Ty
What is the the most important thing when adjusting to college life?
What should I do or remember? #collegelife
4 answers
Lindsey Manning-Djabbari
Lindsey’s Answer
Time management in college.
As you can imagine your course work and load will be very different from what it was in high school, so one of the first things you should do is give yourself a crash course in time management. Figure out what works best for you because everyone is different. A couple ideas to get you started: Seek inspiration from busy people who you know are really good at effectively managing their time and find a couple accredited podcasts and articles about the subject. I love Hidden Brain, an NPR podcast, that has tons of thought provoking episodes, a few relevant to time management. Listen to this one: https://www.npr.org/2017/07/25/539092670/you-2-0-the-value-of-deep-work-in-an-age-of-distraction.
Be able to make decisions quickly.
College will throw a ton at you emotionally and intellectually and there are bound to be bumps in the road along the way. You should know how to make tough decisions with confidence rather than spending (and potentially wasting!) a bunch of time hung up, in limbo, or investing in the wrong thing. To make a long story short, I was on the Public Relations track up until the end of my junior year. I had completed 95% of the required coursework. When I decided to study abroad in Italy the first part of my senior year I was told that the last couple pre requisite courses I had to take to get my degree in PR were only offered while I was gone. I had to make a tough decision pretty quickly: either go study abroad and change my major focus last minute (to something I was less excited about) or not study abroad and take the required PR courses to be able to graduate on time with the degree I wanted. I only had a few days to decide before the study abroad deadline. I was so torn! I ended up deciding to study abroad and change my major to news editorial which offered the classes I'd need to graduate later in the year. That experience taught me a lot. I was able to weigh out the pros and cons, speak to a few mentors, and think strategically about my future in order to make an important decision that ended up being the right one.
Plan ahead.
I promise you that four years will go by SO fast. Before you know it it will be over and you'll be expected to find a full time job. While planning ahead for your future aspirations is paramount, you can start building that muscle with smaller things like tests and meetings. Goes without saying but staying organized and being proactive are going to be key here.
Take advantage of all the resources your school has to offer.
Looking back, there are so many things I wish I would have done more of because I realize now the importance and implications getting more involved has on your future success. There are countless seminars, clubs, jobs, internships, and activities going on every single day on your campus. Go sign up and participate in everything you can towards the beginning of your education so that you can spend the rest of your years really committing to those activities you really enjoy (+ are relevant to your career aspirations!).
Let me know if you have any follow up questions Ty! YOU GOT THIS!
Di Whitman
Di’s Answer
The advice Lindsey gave on this question is great!
One piece of advice I'd like to add is be open to opportunities. Having a concrete plan and goals is important, but sometimes plans change. For example, if you are admitted to the undergraduate business program as a freshman and discover in your sophomore year that you really want to pursue computer science or engineering, that's totally okay. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the goals and aspirations of other ambitious people in a specific major, but the key is to find something that interests you, in something that you're naturally skilled or have an aptitude for learning.
College is an exciting time to discover your interests and passions in life. Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!
Nick Ellert
Nick’s Answer
That is a specific question to oneself. I can tell you from my perspective, the most important part of adjusting to college life is the freedom. In high school, you have homework and projects due all the time. In college, you mostly have one or two exams, a final. you don't have to go to class. its optional. so really setting yourself up for success is setting up your accountability to stay on top of work.
Alyssa Castellano
Alyssa’s Answer
Hi Ty,
The most important adjustment to college life in my opinion is time-management! Being personally responsible for your class schedule, homework time, and any additional free time sounds straight forward, but it can be a big change if it's not something you're used to. Make sure that you can prioritize your time appropriately, and that you allocate your free time to studying and homework before anything else.
Hope this helps!