Is the big day not far away and do you still have questions about how to prepare to enter college? Being willing to experience significant changes in your way of living, setting priorities, and completing tasks is the initial phase, but the preparation does not end there. If this is your first year of college, it is time to pay close attention and read carefully. We share a list of things to know before entering college so that your experience is just as it should be: unforgettable and wonderful.
Choose the right environment:
The first year of college is a time of important changes in a student’s life. On many occasions, in addition to having to adapt to a new learning style, you will have to leave your usual residence to go to the place where your faculty is located.
The first piece of advice that will help you survive your first year of college is to look for accommodation where you can feel calm or quiet, where you have your space to study and relax in moments of rest, and where you don’t have to worry about the inconvenience caused by other people.
Our recommendation is that you stay in a student residence that has a special room for studying, with a Wi-Fi connection, with modern and functional spaces that help you achieve the necessary mental state to make the most of your working hours and get the best results.
Get to know the college campus:
The college will be like your second home for the duration of your studies, which is why it is necessary that you know each place within it well, and that everything is convenient for you. We recommend visiting Nuwber to check the safest college campuses in the US by state. You want to know that you are safe and protected. Also, pay attention to the infrastructure and check if all the necessary services are in place.
Be smart in choosing subjects:
One of the main mistakes made by students starting their first year of college is wanting to cover more subjects than they can handle. Before going to any college or university, you must find out which subjects are the most appropriate to start your training.
You can find information on various internet channels, or on social networks, where people who have already gone through their first year at college share their experiences and can help you avoid making beginner mistakes.
Attend from the first day of classes:
The routine of presentation and introductory activities of each course can seem to be tedious, but it is very important to go through that, because in this part of the semester you will learn how each professor evaluates your work, and you will also make friends along the way.
Organize your time to the maximum:
Planning your academic work is never too much, take advantage of the fact that the semester is just beginning and make a calendar when the class hours are, and the time you dedicate to studying and other activities. This will be a point in your favor during exam times as everything will be planned beforehand.
Learn to say Yes and No:
Organizing your time to meet your commitments is a requirement that you cannot ignore if you really want to be successful in life. In the academic context, one of the best tips for studying at college is to learn to accept and reject proposals or responsibilities that you cannot fulfill.
This does not mean that you completely abandon your friends or family, but you will have to:
– Put your short, medium, and long-term goals on a scale.
– Establish what is more and less important at a given moment.
Participate in extracurricular activities within the college:
The college is not only classes, there are also groups, projects, and associations that help your personal development. This is also an excellent opportunity to make friends.
Check your doubts not to fall into exaggeration:
It is good to clarify all the doubts that you have during classes, but you must make sure not to become inopportune in the classroom. One option to support you with your classmates is to form study groups, so you can help and debate at proper times.
Embrace diversity:
You should know that there will be people of different nationalities, ages, races, and ideologies at college. Free yourself from prejudices and try to talk to others with an open heart so that you learn as much as possible from others.
Know the grading method of your teachers:
Each teacher has a different way of qualifying his students, which is why one point in your favor is knowing how to adapt to his evaluation system. You must be clear that this is totally independent from the creativity with which you develop academically.
Plan well:
The first year of college can overwhelm you if you don’t get organized. Create a study calendar in which you include all the subjects you are going to take, the dates of the exams, the assignments you have to submit, and the times and locations of the classrooms that you have assigned for each subject.
It is essential that you keep the subjects up to date and that you are rigorous with the calendar that you have created. If you are consistent and act with determination, it will be easier for you to get a higher rating.
Take care of order and cleanliness:
A large percentage of students who fail in college have deficiencies in terms of order and cleanliness. A messy and dirty room is a reflection of what your results will be.
Maintain order in your room, in your bathroom, clean your clothes and take care of your hygiene. Tidy your study area and you will see how everything is easier.
Final words:
The first year of college is perhaps the most important since it marks the student’s ability to adapt to changes and allows him to properly control his academic future.
The first year of college is, for many students, the first time that no one is going to organize their learning, and in which they will have the opportunity to self-manage their time.
Simply follow these tips so that you can survive your first year of college.