Misc.

15 Facts About College Every Freshmen Should Know

The transition to college from high school can be very overwhelming for new freshmen.  This is often because they simply do not know what to expect.  College is very different than high school, in good ways and in bad ways.  Your transition to college can be a little easier by being aware of these 10 facts about college:

1.You have WAY more responsibility than you ever did in high school.  No one is going to wake you up (unless you make your roommate) for class, nudge you to get your homework done, remind you that an assignment is due, etc.  It is all on you and this amount of responsibility is what leads to students being overwhelmed!  Be on top of things by putting events and due dates in your calendar on your phone or in a student planner.

2.Most professors care about you, others simply don’t.  In high school, your teachers cared about you and your grades.  They may have reminded you several times to get an assignment done.  They may have let you turn an assignment in late.  That doesn’t happen in college.  You don’t get to turn in late assignments free of consequences.  Many professors care more about what they teach than who they teach.  So, a word of wisdom-don’t expect your teachers to care about you and your grades.  YOU are responsible for that, not them.

3.Parking sucks.  It is expensive and if you arrive after 9AM, you most likely won’t get a good spot.  So, plan ahead by getting to class early or just by walking/riding a bike.

4.College can be easier than high school, if you make it that way.  Or it can be harder.  For me, college was 10 times easier than high school.  Why? You are not in class 8 hours a day straight.  You get breaks in between.  You may only have one or two classes a day and then have the rest of the day free to do as you wish.  Use that time to get homework done and to work ahead on upcoming projects/assignments.

5.Managing your time is ESSENTIAL to succeeding in college, especially in your first year! In the first fact I stated that you have way more responsibility than you did in high school.  To help you manage everything you need to do in a week (classes, job, social activities, school events, family time) you absolutely need to find a way to manage your time wisely that works for you.  For most of my students, this means writing ALL of your time requirements (classes/assignments, job, social activities, school events) in a planner.  When you complete an assignment or project, cross it off so you know it’s finished and you can work on the next thing.  This helps you to not procrastinate!

6.The first month or two is the most difficult.  Again, transitioning to college can be easy for some, but very difficult for others.  In the first month, you become aware of this.  You become aware of the demands of each of your classes, of the demands of your friends on your free time, of the demands of your job if you have one, etc.  you are FREE to make whatever decisions you desire, but remember that with every action comes a reaction.  But also know that it will get easier. Don’t ever give up. If you need help, seek it.  Your teachers won’t do that for you.  Don’t be a part of the “50% of college freshmen drop out” statistic.

7.There is an abundance of resources at your disposal; use them.  College is great because there is a lot of help offered to help students succeed.  Having a very hard time in your Math or English classes? Most, if not all, colleges have tutoring centers where there are tutors for just about every subject.  Go there as soon as you experience a struggle in any class; don’t wait until it’s too late.

8.Your choice of friends may lead to lower grades.  College can be extremely fun if you have the right friends.  Don’t allow your friends to waste your time, your money, and your future by letting them deter you from doing your homework.  You can’t get a good job if you have a low GPA or if you end up expelled! You can’t get into the College of Education or into the College of Business with a GPA less than 2.5 (varies between colleges).  If you end noticing your friends are leading to lower grades, ditch them.  It’s not worth it as your future as a real adult comes faster than you think.

Also, if you live in a dorm hall that is loud even up until the early morning hours, with students who don’t care about their grades (and so they don’t care about yours either), then request to be moved to a quieter building or floor.  This alone can cause students to perform poorly in their classes.

9.Networking gets you references from professors and helps you become active on campus.  Don’t stay in your dorm room all day.  Get out there and socialize.  But more importantly, don’t forget to find time to get to know your professors (the ones who care about you) and to have your professors get to know you.  Often, when you apply for an on campus job or for a job after you graduate, those same professors will be the ones providing you with a great reference.  Every semester, two to three of my students request a written reference from me for a job they are applying for.  They know I will give them a good reference.  Get to know your professors!

10.You should have a goal to graduate with AT LEAST a 3.0 GPA, especially if you want a good job.  Think you want to blow off your first year of college because “it won’t matter as much as the last couple years”? Think again.  If you end up with a 2.0 or less in your first year, you will likely be placed on academic probation in which you will need to earn a C or higher in all of your classes or you risk getting expelled.  Even worse, it is SO hard to get that GPA up to at least a 3.0 where it should be.  Don’t be stupid; do your best work on day one and on.  College is not like high school; you are preparing yourself for a lifelong career.  Every day matters; your GPA matters.

11.Many college classes only have two to three assignments, projects, papers, or exams that determine your grade. In high school, you had homework all of the time.  If you slacked off a bit you may have been okay because if you performed well on the rest of the assignments, you could still earn a good grade.  Not in college.  Most of your undergraduate classes consist of a paper or a project, a midterm, and a final exam.  That is at least (and sometimes, at most) 3 items that determine your grade.  Therefore, if you fail on one of them, you can only earn at most a B in the class.  Be aware of this and plan ahead by reviewing your notes EVERY SINGLE DAY so you do well on those assignments.

12.There is a ZERO tolerance policy for cheating.  Did you get away with cheating in high school? This won’t happen in college.  If you even have a cell phone out during an exam, your professor has the right to say you were cheating and may report you to the Dean of Students to recommend expulsion.  Don’t even risk it; keep your cell phones in your backpack, your headphones off of your ears and neck, and DON’T CHEAT AT ALL!

13.You need to always back up your work in at least TWO different places; don’t save everything to only a USB drive.  When you work on an assignment on a campus computer, don’t just save it to a USB drive because many students lose the USB drive or it gets stolen.  I would HIGHLY suggest also emailing your work to yourself so you always have it.  This way, if you do end up losing your USB drive, you still have access to your assignment.  By the way, professors don’t care if your computer crashes, if your printer stopped working, if you were sick, if your car broke down, if you lost your USB drive, if your USB drive got stolen, if your dog/cat ate your homework, etc.  All they care about is that you did not turn in an assignment and they won’t allow you to turn it in late.  I never allow my students to turn in late assignments for any reason; would their future employers? BE RESPONSIBLE AND SMART!

14. The first two years are your general education courses.  In these courses, you gain a vast amount of knowledge to help you become a more informed citizen; this is information that actually WILL help you in your future career.  These courses are classes every student must take, regardless of major. Most students hate them because of this very reason.  Maintain a positive attitude though, as a negative one can prevent you from doing your best due to a lack of motivation.

15. Your behavior in class has an impact on your grade-so get on your teachers’ good side!  This is called Academic Etiquette.  I teach it to my students every fall semester.  Why? Because etiquette is not only essential at the dinner table or at the comedy show, but it also either helpful or detrimental to your final grade.  What does academic etiquette mean, though? It means rules or guidelines that govern your behavior in class.  This means you are to be respectful to the teacher and to your fellow classmates at all times, you are to arrive to class on time, you are to stay the entire class period, don’t just shout out answers, questions, or comments, don’t be on your phone, talking, or sleeping the entire time, and turn in your work on time and complete and send proper emails.  IF you don’t do these things, professors WILL take note, and they have the right to either lower your grade or increase your grade, simply based on your classroom behavior.  I do this every semester.  Students who are serious and try hard, who come to class each day and participate and are kind, they are the ones who see their grades get bumped up at the end of the semester.  The ones who don’t? They are the ones who keep that B- rather than receiving a B+.

Be smart.  Enjoy college.  Don’t spend too much time partying and be kind to your professors!