Ask HN: how to get the most out of college?

[Sabrosa]

After a short hiatus, during which I started up a small consulting business, I'm going back to school in the fall.

I'm not really interested in programming as a profession; I'm more interested in being an entrepreneur in general. Which means that I'm learning how to code, how to design, how to sell, etc. As such, I'm a philosophy major, as it lets me pick and choose the classes I'd like to take (a CS major wouldn't.)

Any specific tips on how to get the most out of my time here? I've got about 2 years left. I'm planning on getting more involved and possibly studying abroad for a year.

Thanks!

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This can also be a general "college-advice" topic, so feel free to respond even if it's not to my specific situation.

[eligottlieb]

Frankly, if you can stretch your degree into an additional year or take summer classes, do it. My primary regret from university (May 2011) is that I graduated in 3.5 years.

On the one hand, I had no debt. On the other hand, crunching my requirements down that way meant that I often had scheduling conflicts with interesting but non-mandatory courses like Cryptography, Networking, Computer Graphics, Robotics, Philosophy, and Sci-Fi Films.

[vermasque]

I did my BS academic time in 3 years and partly agree with this statement here. On one hand, doing the absolute minimum delivers minimal or no debt; saves time; and gets you into the full-time, non-intern/co-op workplace faster (a larger paycheck and potentially more interesting stuff) and out of the classroom. I optimized for time, cost, and good grades. As I never liked lectures as an education medium (mostly boring) and hated the BS of American college curriculum requirements (even after shaving a year off with course credit from high school, there were still unnecessary requirements), I was satisfied with the result from the view of time spent.

On the other hand, doing a minimal degree delivers minimal results. I didn't develop a focus for what I wanted to do professionally with my degree because I only took minimum requirements. The degree program just seemed like a to-do list, and all I wanted to do was check off boxes. I didn't have time to go deeper into something; this may have affected job prospects. I got a degree to do software engineering but didn't establish what I should do with software engineering beyond getting a job as a software engineer. I got a good job out of college but probably missed out on other opportunities.

Regardless, the choice of whether to compress the schedule or extend should be relative to an individual's needs. For example, if you can't afford large college debt, compress the schedule to what is affordable. Work out the trade-offs.

[jacques_chester]

My advice is: take advantage of what you've paid so much money for.

Read the textbook. Do the exercises. Go to the tutorial sessions. Spend as much time with your professors as possible.

[ISeemToBeAVerb]

Agreed. Looking back, my only regret is not taking more advantage of the resources I had at my disposal. Here are a few things I'd do if I were to go back...

Hopefully you're going to a school with great professors, because, in my mind, that's mostly what you pay for. I'd take full advantage of the knowledge they have. Maybe even try to develop a kind of mentor relationship that could continue outside of school and beyond.

I'd also try and get a firm grasp on what I want to do with my education. The more focused you can be in your studies, the better you can utilize your resources. There's nothing worse than leaving school and realizing that there was someone who could have been an amazing resource for you, but you didn't realize it at the time.

Third, I'd remind myself to have a good time. There truly is no experience quite like going to college. It's true that learning should be the #1 priority, but I've seen so many people breeze through college with their head stuck in a book, and I happen to think that's a shame. You'll never have another opportunity to be surrounded by such a diverse group of people doing really interesting stuff. Take advantage while you can.

[stoney]

Take advantage of what you've paid for, but be aware that what you have paid for is far more than just access to educators and educational resources.

Make connections with as many people as you can: fellow students, grad students, professors, everyone. That guy who sits next to you in class might turn out to be in a position to help you out in 5 years (and you might be in a position to help him).

Take advantage of extra curricula activities, clubs, interest groups, etc. Is there something you're kind of maybe interested in? It's going to be much easier to find a group of like minded people at college than it is in the "real world".

[jacques_chester]

It's my experience that almost everyone takes too much advantage of the social life and not enough of the academic life. In no way does 20-30 hours of school work a week crowd out the rich variety of social interactions a campus offers.

Just don't spend it all on the internet, is what I'm saying.

[vermasque]

While college is primarily an opportunity to prepare for a profession, it is a great opportunity to build a social life as well that would carry beyond just college years. Colleges offer beginner's wellness courses for various hobbies or sports. Take them to try activities and find what you like. It will be much easier to make and retain friends when you have a common interest that involves doing something together beyond just watching TV or movies or eating. The wellness courses at universities are also more comfortable as everyone is of the same background.

A lot of beginner's courses outside of universities are targeted to kids (AKA not you). While you could take wellness courses at universities while working, it's not easy to schedule (unlike night courses on professional topics).

[Sabrosa]

Thanks for the responses everyone. They've been very helpful.