What Every New Student Should Know

Looking back on this semester, my experiences have taught me a lot of things. The good ones have guided me in the right direction, while the negative ones have also helped turn me away from the wrong direction. Good experiences such as making new friends have helped me to learn more social skills. Bad experiences such as poor time management, especially with the Math Emporium, have shown me problem areas that I need to fix. With my experiences I have been able to develop a list of things that every student entering college (no matter what college) should know.

Top 10 Things that Every College Student Should Know


1.) Get to class on time (or early)
Getting to class on time can save you from the awkwardness of walking in while the professor has already started their lecture. Also, you won't miss anything important that could be announced the first few minutes of class.


2.) Don't fall behind in classes
Keeping up with things such as reading assignments will keep you from having an overload of studying to do for a test or finals.


3.) Get enough sleep
Getting enough sleep will keep you from getting sick, falling asleep in classes, and it gives you energy to get through the day.


4.) Get involved
Whether it be joining a club, playing on an intramural sports team, or pledging a fraternity/sorority, creating a social life for yourself will help you all throughout college.

5.) Don't be shy
All Freshmen are in the same position at the beginning of the year. Simply introducing yourself to the people beside you in class is a way to start. Who knows, those might become some of your closest friends in college.


6.) Take advantage of Office Hours and Review Sessions
Both of these are held for students by professors. Office hours are a professor's way of allowing students to take the initiative to ask for help. Review sessions are held for clarification purposes and they are usually very informative.


7.) Know the Bus Schedules
At least have a bus schedule. Having a bus schedule helps out more than you'd know. Unless you're lucky and have a car, constant money for gas, and know your way around campus, the bus is your basic means of transportation at college. (I keep my bus schedule in my book bag so that I've always got it with me.)



8.) Bring practical clothing
While girls will remember cute dresses and sandals for the beginning of the year, they won't be the best outfit for rainy or cold days. Rain boots, jackets and long johns (although they aren't always cute) are definitely needed for the ever changing weather.


9.) Take advantage of jobs offered around campus
Let's face it, most college students leave financial dents in their parent's pockets. Getting a job on campus will help lighten the financial stress on students and parents. Plus, they don't pay too bad!


10.) Meet with your Academic Advisor
Your Academic Advisor is going to be your advisor all throughout college. Meeting with them your first semester will show them that you are a motivated student and are serious about college. Also, meeting with your advisor will help you develop a relationship with them. Having some sort of relationship with your advisor will make it much easier to turn to them when having a problem with classes.

This list is made from my experiences this past semester. Even I have a few on the list that I need to learn from. I did not get very involved in extra-curricular activities this semester because I was too worried about crowding my schedule. I soon realized that not getting involved dwindled my social life. While I did take advantage of review sessions (which are more helpful than words can explain), I did not take advantage of professors office hours. Granted I did not see the need to go to office hours, I realized that taking the time to make an extra effort to fully understand the material would have made an impact on my professors. Finally, I did bring a good amount of practical clothing, but forgot one important item: rain boots. I had regular cowboy boots, but rain boots would have definitely helped walking through the mud and on the ice.