The New York Times is giving out advice for college freshmen, from old hands around campus. Here's a particularly self-serving example, at least from the Times point of view:
Try to read a good newspaper every day — at bedtime or at breakfast or when you take a break in the afternoon. If you are interested in art, literature or music, widen your horizons by poring over the science section. In the mood for spicy scandals? Read the business pages. Want to impress your poli sci prof? Read columnists.
The newspaper will be your path to the world at large.
Uh, yeah, right.
I have three pieces of advice. First, find the blogs and newsgroup/forums that cover your subjects. They may be great, they may be awful. But they'll generally give you something to talk about in class.
Second, do the problem sets.
Third, never, ever, under any circumstances call a professor by his or her first name. You may think he's cool with that. You're wrong. And if he is cool with that, well, you've just transported yourself into one of those British mysteries where the Oxford professor is always surrounding himself with handsome young undergraduates.
And that ain't good, my friend.
