First year of college tips! part 1- academics

Hey y’all! So I know I’ve been terrible about posting this year (adjusting to college + miss rona = struggle), but I’ve honestly missed this blog and would like to start posting more often! Since I have officially finished my first year of college as a Sustainability Studies and Business Management double major, I wanted to share some tips on surviving your first year of college! This first part of the series will focus on academics!

-don’t go crazy with the course load: seriously, don’t be that kid who takes like 18 credits in their first semester. No matter what, adjusting to college life is weird, so give yourself enough time to explore, adjust, meet new people, and practice self-care!

-if you are not a morning person, do not sign up for morning classes (unless you have to!): Since I live off-campus, I have to wake up at 7:30 for my 9:30 classes and it is my personal hell (an 8:30 just might kill me). The early risers will try to convince you it’s not that bad, but schedule your classes at times when you will be the most present and engaged. 

-try out some interesting classes! This is the time when you will have some freedom to explore different areas of study, so don’t hesitate to try something new or take a weird class! Who knows, you might accidentally find something you love.

-it is absolutely ok to change your major! No matter how put together some people may seem, no one has their life completely figured out in their first year of college. You may find that the major you have excitedly been waiting to take classes for is absolute ass and that is ok! Talk to advisors and people in your classes to see what is right for you. I actually found my second major (sustainability studies) through a conversation with a random girl in one of my classes. 

-sit at the front of your class! if you are easily distracted, like me, it is the only way to stay focused. 

-show up to office hours prepared. no matter how confused you are, the second you walk into office hours you are going to forget every single question you had, so make sure to write them down and come with the materials you need so you don’t waste your time and your professor’s time.

-all-nighters are overhyped. I used to hear so many people boast about the all-nighters they pulled to study but I genuinely think it is a waste of time and energy. Unlike a high school schedule, your college schedule is going to leave you with so much free time. Try to finish all of your work in the time between classes so you don’t have to cram it all into one night. I did this, and honestly spent so much time sleeping during the fall semester (oops)

-join Facebook groups/group chats for your classes. this gives you a way to ask questions and get materials when you miss class.

-don’t study in the same place for hours. I’ve found that moving to a new location every now and gave me time to reset and helped me retain more information. The longer I stay in one place, the more distracted I get. 

-if you have the means invest in an iPad/tablet! I pooled all of my graduation money to buy an iPad and apple pencil and I am so happy with that decision. I got the good notes app and write notes and download readings (so I can highlight them) on there. Also, whenever I have to read novels for class I get them on the kindle app (which is often cheaper than buying a physical copy). This has helped me save a lot of paper and makes my backpack so much lighter.

lmk if I should do more of these / what you would like to see next! (thinking of doing a post on how to cope with remote learning and online classes next)

This quarter, I’m taking 22 units. Yes, 22. These 22 units include 18 academic units, and 4 units serving as official credit for being a TA. Oh yeah, I didn’t mention that I’m also a TA this quarter? I have to lead 3 discussion sections of 30 students each, grade 90 assignments a week, and keep up with student emails. 

Yeah.

Last quarter, I had a similar workload but it was more manageable because a couple of the courses were not as academic (i.e. a career prep course, or the required teaching pedagogy course). 

Sometimes i feel very overwhelmed, stressed out, and that I’m drowning in work and responsibilities. But then I remember what Nemo said: “Just keep swimming.”

What has helped me manage this workload is simply being on top of all of my deadlines and managing my time well. This means:

1. Listening in lecture and being 100% attentive (ok fine, 75%) 
2. Starting assignments early, and submitting them when I’m done
3. If there are group assignments, I need to coordinate early.
4. Tracking all due dates in my planner and calendar so there are no surprises along the way
5. Taking “me” time - Netflix, face masks, eating ice cream. You name it!

Easier said than done right? Definitely. When I do get overwhelmed, I have to remind myself of why I’m in this program, too. This graduate program is only 2 years long, and I want to prepare myself for the workforce and my career goals. And maybe throw in another quote, “no pain no gain”!??!

We can do this! Just keep swimming.

I recently started graduate school and have been very fortunate to land a TA, or teaching assistant, position! I help teach three sections of an undergraduate introductory science course. 

It’s been about a month of being a TA, and whew… it’s a lot of work! Here’s what I want you all, as undergraduate students, to know:

• I’m a college student too. Like you, I am here at this university to study. I may be at the graduate level, but I still have classes to attend, assignments to complete, research to participate in, etc just like you. I am not at your beck and call, and cannot be expected to respond to emails immediately, unfortunately. I try to reply to emails within 1 business day.
  
• I don’t know everything about this class topic. Yes, I have a background in the subject and was chosen from the applicant pool to be a TA. But that does not mean I know the answers to every question you have about the material. I will do my best to answer or point you to good resources, though. But please don’t expect that I’m a walking encyclopedia! I’m finding that I get very specific questions or “what if” questions - and I love it! But just know many times this may not be within the scope of this course.
• I have imposter syndrome. I’m not sure how I got admitted as a graduate student. I’m not sure how I was chosen to be a TA. I still feel very unqualified in many aspects of my life! 
• We are not necessarily close with the professor. We likely have meetings with the professor weekly to discuss things, but it’s a very professional friendly relationship. TAs are not necessarily chosen because they work in the same field or research lab as the professor; certainly not me!
• As a first-time TA, know I’m anxious before each section I teach! Try to be understanding and have patience. I’m doing my best! If a TA has taught before, they are likely more experienced and less likely to get flustered. 
• Grading actually takes … a while. Don’t expect your papers to get graded ASAP. I have 3 lab sections to teach, and it’s about 80 students total for me. That’s 80 assignments I have to grade… every week. 
• Understand that being a TA is much more than teaching a section and grading papers each week. I have to attend a required teaching pedagogy course (on top of my busy coursework!), weekly TA meetings with the professor, host weekly office hours, spend hours before section to prepare, respond to student emails which range from anxiety/mental health issues to wifi problems to confusion over a topic, etc. PLUS, throw in COVID-19 right now and it can get hectic! I’m at 20 units this quarter! I know not all TAs are this busy (some are in their last quarter, or just focusing on research) but just a FYI!
• Why do we want to TA? Benefits include great experience, tuition remission, networking, etc. Receiving a TA position gives you amazing experience to interact with students to teach them a topic you’re (hopefully) passionate (or at least, proficient) at. It looks great on a resume, plus it doesn’t hurt that most TA positions offer fee remissions. AKA most of your fees for the quarter/semester are paid as a result of your employment AND you get a monthly salary on top of that. It’s not “cushy”, it’s appropriate given the amount of work. Lastly, the chance to network with professors and leaders of the field is amazing too!
• Please participate in class! It’s really awkward for us when we do our best to teach, and … no one participates. Or students do the bare minimum. If it feels awkward for you, trust me, it’s awkward for me too.
• Many times, the class is structured and formatted in a specific way and the TA is just a facilitator. I’m very fortunate that the course I help teach is very structured: specific powerpoints, assignments, worksheets, homework problems, etc. I do not really have a say in how the lesson planning of the overall class. I have more say in the individual sections I lead, but even then I have to abide by certain rules (no recording of lecture, no posting of powerpoints, etc), use specific powerpoints (I can add my own slides, or modify a little bit), etc so that there is consistency between all TAs. That makes sense, right? 

tldr; Being a TA is a lot of work. Since becoming one, I honestly have had a shift in how I formerly thought of TAs… I find there are ups and downs to being a TAs but overall my experience has been positive. But just know, we are people too! We have other responsibilities and we get stressed out too! :)