College

[SnoringFrog]

I'm starting my junior year of highschool in less than a week, and I've been thinking more about college lately. Truth is, my school's not exactly the most challenging place to attend, and I'm doubting that that's helping me at all in preperation for college. So, I was wondering if anyone's got any suggestions for anything I can do now to help prepare myself for getting into/being in college?

Since my normal schoolwork doesn't take up too much time or anything, I'd kinda like to get a jump on what I'll be doing in college however I can. Right now I'm looking at either coding/scripting/programming or writing ((leaning towards the former at the moment)), so if anyone has any good sources ((books, websites, etc.)) or any suggestions that deal with those ((programming languages that'd be good to learn, etc.)), or college in general, please chime in. ((As a sidenote, I already know HTML/CSS/Javascript[sorta, still needs work I suppose] and am in the process of learning PHP and XML now, but any good sources to improve any of these would be much appreciated too))

[Warrior4Christ]

I would probably recommend learning Java, since it's a common, portable, modern language. I can't really recommend any books, since the one I have says "Not for sale in the US", and I'm not sure what's available to you.
If you want to try something more low level and get your hands dirty, you're welcome to try something more like C, which is pretty much an older standard (widely used) language now.
I see you've mainly done web-based stuff. My knowledge is mainly around applications programming, so my advice is restricted to that area too. It depends what you want to do, really.

[termyt]

If you are a little bored in school, then I hope that means you are taking advantage of everything your school offers - the highest level of math, science, and literature classes as well as 4 years of a language and some well-rounded electives.

If you are serious about excelling, then you need to motivate yourself. If your classes are not challenging, take that and every subject to the next level on your own. That is one of the things I would change about my high school career if I could, but I was way too satisfied with my easily accomplished 3.5 grade-point average to teach myself to look beyond what was feed me. Waiting for someone else to motivate you will be a long wait.


For Computer Science, I would recommend learning Java and C++ and taking any and every math elective your school offers. Calculus and statistics are both important in many computer-related fields.

For a writing career, study English and Literature – they need to be serious, time consuming hobbies of yours. You’ll want to major in English in college and that means knowing the language inside and out. If school has a writing lab or at least a creative writing class, then you are already a step ahead. You need to be very open to criticism and evaluate everything people tell you about your writing. It will only help you improve.

How to prepare really depends on the program at the college you attend, so you may want to start looking for which school you want to go to.

[Technomancer]

or any suggestions that deal with those ((programming languages that'd be good to learn, etc.)),

It's probably more important at this stage to learn programming as a discipline than any one particular language. Most of the general purpose languages that you'll find have more or less the same structure after all. Instead, learn the structure of good programming first. Pascal is good for this, as is C (although Pascal was developed specifically for education). Object-oriented programming is useful, but should not come before a solid understanding of programming or abstract data types.

As for everything else, you should also read a lot and find good field-related experiences in order to find out what really piques your interest as far as further studies go.

[Paul]

I would recommend core electives. Know your Math! College Algebra is usually the least you have to know to get a degree. It is also common for you to have Composition one and two, Public Speaking, Language like Spanish or German. At our college it is also core to take Academics for life long learning, (a course in how to study, what to expect in college, and what kind of learner you are).

But the best advice I can give you is this, get serious about your education and don't get side tracked. If you are not challenged in H.S., you will get the opportunity to be challenged in college, because it's not the same thing and it's not the same learning style. You won't have time to play, you won't generally get help from the teacher, and you are expected to figure it out for yourself. It's your education, not theirs, and if you don't know something, find out. Get a study group together.

Once you're in college, find an older student. 35 years old or older if possible, and become friends with them and learn by what they do. It is a well known statistic among college staff that older students do better. It's because they have developed the coping skills of life, and teachers prefer them to recent H.S. grads because the oldies arn't there to play, and teachers respect that.

This is what I notice helps newbies in college do better.

Paul

[SnoringFrog]

I would probably recommend learning Java, since it's a common, portable, modern language. I can't really recommend any books, since the one I have says "Not for sale in the US", and I'm not sure what's available to you.
If you want to try something more low level and get your hands dirty, you're welcome to try something more like C, which is pretty much an older standard (widely used) language now.
I see you've mainly done web-based stuff. My knowledge is mainly around applications programming, so my advice is restricted to that area too. It depends what you want to do, really.

Yes, web-based is where I've focused thusfar, but I've been thinking of trying to start getting into more of what you said you do as well. If only because I seem to be good with these various computer languages thusfar, and think I should stick to my strengths.

I hope that means you are taking advantage of everything your school offers - the highest level of math, science, and literature classes as well as 4 years of a language and some well-rounded electives.

"Everything my school offers" means I take Advanced math instead of geometry or consumer math...and that's about it. We have no good electives, really. Small private school, so it's hard to find too much. And I'm too late for 4 years of a foreign language, but I'll get two officially plus a little I've looked into myself outside of school.

[mechana2015]

I recommend pursuing advanced math courses and skills on your own then. Its becoming uncomfortably common for students going into college to be dropping back to no credit remedial classes for mathematics (some of my college's largest classes are 10th 11th and 12th grade math equivalents). Math is critical in the programming field, and being able to test into higher courses when you enter college will save you time and money later.

[sharien chan]

At college they tend to make you take a bunch of courses unrelated to your major as core classes. There you get to take fun "elective" classes like philosophy. Which while they're still basic level, they are still fun and a great way to learn random subjects.
I'm a counseling major and I've had to take philosophy, geology, psych, sociology etc. ^_^ College you won't be bored. But with college just make sure you're motivated and you don't let the work build up. Anytime you have even 10 minutes free just try and get some work done. I usually start my reading and do a section at a time during my random free times. As long as you use your time wisely you won't get behind.
There's more work in college but a lot more time to do it in as well. ^_^

Oh and while you'e in highschool start visiting colleges, looking at their requirements etc. Narrow down your list of where you'd like to go, research scholarships, loans etc. THe more you know the better off you are

[Bunny]

Most community colleges offer Jumpstart courses. I'm not sure if that's the universal name for them but basically you can take your basic college classes during your normal class hours throughout your senior year. I HIGHLY recommend you take advantage of that if it's available. Even private schools around here allow students to take part in it. It'll give you a good understanding of college-level expectations.

I chose AP courses instead, though. I don't think they're as common in private schools but they're everywhere in the public school system. You just take a class that's a little more advanced and test for college credit when it's done. You have to pay for it but if you pass the test, you get the money back.

So far I haven't met anyone who was very impressed by either but it's a good experience and really helps you graduate in time.

I wouldn't know anything about programming but if you could possibly dig up computer-related courses at a community college to take.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

I find college to be rarely challenging until you start hitting your major core classes. This semester I'm taking three classes for my major (Developmental Psych, Psych of Adjustment, and Theories and Personalities). As such, I'm sure this semester is going to be more challenging than this one. XD

[termyt]

I did not have much difficulty until I was taking 300-400 level classes. Even then, excepting for a rather foolish and disasterous semester, it was not so much a problem of understanding the material as finding the time to do the work.

If you are smart enough to skate through High School with good grades and little work, thenyou can also skate through college. If you do though, you will need to do just a little more work, but will likely suffer the loss of a letter grade on average.

Developing a good method of study is pretty important. I did not have that because I did not need one in high school. It hurt me in college, but it was not the disaster everyone says it will be.

[Sheenar]

Most colleges offer study skills classes --you meet once a week in the afternoon/evening for about 5 or 6 weeks. My college does. Also, now there is a mandatory freshman class about the basics of college: study skills, time management, etc.

I didn't have good study skills when I started college --didn't need them in high school. And it hurt me in my harder classes. But I still do really well studying the night before --just make sure you keep up with the reading/assignments for class and then review everything before the exam. And try not to miss any lectures -it shows the professor that you care about your education --and take notes during lectures. I know that in many of my classes, the exams come right from lecture notes and only a little from the textbook.

Also, don't wait until 2 days before the due date to write an 8-page paper. That is a really bad idea --I speak from experience. <.<

As for what you can do now to prepare, read up on the major fields of study that you are interested in and do an Internet search for colleges with programs in those areas. Then try to visit these colleges if you can --try to set up meetings with some of the professors/administrators so you can ask questions about the university and about the program. This will help you narrow down your choices --so you're not scrambling at the last minute to submit your applications (like me XD ).

[soul alive]

One of the best things that I did in high school was take classes for college credit my senior year. And because I got three of my core classes out of the way for freshman year of college, I was able to take other classes earlier and finish up the required core in three semesters, versus the four or five it took my classmates to do so. And the quicker you get core requirements out of the way, the quicker you can get on to classes pertinent to your major.

So look into whether or not you have a college, community-college, or college branch school/office in your town that you can take credits through. I had to pay $15 dollars per class, plus pay for the book for math, but it was totally worth it, when you consider that in college, it would have cost hundreds per class.

And some advice that was given me in a college visit that really helped out was - look into classes that compliment your college major in high school, especially the electives. Your college is going to be more impressed that you've taken the time to learn more about various aspects of your major, and are dedicated about it, than they ultimately are going to be about your GPA. Your GPA and SAT/ACT scores are essentially what get you the scholarships, but your academic experience will help you more in college.

I'm an architecture major now, graduating with my BA in the fall. On the advice I stated earlier, I took a drafting class, and art classes in high school. I'm still reaping the rewards of having done so, and have never regretted taking full courses in high school instead of giving myself a free hour, like many of my classmates did.

Contact colleges that you are interested in attending, if you haven't already chosen one, and ask the department directors/recruiters for advice they might have for you, having two full years of high school left before attending college.

[SnoringFrog]

If you are smart enough to skate through High School with good grades and little work, thenyou can also skate through college. If you do though, you will need to do just a little more work, but will likely suffer the loss of a letter grade on average.

As tempting as that sounds, I'm not sure I'd be willing to take a drop like that. I've grown to used to running very high grades, and it'd drive me crazy to get lower if I could bring 'em up. That's why I've figured that if I can zone out in almost all my classes and pull A's with only a bit of cramming for everything, that I'd start teaching myself other things on the side that require more work to get me more used to actually putting forth some effort into things. Also, if I learn ahead of time what I'll need to learn in college, it'll help to make those classes easier, I'd assume.

And some advice that was given me in a college visit that really helped out was - look into classes that compliment your college major in high school, especially the electives. Your college is going to be more impressed that you've taken the time to learn more about various aspects of your major, and are dedicated about it, than they ultimately are going to be about your GPA. Your GPA and SAT/ACT scores are essentially what get you the scholarships, but your academic experience will help you more in college.

I really wish I could do that, but I took the one elective that fits that bill, and I took it a couple years earlier than I was supposed to be able to, lol. That's one of the reasons I'm trying to pick up what I could possibly have learned if my school offered any useful electives. *sigh* That's the problem with a small private school, I suppose. I might take the class again, since it's been updated enough to be somewhat useful and I'd be able to get college credits for it this time around.

And study skills...that'll definitely be something I'll have to work on. TO me, studying means I look at the material at somepoint no more than 3 days before the test, lol. My school is a bit lacking as far as challenge goes, I'm afraid, so it doesn't take too much effort from most people to pass well.

Also, want to say thank you to everyone who's posted thusfar, this all has helped me a good bit already. Knew I'd do good asking here, CAA always seems to have people that're helpful for pretty much anything, or that can at least point me to where people that are helpful are. That's one reason I love this place so much.

[Technomancer]

If you are smart enough to skate through High School with good grades and little work, thenyou can also skate through college.

That's not something I would count on. There can be a fair variability in terms of how hard one's high school courses are. A subject that was "easy" in high school may be rather less so when presented in a more rigorous and demanding course. The kind of difficulty you'll face will also depend on your major to and what kind of institution you're going to.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Oh also, TAKE SUMMER CLASSES AT A NEARBY COMMUNITY COLLEGE! This way you can get some geneds as well as core classes out of the way. It's much cheaper and awesome to do. I took nine credits this past summer, so the amount of credits I have went from 16 to 25.

[blkmage]

For learning to program, I suggest Python over Java or C/C++. I think Python's syntax makes programs really easy to read and understand and it's very well documented and has a very comprehensive standard library. I also think that the interactive Python shell is really useful for experimenting with code and being an interpreted language removes the mental overhead of having to compile and recompile things when you're trying things out.

But there are also reasons that have to do with computer science education. If you're serious about computer science, picking up languages should and will become fairly easy. If you have time now, you should try learning some less conventional languages like Lisp. The reasoning is that you'll be forced to learn Java or C++ anyway in school, so you should spend the time you have now learning things when you still have free time.

[eternalprincess]

Oh also, TAKE SUMMER CLASSES AT A NEARBY COMMUNITY COLLEGE! This way you can get some geneds as well as core classes out of the way. It's much cheaper and awesome to do. I took nine credits this past summer, so the amount of credits I have went from 16 to 25.

I second that.

I've done it for the past two years and it is wonderful.

[Dante]

I would recommend as a first programming language... C#.NET for several reasons.

1. C#.NET express edition is a free download and comes with the compiler and IDE.

2. The IDE in which C#.NET is used is a great place to learn a programming language, it has auto-complete features that are great when you can't remember how some functions name went (but you remember that it starts with a w). It has full syntax highlighting and syntax error underlining. The the IDE just has loads of features that aid with the programming task. If you decide to change the name of some method at a later date or time, you can do it at one location and a little arrow pops up giving you the option to change it at all other instances in which the method is found in the entire program. And when you have errors, you can just double click on them and the IDE brings you straight to the point in your code where they are (no more looking for line numbers).

3. Building windows applications in the IDE is a breeze (unlike java where you have to code it out by hand using swing). You ask it to create a new windows application and then drag and drop buttons onto the screen, it has all the familiar windows buttons and a visually oriented set of commands for their interactions, but you can access their standard interaction by just double clicking the element of the page (then Visual studio writes the code for the event in the form of a new method and you can write the code for what happens). I felt that writing out a whole GUI in windows in VS was easier then the command line control sometimes.

4. The environment is fast, really it runs far faster on my machine then net-beans or eclipse (The Java alternatives). Its about the best thing Microsoft has ever come up with in fact.

5. When your finished writing out boring regular windows apps and doing math tricks with the standard old Visual Studio, you can look up XNA, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_XNA , the game studio for VS which uses C#.NET. Granted, programming games in C# is NOT as easy as programming windows applications, or so I've found so far. A WYSIWYG like the Game Factory is a far easier interface that I wish they'd implement. But this is programming, and so whatever it is, its no worse then what the other languages are implementing. Another thing that will hopefully pick up steam is the VS Robotics Studio, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Robotics_Studio. Which allows the simulation and control of robotics supposedly using C#.NET.

6. You can create entire asp.NET webpages using Visual Studio, using the same interface as you would a windows program in many cases. Granted, because the page is programmed, you'll need a web-host that will support asp.NET webpages, but if you really want to, there is a way to bring your programming onto th net.

7. If you try it out and you really hate it, almost all the syntax is nigh on identical to Java and you'll find that all the other c-family languages have many of the same basics as C#. So you can give it a shot, and then switch over to java when your done.

Downsides

1. If you're using the express edition, I don't believe that you can sell your code for money. I don't believe it comes with any disclaimers or anything, but I think it says so in the EULA... Java and other languages on the other hand can be used for profit without buying a "professional edition". Granted, there are ways to use command prompt to compile your code after its been written in C#.NET so I'm not sure what makes the professional edition special (by just compiling in command line I believe you are free from the EULA agreement). Of course, I could be wrong and this doesn't even exist in the EULA .

2. Stupid XNA requires a subscription that is only good for a limited time after you purchase it if you want to import your games to your XBOX 360. I don't own an X-BOX of any kind, so this really doesn't matter to me, but it would matter to other people. Granted, if you build a whole game you can then subscribe to the service and right click on your code and port it to X-BOX 360 and the computer will do all the translation for you... so it really doesn't matter until you've built a fully featured game and tested it on your machine.

3. The updates and the installation required for XNA take FOOORRREEEEVVVVEEEERRR to run. My machine just lagged major time in installing those things. I've never seen an offline install take so long in my life! It took about six hours to get the entire thing installed and I thought it froze the first time I did it.

Anyways... that's my opinion on the matter.
(Is joyful that he is getting his XNA book in soon and will then begin to work on programming... GAMES @_@... Granted given the time he spends on game art, Pascal will probobly never produce a single working game in the future T_T.)

-Pascal

[Dante]

I third the community college thing! In fact, you can always take a beggining programming course there and learn to program while getting college credits for the future.

ANY COLLEGE COURSE YOU TAKE BE WARNED!!!:

CHECK OUT THE PROFESSORS ON RATE A PROF AND PICK A PROF FIRST!!!
http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/
http://www.pickaprof.com/

You only want the best of the best, especially starting out. It is amazing how much teachers will vary in their distribution of grades and the ability to teach a course! (Signing up for a pick a prof is free, and the other is free too, rate my prof tells you comments and gives overall ratings to the teachers, pick a prof gives their grading histories! ESSENTIAL for your future college career)

-Pascal

[ich1990]

First off, I would like to agree with everyone here who suggested community college classes. They are a great intermediate step between high school and a university. Plus, they are usually very cheap. If you have a community college nearby, I would highly suggest that you find out which courses will transfer to your university and take as many as you can at the community college. Summer, night-time, and online courses are usually available and would suit a high school student. Aditionally, check (with your high school and your college) and see if you can become a dual enrolled student. If you can, then you might be able to take some classes at a community college and have them count as both high school and college credits! That is what I did, and it allowed me to graduate from high school a full year early.

The only downside that I have found with community colleges is that the teaching (and the teachers!) is extremely varied in quality. If the above mentioned sites do not have a review of your teacher, then ask around. I like to ask the full time staff of the college (I.E. other teachers, maintenance workers, bookstore staff, etc.) what they think of the teacher. I wouldn't ask other students, because, frankly, not many of them care about the quality of the education, only the difficulty. It is a lot of work to find a good prof, but it is well worth it. A good teacher can help you learn and have fun at the same time. A bad teacher can make you want to quit college and go live underneath a bridge for the rest of your life.

Above all, the best thing you can do to prepare for college is to practice being proactive and self-motivated. That is, go out and do things on your own. Learn a new programming language (like you have been), find a commmunity college, set yourself up for dual-enrollement, research a professor, all of these things give you practice doing things by yourself. On a whole, I have found that college isn't neccessarily hard, it just requires a high level of self-dependence and motivation. Unfortunately, most people who go into college don't have these skills because they haven't needed them yet. Start working on developing them today. In college, discipline and motivation will be just as valuable as any programming language.

I congratulate you on thinking and preparing ahead. Keep it up!

[F.M Disciple]

i agree, self motivation is a key ingredient for a successful college career.

[Doubleshadow]

Do to a lack of challenge in my high school courses, I learned the fine art of self-study. I would recommend you do the same. One problem I've noticed with my students is they still have the high school mind set of being taught in class, rather than learning on their own. One hour of class time is worth three hours of out of class study time. You need to have read and prepared for everything ahead of time, rather than expect the professor to do all the work. In school, you are taught and regurgitate; in college you take pre-existing information and use it to work through new situations. Also, you professor is not a teacher, and probably will not care much if at all about whether or not you pass. You have to take care of you, 'cause nobody else is going to care.
A word of caution: the average graduating GPA of 2.57 is sad for a reason. There will be many groups and people who want your money or your time for their purposes right now who won't give a darn about your future or you for that matter. They can be charming and clever, but they still don't care. This applies from pitchmen to professors. One thing I wish I had been told about professors is: they are not necessarily good role models, or even good people. If you find one you can trust as a mentor, don't pass on the opportunity.

[~darkelfgirl~]

Lol, I was thinking of making a thread with the same title. Just to give you some comfort, I just started classes today (and am in break for my next one at 1pm). It doesn't seem that bad really, and everything's been flowing quite well. Don't fret, trust God, and it'll come through just fine. Keep alert and focused, and don't let little upsets and petty things distract or discourage you. Remember to get some of your graduation requirements out of the way (not all at once, but bit by bit so you don't cram in the end). And as Paul said (and I fully agree), you definitely have to figure out stuff for yourself. No more spoonfeeding. Remember to take notes, too, and ask around if you aren't sure about something. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

It's pretty fun, actually. My roommate's awesome and into anime, too .