University life surival tips

Well, here we are again, facing another 16 weeks of University of Hawai`i. Sixteen weeks of pressure, midterms, sleepless nights, and hot, hot weather.

Gosh, it seems like it's only been a week since the summer ended.

For some, this is because the last 14 weeks have flown by at the speed of light, leaving nothing but a big blur of time spent at parties and fun at the beach.

For others, like me, it's because they've spent 12 of those 14 weeks beat their heads against the wall trying to remember Japanese kanji and the four "P's" of marketing, all the while working six or seven days a week between two part-time jobs so they can earn back the $2,000 they spent on tuition.

Ah, yes. Welcome back to school, boys and girls.

This semester you'll find yourself wondering just what in the world you were thinking when you registered. At times, you'll wonder why UH seems dead set against your plan to graduate with a four-year degree in four years.

You'll wonder why the admissions office waits until October, long after the drop deadline, to tell you what transfer credits were accepted.

You'll wonder why the Marriott Food Service prices chewing gun at 17 sticks to the dollar while keeping five-stick packs at 25 cents.

And perhaps most importantly, you'll ponder the true pronunciation of the "Mos" in Mos Burger. Does it have a short "o," as in "moss," or a long "o," like "mose"?

If it stands for "most" then why didn't they put an apostrophe, indicating a missing "t"? Once can almost certainly assume it's not "moss," but since we'll eat stuff like nori (seaweed), who can say the stretch to moss consumption is unrealistic?

(As a side note, I visited Mos Burger last Tuesday, and remain unimpressed. Perhaps as a result of my critical, journalistic nature, I have decided not to eat at any restaurant that cannot remember to put a space between the words "teriyaki" and "chicken.")

But in order to make your life easier, I have decided to include a few bits of advice on how to make your time here a bit more productive. After all, none of this is anything those other newspapers will tell you.

FAFSA -- ASAP
First and foremost, be sure to turn in your Free Application for Federal Student Aid AS SOON SA POSSIBLE. Trust me, there are many reasons for this.

\At worst, you can get an Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, which can land you a $5,500 loan at a low 8.25 percent interest rate that you can pay off after you graduate.

IF that seems high, consider this: the only other time in your life you'll be able to get a loan with a rate like that will be if you put up your house as collateral.

The only problem with this application is that it takes a long time to process. This is because the Financial Aid Office is severely understaffed due to recent budget cuts, leaving staff members with two to three times the workload of a typical Mainland university.

In my case, even though I turned in my application in June, I probably won't receive any money until the middle of the semester.

No matter what it takes, be it threats to your parents or missing out on the Groundhog Day festivities, get those applications in as close to the beginning of the year as you can.

Seeking a significant other? Think long term.
If you focus on the short-term stuff like "Even though he's a jerk, that boy is FINE!" or "So what if she's a psycho, she's HOT!" you'll only end up in a world of hurt with no one to blame but yourself.

Always take into account the kind of exit strategy you're setting yourself up for. If you're a guy going after a girl with nothing more than that "one thing" on your mind, reconsider. That girls is going to be on this campus and this island a lot longer than you're counting on.

And if you're a girls checking out that cute guy, be careful, no matter how stable and secure he seems. In this crazy age of stalkings and bombings, you'll do well to avoid candidacy for either.

(If you're not either of those two categories mentioned above, I'm sorry, but I don't have much advice to offer you at this time.)

"What am I doing here, anyway"
I recommend that all students figure out for themselves why they're even here. If you're here to please your parents or juts "get a degree," go somewhere else -- like community college. UH won't be worth your time or money. If you're not willing to be a good student, sit out a year and work full-time in the retail or food service industry.

Your time here can be spent either building a valuable resource for your future or creating an embarrassment for your resume. Think about it: What scholarship ever went to the best partier or the person who slacked off the most?

And what kind of professor is going to happily recommend you to a good firm if he can't even remember your face, or cheerfully give you advice on your career if you don't even care enough to get to class on time?

Keep tabs on your own progress


As a general rule, never trust your counselors. Believe me, they are very human, and they take full advantage of the fact they are not responsible for their mistakes. Your best bet will be to spend an hour figuring out for yourself what classes you'll need to take, and then CONSULT the counselor for advice. In my case, my College of Business counselor overlooked the fact I had already completed my life science requirement.

Had I not already done her work for her, I would have been stuck here another semester after my supposed May 1999 graduation date.

Just do it. Something, anything.

Get involved -- this goes for Mainland and foreign students especially.

Let's fact it, you're here, at least 2,500 miles away from home, with no one to tell you what you can or can't do. Your free time can be spent on either video games and the Pepsi Pop Culture Quiz or something constructive, like getting to know people.

At he Campus Center Information Desk you can get a list of all the religious, cultural, and activity-based Registered Independent Organizations (RIOs) on campus.

These listings, for groups ranging from the Malaysian Student Association to the FOCUS campus ministry, come complete with phone numbers and contacts for those interested. There's bound to be something that interests you. Pick something.

If there's any doubt as to whether this is good advice, consider this: Having spent a total of four years studying at four different colleges (community college and summers elsewhere), I know what I'm talking about.

Use your common sense, and decide on a plan of action for your time here.

Make sure it won't be wasted.