Starting College: Getting the most out of your first week

August 17th, 2010 by Ken 1 Comment »

You are about to head off to school. A million things are going through your mind. Worrying about new classes, all the new friends, should you join a frat/sorority, research projects and assignments, dealing with your bill and financial aid; the list goes on and on. It is a lot of stress. So take a deep breath and center yourself because it moves real quick. The best thing to do is get a good start on your first week of college and set yourself up for a successful semester.

Get Ready for Orientation

1. Start making friends early and often: Orientation Day, move in and first day of class are all great days to meet people. Being in a new environment full of people you never met can be a lot to handle, but stay confident and comfortable and you will have no problem getting along. Be the first person to reach out to others and it will be easy to connect.

Soak in the knowledge and get your money’s worth

2. Sit in the front of class: It is your time and money, so get the most out of your education. Sitting in the front will force you to pay attention and learn more. If you are the kind of student that has a hard time paying attention and sits in the back, it is time to turn a new leaf. College gives you the opportunity to become a better student.

3. Meet the administrators: During the first week, college administrators are super busy. However stopping by the financial aid office, counseling offices and student services can at least let you know who is who. Know where the offices are located and what they can do for you. Introduce yourself and get the email address of counselors that can help you. Chances are you will really need their help at some point during the semester.

Give yourself a tour and know your campus

4. Take a nice walk around campus: Get the lay of the land and figure out where all the buildings are while getting a bit of exercise all at once. This will give you an opportunity to meet new people along the way. Knowing where all the buildings are will also stop you from being late for class.

5. Get out and go!: Get involved, figure out what clubs and organizations you want to join and get active. First week of school always has some great parties so get out there and enjoy it!

Tags: college administrators, counseling, counselors, deep breath, education, exercise, financial aid office, first person, hard time, lay of the land, million things, new friends, new leaf, nice walk, orientation, paying attention, research projects, sorority, stress, time and money

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 17th, 2010 at 10:47 pm and is filed under Student. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.