Attn: Present & Future College Students, Think carefully before you mentor

[Stephen Kowski]

I can't help but agree with many of the points made in this thread about time management, grades, and staying in school. It is important, and in my first year in college while starting a new team at a new school (<2 yrs in existance) I did not do well I will admit (I failed a course, and got a D in my first two semesters). Would I have done the exact same thing knowing that my grades were poor and I put myself in a bad situation with my school and family? In a heartbeat. It was more than rewarding to see the student's lives I have had some kind of impact on and to pass on an opportunity that was afforded to me.

I guess my point is not to pat myself on the back here, but rather to share my experience of it looking bad for a long time. Now all that being said I don't agree that this is some kind of scary thing that all students cannot possibly handle. It is possible, I know because I know a lot of people that keep showing up every year (StudManDan, George1902, RogerR, etc etc) despite it being a juggling act. The key is that this is an exercise in balance and time management.

Anything is going to be too much if you overdo it and forget about the rest that is why this is such a balancing act and should be thought of as such. Are there people that go to college and overdo a co-op or internship opportunity? Yes. Are there people that go to college and overdo partying? You bet. Are there people that overdo and study too much and don't realize the college experience they are missing? ABSOLUTELY.

To get to the point grades are important, but they aren't the only thing in college and learning the skill in college of how to balance what is and isn't important in your life is an important one that will serve you throughout your life.

I don't like the thought that this is so insurmountable that you cannot in any terms pull off FIRST, a job, on campus student organization involvement, or something else. You can, it just takes a realization that it will not be easy. Being "selfish" is good in some respects, but sometimes through these kinds of threads students can become intimidated to get their feet wet in the FIRST college environment and end up doing nothing but paying lip service to FIRST.

Don't, I repeat, don't miss out on your college experience by sitting in your room and studying 24/7 because putting yourself in a bubble is not how the world works. It is OK to fail, it is OK to make mistakes, but just try to regulate it and not give up.