Being a college freshman is always hard at first, and the transition from high school to the university might be challenging for some people. We have gathered some advice and tips including from upper year students that share their experiences of survival in the freshman year of college.
1. Explore and collect information
As early as the beginning of your school year, try to explore and collect as much information as possible about your college – the locations of classrooms, departments, libraries, dean’s office, residences, as well as general atmosphere at your college, any rules, how many people attend it, what kind of activities does school offer, and etc. This will help you quickly navigate as well as be less nervous around people on your first day.
2. Learn your schedule
On the first day, or better yet, as soon as possible, you need to find your schedule and make sure it has no mistakes in it. As experienced students say, the schedule is your new Bible. It is even better to fully memorize it as soon as you can – when are your lectures and who are the professors.
3. Know your profs
After getting acquainted with your schedule, you need to learn something about your profs too. This is very important to know at least the name and the subject that the profs teach. And it will be even better to know about your profs as much as possible – something like the features of their work and attitude towards their students. This will help you find the approach to your prof when you are visiting office hours, need any help or have a question about coursework.
4. Make friends
People are a resource too, and while profs will give you the knowledge, who is going to share the experience of being a student at your college? In this case, you need to make friends with the undergraduates and upper years to make the most of your environment, They have already experienced some of the aspects of student life and will be happy to share information and maybe even some tips and life hacks.
5. Learn to properly study
We can’t emphasize enough how important it is to study PROPERLY. It is extremely crucial to know how to work with information. The college will not give you baggage with limited knowledge – it will show you that knowledge is limitless and that you get most of it by yourself. The profs are just arbitrators, moderators, they will only direct you in the right direction, while you have to study the subject all on your own.
6. Prioritize
Any specialty, major or minor has its own requirements, and if you came to college you probably have chosen that main specialty to study. Determine for yourself the importance of each subject and accordingly distribute your attention, focusing on the main subjects but not forgetting about the electives too.
7. Ask questions
The goal of the student is to get to know something about the world. Therefore, if you do not know something – ask. Forget about the inconvenience and constraint, and do not be ashamed of not knowing something.
8. Learn the advantages of being a student
Being a student doesn’t mean you should ONLY study, but there is also so much more than education that college usually offers – tons of clubs, extracurriculars, volunteering, student government positions and etc. Use those advantages to build a great student record and experience more of college life.
9. Enjoy being a student
Travel, walk more, meet new people, have fun and learn – and this time when you are still calling yourself a student will be one of the best times of your life.
10. Be active
Try to be as much active as you can, anytime and anywhere. It is your youth that flows through your veins, so take advantage of it! Take part in the student life, continue to self-develop, don’t sit in your dorm room all year long, and life will be just as colorful.
