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Advice for going to college?

Bella789

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I'm sorta freaking out, I'm going to college in about a year, I singed up for Princeton, Rowan, and New York university college, well actually I'm applying soon but any advice for college?
 
If you do online classes, do make sure you do your work. I skipped weeks in a couple and it really bit me hard. Get things done early, when it comes to class registration and applying for financial aid, do it as early as you can. I always had problems when applying for financial aid, problems that took soo long to fix that they dropped all my classes one semester and I had to scramble for new classes. Hopefully your school does a little better with explaining and actually fixing problems. The classes aren't exactly the hard part (well showing up sometimes is lol), it's the signing up for everything.

Also, if you are unsure about your major, speak to a guidance counselor...I'm sure they could help put you on the right path. Let's say you spend time in one major and don't really care about it/like it as much as you thought you would, you can always change it midway (unless you are stubborn like me :p) if you so wish. A lot of the pre-reqs aren't that different among degrees (the basic classes). Do keep records of things, approval letters, etc. Also if for whatever reason you move, don't forget to change your address at the campus.

School books, the bookstore prices are horrendous so maybe you can find alternatives to spending nearly $500 on books each semester. Anyways, good luck to you~ I hope your experience is a pleasant one. :)

EDIT: Do try and be a tiny bit active in clubs or something, half the fun of college is probably making friends. I never did because I preferred to stay at home and there's nothing wrong with that just don't isolate yourself. Most people there are friendly. :)
 
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Sign up for as many scholarships as humanly possible, and writing a good essay is really important. If you take out a loan take out a federal student loan and not one from a private bank. Study for SATs and get a good score. Rent your textbooks if you can't get them cheap used and don't buy them from the campus bookstore lol. Know what kind of atmosphere you want and do your research, read reviews, and keep track of any deadlines. Extra curricular activities are really good to have and usually make you elligible for more scholarships. And when applying its best to make yourself stand out from other students.
 
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1. You will change your major. It's okay if you don't know exactly what you want to do just yet. Take whatever classes sound interesting to you and that'll help you decide if you want to pursue those things further.
2. You might transfer. I did. Twice. Try not to freak out about it.
3. Keep money in mind. If you're paying for your own education you should consider how to finance it. Don't just accept the student loans and deal with them later.
4. There is nothing wrong with going to community college or a public university.
5. Don't stress out about having the "college experience" or whatever. That's not really real. Just try to enjoy yourself and don't put pressure on yourself to do certain things if you don't want to.
6. You don't have to start having sex and hookups or whatever in college. If you do though protection is essential. Also be careful if you do go to parties, always bring a buddy and make sure you check in on each other. Go together and leave together.
7. Try and push yourself to be outgoing. This was hard for me but it paid off.
8. Take advantage of whatever your university has to offer. Use the library, sometimes schools will get you free or discounted tickets to museums, go to clubs and events and fun stuff like that.

Hope this helped :) if you have any other questions don't be afraid to reach out! I'm a junior (soon to be senior) and I've transferred and changed my major what feels like a thousand times.
 
I haven't gone to a 4 year school so I'm not sure my advice will be great for you.

Definitely get scholarships . Student loans aren't terrible but my husband still has his hanging over his head and since we both earn about the same amount but I don't have a loan tired to me, I know it makes him feel terrible. My other friends who went to 4 year schools are in the same boat since they did student loans only, no scholarships, and their parents couldn't help them with any of their college fees.

I would recommend doing community college for your basic classes bit if you can afford a 4 year you might as well get the 4 year experience.

I know the above said don't push yourself to be to social but two of my friends mentioned above regretted not being more social in college. Try to find a good mix for you that gives you the opportunity to make a lot of acquaintances but don't also try to take on too much and get burned out between socializing and studies.

Also take advantage of anything free that the school offers. I had a laptop for working at home on documents but I would go to the library at school and my hometown for wifi so I didn't have to take on that extra bill. Also attend events with free food. You get to eat for free and socialize so it's taking care of two things at once.

Whatever you do, I hope it goes great. :)
 
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1. Schedule your classes as soon as you can. One of the biggest college stressers for a lot of people is getting the right schedule.
2. Do the work. I try to get as many good grades on homework and other material outside of the exam so if I perform poorly on the exam I have something to help support my grade.
3. Textbook Scam - Avoid it! Textbooks can go for hundreds of dollars. So find out how important the book even is for the class. I've had classes where we never even used it. If you do need the book, try renting an e-book or searching Amazon for better prices. Sharing with someone works too.
4. Syllabus can be scary, but don't let it overwhelm you. When the professor gives you a syllabus it can be a little overwhelming with all of the content. I tend to worry myself about it too much when it turns out to not be a big deal.
5. Take your time deciding your major. You're basically taking your main general education requirements for the first couple of years anyways. Don't rush yourself to pick something you don't want to do.

Good luck! College is a lot more chill than high school and deciding your schedule is nice. I'd say a lot more work is poured into it than high school though.
 
-Get a day planner and basically copy each syllabus into it so you know ahead of time when everything's due
-Prepare to kiss your social life goodbye. If you get a job, prepare to lower your social life's casket into the ground
-Buy textbooks after you go to each class for the first time (to be sure you actually need to buy it)
-When registering for classes make note of times & locations so you aren't running from one end of campus to the other or taking classes at ridiculous hours
 
.Try to find textbooks used or online for free because they are really expensive and sometimes you barely use the book. NEVER buy the books full price. It's stupid and I regret having done that first year when I didn't know any better.

.Write your homework down and try to do them as soon as possible. I know that's a general school tip but it's even more important in college.

.Make friends with your teachers the best you can. They can become valuable resources to you.

.Understand what your tuition pays for and use those services. In my college, I already pay for student services through my tuition so why the heck would I not use it?

.Truly pick a subject you are interested in. If you feel the need to change programs, do it!

.Put your all into your work.

.Have a fun time "adulting." :D
 
I've got a lot so bear with me!

1. If you have trouble getting out of bed and finding motivation, just remember, half of college is showing up to class. It doesn't matter if you haven't showered or forgot to do the reading. At least show up. I've skipped classes for stupid reasons and hated myself the rest of the day. Just go.

2. Get your textbooks off Amazon if you can. Your school bookstore WILL overcharge you. I know. I worked at one. Their "price matching" policies aren't what you think. You can also get your books shipped super fast if you use your student email. I think you get like 6 months free of Prime if you sign up as a student.

3. Buy a calender for your wall (preferably a dry erase one), a weekly planner, and a monthly planner if you can. I use my monthly planner to write every assignment from my syllabus in the first week of class. I use my weekly planner to write my assignments in as the week goes by (and I highlight what I really really need to do that night). I use my wall calender to copy down all the month's assignments/appointments/activities. That way I never miss an assignment (unless I do so by choice).

4. Make sure you like your room but don't spend too much time in it. My bed is my safe place and being in my room makes it very easy for me to give up on stuff and just go to sleep whenever I want to. Find a place on campus you like for doing homework to keep yourself from crawling into bed before everything is done.

5. If you live on campus, get a meal plan (a lot of campuses actually make you get one if you live on campus). You'll have hot food options avaliable and I promise you its way better than ramen and cereal every day.


6. Clean your dorm room once a week. Wipe down counters, vacuum, mop if necessary, put dirty clothes away, do your laundry, wash dishes, throw out old food, wipe down the fridge, etc. I love cleaning so maybe this is a bit excessive but I can't stand to live in a dirty/messy environment. Plus, it makes me feel productive even if I'm avoiding assignments.

7.You're going to procrastinate. I don't care what you tell yourself. And that's ok. Just make sure not to stress yourself too much and don't take everything so seriously. I was working on a huge paper the night before it was due and had a complete breakdown. I was extremely upset and told my Mom I was going to drop out. I ended up getting an A on it.

8. Making friends is really hard for me. I've been here for 2 years and don't really have any but it's a completely avoidable problem. Go to campus events even for things you don't necessarily care about. That's where the people are.

9. Get a sound machine. I have roommates that like to wake up at 5 or 6 in the morning and be loud. Sound machines are good for noise.

10. Be nice to your professors. Sit in the front. Participate in class.

11. Utilize on campus services. A lot of campuses have a health center you can use for anything from mental health services to check-ups to extra tampons/condoms/other products.

12.Pick a major you like. Not a major that you think will make you the most money.
 
I've got a lot so bear with me!

1. If you have trouble getting out of bed and finding motivation, just remember, half of college is showing up to class. It doesn't matter if you haven't showered or forgot to do the reading. At least show up. I've skipped classes for stupid reasons and hated myself the rest of the day. Just go.

2. Get your textbooks off Amazon if you can. Your school bookstore WILL overcharge you. I know. I worked at one. Their "price matching" policies aren't what you think. You can also get your books shipped super fast if you use your student email. I think you get like 6 months free of Prime if you sign up as a student.

3. Buy a calender for your wall (preferably a dry erase one), a weekly planner, and a monthly planner if you can. I use my monthly planner to write every assignment from my syllabus in the first week of class. I use my weekly planner to write my assignments in as the week goes by (and I highlight what I really really need to do that night). I use my wall calender to copy down all the month's assignments/appointments/activities. That way I never miss an assignment (unless I do so by choice).

4. Make sure you like your room but don't spend too much time in it. My bed is my safe place and being in my room makes it very easy for me to give up on stuff and just go to sleep whenever I want to. Find a place on campus you like for doing homework to keep yourself from crawling into bed before everything is done.

5. If you live on campus, get a meal plan (a lot of campuses actually make you get one if you live on campus). You'll have hot food options avaliable and I promise you its way better than ramen and cereal every day.


6. Clean your dorm room once a week. Wipe down counters, vacuum, mop if necessary, put dirty clothes away, do your laundry, wash dishes, throw out old food, wipe down the fridge, etc. I love cleaning so maybe this is a bit excessive but I can't stand to live in a dirty/messy environment. Plus, it makes me feel productive even if I'm avoiding assignments.

7.You're going to procrastinate. I don't care what you tell yourself. And that's ok. Just make sure not to stress yourself too much and don't take everything so seriously. I was working on a huge paper the night before it was due and had a complete breakdown. I was extremely upset and told my Mom I was going to drop out. I ended up getting an A on it.

8. Making friends is really hard for me. I've been here for 2 years and don't really have any but it's a completely avoidable problem. Go to campus events even for things you don't necessarily care about. That's where the people are.

9. Get a sound machine. I have roommates that like to wake up at 5 or 6 in the morning and be loud. Sound machines are good for noise.

10. Be nice to your professors. Sit in the front. Participate in class.

11. Utilize on campus services. A lot of campuses have a health center you can use for anything from mental health services to check-ups to extra tampons/condoms/other products.

12.Pick a major you like. Not a major that you think will make you the most money.

This is all excellent.
I really have to second the, "have the battle is going to class." College has been really hard because I never was very well self-controlled, so having a lot of freedom led to a lot of "eh, I am grown up!! I don't gotta go if I don't want." Which caused a lot of problems, to say the least.


My own little tidbit of advice would be, don't take 8am classes if you're not at your core an early bird. Once you enter college 8am is the new 5am and it can be exhausting, especially with studying, to be up that early!
 
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College can be overwhelming, but can be really simple as long as you do your work, go to class, and take notes in every class. If you know someone else who has taken the class, find out if the textbooks are completely essential. I bought books for all my classes my freshman and sophomore year and most of them I never opened once even though I passed the class with good grades. Most of the time the book that is listed as required for the class is available in one of the school libraries. I never bought a book again my junior or senior year and just went to the library for homeworks if I needed it (which isn't a bad place to do homework anyway).
 
Sometimes in college you can stay up all night and study for a test, but you may not do as well as you had hoped. Or sometimes you may work really hard on something and got a lower grade than expected. Basically don't let a bad grade discourage you! if you show up and do all of your homework it really helps! Also never be afraid to speak with the teacher about something! Its always good to form a relationship with your teacher! It makes it easier for the both of you! SOmetimes weeks can get bad or even entire semesters, but you have to keep going! Always look at your true goals and even though it may be hard now imagine how it'll feel walking down that aisle and receiving your diploma!
 
Sometimes in college you can stay up all night and study for a test, but you may not do as well as you had hoped. Or sometimes you may work really hard on something and got a lower grade than expected. Basically don't let a bad grade discourage you! if you show up and do all of your homework it really helps! Also never be afraid to speak with the teacher about something! Its always good to form a relationship with your teacher! It makes it easier for the both of you! SOmetimes weeks can get bad or even entire semesters, but you have to keep going! Always look at your true goals and even though it may be hard now imagine how it'll feel walking down that aisle and receiving your diploma!

This is the best advice. Do not be lazy and skip out on homework. You'll need it to help you with your grades. Exams can be pretty difficult depending on the professor/class even if you feel you know the material. Also, if you fail a class don't think of it as the end of the world. Everyone has a weak subject and mine was Accounting. I had to take it twice and then barely passed Accounting II.
 
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