- Spend the first week making friends with as many people on your floor. These will be the people you see in the morning, during, and at the end of the day. Knowing these people will help make your first year at college a lot easier. They may end up being the people you live with for the rest of college.
- You will pay too much money for your books at the school bookstore. Depending on your major, you can buy or rent your books for much cheaper at places other than the book store, especially if you are taking general education classes. You can also sell your books at other places than the book store and actually get money for them.
- Learn to manage your money. You're not going to want to spend all your money at once. You will want to learn to manage your money so you have enough to make it through the whole semester or year. You'll have to realize what you actually need and what you want.
- You might learn to hate the food on your campus. Having the same food over and over again can become boring and having to wait in line for your food can become annoying. If you don't like waiting in lines, you’ll want to wait until the odd hours of the day to go get your food. Or you may actually learn to like the dining hall. With some dining halls, you just have to swipe in once and you can eat as much food as you want. That can be great because having to pay for food a la carte can become expensive. This way you can save money and still be able to eat a lot.
- Go to class. Just because you're in college and your parents aren’t making you go to class everyday doesn’t mean you should just skip classes. College isn’t cheap and you are attending the college you're at for a reason. Classes suck but not knowing whats going on in your class is even worse.
- You will get really nervous to take finals as a freshman and will tell yourself you’ve never had to study so hard before. Finals never get easier but taking them means you’ve finished a semester.
- Study for your classes. Do not procrastinate and think you can do it last minute. Trust me, it doesn’t work that way. Take time out of your day to study in the library or somewhere else where it is quiet. Doing your homework on time will save you a lot of stress than trying to do it all at once.
- You don’t actually need to bring your entire room to school. You’ll learn what you need and don’t need. You’ll probably end up wearing the same clothes and will realize you didn’t need to bring that extra box of shoes that you never wear thats just taking up space in your room.
- Join an activity on campus. Find out what your campus has to offer and join an organization that interests you. Theres intramural sports, Greek life, different clubs on campus, etc. Joining a group will help make a bond with new people and can help your future employment opportunities. Having been in an organization could help you get the job over another candidate.
- Lastly, enjoy your freshman year! Go out at night, go to a football game, and attend other sports games or club activities. It’ll go by before you know it and then you’ll have a real job and will have to be an adult.
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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
StableDiffusion
The Illusion of Creativity
AI-generated music is often marketed as “artistic” or “educational.” But what does it really teach?
- That style can be replicated without understanding.
- That emotion can be simulated without feeling.
- That effort can be bypassed with a prompt.
For young creators, this sets a dangerous precedent. Why learn to play guitar when an algorithm can do it faster? Why study harmony when AI can generate chord progressions in seconds? The risk isn’t just laziness — it’s the loss of depth, discipline, and the tactile joy of creation.
I have listened to several AI-generated music covers. My initial reaction was one of considerable impressiveness, particularly regarding the reimagining of classic pop hits in diverse genres with novel arrangements. Here is one good example a-ha — Take On Me
However, after engaging with several such Ai generated song covers, a sense of emotional detachment emerged, attributable to the perceived absence of human artistry and genuine sentiment, resulting in a technically flawless yet ultimately soulless auditory experience.
Copyright in Crisis
What does the copyright law say about AI generated music, especially in field of music covers. Who is liable for copyright in this case, AI developers, people who used AI to generate music or people who published it on music platforms?
Recent lawsuits show that the music industry is pushing back hard:
- Universal, Sony, and Warner sued AI music platforms Suno and Udio in 2024 for allegedly training their models on copyrighted songs without permission Ars Technica The Lyon Firm.
- They’re seeking up to $150,000 per infringed song, arguing that the AI outputs resemble famous tracks and voices (e.g., Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson).
- These lawsuits target the developers of the AI tools — but they raise broader questions:The legal gray area is training data. Courts haven’t yet ruled definitively on whether using copyrighted songs to train AI counts as infringement or fair use Sites at USC.
But who’s liable?
Role | Legal Risk | Why |
AI Developers | ✅ High | For training on copyrighted material without licenses. |
Users | ⚠️ Moderate | If they intentionally recreate protected works. |
Publishers/Platforms | ✅ High | For distributing infringing content. |
The grey area lies in training data. Courts haven’t yet ruled definitively on whether using copyrighted songs to train AI counts as infringement or fair use. Meanwhile, AI-generated works themselves aren’t eligible for copyright unless a human provides substantial creative input — leaving them in legal limbo.
The Educational Mirage
Some argue that AI music helps people learn genres, production styles, or vocal techniques. But this “education” often lacks context. It’s like learning to paint by watching a printer — technically impressive, but creatively hollow.
True musical education involves:
- Struggle and iteration: Learning through mistakes.
- Emotional connection: Expressing what words can’t.
- Cultural lineage: Understanding the roots of sound.
AI shortcuts bypass all of this. And in doing so, they risk flattening the rich terrain of human creativity into a sterile landscape of algorithmic mimicry.
Why This Fight Matters
This isn’t just about music. It’s about the future of art, storytelling, and human expression. If we allow machines to dominate creative spaces, we risk turning culture into content — optimized, monetized, and devoid of soul.
We must ask: Do we want a world where art is made by machines, or one where machines help humans make better art?
5 Key Takeaways
- AI-generated music blurs the line between innovation and erosion in the creative arts
- AI-generated music raises questions about copyright, culture, education, and artistic expression
- AI-generated music can replicate style without understanding, simulate emotion without feeling, and bypass effort with a prompt
- AI-generated music sets a dangerous precedent for young creators by potentially leading to a loss of depth, discipline, and joy of creation
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