Essay contest

I am entering an essay contest and need help getting my word count down to 500, this is what Ihave so far. I am kind of being a smart-#$@ so any suggestions or corrections would be great. One discalimer I want to add is that I am not trying to knock teh college bookstore or bad mouth it, I just choose not to purchase books there unless I have to or they are cheaper. I hope that part is not offensive.

“What I Wish I Knew My First Semester”

There is so much I can tell you now that I am a senior that will help you survive your first semester. I only wish I had know all this when I started. First, always get a planner for each new semester and actually fill it out. They are extremely helpful when you panic about what is due and when. TRiO Academic Services actually hands these out free, the bummer is they won’t fill them out for you. When you get your class syllabus and are told you have a large project or research paper due at the end of the semester, actually do the research at least a month before hand. Waiting until the night before it is due will have disastrous results to your grade and GPA not to mention you psyche.  Make sure you mark in your planner when that 10,000.00 scholarship application is due; it really sucks to find out the day after it was supposed to be submitted that all the work you put into it was for free, done that.

One good idea I had after my first day was maybe I should have printed out my class schedule with the location on it and found each classroom before school started. It is really weird to poke your head in three different math classes asking if the class you interrupted is math 25 or not. 

Always go to your first day of class if you can, it usually is a gimme day where you get to leave early after getting the syllabus and the professor takes role to see how many actually showed up. Sometimes you get extra points for getting out of bed and coming. Sweats and slippers or OK for the first go around. Any professors who offer extra credit are giving you a heads up that you might need it for their class. Take advantage of the annoying thing you may have to do to get the extra ten points; you might actually learn something from the experience.

When you don’t know what to do, confused about an assignment and don’t want to look stupid in front of your class, go see your professor. You can email, call, or talk after class. Do not be afraid to approach them. I have avoided many problems by simply being unafraid to ask the stupid question. Remember the only stupid question is the one you don’t ask!

One last thing I want to discuss, books. When you get your schedule set, go online and find out what books are required for your classes. Print a list and then go online to any textbook sales.com websites and search for the cheapest place to get them. Some offer free shipping, free t-shirts, and free financing until your residual check comes in. I saved an average of $200.00 per semester by buying my books somewhere other than the college bookstore. This has allowed me to keep the textbooks I want and either donate the rest to the TRiO Academic Services for other students use or share with classmates that haven’t taken the classes yet.

Oh yea, there is one other thing I want to share. If you go and buy a creamer and put it in the TRiO lab fridge, they always have coffee you can drink. It will save you four to five dollars a day if you are a coffee-holic like me.