Ten Things to Know About College

If you have wondered what college will really be like, you need to understand that it will not be all fun. The transition from high school to college can be tough because teachers no longer hand hold you and you have no parental restrictions, which leaves you wondering about managing classes, writing assignments, and figuring out tuition costs, among other things.

Here is a list of ten things to know about college. This will help you in understanding how to best manage your finances and your student life during the course of your degree.

• Do not Skip Classes: While it may seem a fun thing to do, skipping classes will lead to a stressful situation at the end of your semester. You will find yourself struggling to complete coursework and assignments which could affect your grades.
  If the number of exams or assignments seem small when you receive the class syllabus, remember that even one paper could contribute significantly towards your final score.
• Get to Know the Professor: If you are attending a 100 student class, the odds are your professor does not even know your name. Make an effort to attend their office hours or just chat with them after class. Doing this will help you in a million ways, especially when it comes to career planning and placement. Professors set aside office hours and appreciate it when students take an interest in the course and visit during those hours. This is show the professor you take the class seriously and are concerned about your grades.
• Save Money: College is expensive so whatever you can save will help you with tuition costs. At the beginning of each semester, speak to your professors about the textbooks required and buy second hand ones if the new edition of the book hasn’t changed substantially. You can even borrow some from your seniors or from the library.
  Instead of spending $1000 on a new computer or laptop, get a used one. This is usually easy to find – students selling their old laptops or head on over to the computer lab at your school.
• Save Emails: At college, you may get a lot of email about scholarship programs and other financial aid, especially if you have signed up with scholarship information portals. This information can be handy when you apply for a new semester so keep them saved in a separate folder.
• Build Relationships: It is perfectly understandable if you don’t like meeting or talking to people, but the relationships you build at college may prove helpful even in your professional career. Forming new relationships, even to form study groups, can be very beneficial and networking now will make things easier when job searching after graduation.
• Choose Majors Wisely: Unless you are studying to be a doctor or a lawyer, your choice of major will not necessarily be the deciding factor for the career you end up choosing. If you have a passion, follow it and study about it. Let’s say you love writing – find out if your college offers programs in literature, journalism, or creative writing. Doing this will make coursework easier and fun.
• For Those Wanting to Work: A lot of students work part time to get some necessary work experience and also to pay for college. If you plan to do this, schedule your classes in blocks that leave you with some free time for assignments and other projects as well.
• Take Internships Seriously: It is not surprising to get job offers after graduation from companies you intern with. If you take your internship seriously and do your job well, you could graduate with a job offer in hand.
• Be Organized: Sure, all the partying and date nights are fun but do this too much and you could be paying the price at the end of the semester. Prioritize your tasks – even reviewing your notes at the end of a lecture can save you an hour of reviewing in the evening. Keep a planner handy and jot down important tasks and assignments.
• Stay Healthy: Remember you’ll be sharing rooms and bathrooms with other people who may or may not share the same level of hygiene as you. Invest in a pair of bathroom slippers to avoid fungal infections and keep the toilet clean. Since campus food may not be as healthy as home cooked food, take multivitamin supplements.
  Sleep well if you want to be alert during lectures.