I Got Four Problems But An Integral Ain't One
Thursday, September 10, 2009 by Mike Bertolino 
Problem: You're in over your head.
College is a huge change in lifestyle, especially if you're living at school. Not only is the core of your life changing, you're also being presenting with so many new things that want to be a part of you're new life. These could include but are not limited to, people, Greek life and/or clubs, jobs and your course work. Taking on all of the latter together is not only hard but will probably lead to burn out.
Thankfully, for most Freshman that're reading this, it is still the start of your year and you can implement the following without dissapointing too many people. The first and most important thing to remember is that school comes first, in front of anything. Yes, even that situation you're thinking about right now. If you don't know how the work load in college is going to be, don't do anything else besides school the first semester. That way you'll have a better idea of what you're able to handle.
Problem: You've lost your drive.
If the ability to keep going for long term goals wears off, it's okay. If this happens to you start rewarding yourself in small increments. Like purchasing an album or two after doing well on a test, or buying yourself something from the vending machine after a successful hour of studying. If you are having trouble staying contrated try the FOCUS method.
On the other side, if you want to give yourself a "major interest check-up" to see if you are still interested in the classes you will be taking. Chances are after the first year and half or two years of school you'll have changed. So the major you might have wanted when you were applying in high school might not be as cool or easy as you thought.
Problem: After turning 21 bars are more fun than books.
If you haven't tried to get into a bar while being a minor, becoming 21 is a big step. Once this milestone is reached, there's a lot less work when it comes to getting alcohol. In this case alcohol helps you procrastinate even more than ever. The problem here is that the futuremindedness that got you in this mess called college has been abandoned. Let's get it back.
Drinking should be reserved for special occaisions like, birthdays, holidays, Saturdays and other days like that. So to start drinking on a Tuesday just because there is nothing to do besides school work is a bad idea. A solution that will help get back on the ball is to start planning for your future, whether it's grad school or getting a job. After looking at requirements for admission or an application for an internship, you'll hopefully get back to the books because it'll greatly improve your situation once you've gotten a degree.
Problem: You're running out of money.
There are a lot of options for making money, you could become an resident assistant or get another kind of assistantship that will help you out. Plus, internships don't have to be a summer only activity. See what's available around your college or university.
When you're looking at taking on more loans make sure you've read the fine print for interest rates and pay back procedures. Oh, and you could always have a passive income like this.
Have you had any of these problems something similar? Comment below to share!
Image: PhD. Comics
Reader Comments (4)
+1 for the Jay-Z reference.
After attending college for the first time, I was more concerned with partying and hanging out with my dorm buddies than studying - this was reflected in a corresponding, embarrassing G.P.A. Afterward, I lost my drive for my major and was completely burnt out - I switched to a much more interesting major which I finished in stride. After running out of money my sophomore year, I became a personal finance guru and learned about the fun of saving.
Unfortunately, I still hit the occasional bar - even if alcohol comes at an expense, it's something I"m not ready to outgrow yet!
I remember being in College and thinking I was going to be the next Steven Spielberg. I had brilliant ideas, the drive, the time and energy.
Boy wasn't I ready for real life...
The website examples in passive income don't show the ads anymore.
I love the Netherlands. You can get alcohol from your sixteenth. So here I am, as a freshman, and I know already what it is like to get drunk and I also know what is going to happen the day afterwards. So I don't need all those experimental games anymore!