How to Get Through Your First Year of College
College - no matter where you go - is going to be a challenge. That being said, few people will tell you that college is not worthwhile (even if it's just for the great parties). Sure, some will flunk out or drop out. But after four years of college...or eight, or twelve, the many who make it out will proudly wave their degrees above their heads and just wait for employers to come running. (That, of course, will not happen, but we will leave that for another article).
The first thing you should prepare for as an upcoming freshman is, suprisingly, FREE TIME.
1. Manage Your Free Time
You will not have to walk the dog, no one will nag you about doing homework, and there are not other household chores or family plans to take up your time during the week. Free time may come as a shock for the studious high-school honor graduate or even the average Joe. And it will probably throw your schedule out of whack, too. Not having all that structured time scheduled by your parents, teachers, coaches, etc. will be a little overwhelming at first. This is why time management is key to success and survival in that daunting first year of college.
Another big problem college students face is procrastination by achieving balance.
2. Keep Procrastination to a Minimum.
With all those student activities, campus events, and not to mention a whole community full of people your age, it will be hard to get down to what you are really there for in the first place, learning and studying. It will be way too easy to set aside that Calculus homework or that boring historic profiles text when you have ten other interesting, more exciting things you could be doing. Let us face it, it will be hard to appreciate Shakespeare while your friends are appreciating that new film screening in the student theater. But you need not hunch over your books and lock yourself away in the campus library sixteen hours of the day, because the solution to procrastination is balance. Balance the time you spend goofing off with friends and just "hanging out" with the time you spend hitting the books. Set aside time each day, with as few distractions as possible, to get schoolwork done and you will save not only your GPA but also your sanity! Pulling all-nighters seems like a great idea until you end up pulling three in a row and falling asleep during Chemistry Lab.
Finally, make use of the wide variety of resources at your fingertips!
3. Plan to be Resourceful.
Yes, take advantage of all those events with "free food" as the main selling point. There will be plenty of those on campus. But more importantly, make use of that fantastic college library! Colleges in general are known for their grande libraries holding any book you could ever want and carrying multitudes of archived goodies like professors' old tests or old newspapers and magazines. Also, take advantage of all the free events on campus. These events will range from cultural days and carnivals to outdoor movies and concerts. These will be great activities to score some free entertainment and meet new people at the same time.
Just remember, manage all that free time wisely, avoid procrastination, and take advantage of campus resources. Have fun and work hard so that your first year of college will be a successful, exciting new experience!
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