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Surviving College With Gear And Sanity Intact?
Mshift2x writes "Like many others, I'm shipping off to college for the first time in a few days. I'm excited, nervous, and a whole array of emotions at the same time. I'm sure many slashdotters have gone through this already, and I'd appreciate any wisdom, suggestions, or thoughts the community could provide." More specifically, phrogeeb writes "Per our earlier Slashdot article on laptop lock insecurity, I've been looking around recently for other options as far as keeping track of my laptop and other semi-expensive and certainly valuable (for a college student) stuff in a dorm room setting. Any ideas? I'm looking for both laptop-specific and comprehensive solutions. Locks? Alarms? Video cameras? Trip wire? (A few serious suggestions would be appreciated.)"
Get Renter's Insurance. That way you no matter if your security fails or not, you can still replace your stuff.
lock ur door
Most campuses offer insurance policies for your dorm room. They aren't that expensive ($25-50) and will replace the gear if your stuff gets stolen. Granted it won't keep your stuff or data from being lost...but it will help replace it.
I know that people sell things like safes, etc. to paranoid college students, but honestly, don't waste your money. Take a few minor precautions (a laptop lock is a good idea for use in libraries where you're going to be up and about getting books and want to anchor your effects in a secure location) but basically you need to remember that, by and large, college kids are really stupid and naive, and they leave lots of expensive stuff lying around everywhere. It a criminal comes into your room trying to steal some quick booty, and doesn't see three iPods and a digital camera lying out in plain sight, he/she will go on to the room next to yours, where said items will amost certainly be in plain view on a desk. Lock your door; you'll be fine unless your college is in a really bad area. Also, for the love of god, lock up your bike. As far as more general advice, heck, I'm still figuring college out myself, but I'd say be open and don't slack off too much. Also, take advantage of what will almost definitely be the best library you'll ever have access to, no matter where you are.
I had a friend who got a laptop stolen. As he was also running a side business as an alarm installer, this pissed him off. So he installed the most ridiculously HUGE alarm system, everything you can think of...Then got his new laptop stolen because he didn't have it on.
What it really all comes down to is: Keep an eye on your stuff. Lock your doors, keep your valuable stuff out of plain sight.
A weird one: Where I went to school, if you lived in the better part of town, you were MUCH more likely to have your stuff stolen, even if you took precautions. If you lived in the "bad" part of town, you could leave your doors unlocked---and this is New Jersey we're talking here.
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
This is good advice. Bring as little crap with you as possible. One, because there isn't much room in your dorm for it, and two, because you'd be surprised how little stuff you actually need.
As for security, as others have mentioned, a locked door is a good, low-tech solution. A roommate with cooler and more expensive gadgetry than you doesn't hurt either.
Later, once classes start to kick in you can start to distinguish yourself as the alpha-male of the technology realm. But if the first impression people have of you is a computer geek, then they won't bother to get to know you and you won't have an opportunity to know them.
"Oh dear, she's stuck in an infinite loop and he's an idiot" -Prof. Farnsworth (Futurama)
Ok... I don't know if you're a troll, but you have a good point. I hated high school. Not so much the learning part, but the people I had to go to school with. My parents always told me that 'it will be so much better in college because those people are usually too stupid to go to college.' Boy were they wrong. Those kind of people are the same ones that have rich parents.
MY rule for college (I'm still in it) is the same as it was in high school. You know the kind of people you like hanging out with. Stick with them! Since you're on slashdot, you're probably pretty computer smart, and you'd be AMAZED how many CoSci majors are really cool people.
I usually keep to a smallish group of friends. Makes staying out of trouble easier.
Not Free(as in beer). Free(as in "I'm free to beat you over the head for being a dumbass")
If you have high end flashy electronic devices to bring to class, don't brag about them being big time expensive, and hold on to them. Don't leave them on a bench in the library while you go look for books, keep them in your backpack and cary that around with you. If someone wants to give you trouble, and try to take your stuff from you just contact campus police--they should be easy to find(lots of schools have blue light thingys that will call them). Better to call campus police and look like a dork than lose a $3k laptop ;)
Boxing Equipment Reviews
Most thieves are opportunists. Even a crappy Kensington lock will stop most thefts. Get one that you'll actually use and do so. It may not stop boltcutters or lockpicks, but it will cut your risk by 90%.
Everything. Especially the MAC addresses of all your devices. Most people who would steal a laptop wouldn't be smart enough to change it. When I was in college I would occasionally run into a student who had the foresight to do that. When they came in to report something stolen we could help them out. It's relatively easy to search a network for a specific MAC address and determine which ethernet port or WAP it's connected to. The only people who got their gear back did that, or got really lucky.
If you have a laptop, get insurance. I got burglarized my freshman year, although they didn't see the laptop under all my papers. They did find the playstation 2 though.
If you're worried about data lost, get an external firewire or usb 2.0 and a long cable and hide it away. They're not going to go through your stuff just to find where the usb cable leads to.
As for other matters that are far more important than any laptop:
Make new friends, but keep your old friends from home just as close. Friends from college are different than friends you grew up with. If you're computer science or computer engineer (I assume something along these lines since it's slashdot) make friends in your major. Stick together and do homework together. There's no need for competition and you'll connect with them on a specific level since they share your interests.
Of course, use the internet to find books. Go to the campus bookstore ahead of time, get the ISBNs and go to cheapesttextbooks.com and find the best deals. They search all the sites, like pricewatch, for the best deal.
And finally, don't underestimate the power of alcohol. It can make great friendships, but don't abuse it too much.
always lock it anyway.
if you locked the room, your roomate can't lock your keys in the room while you're in the shower, leaving you standing half naked and dripping wet waiting for your RA to unlock it and laugh at you.
Douglas P. Price
but I have heard plenty of stories about people walking into unlocked rooms. ...and not just when they're not there.
I was up coding at around 5am one Wednesday morning my freshmen year when I some guy popped out of the bathroom and, seeing me, walked down the hall in the other direction. I didn't think much of it.
About 15min later I heard some doorknobs jiggling down the hallway where I couldn't see and I figured people on my hall were getting up. I was a bit shy back then so I shut my door so no one would know the lamer had been up all night (again).
Shortly thereafter the guy next door to me knocked on my door. He asked, "Hey man, were you just in my room?" I said, "No, why?" He told me he thought someone had just been in his room but I didn't know anything so he went back.
He came back to my room again saying, "Holy shit man, someone took my wallet." We called the police but by 7 AM it was clear nothing could be done beyond having me give a description of the guy I saw coming out of the bathroom.
Direct away from face when opening.
Do your homework as soon as possible, the longer you wait the more homework will be stacked up with it.
Grades are determined on Friday Nights:
A students take notes from class and notes from chapter reading and combine them
B students take their notes and file them away
C students watch the D students start to drink.
College is about adapting
WoW: Scheod 70 orc warlock on Shadowmoon
Do all the stuff you are supposed to do:
Exercise 30 minutes a day 5-6 days per week. Find people who want to exercise with you, and mix up your routine with fun things. This is, I think, the most overlooked thing at school. Exercise will give you more energy and a higher IQ.
Take vitamins every day, especially on the days you are hung over. Vitamins are pretty cheap, especially if they give you a little bit of an edge in avoiding sickness.
Drink lots of water. Drink 3 glasses of water right before you go to bed if you have been drinking, and drink another 3 when you wake up after drinking.
I presume you are going into a scientific or computational field. Make sure you have a firm grasp in math and physics before you jump into your other courses--these subjects provide the mental framework you need to succeed.
If you aren't already thinking about it, consider getting a minor in business, or try double-majoring in business along with your primary degree. Figure out the registration system, and locate areas of overlap in requirements for your liberal ed and major classes.
Do your homework right after class, and enjoy your evenings.
When you visit friends and family back home, do not try to show them how much smarter you are than them. Instead, try to understand what they are saying.
Get on a regular sleep schedule.
why do you need porn when the real thing is readily available?
Do you know any universities that will let you keep a gun in the dorm?
There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM and AT&T and DuPont, Dow, General Electric, and Exxon
There is better advice, but almost nobody takes it:
Own cheap expendable toys, buy them used, and don't waste your too-precious time and energy worrying about them. Put a dollar value on anxiety and add it to the price of any big-ticket items you are thinking of getting.
Then take all of that unwasted energy and put it towards having fun. You'd be amazed how much more fun life is when you aren't worrying about your possessions.
You've hit the nail on the head. Have stuff that nobody wants to steal, or at least, that looks like stuff that nobody wants to steal, but that does the job good enough for you. And make sure you can live without it.
I had a crappy bike in college, but it looked really flashy. I left it locked up, but with a crappy cable lock. It got stolen.
I had a great bike that I built myself from an aluminum frame with a bunch of great components. I painted it with a tooth brush, and the handle bar tape looked like it had been put on by a monkey on speed. Don't even get me started on how old the leather bindings on the rat traps were. It looked like crap. I left it all over, unlocked. The only time anyone touched it was when the campus cops picked it up because it wasn't locked.
Most thieves, especially on or near a college campus, are looking for the easy theft and the easy sale. The want to grab something, unload it, and buy their booze/pot/coke/etc. So, don't make your stuff easy to steal, and don't make it look like it's worth stealing.
On a similar topic, don't ever buy something that looks too good to be true, either. It was probably stolen from someone else. People that buy stolen stuff are what cause stuff to be stolen.
BTW, emacs is the ultimate note taking engine. Abbrev mode and outline minor mode make it simple to get down the things your prof is saying in the correct structure.
1) Don't schedule 8:00 a.m. classes. Never. Not for any reason.
2) Go to class every session and sit in the second row. When you later have to argue/beg for a grade, it'll be much easier if the prof recognizes you. This will almost guarantee you a B.
3) Never fall into the trap of thinking that you don't need to know what one of your classes teaches. The only things I regret about my education are the things I didn't pay enough attention to, and now have to learn in a time when learning isn't my full-time occupation.
4) Buy a bottle on N-Acetyl-Cystine and take 2-4 before you go out drinking, especially on a school night. You will thank me.
5) Unless you're taking out loans to attend a private university, don't graduate too fast. You'll want to, by the end, but remember that the real world will always be there for you, whereas you'll spend the rest of your life remembering college fondly, even if you're happy with your family and career.
6) Try as many things as you can, it'll help you learn you who are.
7) Good luck.
Don Negro
Perl 6 will give you the big knob. -- Larry Wall
Amen on that credit card advice!!! Trust me, if you can't eat it, f*ck it, or drive it, you don't NEED it. There's the key....before you spend use credit to acquire a THING...ask yourself REAL hard if you NEED it, or WANT it. You'll likely be moving a lot in the next few years, the less stuff, the better. Wait til your out of school, more or less debt free, then spend the fruits of your labor on good stuff, not middle of the road crap that looks good and performs mediocre. Trust me....lesson that was personally HARD earned.
Gear -- Laptop security hardware
:)
Unless you bring your laptop to every class with you every day, or leave it in your car from time to time, your laptop will be out of your sight for several hours/day. As in, sitting on your desk where your roommate(s) and other dorm buddies might -- if they are the unseemly type -- consider stealing it and selling it while you're gone. In this case, no laptop security hardware will save you -- time is on their side, and your hardware, at best, is a lock strapped to a probably-wooden desk.
That said, a laptop lock is still better than nothing, and for that reason, is worth the investment.
Mostly though, I wouldn't worry *too* much about physical security unless your roommate is untrustworthy. Of course, you won't know that until you've lived with him/her for a few weeks, will you?
Now my other subject:
Sanity -- Self-discipline, time-management, and happiness
Here are my 3 main tips:
1) DO NOT SLACK OFF LIKE IT'S YOUR SENIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL, EVEN FRESHMAN YEAR. Your GPA is King if you want to go on to grad school, med school, law school, etc.. That said, you really only need a minimum of a 3.1-3.2 or so to get into grad school or law school. Med school is harder though.
2) DO NOT SPEND ALL YOUR FREE TIME LEARNING LINUX/*BSD IF YOU HAVE NEVER HAD EXPERIENCE WITH THESE OS'S. They will eat up all your free time (compiling god knows how many libraries you also have to download first, manhandling config files, reading poorly-written documentation, etc.). Learn them over time, but do not live them as I did. OSS is a very small subset of life.
3) DO NOT GET (too) BIG INTO THE CAMPUS LAN-GAMING AND WAREZ SCENES. Warez is too legally-risky these days, and besides, it requires lots and lots of manual searching; Google doesn't cut it here, and thus it takes lots of time to get the philez you want. It usually isn't worth it.
Welcome to the reasons I voluntarily dropped out of a major, well-funded, well-respected 2nd-tier science/engineering university, and will now be finishing up my degree at a shitty, underfunded 4th-tier liberal-arts state school.
Oh, and one more:
4) Don't fall into the "I wanna be a God admin/coder" trap and ignore women (or men, if you prefer) and dating for your 4 years of college. This has been the biggest reason I am a bitter, unhappy man in my early-mid 20s. I am only just now learning how to date women, and am still a virgin. [1] Most guys (about 73%) get laid by the time they're 18. Me? I might as well be a hardcore loony-bin Christian straight-edger waiting until marriage for sex, so far as I count, statistically.
I have a monetarily-successful life (almost certainly) coming to me in spite of all of the above, because I have managed to determine and pull myself up from my failings, but in doing so, like I said, I'm as bitter and unhappy a man as anybody I know.
I have discovered after years of soul-searching that money isn't everything (and if you read my previous posts, you will find that I am a diehard believer in the free-market, and resultingly, money transactions). Friends, love, laughter, and the free time and freedom to choose your own path in life are. Of those, my life is sorely lacking the first 3 (of any quality, at least). Money makes all of those things easier to obtain, and it makes those things go more-smoothly and easily. But money is the means, *not* the end...
Don't waste the most-vital years of your life geeking-out like I did. Go out, party, get drunk, get laid every weekend. Do your homework too, and if you're in CS or Engineering, you may well have to sacrifice a party or two to do the assignments, but what I have just described is a far-better balance than I have achieved the last 4 years in school.
Work hard during the week, and party hard on the weekends. That is how co
Is Capitalism Good for the Poor?
Try to apply this to more than sex. If you're going to a good school, people are doing a lot of freaky cool stuff. Get involved, and keep an open mind. Don't give into conformity when it comes to any group, jock or geek- try a lot of things out, figure out what you like, and persue it.
If your college doesn't have lots of crazy/cool/fun stuff going on, and you aren't finding anything you really enjoy, transfer, take a year off, or at least find some new friends. It's a big world and there are lots of options, so don't squander your time doing the same old BS. Find a way to grow, learn, find talents you didn't know you had, whatever.
2. Class. A good education is important, but don't let it interfere with #1.
Actually, yes- class is very important, but never let your schooling get in the way of your education. Focusing too much on grades and toeing the line can make you miss out on truly educational experiences. Learn everything you can from wherever you can. Work hard on your classwork, work hard on your social life, work hard on your soul. And remember: Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
3. Network. Not TCP/IP, but people. Every job you get in the future is going to be because of who you know, so get to know a LOT of people. Get to know them well so they don't forget you.
True. Knowing people can be a great resource. Also, learning how to deal with people can be a great resource, and college is a good time to practice on a wide variety of people. Ignoring all that, knowing lots of people and staying pretty much on people's good side will make college a lot more fun, whether it's useful or not.
4. The Law. Graduating from college doesn't erase your law record, so don't get arrested.
In other words, a little mischeif makes for good memories, but keep it light and harmless. One really bad mistake can screw your life up for several years, so just try not to get into too much trouble.
5. The Dollar. You are going to get a lot of offers for credit cards. Credit cards are not 'free money'. If you can't pay cash for it, and if you haven't managed to save enough money to buy it in the last 6 months, what makes you think you are going to earn enough money in the next 6 months to pay for whatever you are considering putting on plastic? Graduating from college doesn't erase your credit history either, so don't screw it up.
Not really going to add anything here. I just quoted it for repitition. This is one you can't hear enough.
7. Take a few classes for personal enrichment.
I have to shout this, being slashdot and all: DON'T JUST TAKE COMPUTER/ENGINEERING COURSES! Take some philosophy, psychology, literature, etc. You know, useless stuff. Read some Plato. If you don't like it, find me in the forums, I'll talk to you about it.
This hooks in nicely with my adaptations of #1, #2, and #3. College should be opening you up to new things. Try things you don't know about. Make friends with good people you don't understand. Take classes about interesting topics that are over your head. Learn a musical instrument. You'll be glad you did.
Most of all, have fun. If you don't like what you're studying, then what you're studying is preparing you for a career that you won't like. Find something you love, and study that, and you'll figure the rest out later.
What else... what else...? Ok, I can only think of one more thing. Don't believe everything "smart people" tell you. Smart people can be wrong too, professor or not. Stupid people can be right. Like I said before, keep an open mind and learn whatever you can where you can. If someone says something you don't understand, don't just assume he's right and you don't understand, and don't just assume he's wrong, and therefore not worth paying attenti
Amen - if you think late-teen / early-twenties women are hot, wait till you catch up to the 40yo single women. In a nutshell,
/. today...
- many remember their wilder younger days, and want to relive them after a marriage/relationship ends
- many/most know what they actually enjoy, and will happily tell you if you ask (unlike many 20yo women)
- give them what they want, and they'll give you what you want, almost without exception. Again, big difference from many 20yo women
- financial independence is a wonderful thing!
Best of all, the tables are almost completely turned from when I was ~18. Then, my sex drive was sky high and I would do just about anything to get laid. Now, my sex drive is (relatively) under control while theirs is sky high; hello, home-cooked dinners and fully catered TV football games with your mates around!
Now I'd better make a call to ensure *someone special* doesn't read
For 1.
be careful also.
Just because someone can afford to go to college does not mean they are clean. I'm not talking about AIDS, most people are tested for that. I'm talking about genital warts, herpes, and other fun STDs.
A freshman girl came to school last year without being tested, and spread HPV (genital warts) to 9 other people, which then fanned out to probably about 30 at this point. Numbers are one in two or one in four of the people you meet at college will be exposed to HPV. Then if you are a responsible partner, you will have to inform other partners before hooking up with them. If you aren't, well then you don't deserve to have sex knowingly spreading a possible cancer causing illness.
And avoid sleeping with anyone on you hall. It probably wont last, and it makes things weird.
1) Don't get drunk. I'm not saying don't drink, but don't get drunk. I believe the statistic goes that 1 in 5 girls are raped in college, and that alcohol is involved in most of the cases. Besides, don't you want to remember your fun and sexual experiences? I'm glad I remember mine.
2) Don't accept drinks from others or leave your drinks behind and pick them up later. I don't care if s/he's your best friend, turn it down and get your own drink. Doesn't matter what time of day it is. Be careful. If this doesn't make sense to you, reread #1.
3) Read "The Debt-Free Graduate", "You Are Smarter Than You Think!", all college advice books, and anything by Patrick Combs. Good advice there. Check them out at your college library or at the college bookstore. I ran into these my fifth year of college, and I wish I had read them sooner.
4) Major in your passion, not what your parents or teachers suggested you major in. I majored in Computer Science and I don't regret it. Unfortunately, I majored in it too late in my college career, and it didn't work out, so...
5) Always have a backup plan when things don't work out. If you end up not majoring in your passion for some reason, at least come out with a degree, even if it's a Bachelor in General Studies.
You do realize you've just depressed the hell out of all the geeks out there who will never have sex in college...much less in life.
There's a silent majority of people for which sex doesn't play a major part in their life. For one reason or another, mostly looks and the inability to socialize, there are some who will go their whole life without the sex you describe as "freaky". I've longed for "freaky" sex with a hot college chick all my life, thing is, now I'm old enough to be their dad. If I were you, I'd simply shut the hell up about how great sex is in college, because it pisses the hell out of us who don't get it to no end. Keep your sexual acts to yourselves. It just isn't good for a person to know about the enjoyment other people are having.
So piss off!
. . . I'm scared to death of getting my girlfriend pregnant
1. Condoms are at least 98% effective. Combine that with another form of contraception, and you stand a very good chance of avoiding pregnancy.
2. The morning-after pill is available throughout the US for emergency situations.
3. Abortions are not "easy" -- I've had relationships with women who've had them, and it's almost always been a harrowing experience. But, it was always the right choice for them, and they would do it all over again.
4. Only have sex with people you trust.
5. Either lighten-up about sex, or practice abstinence. There's no reason to be scared to death about sex if you're properly educated about it (and I don't mean the Right-wing Christian Fundamentalist "sex-ed" so popular in high schools these days).
Also, the hot chicks are all taking Psych or Sociology.
Speaking from experience, both recent and remote, the parent is both oh so right and oh so wrong.
NEVER date a psych major. I would seriously recommend staying away from the discipline entirely as the temptation is usually irresistible. I'm convinced they learn stuff in those classes you couldn't learn from navy seals interrogation training.
I have no idea about the Sociology majors, but I do highly recommend entomology if you can take some of those classes. I've met many a very cute, super-cool bug-loving girl in my day, and have found their worth and demeanor to be much more reliable.
Of course, most generalizations are crap, but the thing about crazy Psych majors stands up to the test of time. Do yourself a favor and run like hell when that cute psych student starts making eyes, you may end up a research subject.
Of blankness, I know nothing.
This is mainly reiterating what has gone before, but I would advise that you buy a desktop computer rather than a laptop. Take lecture notes with paper, though not at the cost of listening to the lecturer. As soon as possible after the lecture transcribe your notes to your computer. The act of transcribing them forces you to reread and think about them while the lecture is still fresh in your mind.
Partying advice: Alternate soft and alcoholic drinks. Always have at least one drink fewer than the person you are trying to chat up. Party with as many different people and in as many different styles as you can over the course of the year. Never worry about not being cool enough to go to any particular party; it's staying in your room that's not cool.
Security: As has been said, always lock your door and make sure everything is insured.
Those who do not learn from Dilbert are doomed to repeat it.
First, you have to understand the psychology of the thief, and them make him NOT want to steal any of your stuff.
The simplest way is to make it not worth their while, and I personally think the fastest way is with a can of spraypaint and some artistic licence.
Ever wanted to spraypaint your deck cool camoflage colours just like the 'leet Hackers in That Film With The Cute Girl? Go ahead! You'll screw it up, repaint it silver, get funny bubbles on the case where the paint reacted with the plastic, and accidentally wipe off the key labels with acetone... and then your gear will be completely unique, instantly recogniziable, and often unsellable at pawn shops.
The more beige and standard your gear, the more likely it will get nicked.
My laptop got "stolen" (possibly by someone I knew) some years back, and turned up a few days later under a nearby tree. It was covered in unique PsiCore stickers, and whoever had "borrowed" it had failed to even get past the linux login prompt... CLI's are another great theft-prevention device.
Some final words of advice, since many, many other threads seem to be filled with hints on how to have Frequi Sex with Crazy Girls...
1. Never forget: Safe, Sane, Consensual.
2. Everyone else in University is having a LOT less sex than they say they are, or you think they are. (Trust me on this.)
3. The ones that tell you they're having sex don't realize how badly they're doing it. (One night fumbles simply don't compare to a lover who knows you well. Trust me on that too.)
4. Crazy girls are fun, but they're still crazy.
Jeremy Lee | Orinoco
My freshman year, I lived with 3 guys that were basically married and had "TC Syndrome" - TOO COOL. They were too cool for the 'dorks' on our floor. Too cool for the ugly girls. Too cool for the fat girls.
Let me tell you something, kids. You are NOT too good for anyone. Everyone out there has something good to offer. That fat girl? Not only does she end up being really fun to hang with, but she has some HOT friends. And guess what -- those hot friends will LOVE you when they realize that you're a good dude and you can proudly hug the big girl in front of everyone.
Don't limit yourself. I would do anything - ANYTHING - to have my freshman year back. Don't conform. It took me 2 years to make up for all the friends i should have made as a freshman. Don't conform.
And also, to the original ask-slashdotter - assuming you're a computer nerd, don't get mad when people want help from you... but make sure you let them know that it'll cost you a 12-pack - 6 for you, 6 for them, and then go out with them. What a great way to make friends.
God I'd kill to have it all back. I'm now about to enter my 5th and final year, and i'm calling it "Freshman Year Part II" - doing all the stupid things (without getting arrested... i kinda want a job) that I should have done freshman year. Don't waste it.
PS: If you do turn into a party animal like i have, then do your schoolwork early in the day so that you can go out at night. Party animals who procrastinate too don't make it in college.
Sleep, Grades, Social Life -- CHOOSE TWO.
Berto