Vision Circle

Some Advice for College Students

YOUR Life

• Your mother believes in you. Your father believes in you. Your family believes in you. God believes in you. This counts for a lot, but it really doesn’t mean anything if you don’t believe in yourself.
• Your preparation has gotten you to the point where you are now. You have to continue to prepare yourself to get to the point where you want to be. But you have to prepare yourself to go beyond that point.
• Don’t be afraid to do things some people say you can’t do. Don’t be afraid to try to do things they say that can’t be done. If you fail, at least you tried. If you succeed, you prove them wrong. If you never tried, you’ll never know.

YOUR Personal Responsibility

• Your safety is your responsibility. “Date rape” or “friend rape” happens when you allow yourself to get into situations that you cannot handle. Do not allow yourself to be alone with someone and assume that he will not try to get you to have sex. No means no but many people believe that saying “no” is just a part of the “game”. Remember, “The only thing open at 2AM is legs”.
• When a young woman says “No”, it means “No”.
• You are more than what is between your legs.
• You have to act as though every picture you take will be placed on the internet. Will your family be ashamed of the picture you take?
• You have to act as though every video you are in will be placed on the internet. Will your family be ashamed of your behavior in the video?
• “Bootie cams” are sure to get raves from your boys, but what about the young women being disrespected?
• You will be judged by the company you keep.
• Blacks between the ages of 20-35 are 55% of the reported HIV/AIDS cases in the United States. Washington D.C. and Baltimore are the number 1 and number 2 “leaders” in that category. The “South” is seeing a big increase in the number of HIV/AIDS cases.
• Many people will get to school and then get “buck wild” their first year. They will spend the next 3 years trying to live down what they did in their first year. Years after you graduate, you will remember the young women and young men who got “buck wild”.
• In a couple of weeks or months, many people will lose their reputation because they are “sexing” around or drinking or drugging. They will never get their reputation back at the school; NEVER.
• No matter how many credit card offers you get, DO NOT GET A CREDIT CARD! You will get into debt and it will be your responsibility to pay off the debt. You may already be in debt from the cost of your education. Why make it worse by being $1,000 in debt that you have to pay back with an 18% interest rate.
• If you are at a party, never drink anything that you haven’t opened yourself. If you leave your drink, don’t drink it. People will put something in your drink and take advantage of the situation. Your safety is your responsibility.
• Never leave the door to your room unlocked. Make sure your roommate never leaves the door to your room unlocked. NO MATTER HOW QUICKLY YOU THINK YOU WILL BE BACK TO YOUR ROOM.

YOUR Education Responsibility

• Associate with people who are serious about their education.
• You will do better if you study with people who are serious about their education. Study groups are important.
• Find people who are 1 or 2 years ahead of you in your major.

o They can help you avoid the bad professors.
o They can help you try to get the good professors.
o They can give you study tips.
o They can give you past quizzes and tests.
o They can help you with the classes you need to take.

• Find a quiet place to study. There will be places that many people go to “study,” but they will be more about socializing than studying. You have to find out where those places are and avoid them when you really need to study.
• You will have a counselor assigned to you. Make sure the counselor knows your name and face. You do this by visiting him or her on a regular basis.
• Keep track of the number of credit hours you have earned and the number of credit hours you need to meet your degree requirements.
• The first day of classes, you will get a syllabus. Make a copy of each syllabus you receive. Tape one onto the inside front page of your notebook for the class. Keep the other in a folder that you keep in your room.
• It is your responsibility to keep up with your work. This is college. The professor will not keep behind you to get your work done. If it is not turned in, you will get a zero.
• Know the deadlines for the Add/Drop dates.
• It is your responsibility to make sure that the number of credits you have earned matches what the administration office says you have earned.