Dr. Robert Campbell's top 10 list

Dr. Robert Campbell’s Top Ten Tips for New Students

1. RE-INVENT YOURSELF

The university experience offers you a chance to start over — almost to be re-born
Most of us daydream about this: to wake up with a chance to start again
When you come to university — particularly a residential on like Mount Allison — you have a chance to start again
One of the most interesting things about this moment is that we don’t know you — but we soon will, and you basically have to prove yourself all over again — to your peers, profs, staff members
But unlike in your old life, we have no biases about you — we (as well as your new peers) will take you for who you are and what you do — not for some image or received wisdom about you
Let me assure you that there will not many chances in life like this: so I encourage you use it as fully as possible

2. DO AT LEAST ONE WILD AND CRAZY OUT OF CHARACTER THING EACH YEAR

Try something different or daring each year — perhaps something that you have secretly wanted to do but were timid or unsure about — something that will stretch you.
The university is a bit like a buffet restaurant: there is an incredible array of choices – some familiar and some not so familiar or brand new. Like the buffet, the trick is to balance the familiar with the new items — while not overindulging
And at a place like Mount A, you will have new and fantastic access to different things — where you can try and gain access to almost everything from day one
On the academic side: we offer a smorgasbord of courses and ideas: try at least one new thing a year. This will contribute to your reinvention or confirm your satisfaction with the status quo or your understanding of your strengths
On the extracurricular front — join a new club or society. These new activities — with different kinds of ideas, new circumstances, and interesting people — can really be transforming for you

3. PUSH YOURSELF INTO DEEPER WATERS

Many of you are at the top or best of your class: you have talent. In being here: you have also basically won the lottery
You have a tremendous opportunity: use it
You may or may not have to work longer or harder or give up sleep or time on Facebook — that might be the case for some of you who were able to coast a bit in high school
More importantly, qualitatively, you will have to push yourself to be a bit more creative and imaginative, to become a deeper and more conceptual thinker
Indeed, at this point in your life, you should want to make yourself a smarter and more interesting and more capable person than you already are
But more importantly, it will generate a sense of confidence, satisfaction and self-esteem that will propel you to even bigger and better things

4 USE TIME WISELY— RUN YOUR LIFE, DON'T LET LIFE RUN YOU

There is a mixed situation here. On the one hand, you may have days with only a couple of hours or even no hours of class — this may seem less onerous than in high school (science aside!). On the other hand, you will be carrying FIVE courses — not three or four courses — and you will want to be involved in your residence and in the university community
And the term is 12 weeks, not 4-5 months. It literally flies by: it is a very dense experience
You have to get this under control under your terms. It’s more than simply time management: although that is a serious issue and you had better get organized and down to work quickly. If you are not on top of things by Thanksgiving, you are likely toast
What’s really important is that you control the ebb and flow of things and you control time and pressure, or else it will run you and make your life miserable

5 YOU’RE AN ADULT NOW — TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF

People here are going to treat you as an adult and what happens here — and its consequence for you — will be considered to be your responsibility
Sure, bad things will happen: many of them outside of your immediate control; Murphy’s Law is, after all, a Law
In your life, you have a chance to become a first class whiner and complainer about these things
There are many boring rules, regulations, deadlines, etc:
Personal relationships will tank, there will be a distracting jerk in your residence or in your class, the weather will suck, there’s never enough money, you will get a bad cold, and your i-Pod or computer will crash
You can bemoan your fate and point your complaining finger elsewhere or you can put your head down, figure out how circumstances can really suck, and then get on with figuring out how to control or contain these things.
Loads and loads of both good and bad things will happen in university on a day-to-day basis:
The best strategy is to count your blessings for the former and to learn and develop skills and tactics to deal with the latter. Now is the time to become a pro: to stand on your own two feet and take charge of your life for yourself.

6 USE US AND THE RESOURCES OF THE UNIVERSITY

You are not on your own. The university has an enormous and rich infrastructure of staff, supports and resources
Find out what and who they are and how to use them to your advantage
Ask questions, and ask again, and ask again — there is an army of people on campus wearing GREAT ANSWERS Buttons — ask and ask until you have things figured out
Don’t guess or go around dazed and confused
Get it figured out — but use us to get there
But remember: in the last analysis, it’s your responsibility to get up and use us; it’s your responsibility to make the best use of us

7 BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR INSTRUCTORS AND PEERS

What’s the most important thing in the university? It is not the programs or the books or the buildings — although, heaven knows they are important. The most important resource here and what makes Mount Allison special, is the people
They are a precious, valuable resource for you, and you are a valuable resource for them
The University is the site of a perpetual reciprocity: where we all do things for each other, consciously and unconsciously
We do this both in an existential sense — the human support and comfort we provide to each other — as well as a resource for knowledge, technique, and advice
You should try and build relationships with your professors, your tutorial leaders, the university staff, and with each of the departments with which you connect
What makes our job interesting and satisfying is seeing the human and personal results that we participate in or shape. How we experience this is by getting to know you and by watching you develop
So, introduce yourself to your Profs and instructors, your department chairs, your dept secretaries, your staff in residence, student life and activities

8,9,10 Read,Read,Read; Write,Write,Write; Talk,Talk,Talk

8 READ, READ, READ

This is the single most important thing that you must do — read and read a lot: papers, magazines, articles, books. This is training to be intellectually fit — to get smart — that is a necessary condition for everything else that you do
Parents:

Don’t send food (they have plenty and it is very good)
Don’t send them money (it corrupts and breeds bad habits and, besides, you surely want to give that to us)
Rather, give some quality magazine and newspaper subscriptions & a supply of general books and novels

Students: Get reading daily– outside your course work and stretch yourself and read in related areas

9 WRITE, WRITE, WRITE

This is the most important skill that you should develop. Your grades depend on it — we write a lot in university. In the future, your ability to write well, quickly, and succinctly will separate you from others: employers tell us
Write as much as you can, then re-write it, and then write it again: improve your writing
One of the great features of the computer: ease of editing — use this technology for its positive end

10 TALK, TALK, TALK

That’s what we do here in university: we talk a lot, maybe we do it too much! We debate, discuss, argue, communicate, learn, and share
It’s the way we connect with each other and with the world and how we push and test ourselves, confirm our ideas, express our feelings and values, stand accountable for what we think or believe in
It’s the way we interact and use each other intellectually and socially; it’s the way that you meet and engage with people, your peers, the community, and your profs
And it’s the way in which you will sell and market yourself in your future careers