With college going back in full swing in a few days, there is so much to do and little time to do it. So I composed a list of survival tips for college that seem to work for me and hopefully for you too. For some, it may be their first semester and others are just coming back. Either way, you never know what the new school year may bring you and the only thing you can do is prepare for it. I'm no expert about the college experience, but from what I have learned, these little tips have helped me tremendously and saved me money.
1. Look into textbook rentals.
Textbooks are crazy expensive, but it doesn't have to be. Just copy and paste your ISBN numbers for your books into the search engines on Amazon, Chegg and mytextbooks.com and your page will be flooded with reasonable priced books for rent.
2. Invest in a calendar/planner.
My planner has everything from homework to meetings with professors. College requires you to dedicate more time to your classes and that may cause you to forget somethings, but by using a planner it will help keep you organized and on track.
3. Check out the campus before classes start and find your classrooms in advance.
If you are new or just coming back and you are nervous about where your classes are, you can always visit the college in advance and find the classrooms. That way on the first day you are prepared and not nervous.
5. Don't be late.
Be sure to be on time to class on the first day because you do not want your professor's first impression of you to be bad. After all, showing up to class on time and turning in your school work at a reasonable time will work in your benefit when trying to find professors to write recommendation letters. Trust me, you will need one of those.
6. Make at least one friend in every class.
Whether you make a forever friend or just a semester friend, it is important to have a friend in every class because if you get sick you will need someone to give you their notes. Professors do not stop their lectures to catch you up on missed classes nor do professors remind you about your homework. So making a friend can be helpful because you can take turns depending on each other and potentially both get out the class with an A.
7. Join an organization.
Joining a club or an organization will help you enjoy college more. When you spend majority of your time studying, sleeping, and going to class it can become boring and tiresome. You never know you might even make some pretty good friends from these organizations because I know I did.
