As the school year is upon us (going to miss the summer), I thought that it would be good to give advice to incoming college students on how they can take advantage of the upcoming school year.

Academics Come First

As this is a given, it is important to have fun and make sure that you are happy outside of academics. But school comes first at all times. Make sure that you find an ample amount of time during the day to study, and make sure that you are on top of your academics because you are not paying a large amount of money to relax all day.

What is important is that you create a schedule during the day that you can do your work, go to classes, but also make time to workout and exercise, and do extracurricular activities that you want to do. I decided to create a schedule when I first went into college, and it proved to be such a great tool for me. I also decided what days I wanted to take a certain class, meaning that I would do the work for that class on a Monday, or Tuesday every week. That really helped me because I was grounded in that I had a plan each day.

Do Not Be Afraid To Ask For Help

Professors are there to help you and want you to succeed. It is important that you should go to office hours as much as you can. When I first started in college, I did not go to office hours as much because I was on top of my work, and it was the beginning of the semester. However, as the school year started to get more intense, I started to go to office hours to make sure that I was not falling behind. But as I started to go to office hours more, I realized how ahead I was. It is important to know that you make a great impression on them when you see them outside of class because they will know you personally, and see that you want to succeed, which is good for letters of recommendation post-college.

Make Sure To Get Involved, But Not Too Involved

It is important to know that getting involved in school clubs and activities is what makes college more enjoyable. Personally, I think that doing things that you are passionate about in college outside of academics can help you figure out what you want to do as a professional career.

No one is going to be focused on academics 24/7. You have a lot of free time in college. In fact, meeting people in school clubs will help you gain friendships.

Nothing Is Forever

If you do not end up enjoying your experience in college, it’s ok! As my mom always says: “You always have options”. We all put our best foot forward into everything that we do, however, sometimes, it just does not work out. It might not be the best fit for us as students. I would say that even if you find one thing positive about your experience in college, then you should stay where you are. However, if you can’t find anything great about your experience where you are now, then you can always transfer, and start new somewhere else. 

From personal experience, I haven’t been back on my physical campus in over a year. So you are not alone if you have not gone back to school!