Ten General Rules For College

Occasionally, I will offer advice, and this particular segment centers on college-bound kids and punks.

1.  College isn't free.  Someone (maybe not you) is paying for your tuition, or you might be crazy enough to borrow the money.  Don't waste  time like you did in high school.

2.  Look around on day one of the freshman year.  Twenty-five percent of the folks you meet....won't be back next year.  They were either not ready for the situation, or just thought you could slide by.

3.  If you got some social agenda and intend to break up classes or lectures....remember that the system is built to suspend you, or terminate you from the school.

4.  Ask about professors and their quality ahead of time.  You could be sitting in a class with an Einstein-like guy giving you tons of information, or some dimwit named Wanda who will give a 3x5 card worth of information over a whole semester.

5.  If you came for NCAA tickets or sports action....you probably won't be around for the second year.

6.  If you get into girl-trouble and there's legal accusations....the real cops might come for you.  Just remember that.

7.  In four years, that degree will be your meal-ticket in life.

8.  Your chief acquisition in life from college is the ability to analyze, prioritize, and assess what's in front of you.....the knowns and the unknowns.  If by the end of the second year....you get the feeling that none of this is coming across....you need to asses the program and if you need to move out of the university.

9.  If you fall into some company of individuals with some radical social agenda....ask yourself where exactly they will be in twenty years....working at some pizza shop or manager of some program.  At that point, you might want to separate yourself from these new friends, and move on.

10.  The world needs people with French literature degrees, and expertise in penguins....it's just that a dozen or so of these folks are needed each year.  The world needs engineers, scientists, and businessmen.....hundreds of thousands are needed each year.  If you want to major in penguin research....you better be one of the top ten guys in the world, or have a plan 'B' to work at some airport car rental shop later in life.