So. After living a year in a freshman college student’s shoes, I have a few key points to share with you, along with some suggested by friends.
And the drumroll please.
Practical:
10. Go to orientation events…no matter what. Yeah. We know you don’t want to go on another tour of the campus and we know you don’t want to play icebreakers. But can you please relax, make some friends, and learn to enjoy yourself in this new environment? As much as it annoys you to participate, you will learn something valuable during orientation…whether it be that you don’t like the people in your group or that there is a prayer chapel in the basement of graves.
9. Be Organized. Not only for classes but in your room as well. Knowing where you put the paper clips and the popcorn will really come in handy.
8. DUH. Go to class. It can easily be calculated, but based upon some general numbers, each 1 hour class component that is meeting for a 4 credit class is around $50. You slept through the first day of college and missed three classes? You just kissed $150 goodbye. Make it count!
7. From Lena, a girl in my cluster: Study even if you think that class or test will be easy. Most cases, you’ll be wrong. The professors here actually aren’t that stupid and they know how to test comprehension on the material you slept through on the first day. Get the notes from a classmate and sit down to learn the material and you’ll do just fine.
6. From Hannah, another girl in my cluster: Write everything down and Don’t miss your meetings with professors! You guessed it. This has happened to most of us. Don’t assume you’ll remember something, because I assure you that you’ll forget it. I use my phone calendar and system of alarms to warn me about whats coming up next in my day. Honestly, I couldn’t tell you what day it is most of the time or what classes I have without checking out my iCal.
5. Don’t study in your room!. It’s a fact (almost) that studying in your room means you won’t actually study in your room. Find a quiet place at the library, Martha Miller, Lubbers, the Kletz, or the Science center to snuggle up with your homework and get it done! Dorms are no place to do your work.
4. Take responsibility of your actions. Ya. Your mom doesn’t live with you anymore and your dad isn’t going to talk you out of anything anymore. This is the real world, so man up.
3. Seek a Balance. There’s a lot going on. Make a calendar of things you actually want to go to and make sure to leave room for exercise, studying, and social time. It seems ironic, but sometimes I schedule lunches with others just to make sure I get some human contact in my long days.
4. Know your Class requirements. You don’t need to know your major right off the bat, but I’m sure you may have something in mind (if not- check out Career Services). Attend meetings for different majors, check out some different professions, talk to professors, but mostly, understand what you need and what each class you’re scheduling counts for. Make a four year plan. You’ll thank yourself later.
3. Get to know your professors. Professors anywhere, but especially at Hope, have a special gift at giving advice and aid when it is most needed. They seriously have got your back. Be courteous and get to know them!
2. Don’t procrastinate. Prioritize. You spend more time planning how it will happen and talking about something happening than actually doing it. Just do it. Get it over with. Come on.
1. HAVE FUN. This is college. You will never have another time in your life quite like this. You can wear a dinosaur suit around campus all day and people will not think you’re crazy ( or totally crazy). You can also dye your hair pink and people will think you’re cool. This usually doesn’t happen in the “real world” so enjoy your time while your here.
I hope you have learned SOMETHING from this top 10 list. Stay tuned for next weeks not so practical list.
Bon Voyage.