a week because of all the people signing up for tutoring with him. HOW does he have time for all the crap he does???

Also, what are some good tips for building relationships with professors. I would really like that. My friend said I can come along next time he “hangs out” with the Dean of the School of Business. When I asked if that was OK, he TEXTED the dean and asked if I could come along when they go get lunch. Like WHAT? 8-| 8-| 8-|