May 1st is national college decision day and before you know it, seniors, that day is going to be here before you know it.
Choosing the college you want to go to is one of the biggest decisions you will ever make in your young adult life, but there are some simple things you can do to make it all the easier. I've been there. I've made my mistakes. I wish I had done things differently when I was a senior in high school going through this process. Luckily for me, things did work out for the better in the end, and yeah maybe everything happens for a reason... but man do I wish I would have known these things back then.
I have a cousin who is a senior now in high school who is about to very shortly make this commitment and a brother who is a junior who is barely looking into or thinking about this really big thing, called college at all, so if hopefully this helps them and all of you other high school kids...
1. Visit as many college campuses and their towns as possible.
Obviously you need to like the place you're either going to be living in or commuting to for four years of your life, so make sure you have other places to compare your number one choice to, to be sure. Also go off campus and check out the town your campus is set in. Life in general, in college or not, is not just about studying and partying. You need activities to go and places to visit or hang out at. There's nothing worse than feeling trapped in the middle of nowhere where you have nothing pertaining to your bigger interests. You will need ACTUAL CIVILIZATION!!!
2. If you don't know what you want to be in life right now... that's okay! It's called community college.
And that's nothing to be ashamed of. You're first two years in college are basically completing an insane amount of unnecessary Gen Ed courses anyways. Then, when you transfer to a university, you'll have all the basic stuff done and have a clearer mindset on what you want to do and be in your life.
3. Transitioning off that... your major.
Your future career. The rest of your life. It's a big decision that's why you need to take your time to be sure. You don't want to be constantly changing your major and prolonging leaving the stresses of college. You're an adult now if you're seriously that confused and community college didn't help with that, then when you have time, go shadow as many job possibilities/ occupations as much as you can. There are actions you can do and take upon yourself. You will figure it out and you will be happy. As the old saying goes, when you are doing something you love, you will never work a day in your life.
4. As your meeting with different advisors and administrators, as important as that is yes... when they are helping you make your class schedule... Keep the Rate My Professor app open and ready!
Typically for freshmen or even transfer students, for your first go around with making a schedule with courses you need to take, they think they are making it easier on you by just doing for first ever schedule completely for you. SLOW THEM DOWN! ASK HOW MANY CLASSES ARE BEING OFFERED FOR THE COURSES YOU NEED TO TAKE AND HOW MANY PROFESSORS ARE AVAILABLE TO TEACH THEM. Search them on you're own and if too late and necessary, you can go online, back to the advisor's ready-made schedule and play around with it to change it to what you want and with the professors who have the better ratings. DOWNLOAD IT! DOWNLOAD IT NOWWWW!!!!
5. Don't buy your textbooks ahead of time. Save the money.
Wait until your professors say which texts you will need because even though on the syllabus or the course description they say they are "required," they aren't always required. You can check Rate My Professor with that too. There is a section that says whether or not you need the books/ how often your professor will really use them. seriously, if you haven't downloaded this app yet... consider yourself already officially failing at college... and life... it's all miserable.
6. I could think of more, but I'm too tired.
That's what college does to you. So for my final piece of advice that I give to you, you poor college seniors is... DON'T DO IT!!! COLLEGE IS A LIEEEEE! IT WILL BREAK YOU AND YOUR BANK! STAY HOME FOREVER! STAY BACK A GRADE! DON'T GO INTO THE REAL WORLD! DON'T GO INTO THE LIGHT!!!
Anywayyyyssss good luck and Godspeed! It's really not that bad or hard. You give into everything college has to offer while you slowly start to die inside and your brain starts top melt along with your sanity. That didn't help did it? Hm too bad college did't teach me common sense or anything really I can use outside in the real world (seriously... those Gen Eds though).