What I wish I had been Told

High Schoolers ask what advice I had for college student survival.
Here is some advice.......

Major Themes:

1. Realize that , while grades are important, you want to look for internships the way you looked for scholarships in High School.

2. See college as pre-professional training, a means to an end.

while you can have fun, you are suppose to be preparing yourself to enter the work force . Keep that in mind all four years and it will be easier to motivate yourself for 8am classes.

3. Start working on your interview and people skills. Think about how the activities you partake in college will affect your Resume.

4. TO be honest, alot of college classes are fluff ( esp. gen-ed requirements). Focus on skills learned in those classes that will help in a job ( English 101/editing skills, Calculus 1/ mental-arithmetic, General Biology/knowledge of how systems work, etc). I would politely ask professors what parts of a class would excite employers if students could do them very well. Then go practice! Practice the parts of your class you found personally interesting too!

5. College is perhaps the last time people are totally willing to give you what you want just because you asked nicely.

Since I was determined to become fluent in Spanish by graduation, I just asked the Spanish teachers to help me during their office hours. Free of Charge! And they admired my determination.

6. Don't leave your old High School teachers/ community behind!!

They have ALOT of information to help you even in college, so stay in polite contact with them and ask what THEY WOULD HAVE DONE IN SCHOOL. When it comes time for recommendations, you will have wonderful sources outside of college professors. People who can say they have known you for YEARS and think you are a thoughtful and talented person. If you do not understand civics, get a book or talk to someone. This is not about being political, but understanding the forces that shape your area.


Minor Themes:

The lower your GPA is from a 3.0, the more time you must spend working on soft skills, getting work experience and networking.

Master as many skills as you can! Editing Papers, Computer programming in a language, Public Speaking practice, photography, playing piano. Heck , even how to drive the buses on campus ( if your school has its own transit system)! These can make great part time jobs.

Learn about personal finance, plan for an independent life ( whether or not you want to live alone). Understand the more $$ spent for schooling, the more you will pay off later and the less flexibility you will have. Micro-business anyone.....

Many use the computer but have no idea how it works. For shame! Understand computer programming logic.I have heard of children learning computer programming as early as 10 in schools around the world. For that matter,

Perhaps the best way you can keep up with globalization and stay competitive is to know others around the world are expected to learn in school. Especially in Grade schools and innovative programs. The 8-10 year old will shortly be 18-20, entering their pre-professional years and later competing for jobs with VERY current knowledge. You don't have to invent the wheel like these kids do, just add to your knowledge bank.

Talk to professors who like to tell stories and give advice! This is why I love adjuncts. Many of them hold down jobs in the real world and will tell you like it is.

Keep copies of your old recommendations, essays to admissions committees, flyers for special events you went to, scholarships, etc. Update your resume consistently. Basically, keep a file.

LASTLY

Buy a good camera and take pictures! College doesn't last and you will want to cherish those memories long after its over. =D You can even take pictures of the events you do on campus and post them to face book.



It's been awhile lovers,
Meranda Fuentes

2 million minutes, and the education of the future...

Lets face it, once you hit your mid twenties and you here "The future" ,

They don't mean you anymore.

Since my days as a kid, I am glad no one wrangles over teaching me, or the money it costs to teach me, or whats wrong with me. The Great Recession has reeked havoc on US schools today, and we are scrambling to make things right.

From The BBC:
China's economic might leaves mark on American psyche

Which gets me thinking, how often do YOU keep up with educational attainment in other countries? Or for other children? These kids will reach their pre-professional years ( college) in the next 5-10 years. After that, they will be off to compete on the job market with their newer skills. How do we keep up?

By watching them!

I have been fascinated with education quality for years now. Think about it, We don't need to be in school all day to learn what they learn. We just need to update our skills.

For Instance, Computer Programming!

The US Military is now seeking recruits with "computer literacy"
Why Johnny Can't Program: A New Medium Requires A New Literacy
Mind you, not experts to do complicated work. Just BASIC computer literacy. There are strong argument on that post against learning programming, because many jobs in the USA are being off shored to Asia. STILL- Much of this is as basic as reading writing and arithmetic.

Now I have to learn "computer"!? What happened to Spanish and French? Can anyone recommend a book!?


Sigh,

Meranda Fallen.