Wooo, I graduated!

[Aaron]

I graduated from high school on Friday night...good times. I already have 15 college hours and I'm taking 7 this summer...and 21 in the fall. My college GPA so far is 3.3. My degree plan is for psychology/sociology. I should have an associate's degree by May, then I'm off to Norman to go to OU!!

[Blu-Benny]

1st of all, congrats!!! live it up till u have to go back to school.

and just an FYI, i've worked in insurance for almost 5 years, those behavioral health providers get really nuts/crazy after a while. sometimes i wonder if they are worse off than the patient's they see everyday!!!

make sure u keep your sanity after talking to all those crack pots for so long!!!

[Rob71]

Welcome to the world of deadlines, mortgages, marriage and kids.

Sorry for the buzzkill.

[austin126]

21 credits this fall? HOLY APPLESAUCE! thats 6 or 7 classes right? you are going to be locked down to the classroom and study room of your house for the entire semester. i commend your drive and enthusiasm but don't you think you might get burnt out real quick from all the work you're taking on?

[Aaron]

Originally Posted by austin126

21 credits this fall? HOLY APPLESAUCE! thats 6 or 7 classes right? you are going to be locked down to the classroom and study room of your house for the entire semester. i commend your drive and enthusiasm but don't you think you might get burnt out real quick from all the work you're taking on?

Most of my classes this fall are blow off classes that are required. Like freshman orientation and personal heath. I'm taking a government class that lasts from 8:00am-5:30 PM for 5 days in early August. Then two night classes that are 3 hours one night a week.

I'm a massive nerd, I love school. I tried to get in more classes but they wouldn't let me. I won't get burned out, I take Adderall. That stuff makes me an extremely productive workhorse. In March I wrote a 4000 word essay in three hours because I took two that day. lmao

[fatediesel]

My biggest regret was not taking advantage of the opportunities to get college credit when I was in high school. I didn't realize at the time how much easier it would be to take college classes rather than elective high school classes. Then I got to college and my gen ed classes had a bunch of high school students in them. My high school even paid for college classes if they didn't offer a class. It makes sense for anyone to take at least a couple college classes while they are in high school. Looks like the OP was smart enough to realize this.

[Aaron]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

My biggest regret was not taking advantage of the opportunities to get college credit when I was in high school. I didn't realize at the time how much easier it would be to take college classes rather than elective high school classes. Then I got to college and my gen ed classes had a bunch of high school students in them. My high school even paid for college classes if they didn't offer a class. It makes sense for anyone to take at least a couple college classes while they are in high school. Looks like the OP was smart enough to realize this.

My classes were free also. I even get to go to local college 100% free since my dad works there. The only thing I have to pay for is books and a parking pass. I can take as many classes as I want!

[ludawg23]

Congrats!

But get a new major! You'll be working at restaurants with that type of degree in this economy.

[Aaron]

Originally Posted by ludawg23

Congrats!

But get a new major! You'll be working at restaurants with that type of degree in this economy.

My dad's a psychometrist, my mom's special ed teacher, and I'm crazy. I've been around psychology since I was a little kid and it's something that I've always loved. I wanted to be a psychologist since I was in 4th grade, but I went through a spell last year when I wanted to go into computer science. I changed my mind about that pretty quick.

I want to go to Okla U to get a doctorate in psychology. I'm sure I can find a job with that. Clinical psychologists get paid a lot. haha

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by Aaron

Most of my classes this fall are blow off classes that are required. Like freshman orientation and personal heath. I'm taking a government class that lasts from 8:00am-5:30 PM for 5 days in early August. Then two night classes that are 3 hours one night a week.

I always loved once a week night classes. You'll likely find that some teachers end the class after a couple hours. When I was in college I always tried to take at least one night class, and one semester I took 3. I looked into taking a one-week class like the one you mentioned but decided against it, I don't think I could handle spending that much straight time in a class.

Originally Posted by Aaron

My dad's a psychometrist, my mom's special ed teacher, and I'm crazy. I've been around psychology since I was a little kid and it's something that I've always loved. I wanted to be a psychologist since I was in 4th grade, but I went through a spell last year when I wanted to go into computer science. I changed my mind about that pretty quick.

I want to go to Okla U to get a doctorate in psychology. I'm sure I can find a job with that. Clinical psychologists get paid a lot. haha

That's the thing with psych degrees, they're worthless without graduate degrees. You seem to realize this and have a long-term plan. Best advice I can give is to recommend actually going to class. My first semester I rarely went to class and got put on an academic suspension and ended up having to go to a community college and getting an associate's degree. It was there that I realized how easy college is when you actually attend class and made the dean's list a couple times at both my community college and undergrad college. I'm currently trying to decide if I want to get my master's in accounting. I don't really need it but my employer would pay for half and let me miss work for class.

[bongzilla]

You did it, good going,
and you will love OU, Norman is cool, OKC is for the birds.

[ludawg23]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

That's the thing with psych degrees, they're worthless without graduate degrees. You seem to realize this and have a long-term plan. Best advice I can give is to recommend actually going to class. My first semester I rarely went to class and got put on an academic suspension and ended up having to go to a community college and getting an associate's degree. It was there that I realized how easy college is when you actually attend class and made the dean's list a couple times at both my community college and undergrad college. I'm currently trying to decide if I want to get my master's in accounting. I don't really need it but my employer would pay for half and let me miss work for class.

Honestly the best advice you can give someone starting college.

It's so easy to get caught up in going out, staying up late playing video games and just being that "college kid".

If you're not a morning person, make sure you schedule afternoon classes.

So much material is gone over in class that can't be recited in text books. Most of my business classes, if you consistent attended classes...it was pretty easy.

[VinnAY]

Anyone with a pulse can graduate HS, College for that matter...but congrat's anyway...nice monkey to have off your back.

[toef]

Other advice is take classes outside your major. You might think you're set on being a psychologist right now, but 10 years from now you might be kicking yourself for not considering anything else. Especially in your first year, if you can, take an assortment of classes that all seem somewhat interesting to you.

The last thing you'd want to do is live a life/pursue a career that the 10 year old version of you picked.

If nothing else, at least if you take other classes and don't like them, you may determine that psychology is the best thing after all.

[toef]

Originally Posted by VinnAY

Anyone with a pulse can graduate HS, College for that matter...but congrat's anyway...nice monkey to have off your back.

Have you seen colleges these days? It's starting to get the same way. Going to college is becoming almost meaningless, and grad school is the new college (in terms of trying to set yourself apart).

It's at the point now where taking up a trade (electrician, plumber, that sort of thing) can be just as rewarding financially (if not more so) as going to college and getting a "real" job.

There are top tier public and private schools which are still great, and can get you places, but a lot of colleges are just diploma mills, run like businesses, that take your money and give you a degree that you think is worth something, but it's not.

Anyhow, I don't want to derail this thread.

Congrats Aaron, but try smiling a bit.

[PH3AR]

Congrats!!!


this will be me next year, junior year almost up and senior year is right around corner, wonder what im doing for my senior prank!

[Aaron]

I got a job today also. It's at a lawyers office, I'll be answering the phone. It pays great, like amazingly great, $100/day, in cash, no taxes. I'll probably only be working for a few weeks, but it may be all summer. I'm gonna have a lot of money to blow...lol

[PH3AR]

Originally Posted by Aaron

I got a job today also. It's at a lawyers office, I'll be answering the phone. It pays great, like amazingly great, $100/day, in cash, no taxes. I'll probably only be working for a few weeks, but it may be all summer. I'm gonna have a lot of money to blow...lol

im jealous of that pay i only get paided $10.50 an hour

[DrinkMore]

Originally Posted by toefer

Have you seen colleges these days? It's starting to get the same way. Going to college is becoming almost meaningless, and grad school is the new college (in terms of trying to set yourself apart).

It's at the point now where taking up a trade (electrician, plumber, that sort of thing) can be just as rewarding financially (if not more so) as going to college and getting a "real" job.

There are top tier public and private schools which are still great, and can get you places, but a lot of colleges are just diploma mills, run like businesses, that take your money and give you a degree that you think is worth something, but it's not.

Anyhow, I don't want to derail this thread.

Congrats Aaron, but try smiling a bit.

I agree. Used to be all you need was a HS diploma or GED. Then it was a College degree. Now, it pretty much means nothing today. Not sure what people are looking for but it isn't a college degree that's for sure. Seems to be hands on experience and common sense which a lot of people lack today. Book smarts is one thing - being smart because of experience is a whole other story

[toef]

Originally Posted by DrinkMore

I agree. Used to be all you need was a HS diploma or GED. Then it was a College degree. Now, it pretty much means nothing today. Not sure what people are looking for but it isn't a college degree that's for sure. Seems to be hands on experience and common sense which a lot of people lack today. Book smarts is one thing - being smart because of experience is a whole other story

I could talk forever about it, but to be brief I think the only people that NEED to go to college are doctors, lawyers (even though I despise law schools) and those sorts of things.

Most people don't become doctors/lawyers/etc., so they just go to college to kill 4 years and don't really get anything out of it. If they took up a trade, like an electrician, as soon as they finished HS, they'd have a good start at a career by the time they were 22.

But on the other hand, since I've been considering going back for a PhD and becoming a professor, part of me encourages everyone to go to college, so I'd always have a job.