This is it!
You have all your bags packed (and if you don’t, here is a FREE packing list). Your dorm or apartment is ready to be decorated. You’ve said your goodbyes, so now all you have to do is get there!
You are prepared on the outside, but on the inside you are freaking. out. about surviving your classes.
Boo, I GOT YOU.
I asked my friends and family for some tips and tricks that helped them on both the social and educational side of college, and I compiled my list and theirs here for YOU.
FYI- I have taught at both the college and high school level and share these with my students! They also worked for me when I was in undergrad and grad school, so now I am passing along the knowledge.
Make sure you check out the 10 things you should know about having a social life in college, here, so you can start hyping yourself up for your fresh start!
This list is targeted to the educational side which will have study tips, organization ideas, book recs, and prof(professor) tell-alls. You are about to juggle a lot of different things at one time, so you need to know how to manage your time; this is here to help take a load off and get you started on working towards the social life/school balance!
Remember: just because one tactic works for someone, doesn’t mean it will be perfect for everyone. Try one thing out and if it doesn’t work, do something new! YOU have to decide what works best for YOU!
Are you ready to rock your first semester?
1. Print/Save Every Syllabus
As soon as you are able to look at your classes online, print every syllabus AND save it to your computer. Your prof may give you a copy, but its a good idea to have a backup just in case!
The syllabus is your assignment schedule for a particular class and will literally become your best friend. It contains the following information:
- Class schedule
- Course details and supplies needed
- Assignment due dates
- Reading schedule
- Test/project dates
- Professors (Prof) contact info
- Tutoring/office hours
- Formatting that your prof requires
- Class/lab rules
- Technology requirements
- Any other piece of information that your prof will likely only say once.
Keep it close by and look over it before your ask your prof a question.
Pro Tip: If you transfer universities, you will have to send each syllabus to your new college for verification. If you save it on your computer first thing, you won’t have to hunt them down or risk losing credit for a class you already completed.
2. Use Notecards
Notecards will be the best thing that you add into your study routine! If you didn’t have to study in high school, get ready to have your world ROCKED.
There will be classes that come easy to you, and then there will be classes that literally shake you to your core.
Prepare yourself now that college WILL be different.
Find out what your learning style is and perfect it early on. If you don’t know your learning style, take this quiz to get you started in the right direction!
Pro Tip: Try notecards when you need to memorize a lot of terms/definitions; this style of studying helps you practice word association, repetition, and while you are making the notecards say the word and the definition out loud so you are practicing auditory and kinesthetic learning at the same time!
3. Rent your Textbooks (if you can)
College isn’t cheap, and textbooks are a huge part of the expense.
Renting your textbooks will save you quite a bit up front + when the semester is over you get to send it back so you don’t have to keep up with it long-term or try to sell it.
There are exceptions to this! You may be in a major where you need to own the texts to reference back to over your years in school, so make sure you search around to find the best deal or reach out to alumni or upperclassmen to see if they are selling theirs!
Pro Tip: When I was in college, I bought a mini iPad so I could purchase/rent ebooks instead of having to carry a million textbooks around. This saved me $$$ and I ALWAYS had all of my books with me. Personally, it was a win-win. There may be some books that don’t have an ebook option, so check Chegg before you go anywhere else.
4. Take Notes
You have paid a lot of money to be sitting in that seat in your class- you NEED to take it seriously.
Your prof will tell you the rules of the class, but you should make sure that you are always paying attention, put your phone away, don’t login to Netflix or fall asleep, and TAKE NOTES!
You never know whats going to be on a quiz or test, so its best to make sure you are alert and ready to learn.
Pro Tip: Make a folder for your classes and keep your syllabus in a pocket, and then have a designated spiral or composition book for notes for each class. You want to make sure they are accessible and that you don’t get content mixed up.
If you are typing your notes, create a folder for each class and have an ongoing notes document that you can add too each class so all of your notes are in the same place.
5. Ask Questions
Along with taking notes, to really show that you are paying attention and taking it seriously, if you have questions…ask them. Don’t try to just figure it out on your own, if you are truly confused or inquisitive, ask!
Pro Tip: Make friends with your professors. Visit their office hours and ask for help, ask questions before/during/after class to get more insight, and sit in the front so you don’t get distracted!
6. Make friends in your classes!
The best thing you can do is try and make friends in your classes! This will help you when you need to discuss an assignment/content, study for tests, and it will give you someone to sit by so you’re not all alone.
Be kind, smile often, and share your knowledge.
Pro Tip: Ask for their contact info so you or they can reach out when needed! It may flourish into a beautiful friendship, or it may only last a semester. Either way, a friend is a friend.
If everyone is willing, share notes with each other- you can get different perspectives and they might have caught something you didn’t.
7. Arrive Early
Not only is it the worst to walk into a full class late only to have to walk to the front to find a seat, but some professors will lock the door and not let you in if you aren’t there by the time they start class.
Arrive 5-10 minutes early to get a good seat, prepare yourself for the class, take a potty break, and make sure you stay on the good side of your classmates and prof!
Pro Tip: Have a daily schedule that you follow so you can make sure you arrive early to classes.
Once you get your schedule, take time to walk your schedule so you can know how long it will take you to get from one class to the next- if you have a class that ends at 8:50 and another class that starts at 9:00 on the OTHER side of campus, its better to find a route now than when you have to run to get there on time.
8. Remember, you are an adult!
This last one is more of a reminder than a tip. And if it stresses you out, I have some tips that will help you find the balance).
Now that you are going to college, you will be the one fighting your battles and advocating for yourself. Your parents/guardians can’t call the shots with your education like they used to, so you need to get used to this responsibility.
Make sure that you know all of the student benefits that come with being a student at your university.
Explore all tutoring and study group options.
If you aren’t going to stay on your parents insurance, explore what your university has to offer so you can get your own plan. Find a doctor ASAP!
Be diligent on paying bills! Make a schedule or set a reminder when bills are due so you aren’t late.
Make sure you always have gas in your car or that your bike is in good shape! Have reliable transportation that you can take care of.
Eat healthy and HYDRATE! What you put in your body is the fuel that it uses- you get out of it what you put in.
In everything you do, do it with the mindset that you are the creator of what your life is and will be. Your decisions shape your future, and you want to be proud when you look back at it.
College can be scary, but as long as you do your job you will be just fine!
If you have questions, want to read about a specific topic, or need some study tips + college tricks, send me a message or leave a comment!
Happy learning!
