College Freshman Advice: What I Wish I Knew Before College 2020!
Today I'm sharing what you need to know before going to college and I hope that you find these 10 college tips helpful!
I let you guys know what I wish I knew before college and basically let you in on what you need to know before starting college as a freshman; but these tips can help people in other years as well!
Over 10 college tips below!
College Do's and Don'ts:
1.
Don't get textbooks ahead of time. Don't order them before the semester and your classes start!
Lots of times the textbooks will be listed as required but there's a good chance that you don't actually need them. Wait until you have class and see how it is and what it entails before looking into getting the book(s). The professor may give you enough information in class lectures so it could be redundant to get a textbook. Often times I would have a class and there would be a "required" textbook but the only time the textbook was every used was to look at the questions assigned for homework. (Why spend money on a book if only a small part of it will be used and you have other options for getting th information?)
If you do actually need a textbook for your course make sure to check out all of the possible options. The book will usually be cheaper on Amazon or Chegg rather than through your school bookstore. Textbooks are very expensive and it is usually a good idea to rent rather than buy. Renting a used book or renting an e-book will also be cheaper than renting a new book. Another option is sharing a book with a friend or classmate, you can both pitch in to split the cost and then share the book. Also, you can check to see if your school library has the textbook. There is a good chance that they will have it and you can use that one instead of buying or renting your own. You may not be able to remove it from the library but you could use it in the library or take pictures of the pages you need so you can refer to them later.
2.
If you are living on campus or have in person classes you should explore campus before the semester starts. This will help you feel more comfortable there. You can familiarize yourself with the campus and the area and that way you won't get as lost once classes start. It is beneficial to know where your dorm is, where the dining hall is, what buildings your classes are in as well as where they are in relation to one another (i.e. knowing how to get to and from each of those places). This will help you feel much more prepared when the semester actually starts and some of your worries can be lessened if you know your way around. But don't feel like you have to memorize everything at once, you should have access to a map and you can always ask people for directions!
3.
College is not as scary or overwhelming as it may initially seem. At the beginning of the semester when your professors are going over the syllabus for each class the classes may come across as very overwhelming. It is a lot of information to take in at one time and a lot of information to process but it usually seems worse than it actually is! I would get intimidated by some of my classes at the very beginning of the semester but would soon come to realize they were nothing I couldn't handle!
4.Get to know your advisor(s) and some of your professors well.
You will have a better experience if you connect well with at least a few of them. It is great to be able to have adults you trust and feel like you can really talk to. Also, they are there to help you and they want you to succeed so building a relationship with them is very beneficial!
Also take advantage of all of the other services you have access to at your school such as the counseling center and career center. You can start to build a relationship with them as early as possible so that when you need them later it'll be easier. For example, you could have one of the career counselors look over your resume to get some initial feedback even if you're not actively looking for a job yet.
5.
Join clubs but not too many! Clubs can be a great way to get involved on campus and can be a great way to get to know people! It's easy to sign up for a lot of clubs at the start of the semester but you should then narrow down to 1 or 2 that you are passionate about and can be dedicated to. You don't want to spread yourself too thin by having too many commitments and you don't want to add too much extra stress to your plate.
6.
- Making friends - Try to connect with people in your class year on Facebook as early as possible, ideally before the school year starts.
Most schools have Facebook groups set up for each graduating class and this is a great way to start getting to know people by at least familiarizing yourself with people's faces, names, and majors. Usually there will be introduction posts where people can say where they're from, what their major is, etc. (I'm not saying to friend request everyone asap but just to try to virtually start meeting and chatting with some people). This is a great way to start making friends and a great way to see who will be in the same program of study as you once classes start to ramp up.
6.a.
Because no one knows you, you can re-invent yourself and be whoever you
want to be! Don't feel restricted by how people labeled you in high
school, in college you have a fresh start!
6.b.
Talk to as many people as possible during orientation in the summer and in the fall. The beginning of the school year is your chance to be as friendly as you can be! It can be a challenge, but really try to put yourself out there. Everyone is in the same situation, everyone is in a new place and
probably won't know anyone well yet. Everyone wants to find friends and the more people you talk to, the more likely you will be able to find the right people and friends for you!
6.c.
In college it is common to have a lot of acquaintances and a few close friends (rather than a lot of friends) but some acquaintances can become close friends over time! Don't worry too much about finding friends, it'll happen, everyone is taking time to adjust to college life and everyone is in the same boat. Even if some people look like they have it all together, know what they're doing, and seem like they have a lot of friends they're most likely following the method of "fake it until you make it", and there's nothing wrong with that! You can utilize that method too!
7.
Get into a fitness habit/routine as early as you can!
It will be harder to try to start a fitness routine later in the semester if you already have an established routine for your life on campus. This is why it's beneficial to build fitness into your routine initially. Once you are set in your ways it will be harder to adjust them to add in time for exercise so be pro-active and build it into your college life from the start!
8.
Take as many different subjects for electives as you are able to because you may end up liking something that you didn't think you would! I wasn't able to take classes for my minor until my senior year, I found out that I really, really liked those types of courses but because of the timing I unfortunately couldn't take more of them.
8.a. Start taking classes for your minor as early as you can! That way you
can figure out if you really want to pursue that minor or not and you
could also think about double majoring if you really enjoy your minor!
8.b. Also, when possible try to take classes that fulfill multiple
requirements so you that way you have more room for classes and more
open options for other classes.
8.c You should be provided with an outline/roadmap for your program of study (major/minor) so that you can see all of the required courses. This document will be super important throughout your college career! Keep track of the classes you need to take and plan ahead because not all classes are offered all semesters and sometimes you may not get into a class you need (sometimes there might only be one section for a course and it could get full) and you may have to wait a year until you can take the course. That opens a whole other Pandora's box because some classes are prerequisites or require prerequisites so planning out courses ahead of time is very crucial!
Picking classes and picking housing is almost like the hunger games, so be prepared!
9.
Don't skip class often! College cost money and you are paying for the courses so don't waste the money! If you want you can break down how much you are paying for each class time (each time the class meets probably comes out to a couple $100). Also, you will probably miss out on a lot if you skip, it's not like high school. In college, professors won't check up on you for being out and won't just give you the info you missed. Your education is your responsibility. You will need to reach out to someone about what you missed, either the professor or a classmate. Lastly, keep in mind that professors aren't going to remind you about due dates as often as teachers in high school did, it's on you to keep on top of things. Also, college is a privilege and you do not want to waste your opportunity to succeed!
10.
Don't put too much pressure on yourself! College goes by so fast so try to make the most of it and enjoy it as much as you can! You don't want to peak in college because you will still want to have great post grad years but college will probably be some of the best years of your life!
I really hope that you found this college advice to be helpful! Feel free to leave any questions down below!
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