Advice for College Students

This week’s journal entry:

If you were to give college students advice, what would it be?

* This is a repeat journal entry from last year, but I thought it 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 colleges:

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.