If you're like me, then you've probably browsed through several blogs, trying to get a good idea of how college is gonna be like. Well i got news for you my friend, no matter how much you prepare for college...you can't. BUT you can anticipate what's to come. My tips will be based on my experience in UiTM Dengkil during my foundation year. So here are my top 5 tips for college:
1. Do Procrastinate
Now you're probably going into college thinking "alright, this time i'm not gonna procrastinate. I'm gonna finish every assignment i get, way before the deadline".
Sadly, that isn't realistic enough. Why? Cuz i went in with that mindset, and well...it didn't go out as planned. Two reasons. One is cuz your work from other subjects will stack up, and unless you handle them systematically, 9 out of 10 times you'll end up burning the midnight oil. Second, we...kinda suck at not procrastinating. So what do you do? Here's a trick. In life, you gotta be balanced. You can't be too studious. And you can't be too lax.
So you can procrastinate, but procrastinate smart. Let's say you got an assignment on the 1st of June, and the deadline is on the 10th of June. So what you should do is set the deadline to the 5th or 6th, instead of aiming to finish it on the 1st terus. This will let you plan other assignments as well by filling in necessary gaps in your schedule.
I really really emphasize what i'm about to say next, because this was a major practice i did, and it worked wonders.When i said put the deadline on the 5th, that don't mean you start on the 5th tau. The secret is to do your work in small increments. Seriously, just do bit by bit, and by the time you reach your deadline, you've probably finished it or tinggal a paragraph to write.
Tak yah buat banyak pun takpe, asalkan consistent. You gotta prioritize your assignments based on the workload as well. Alhamdullilah, i personally managed to finish my work a day or two before the deadline. Some of my friends however, were up till 3am and were just starting on an assignment due tomorrow. So accept the fact that we procrastinate, but use it to your advantage. Show it who's boss!
2. Group Work
The bane of every college student. Y'know i find it ironic that pretty much everyone complains about group work, and yet...the people who complain, get complained about themselves by other group mates. Anyhoo, you're gonna have a lot of group work. Bad thing? Not necessarily.
Now your group will either consist of random people who you don't know, or the slither of remaining guys in your class, cuz y'know...akhir zaman hahah. Group work is the one that always gets delayed because:
"Eh!? Aku ingat kau buat part ni"
"Oh, lecturer suruh buat macam tu ke? Aku pegi buat macam ni la pulak"
"Deadline esok eh?"
Whatever the case, it is your job my friend, to make it all work. "ME?" Yes, you. Look, unless you're in a group with close friends, chances are no one's gonna speak up. So it's up to you to speak up, split the tasks evenly, and make sure everyone does their part before the deadline. "Why me tho?" Because, not only will you help yourself, but you're helping them as well. That is one big sack of barakah and pahala my friend.
I know it's scary to speak up yes. Trust me. My first time was like: "Hey guys, i think we should-". And then semua orang pandang macam O_O. The hardest part is uttering the first few words. After that, get to know them. Befriend them. I've made such good friends with my group members who other people complain about. This brings me to another important thing.
Please please pleeease be patient. Be tolerant. This is the hardest thing to do when it comes to groups. You know why one guy complains about his group, but his group also complains about him? It's cuz everyone thinks their right, and orang lain tu salah. It's my way or the highway. That is ego my friend. You gotta kill it.
What's beautiful about group work is that your product will be an amalgam of ideas from different people with different backgrounds. Sure your idea might actually be better than others, but sometimes you have to sacrifice your ideas just to let them participate y'know.
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| This one took a long time, but we pulled through. From zero knowledge of Powerpoint, to successfully creating a game from scratch!. |
Let everyone contribute ideas, and if you don't like what they did, tell them nicely. "Hey nice work! But i think we can make it better if you do this and this". It took me awhile to understand how group work should really be done. Memang first2 i struggled a lot. Group member malas lah, apa lah. But keep your head up, tolerate, and march forward. Together. And suddenly you'll be celebrating with your group members, holding a finished 5000 word essay in your hands.
3. Have fun!
Remember when i talked about balance? This is key to not being stressed out in college. Every other day i'd hear "Bapak ah! Stress do! Bapak ah!" That's because they either study too much, or have too much fun that they drown in overdue work. So your college life must be balanced
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| as everything should be |
First time you're in college, with all these random people, you're gonna feel like you wanna stay in your room all day long. But i'm telling you right now my friend, you have to go out. Go out! Of course you're gonna have club activities, but besides that, you need to give yourself some time to enjoy college. I used to stay in my room and study the whole day, and well...you're gonna feel Rapunzel-ed.
Take part in events, go for a jog, exercise. I usually workout with my housemate. "But i have too much work!" Baq hang. I kept a strict rule of "Bila pukol 5 atau 6, stop buat kerja, and have fun!" Sometimes you don't have to go out pun. You can visit a friend's house, sembang2 with your housemates, or just do some small exercises in your house if you're really running low on time.
Just don't go overboard yeah? Remember the balance. Make time for studying, finishing up work, and time to relax, have fun.
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| Good times |
4. Husnuzhon
"Excuse me?". It means "expect good from others" or "bersangka baik". It has a deeper meaning, but i'm not the right person to explain it. You see in college, you're gonna see a lot of people. Students, lecturers, staff, outsiders. And your brain will make assumptions by default. What you gotta do, is to not fall for this bias.
Try your best to be as kind, gentle, and considerate with other people no matter what, even if they don't reciprocate it. Lemme tell you something. One of the BIGGEST ways you can let go of stress is to forgive people. Seriously, don't let other people ruin your day. At the same time, don't have any ill wills for them. You don't know what they've been through. He might be extra grumpy that day because he had a quarrel with his family, or she may have shouted at you because she's dealing with something else in life.
I'll tell you a story yeah. For a good few months i was in college, there was this guy who i'd always walk pass. We would meet whenever i went out to buy some food, and he was on his way to the futsal court. He would always give this look man, this sour face, whenever he walked by. What's his deal with me? So instinctively i didn't smile too. My bad. This carried on for a few months. I didn't know the guy, and he didn't know me.
Come sem 2, and classes had to be shuffled. Out of all the 800 students, guess who became my new classmate. Yup. But man was this a lesson for me. Because that guy...is the one of the most funniest and friendly people in the campus. So yeah, husnuszhon guys. It'll help you live a stress-free college life. And yes, he's the guy in the video.
5. When things go awry
If you're going into university planning to be never feel down 24/7, then you're setting yourself up for a terrible crash my friend. Truth is, there will be moments where you will fail. You didn't get the marks, even though you studied. You had a falling-out with your roommate. No matter what you did, the lecturer just doesn't like you.
When things go awry my friend, be happy. Be happy. Why do i say this? Because if you stayed patient, then Allah just gave you something in return somewhere else. So you studied so hard, but you lost 10 marks. If you said "Oh i should've did this" or "if only i did this" or "why!? I studied so hard!", you're dumping a heap of stress onto yourself man. To add salt to the wound, your friend didn't study and got full marks too.
But if you remained patient, and accepted the outcome, then you don't know-those 10 marks, might come back to you in another exam in the future. It's true! Maybe in the future you'll be doing an exam, and you think you're gonna fail, then boom! Full marks. Think about it. Has moments like these occurred to you before?
"But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not." -Al Baqarah : Verse 2
I'm just giving an example here, but yes, when you enter college, be ready for anything. But always keep your head high. Smile! It'll do you wonders. This is not to say we shouldn't try to become the best. So long as you tried your best, and put your trust in Allah, then you can be pleased with any outcome you get. So try your best, reach high. As a 18/19 year old teen, your instincts will tell you to stay low key, not stand out, and just follow the status quo.
Sometimes the road to success forces you to stand out, even be called weird. But if weirdness means trying our best and achieving success, then be proud you're a weirdo. Alright, that's all from me. If you're feeling anxious, takpe. Lek2 je. It's like a roller coaster. The climb's scary, but when you reach the drop, it gets super awesome. Everyone's anxious actually, they just don't show it on orientation day hahaha. All the best!
