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

[miscall]

As a Junior, I'm just starting to really worry about college, but I know one thing for sure: There is no way I am going to give up FIRST. One of the main criteria I have while looking for a school is if they have a connection to FIRST or not. I know that I'm going to have a rough time mentoring and having college, but it can't possibly be any worse than the 12 hours days I'm pulling now. I may have to not go through college with my current 3.9 GPA, but I'm positive the benefits to both myself and the team I'm mentoring will make up for it.

I can't think of going any period of time, yet alone the 4-8 years I'm going to be in college, without FIRST in my life. I'm probably not the only one with this attitude, and I think that is what is driving many of the current college mentors to put themselves through the trials and tribulations of basically having two full time jobs and not getting paid for either.

[EricH]

As a college sophomore, I bring an interesting perspective. Let me note, there isn't a FIRST team, period, within at least a couple of hours driving time, though there is some interest in having one. Yet, there are 3 FIRST alumni/mentor types at my college.

For the three of us, one is not very involved at this time, at least from what I can see. One mentors a team from here, as I did last year (though I had a longer distance...). As for myself, I confine myself to using CD as my primary means of getting my "FIRST fix", though I did volunteer at a regional over spring break.

FIRST should not be your primary criterion for choosing a college. FIRST is an added bonus. And as for whether or not it'll be worse than 12-hour days, it will be. Maybe not your freshman year, but your sophomore year, if you're an engineering student, is the worst. I'm taking 14 credits (that's 42 hours per week, roughly) and I'm having "fun" getting the work done. My previous years, I took more credits and had fewer problems getting work in. Trust me, it'll be bad.

Instead of FIRST, how about this: keep your ties to FIRST and volunteer during breaks while finding another competition in college. There are plenty of them; I know that my college has 12 competition teams in one group, with many more that aren't as recognized. More are being added.

So go ahead, find something new and different. Branch out a bit. Do College VEX, maybe. Keep your ties to FIRST strong, and when you graduate, come back with more knowledge and help a team.

[Molten]

For this one, I got to agree with Erich. You really got to consider the college as a whole. As for the involvement with FIRST, you can definitely stay involved regardless of where you go. Whether it is doing like Eric and keeping track on CD or doing what I do(find a team that happens to be nearby) you will have the choice of involvement. Besides, freshmen year is relatively easy if you are a good student and don't become obsessed with partying or anything of the sort. Also, I find it great to pop in on my old team everytime I get a break from school. It's nice to see the familiar faces.

I would definitely suggest a cut back on the level of involvement with FIRST for college. You will not have as much time to do everything you do now. Just checking up on a team once a week and offering a bit of help is a lot of fun and keeps your mind sharp. Being at all the team meetings and having a heavy hand in the design/work, will just lead to undo stress and lower grades. Remember, some candy is good...too much gives you a stomach ache. The same goes with work. I really do enjoy working. But too much just gives me a headache and leaves me exhausted.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Ben,
I have to agree with the with Eric & Jason. I know that First is a big part of your life right now and it seems hard to imagine anything without it being part of your daily activity. However, just like other outside interests, it is not the end all of our existence. A wise man once said, "get a job doing something you love and you will never work a day in your life". Plan on your career and college choice to achieve that goal and other things will fall into place on their own. If First is part of that, great. If it is not, there are worse things in life. We are here to prepare you for college and life, not to make you a life long Firster. You will make us proud no matter what path you choose.

[Arefin Bari]

Originally Posted by miscall

As a Junior, I'm just starting to really worry about college, but I know one thing for sure: There is no way I am going to give up FIRST.

I told myself the same thing back in fall of 2005. Now I am here and this will probably be my last season with a team for a while until I set my life straight. I am one of those college students who put FIRST before everything.

I hope my post helps you understand how you should make your decision about being involved in FIRST while in college. Throughout the years, I have skipped classes to be in the machine shop (of course I had to stay up nights to make up for school but it's not easy to do so). I have always talked to my professors about being involved in FIRST and they were supportive of it. I have also taken semesters off so I can make some money and be involved with FIRST.

Of course, you can be involved and go to school at the same time; but I would highly suggest to not to be involved 100%. If I could change back anything in the last 4 years; it would be to only work on events I have organized and volunteer at the events.

[laurenlacy]

I will offer up something that I haven't really seen much of in this thread... that college FIRST programs, when well organized, can actually help you in many ways.

Purdue FIRST Programs has given me some of the best friends, memories, and study buddies I could ever ask for. I think the key is that it is well organized, with professor support and a structure that allows you to find the area you fit in best.

As a freshman in college you will be overwhelmed with choices, I know I was. I would encourage you to go beyond FIRST... I am in Purdue FIRST Programs but I am also a member of a sorority and a member of SWE. But if you can't imagine your life without FIRST you don't have to.

I will echo the comments above--choose a college. If it has a FIRST Program, great. If it doesn't, that's great too. There are so many ways to stay involved, from volunteering at an event over your spring break to being an active member of the CD community.

IF, however, you end up at one of the few colleges that have established FIRST programs, I highly recommend it. My friends from Purdue FIRST are friends I know I will have the rest of my life. Many of us are in Engineering, and we get together and work on homework. There are always older members of the organization who have taken a class you're in, and they can be a treasure trove of information for you.

You will have 20 hour days, you will have all nighters. It does get harder, especially if you pursue an engineering degree. Whatever you choose to do, get involved on campus. Join a club relating to your major so that you can make friends who care about academics. Join a club that doesn't relate to your major so that you can be well rounded. Whatever you do, LOVE it.

[Molten]

Originally Posted by laurenlacy

You will have 20 hour days, you will have all nighters. It does get harder, especially if you pursue an engineering degree. Whatever you choose to do, get involved on campus. Join a club relating to your major so that you can make friends who care about academics. Join a club that doesn't relate to your major so that you can be well rounded. Whatever you do, LOVE it.

My experience is that 20 hour days and all nighters stem from too many curriculum. Honestly, it will be hard. But if you play your cards right, there is no need for this much work. That is of course, if you don't want to. I have friends that can't sleep before a test and pull long hours. However, I work 20 hours a week have about 15 credit hours and still manage to get about 7 hours of sleep and a 3.7 GPA.

PS: I am the first to admit that the number one thing missing on my resume is extracurriculars.

[Nica F.]

As a freshman in college now, I know I don't have much to support whether or not it is a good choice to mentor but I can give my 2 cents on how I made my decision and where I stand today.

I, am still a part of FIRST, I'm not a head mentor nor just a volunteer. I chose to join the FIRST program provided by my university.There is no doubt that everyone who has posted on this thread like D.J., Genia, and Joe have very very important things to consider when deciding whether or not to mentor, and quite honestly I read this thread more than twice and even started a thread with questions regarding FIRST after high school. It depends on what is right for you, but don't forget that college is a whole different ballpark coming out of high school. Even after reading threads, talking to friends who are alumni, and convincing myself that college is going to be a lot harder (more so as a first year engineering student), I was still shocked at how stressed I was getting in my first semester.

Originally Posted by laurenlacy

college FIRST programs, when well organized, can actually help you in many ways.

Like Lauren said, there are colleges that have FIRST programs. In fact some may also offer classes that count as college credit just as the Purdue FIRST program does. My first thoughts when I found out that there was a class offered for FIRST; I thought, "Cool, I can stay involved in FIRST and it'll be a class that counts for a couple credits." Which to me was a wonderful thing. If a college does have a FIRST program take Lauren's post and realize that it will be just as fulfilling if not more as it was in HS and can help you out in the future through connections made on a larger scale.

If however there is no program and you're looking for a local team to put under your wing, please please please weigh out your pros and cons and don't go easy on yourself on the cons section just because you love FIRST. We all love FIRST and every senior who leaves the shop for the last time feels like they're leaving a bit of their lives behind. But but just as many said, you dont have to mentor to stay involved. When you need your fill, go and volunteer when it lands on your break, go to kickoff with your old team when you're home for the winter, go on chiefdelphi, and use gameday.

[Allison]

One thing I do find interesting is the number of Purdue FIRST mentors that have posted here, I believe this speaks well for their program. While I will agree that joining an established program such as PFP is easier than going out on your own, there is still plenty of stress and work involved. One of the largest benefits of an established program, as stated by others is ME 297F, a class offered to FIRST members at Purdue which as an MET major I was able to use for credit toward my degree. I joined PFP when I was a sophomore in college after taking my freshman year to enjoy and adjust to college. I have made some lifelong friends as a college mentor. Here is my hindsight of 2 years mentoring while trying to balance college.

In 2006, one of the Purdue teams was just starting out, even with super stars like Flo that season to help us out, a group of 8 college mentors burned themselves completely out on FIRST only I returned the following year, since then only one other mentor has returned. After a lot of soul searching, I decided to return for that second year with none of my fellow mentors though some great new mentors joined the team that year. I took on a very large role due to lack of a teacher sponsor and everything suffered, while I had found the balance and was able to maintain my GPA that was about it. I was so incredibly stressed out that year and slept so little my body was a wreck by the end of that season. One of the wisest decisions I ever made in both my college and FIRST career was to take my senior year of college off from FIRST and only volunteer at a regional over spring break. I don’t regret my decision to be a college mentor especially when I watched my college team this year win EI at BMR, just the look on their faces and hearing about their best season ever makes me proud.

The kids I mentored as a college student are now seniors in high school and have to make their own decisions this year. Some I believe are up to the challenge of mentoring while others are not, I believe in each of them that they will make the right choice for them.

To all high school seniors and college students looking at mentoring; it is worth all the blood, sweat, and tears but remember you and your future comes first. If you do decided to mentor make sure that you have support and never be afraid to ask for help; that was my biggest mistake trying to do too much myself. Keep in mind that a night off from build season to study for an exam probably won’t mean that the robot doesn’t get done but it could very well be that key night that gets you an A on that test that opens the gateway to your future.

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by miscall

As a Junior, I'm just starting to really worry about college, but I know one thing for sure: There is no way I am going to give up FIRST. One of the main criteria I have while looking for a school is if they have a connection to FIRST or not. I know that I'm going to have a rough time mentoring and having college, but it can't possibly be any worse than the 12 hours days I'm pulling now. I may have to not go through college with my current 3.9 GPA, but I'm positive the benefits to both myself and the team I'm mentoring will make up for it.

I can't think of going any period of time, yet alone the 4-8 years I'm going to be in college, without FIRST in my life. I'm probably not the only one with this attitude, and I think that is what is driving many of the current college mentors to put themselves through the trials and tribulations of basically having two full time jobs and not getting paid for either.

At least wait until kickoff day to get involved, ideally sit out your entire Freshman year.

You won't miss much, you can still volunteer at a regional, etc...

You really should get a grasp on what college is before you make a decision like this.

I'd try to explain better in a long post, but you'll see yourself and believe that more than anything we say.

[Joe Matt]

I'm back.....

Originally Posted by miscall

As a Junior, I'm just starting to really worry about college, but I know one thing for sure: There is no way I am going to give up FIRST. One of the main criteria I have while looking for a school is if they have a connection to FIRST or not.

FIRST is a program, an ok program with it's own problems and rewards. And it sounds like your in a relationship with it like a girl. Ever heard of the saying "Everything changes in college" or the concept you NEVER want to go to the same school as your girlfriend? Same thing applies.

Plus, do you love FIRST unconditionally, or do you love your team, the friendships, or other things you can get from other college appropriate programs?

And to throw this in, I know quite a bit about the Purdue FIRST program, and while well laid out, it isn't full of faults and it's own problems. This thread starter was part of Purdue FIRST when he got into problems. And others have done the same. It's more like sun screen, it's protective, but not preventative. Don't sit in the sun too long and ignore your school work or social life.

As for me? Well I'm at my co-op again and resting some and got caught up in the FIRST History thread and decided to pop my head in here....

[Siri]

As a high school student, I served as my team's captain-manager, pit captain, and lead mechanical and design student (among other roles). I'm currently a freshman mechanical engineering major at Penn State's Schreyer Honors College, and I made the choice to mentor for FIRST in the 2010 season. Not just any team either, but my high school team, which is just over a 7 hour round-trip bus ride every weekend.

I read this thread as a high school senior, and at the time thought 'you know, I should probably take freshman year off from FIRST'. When push came to shove though, I came back. I haven't decided whether it was the best choice, but I certainly don't regret it. By our second and last regional, I'll have logged something like 330 hours and 4,000 miles (not to mention more money than I'd like to calculate on bus tickets). I admit it's certainly limited my extracurricular college experience this term--I've spent a grand total of 1 weekend on campus since mid-December. It also hasn't made studying any easier, especially with 1.5xs the minimum credit load this term (19 semester hours, 13 of them honors; minimum 12). I'm managing to maintain about a 3.9 though, and still take off Fridays for regionals. It's not easy and it might even be a mistake, but--for now, to me--it's worth it.

I don't recommend this course. Not because I don't enjoy or value it (obviously), but because I think the people who truly want and can handle it will do it themselves without any recommendation (I know I did). In my experience, this is something everyone needs to decide for themselves, but realize that academics have to come first. FIRST mentoring won't pay the bills.

[Katie_UPS]

I'm reviving this to remind 2010 graduates that they should think twice and recognize the change from high school to college.

[bam-bam]

I'm only an a lower class student, but it's OK that you don't have to come every weekend. 1529 had a college student, but he was rarely here, due to homework, etc.

It doesn't matter whenever you're here all the time, you're still contributing to the team anyway.

[Lisa Perez]

Originally Posted by bam-bam

I'm only an a lower class student, but it's OK that you don't have to come every weekend. 1529 had a college student, but he was rarely here, due to homework, etc.

It doesn't matter whenever you're here all the time, you're still contributing to the team anyway.

For all of the college students who do choose to help out on occasion: Although coming to meetings whenever you are most free is easiest, it may make things difficult for those in charge.

If you are still getting acclimated to the college environment and/or you are especially busy, pick only one or two days that work for you during each week of build season. Let the leaders know that they can expect you to be there on those one or two days. It will add consistency to the team, and make it a LOT easier for the leaders to plan for both mentor and student tasks from day to day.