Stay On Top: Freshman Year Advice

From a distance, college looks like an endless cycle of partying, hanging out with friends, and extra-curricular activities. But believe it or not, there’s a good deal of academics mixed in there somewhere. Most upperclassmen think that the biggest mistake they’ve made through-out their individual college careers was not taking freshman year seriously. Therefore, it’s extremely important in your first year of college to establish a good balance between your social and academic life. Here are some tips to get you started-

1.       Go to class!!

Freshman year is exciting because it’s typically when we, as young adults, get our first true taste of freedom. Most professors won’t take attendance and none of them will call your dorm wondering why you haven’t made it to class in the last week. Speaking from experience, you should still go. The attendance and participation portion of your grade will suffer deeply from extensive absences and furthermore, so will your test grades. It’s almost impossible to pass a class without attending.

2.       Develop Good Study Habits

Setting aside a few minutes each day to review the material from your classes will make studying for midterms and exams much easier. The most important thing you can do to pass your exams is simply taking the time to study. We all know that in high school the idea of studying was laughable. Most of us just didn’t need to. But in college it’s necessary since your exams are such a large portion of your overall grade and the material is much more difficult. Therefore, go to the library, a coffee shop, or even your friends dorm, just find a place where you can establish a focused study routine and stick to it.

3.       Get to Know Your Professors

In high school you had no choice but to become personally acquainted with your teachers, but in college it becomes your own responsibility. The classes are typically so large that you can sit through a course all semester without the professor knowing your name. It’s not out of a lack of interest; they just have so many students that it can be difficult to remember them all. So take the initiative and introduce yourself in the beginning of the semester. Not only will you get to know an interesting person but you’ll also gain many academic benefits. For example, if you’re having trouble with the material you’ll feel much more comfortable going to their office hours and asking for help when they know who you are.  It’s also useful to develop an academic relationship with them because you will inevitably at one point or another need a professor to write you a recommendation. (For study abroad, internships, graduate school, etc.)