As I'm approaching my week of finals, every once in a while I step back and think: I just survived my first year of college. It was a long and winding road that I have taken, but I made it! And as I am preparing for the end of the semester and the beginning of summer, I think of those who are going to be graduating high school, particularly my friends who are now seniors. First of all, congratulations guys! You all made it through high school and are now off to college! So with that in mind, I would like to give you some advice based off of what I learned during my first year of college. This is for you, Class of 2016.
1. Don't put off any assignments!
As easy it is to save an assignment for later, it will cause problems for you in the future. It might be easy to do in high school, but since a typical college campus year is run by a semester, the pace of a class schedule gets cut in half. Consequently, the coursework increases, depending on the class. The more assignments you put off, the more they will slowly creep up on you like a pack of Raptors.
I promise that the stress of having an assignment due in the future that you haven't even started yet will stay with you until you're rushing to get it done. It's a terrible feeling. I'm trying to recover from this epidemic as well. So let's make a promise for each other; raise your right hand and repeat after me:
I, (insert name here),
Promise to be diligent in my work,
No matter how hard it is.
I will work on it little by little,
Every day,
Tackling it head on,
In order to get the job done.
Write this down in case you want to have it with you as a reminder as you sit down to start an assignment. That's what I've been starting to do, and so far it's good encouragement. Also...
2. Know and be honest with yourself.
I would love nothing more than to work on an essay while listening to a catchy playlist on Pandora, but honestly, it doesn't work for me. The lyrics, although awesome, are distracting and take me away from what I really need to do. Plus, I do get carried away with skipping a bunch of songs, which leads me to changing to different playlists multiple times. My dad once told me that listening to music without lyrics helps with staying focused, and now, I wish I had taken his advice sooner.
Usually, when I turn on Pandora, I will most likely listen to the playlist that I have been listening to beforehand. If you're like me, who likes listening to music while studying, I suggest that before you begin studying, open up Pandora and set up your desired study music, whether it is Classical or New Age, whatever helps you focus. Or if you just want a surrounding sound, try the White Noise app. If you like, maybe try going earbud-free for a while, and see how that works. The important thing is to know what works for you, being upfront and honest with yourself, so that you can get back to studying.
3. Find a productive place to study.
I would spend the entire day at school working on homework from my multiple classes, end the day knowing that I still have to work on one assignment, and drive home thinking It's only 7:30. I can finish this in about an hour.
Sure enough, I get home and suddenly I think, You know, I've spent all day working, I deserve some down time! I'll just take a half-hour off before I get back to work. The next thing I know, I have just binge-watched Netflix for three hours, and it's about time I went to bed. Once again, know yourself. If you're the type of person that needs a studious place to study, you could find yourself easily distracted at home. Everyone is different and the best thing you can do is to know where you work best.
4. Take on what you can personally handle.
As a Creative Writing major, I'm going to have to take a lot of major prep courses in English. When I started Fall classes, my first thought was to take as many courses that I could take, so that I could transfer within two years. After my first semester of four classes, I registered for five classes in the Spring, but quickly realized that it was not the best choice. I was constantly teetering and tottering over the coursework, each class having it's own load. I even had to drop a class because I was spending all my time on my first four classes and I couldn't find the time to study for the one class I was failing. Fortunately, freshman year is the time to see what works for you, so make sure to recognize what your limits are and devise a plan.
5. It's okay to drop a class. Sort of.
If you're in community college and planning to transfer, believe it or not, most colleges are okay with having a few withdraws on your transcript as long as you explain why on your application. It has to be a reasonable though. If you miss the deadline to drop as class with a refund or without a "W" grade, you can't simply drop a class because it was boring. If that's the case, I'm sorry but you're going to have to tough it out. If you are to drop a class, it has to be for a good reason. Always double check with a counselor before dropping.
6. Take the classes you are in seriously.
If you're planning to go to community college, this is especially important. If you want to get into a certain college, no matter if it's public or private, always strive for good grades. The goal is to apply to as many colleges as you can, ten being the maximum, in case you don't get into your first choice in the future. With that in mind, you have to think about how you are going to present yourself to these colleges. Aim for A and B grades and if you stumble into a few C's, that's okay. Some subjects just don't agree with us; just make sure that you still strive to get a good grade, no matter how hard it can get. And lastly...
7. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
This is something that I struggle with a lot. I just graduated high school last year, I'm a full-fledged adult now, I don't need to ask for help. But this is now the next big step in your life. College is a huge transition with the schoolwork and becoming more independent, with some of us moving away to a different city, maybe even to a different state or country. There are so many changes to cope with, and sometimes it can feel like you are on your own on this. But just remember:
Sorry, I just had to! Shoutout to my Wildcats out there. But seriously, when I started orientation at my community college, the staff was so helpful and it was obvious that they wanted to help students achieve their goals, whether it was transferring, getting a degree or choosing a college. Before I started my Fall classes, I took a counseling course because I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, and it helped me sort out so much and now I have a clearer view on where I want to go, career and college-wise. I highly recommend that you do the same, even if you already have ideas about your future. If you don't have time to do so, the Career Centers are always there to help with a ton of resources.
Your teachers also want you to succeed. One of my professors is always telling me and my classmates that an easy way to succeed in college is to come to every class and to sit at the front. It might not be easy to do, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Even other classmates and peers are here to help. What surprised me the most when entering college was that everyone was so open about their goals and experiences with different classes and teachers. It's like we were all helping and supporting each other out and we are continuing to do so as we are finishing up the semester.
So now that I have given you all this advice, I hope that you will bring this information with you wherever you go. The important thing to know now is that you made it! You're at the final home stretch and now you are about to take the next big step in your life. Congratulations, and I can't wait for you to start your journey into college.
