So I just got to college yesterday, Bard College to be exact. AND I AM THE ONLY FORMER DECATHLETE HERE!
I'm having so AcaDec withdrawal.
I was wondering what activities some of your colleges offer that might ease the shock

While I didn't find an extracurricular activity with the same kind of feel of academic decathlon in university, what I *did* find is that decathlon itself prepared me for college classes in general (much better than, say, my regular HS classes), so I exported my study skills relatively easily. And, if you have the time, try to take a varied courseload, so that you get the feel of that multi-subject curricula. Especially if you can take courses across subject area but with similar focus (e.g., if you like Europe, you can easily craft a minor or major out of studying a particular time period, and then you can augment that with classes in art, music, etc., of the time period. There are just *so* many classes -- really, the limit is your schedule and how many years you want to graduate in )

It is pretty easy to find opportunities for speaking, whether in extracurricular clubs devoted to speaking, as peripheral duties to other clubs (everyone needs speakers, quite frankly), or in classes. And of course, interviewing and essays will be vital to the core curriculum (especially if you want to enter any professional clubs, try to get any kind of internships, etc.,)

Consider this message board as an extracurricular activity... and then read up on the French Revolution! If you're anywhere near Omaha at the end of April, you can always crash nationals.

Or even if you're not, come crash it anyway!

perfect college extracurric:

find an HS in the area that does Acadec (or is interest), and be a coach/assistant coach.

just don't put posters around the state competition hotel advertising a USAD fight club in the parking lot at 3 AM

Speaking of....

HAY ZZZPTM! I IS AVAILABLE!

But seriously, I have literally nothing to do between 12:30 pm on thursdays until 2 pm on mondays. You want an assistant?

This. I am very much looking forward to coaching at my high school Alma Mater.

Same!

I think most colleges offer classes. Those do ease the shock a bit.

Really, though -- the thing I can recommend is to get the most out of your classes. As a corollary to that, remember that you really don't need to be in a class to drop in and attend some lectures. If there are things you're mildly interested in but don't want to go through the haul of taking a full class on it, college is a great place to just sit in on classes you aren't registered for and take some "fun learning" notes. They're teachers who love what they're teaching and would almost always be willing to let you sit in even if you aren't in the class. It's a great way to pick up some extra knowledge and keep the brain crisp. Don't do it to the expense of your actual classes, of course -- and for the most part, as a freshman, you should have a varied enough courseload that your schedule is built to be as wide-ranging as possible -- but it's always something to consider and, once you find some good ones to sit in on, almost always fun. Good luck!

I wish school had started for me already.....




(O.o ..... I have never even jokingly had that thought cross my mind before this summer.....)

I feel the same way.

Two varsities wishing school started? Hell just froze over.

@Capta: if you got a car, come on down. If not, well... you sure you want to ride the Trinity Express THAT MUCH?

Like I said, I have nothing to do after 12:30 on thursdays...you still meeting on thursdays?

I wish I wasn't waiting to start until spring semester.

It's really hard to let go, to be honest. It's almost like you know a secret that no one else does. I really felt that way when I graduated high school and started pulling incredible college GPAs out of my ass... I knew that it was AD that caused my mind to think that way. The problem is that once you're out of the club, you have to figure out how to drive that competitive spirit. I realized that eventually the people I was in classes with would be my direct competition for jobs, so I saw academia as my competitive battlefield, for lack of a better term. The drive and motivation I had for Decathlon I put toward my studies, and as a new person in the adult world, I have a personal commitment to excellence that comes from within. So many people around me in my personal life are always looking for the carrot, the reward, the "why am I doing this."

Former Decathletes are intrinsically motivated to do things well, to do things better than anyone else, and to do things to the highest standards first and foremost for their own edification than to please a boss or a superior. This is where Decathletes go after graduation.

I loved this program so much and realized its gifts that I took it with me to the school that I work at now. For as long as I teach, I plan to coach. In all honesty, I would much rather make students do AD than sit in my chemistry class - I know how much this program means to me and to all the alumni out there. If you are anything like me, you came to decathlon being a big fish in a small pond - being one of the smarter students in your class. Decathlon expanded into an ocean, and raised our bars. It's much harder going back to the pond, after you've seen the ocean. I think that explains a lot of the yearning that us alumni experience.

To tell the truth, part of me really wishes I could do it again, and relive that hard work and comradeship we built. Alas, I can only guide at this point.

Seriously, there needs to be a legacy competition... I keep saying that and it never materializes, so maybe I need to be the guy to put it all together...