Advice for College Students
This week’s journal
entry:
If
you were to give college students advice, what would it be?
*
I apologize for the two week hiatus, but I was busy with the end of the semester
essay grading. Now that I’m done, I thought this journal entry would be perfect
for all the high school graduates getting ready to embark in their next
adventure – college. Here you go!
Advice for College Students
By
Laura Black
Are you about ready to go off to
college? If so, then this is for you. I know it’s been a long time since I
graduated from college, and times have changed drastically since then, but I
can still offer some advice. I can probably offer a little more advice than the
average person, too. You see, I have experience as a student, but I can also
offer you experience as a college instructor as well.
My advice as a student:
I went to my local community college
first, then I transferred to a four-year university, so I can offer a little
advice for each. Things are different in terms of community college and
university for certain things, but for some, it’s the same no matter what type
of college you attend.
For college students in
general:
Take a tour of the campus before your
first day of classes. Depending on the campus size, you always want to know how
to either get from your dorm or the parking lot to your classes. In some cases,
your classes will not all be in the same building, so you want to do a pre-run
of how long it will take you to get from one class to another.
Plan your class times around whether or
not you can make it from one class to another in a decent amount of time. If
you have a class in the morning that is clear across campus from your second
class and you only have 10 minutes to get from one to the other, chances are
you will not make it on time to the second class. If that will be the case,
then you should pick a different section for the second class. You can’t be
late to class on a regular basis because your instructor for the second class will
almost always not be okay with that.
Print out a schedule of your classes to
carry around with you. You never know when this will come in handy or when
you’ll need it.
Make sure you arrive to your classes on time and early for the first
day. Attendance is usually mandatory, especially for in-seat classes (where you
have to go in to an actual class). Each
course usually has a set amount of absences that can be missed before you can
be dropped from the class or be bumped to a lower final grade. Make sure you
are aware of each class’s set attendance policies.
Fill out all necessary paperwork for
student loans, scholarships, grants, payment plans, etc. In some cases, you
will have to do this each semester. In other cases, it is only yearly. Make
sure you know how often and when your deadlines are for them all. If you don’t
fill them out or turn them in on time, it can affect you receiving help or
being dropped from your classes because of non-payment.
At the beginning of the semester when
you’re given a syllabus for each class, make sure you have thoroughly read
through it and understand what is expected of you. If any part of it is not
clear, then make sure you ask your instructor to clarify it.
With any given assignment, if you do not
understand what is expected of you, make sure to ask. It’s okay to ask your
instructors for help at any time. They can’t help, though, unless we ask for it.
If you don’t ask, then the instructor will assume you understand it. You will
not always get a second chance to redo an assignment if you didn’t understand
it and you do poorly on it.
Specific to community
college:
Because most community colleges do not
have housing on site, you will have to drive or find some means of
transportation. Make sure you have or have worked out your transportation
before signing up for classes.
Make sure you allow enough time to
arrive to class on time. This includes having enough time to drive to campus,
find parking, and walking to your class.
Join clubs if you want to get more out
of your community college experience. There are many clubs and organizations to
get involved with. There is more to college than just going to your classes,
but most students forget about that when going to a community college.
If you plan on transferring to any other
college after community college, make sure all your classes transfer. You
should meet with a counselor each semester at the community college as well as
contact the future school you’re transferring to. You don’t want to waste your
time or money if they do not transfer.
Specific to four-year
colleges:
When applying, make sure the school has
a specific focus on your area of study. There’s no sense in going to a
four-year college for nursing that doesn’t focus on that or have a nursing
program at all.
Make sure you know your general way
around the entire campus. You should know where the following are because you
might need them at some point: registration, financial aid, campus police or
security, health services, library, academic advising, and tutoring.
Depending on the size of your dorm, you
may not have room for everything you think you want to bring with you to
school. Make sure you know the size of your dorm in advance and what you’re
allowed to bring and not allowed to bring.
Get to know your RA (Resident
Assistance) or CA (Community Advisor). When I was in college, they were called
RAs. Today, some schools call them CAs. This is a student staff member who
lives on your floor. There is one assigned to each floor in a dorm. They help
to enforce the rules as well as make sure everyone on your floor is living in a
safe and secure environment.
Make sure you lock up your valuables in
your dorm room or do not bring anything
to college you do not want to lose. You may think you can trust everyone on
your floor, but that may not always be the case. Don’t be so trusting unless
you truly know the person.
Always keep your dorm room locked. This
goes with the one above. Do not assume you can trust everyone. Be cautious. You
don’t want anyone just going in your room
and messing with your belongings or possibly stealing anything valuable.
What you should bring
to college:
The basic school supplies – folders,
binders, pens, pencils, and anything else that is either required for each class or anything else you think will be needed
– post-it notes, highlighters, etc.
If you own a laptop, it will be handy to
have access to your own instead of depending on
campus computer labs.
College dorm musts:
Bedding for your bed, at least two sets
of sheets and at least one blanket. As for pillows, there is limited space, so
however many you have room for.
Clothes and shoes, but only what you
need. Remember, space is limited, so you may not have a lot of storage for your
clothes. You will learn to be conservative with wearing pants or sweatshirts
more than once before washing them. I would bring what I would wear for each
semester based on the weather.
Two weeks’ worth of underwear. Laugh all
you want, but this is super helpful. You may not always have time to do laundry
each week, so having two weeks’ worth of underwear will be more helpful than
you realize.
A laundry bag. You need something to
carry your laundry in, and a bag is easier to stuff in your closet than an
actual laundry basket or hamper. Remember, space is limited.
Laundry soap and fabric sheets or
softener. You want to be conservative with it and only do laundry as needed,
but you want to have the means to do it when needed.
A basic sewing kit – needle, thread, and
scissors. I did use mine several times. I used it more for the guys that lived
on my floor than for myself, but it was used.
A basic tool kit – hammer, screwdrivers,
nails, screws. If you want to hang things up, you need the tools to do that.
They are not provided for you.
Paper towels. You never know when you’ll
need to clean up a mess.
Kleenex. You will get sick at some
point, and you won’t want to keep running to the bathroom.
Cold medicine and/or allergy medicine.
Again, you will get sick, and you won’t have your parents there to purchase
this for you.
Tylenol or Advil or whatever else you
may need for a headache or fever reducer. Remember, you have to take care of
your own health now.
Any other health products you may need
throughout the year or at least for the semester.
A shower caddy. If you have to share a
bathroom with everyone on your floor, then you will have to carry your bathing
essentials back and forth each time you need to shower or brush your teeth, so
a shower caddy is essential. It keeps
everything organized, and you don’t have to go back and forth to the bathroom
when you forget something.
Shower shoes. Again, if you have to
share a bathroom with everyone on your floor, then you will want some type of flip-flop to wear to and from the bathroom as
well as possibly in the shower. Wearing them in the shower depends on each
person’s preference. Many people will use the same shower throughout the day,
and the cleaning staff is not available to clean up after each person that
showers. I’m just saying not everyone will be as neat as you. I always wore
shower shoes in the shower.
Kitchen utensils. If you plan on cooking
anything in the microwave or having your own refrigerator in your room, then
you will want any type of kitchen utensil you will use to cook or eat with,
including plates, bowls, cups.
A sheet of your emergency contacts
available in your room. If you have a roommate, then make sure they are aware
of your list and who each person is. Hopefully, it will never need to be used,
but it’s better to have it than not.
My advice as a college
instructor:
Our main focus at the college level is to best prepare you for the real working world.
We are trying to do whatever we can to make sure you’re ready to embark on the career of your choice. Although each
career choice will vary and the real working world for that career choice may
vary as well, our ultimate goal is to make sure you leave better prepared for
your career by giving you skills and knowledge to make you more successful.
College is completely different from
high school and what you were used to. You are now considered an adult, and you
are completely responsible for your actions and performance at the college
level. There are no exceptions. If you are 18 years of age or older, it is
against the law for any instructor to discuss your grades or your performance
in class with your parents. It’s called FERPA law. The only exception to the
rule is if you have a written statement signed by you stating it is okay to
discuss your grades or performance with your parents. You are responsible for
you.
Although you are paying for the classes,
you do not have the right to break or set your own rules. There are rules and
regulations that apply to you, and if you do not meet them or disobey them,
there will be consequences for those actions.
Make sure you know and understand any
class rules. This will vary per instructor, but we all have some rules we
expect you to follow. Most of these rules will be made clear to you in the
syllabus. If you are leery or they are unclear or unknown, then make sure you
inquire about any particular rule in question.
Make sure you understand each
instructor’s attendance policy. It is up to each instructor to make their own
attendance rules, so one instructor may say you can only miss three classes
while another may say it’s five. Not knowing could be the difference of you
passing or failing the class or being dropped from the class entirely.
Make sure you understand each
instructor’s late policy. In many cases, there is no late policy, which means
if you don’t turn something in on time, then you will not be able to turn it in
at all. Remember, you are an adult, and it is your responsibility to turn your
work in on time. Most instructors will give deadlines and collect the
assignment on its due date. If you don’t turn it in, do not expect your
instructor to ask you further where yours
is if you didn’t turn it in.
Be respectful of your instructor. I
shouldn’t even have to say this, but you should be respectful of others in
general, especially during any class time. Being respectful includes not
smarting off to your instructors in class, not talking while they are talking,
interrupting them, using your cell phone when you are not allowed, etc. This
isn’t like high school where you can just be sent to the principal’s office.
Your instructor has every right to kick you out of class for the day if you are disrespectful. They can also report you to
the dean of students to have you permanently removed from the class
altogether.
If you don’t understand your grade, then
ask. I teach English, so there are many times a student does not truly
understand why they lost points, or they need further understanding how not to make that mistake again. If you don’t
ask what you don’t understand, then you may continue not to improve.
Know all ways in which you can
communicate with each instructor. Some may have numerous options available, but
you should know the best way to communicate with them. How will they get back
to you the quickest? Email? Phone? Office hours?
If you miss a class, make sure you know
the protocol for what to do and if you can make up work. Does your instructor
expect you to contact them? Check announcements? Contact a classmate? Will you
be allowed to make up any work?
Do not cheat on your exams or plagiarize
when writing essays. If you are caught, you could either fail the class entirely, and/or you can be expelled from the
school. I know for writing essays, we do have programs available to us that can
check for plagiarism. We can run your entire essay through the program, and it
will check to see if anything in the essay was used elsewhere. Anything that has
been published or somehow placed on the internet will appear in the search. If
you use any content that is not your own, it better be properly cited. If it’s
not, then it is plagiarism.
I’m sure I’m missing something within
the student or instructor sections of this, but I can’t think of anything else.
One last thought I’ll leave you with is to enjoy
your college experience. For me, college was the best years of my life. I
wouldn’t have changed anything about my experience. I’m glad I saved money by
going to a community college first. I’m super glad I went away to school, too.
Going away to a university taught me some of the most important lessons ever –
how to depend on myself, how to do things for myself, how to figure out what I
wanted in life, and how to function in the real world. Everyone will experience
something different, but overall, you should make the best of it, and enjoy
every second of it. It’s a once in a lifetime experience.
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