It’s graduation season and I feel the need to express my advice on entering college for the first time. I’ve done this for several people I know in the past, but I thought I’d blog about it. The advice I give you is only a few lessons I’ve learned in school. I’m sure some people have probably said some of the things written in this blog. Just think of it as a reminder written online that you can refer back to. So here goes:
- Get organized. Start now if you have to. It will save your life when you know where everything is.
- Agenda books will be your best friend. I’m not talking about your phone either. WRITE IT DOWN… and set goals. Make a list of things to do. It helped me to have an agenda book and a dry erase board and marker. I was able to write down everything that I needed to do and checked them off when I accomplished a goal.
- You can never go wrong with renting books! (Especially if you may not need that same book next semester.) Buying any textbook will give you the blues, especially if it’s for STEM-based courses.
- Selling books may or may not stress you out, especially if you’ve spent so much money on books. I’d say pray before you do so. It wouldn’t hurt 🙂
- GO TO CLASS! But I’m sure you wouldn’t have a problem in that area… *gives a lil side eye*
- Get involved in school activities and/or join an organization! It’s easier to meet a lot of new people who you can develop goo relationships with. Maybe try looking out for organizations that catches your interest or you’re interested in.
- Try not to gain the Freshman 15! I know, I know… the food is going to be calling you at 2am. I know your food intake was kind of controlled at home. But trust me, you’ll thank me later. When you’re up on late night studying or doing homework (or pulling all-nighters), snack on something light! (But don’t worry so much about this one to the point where this is a distraction in your mind!) Working out or walking to place instead of driving can make a difference (i.e., stress-reliever, head-clearerer… yes I made that up)
- PLEASE do not procrastinate! It will only get you so far. Trust me – I know these things! Sometimes you can pass an assignment/assessment when doing it and other times you cannot. I never did that but I know some people who did. Due dates are closer than you think!
- STUDY! I don’t need to go any further than that… well maybe I’ll say some more. If you were like me, I didn’t have to study that much in high school. I wasn’t prepared for college in terms of studying. Studying is a skill that varies from person to person. What works for one person may not work for other people. I would suggest that you look up some tips that may help you… or ask around!
- Which leads me to my next tip – TAKE NOTES. Taking notes in class will help you to look back on the lecture. You can either type them out or write them down in a notebook. Based on a study (I can’t tell you which one), research showed that writing down notes has a little bit of a better impact than typing them out… but you be the judge of that!
- Do not be afraid or prideful to ASK FOR HELP! I believe that God has blessed us with resources for a reason. USE THEM!
- It wouldn’t hurt to treat yourself to something if you did a good job in school (i.e. good grade on your homework/exam/midterm/project). Whether it’s going to the movies or getting that really cute shirt at the mall… or taking that well-deserved nap. Try not let it be food though…
- Which leads me to my next tip – APPRECIATE NAPS! *drops mic and walks away*
- This benefited me – Take some time out of your day for God. He is willing and able to listen to you at any time if no one else will.
I can go on, but I’ll stop here. College is an amazing experience. When you hear people who are older than us say that college was the best years of their lives, I completely understand! Have fun and enjoy college!
~Love Laugh Love~
P.S. If you have any other tips that may be useful, don’t hesitate to comment below. Oh, and feel free to share 😀
Okay, I’m done for real. Take care!