Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

College Advice I Wish I’d Taken

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 68 posts

Re: College Advice I Wish I’d Taken

#11

Post by Buttes »

ianai wrote: post #10
qntty wrote: post #3

Like most college advice, this is a combination of "what my professors wish I would do" and "what future me will wish I did". Good advice doesn't just tell you what you will be glad you did later, it directly addresses the real problems that you have now . It's not easy to give because it requires that you step into someone else's shoes. The last one suggesting seeking out emotional support is probably the closest to…

I remember being told my generation were going to have it rough. One old man in particular seemed to single out my profession (mathematics) as some sort of ultimate cure all that should feel the burden of solving all of societies problems. Pretty heavy to lay that on anyone. And yet I don’t know what I would actually suggest people consider. Health care does have good, local growth prospects at least. But that’s very…

Healthcare and tech are basically the two "jobs of the future". "Local growth" pfffft. More people need more healthcare. There are few surer things.

Re: College Advice I Wish I’d Taken

#12

Post by ianai »

Alex3917 wrote: post #8
mcguire wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

College is the one time you have direct, easy access to all those things that those who didn't go or didn't take advantage of are now struggling to learn on their own. Books, videos, and websites are a poor substitute to having someone who knows sit down and explain stuff to you. Don't waste the opportunity.

> Books, videos, and websites are a poor substitute to having someone who knows sit down and explain stuff to you. For subjects like math and CS, these things are great substitutes. For things like mycology or religious studies, less so. I think there is something to be said for using your time in college to focus more on the subjects that are basically unlearnable via other channels. For things like CS though, just…

As my math advisor said, even subjects like math are best conveyed person to person. There are subconscious and nonverbal communication factors that can’t be reproduced in a video or book.

Re: College Advice I Wish I’d Taken

#14

Post by hprotagonist »

My top 3.

1. Show up to office hours. Even if you sit there and do nothing, TA's notice -- and TAs will absolutely spill the beans on what to prep for for exams, even unintentionally.

2. If you're so brainfried that you can't study any more, go to the gym. Not only is exercise generally good, I'm real convinced it's good for memory consolidation too.

3. If you're attending an expensive private university, networking is effectively what you're buying. Exploit ruthlessly.

Re: College Advice I Wish I’d Taken

#16

Post by ACow_Adonis »

adventured wrote: post #9
sgeisenh wrote: post #2

I disagree with a good bit of this advice. And I suspect it varies with the discipline of study. In a field like computer science, time is better spent working on personal projects, hashing out ideas with peers and exploring research opportunities than aspiring to get an A in every class. A's make for boring, one dimensional students. People who make priorities based on more complex factors than an arbitrary letter g…

> A's make for boring, one dimensional students. People who make priorities based on more complex factors than an arbitrary letter grade are preferable to interact and work with. That doesn't make sense. There's no required connection to getting high grades and being one dimensional. That sounds like your own personal biased world-view more than how things must actually work in reality. If a person is competent, much…

I believe that law of the universe is called "opportunity cost".

Additionally, our education systems reward repeated success and high marks, not exploration and failure. Thus purely from a stats and analytic perspective, the winning strategy to navigate through such a system is safe specialisation: which again, will trend towards one dimensional students who don't experience or seek out or tolerate failure well. This they stick to what they know, do not push past the limit offered by their graded courses, and tend not to put themselves out there to tackle/expose their weaknesses or areas they view as oblique to their field/strengths.

Show me someone with few failures, and I will show you someone who has never pushed our challenged themselves successfully...

Re: College Advice I Wish I’d Taken

#17

Post by jsemrau »

hprotagonist wrote: post #14

My top 3. 1. Show up to office hours. Even if you sit there and do nothing, TA's notice -- and TAs will absolutely spill the beans on what to prep for for exams, even unintentionally. 2. If you're so brainfried that you can't study any more, go to the gym. Not only is exercise generally good, I'm real convinced it's good for memory consolidation too. 3. If you're attending an expensive private university, networking…

>3. If you're attending an expensive private university, networking is effectively what you're buying. Exploit ruthlessly.

This is how I got into my job. It's never too late. Bring yourself out and talk to people.

Re: College Advice I Wish I’d Taken

#18

Post by spooky_ »

I'm surprised this doesn't seem to mention cost, aside from A's lead to scholarships.

Many community colleges offer guaranteed admission to state schools so long as a GPA is maintained. It can save the student tens of thousands in fees.

Re: College Advice I Wish I’d Taken

#20

Post by [deleted] »

ianai wrote: post #12
Alex3917 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Books, videos, and websites are a poor substitute to having someone who knows sit down and explain stuff to you. For subjects like math and CS, these things are great substitutes. For things like mycology or religious studies, less so. I think there is something to be said for using your time in college to focus more on the subjects that are basically unlearnable via other channels. For things like CS though, just…

As my math advisor said, even subjects like math are best conveyed person to person. There are subconscious and nonverbal communication factors that can’t be reproduced in a video or book.

[deleted]
Post reply on HN