1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. This is how I count semesters, not fall or spring or freshman year, etc. Most people say first year, sophomore, junior, senior but that changes every year so I make it easy. 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. These are how I refer to class rankings of people, and I have known many. Being the history major, I want to help my younger classmates with lessons I have learned in my 8 semesters. That is the only function of my column below, so if you want to know who I have to thank, fast-forward to the end.
1) You can save a lot of money with textbooks by looking for them in the library first. After that, ask for them through the interlibrary loan. After that, post a facebook status asking to borrow/rent/trade them from friends who have already taken the class. After that, go to Amazon. After that, go to barnesandnoble.com. Never buy any printed textbooks from the Trinity Bookstore. Ever.
2) You can save time in the long run by reading your textbooks (at least the humanities ones) and taking annotated notes on what you read after every chapter or making chapter summaries. This way you show up on Syllabus Day having done 50-100 percent of the reading assignments. You are an expert and have all the bases covered. But how do I know what books I will need for next semester? http://trinityuniv.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TBWizardView?catalogId=10001&storeId=19055&langId=-1(Sounds like a pain in the ass and requires a lot of effort, but if you are bored on summer/winter vacation, its worth every hour spent reading and working).
3) Someone sometime somewhere is going to ask you to participate in something unexpected. Whether its going to an athletic game, going to a student organization meeting, playing video games, watching a movie, fountaining a friend or engaging in shenanigans; go to it. Those butterflies in your stomach and the overhanging dark cloud of homework can be vanquished with one word: “yes.” You will have the rest of your life to write that paper or work on that lab report, but these are uniquely social circumstances that make these four years different than the next 40 years.
4) Read LeeRoy and take advantage of what it offers you on campus. (O_O)
Well, those are all of my words of wisdom to my peers I am leaving behind. In the end, you all are the people who make this institution special to me. I would also like to thank my mother and father for their wonderful support, and my girlfriend. Thank you very much Trinity, and I wish you all the best of luck.
Jacob Hugentobler is graduating with a degree in history. He has been a member of Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society, Trinity Stand Band and Swashbucklers.
