There’s undoubtedly no shortage of advice available to students in their first year of college. Going to college can be an exciting new experience for new undergraduates filled with lots of new things like meeting new people and having new experiences.
All these things can be nerve-wracking, especially as a new college student. We want to make the right choices when it comes to our educational lives so that we don’t look back on our college days with regret.
With this said, the best thing new college students need is advice from someone who has been in their shoes before. These tips will help you make the best out of your college life. Here are 16 tips for new college students you should know.
1. Always Go To Class
Skipping classes to do what you want can be tempting. After all, you’re a new college student, and you can do whatever you want, right?
Well, what you don’t want is a failing GPA and putting double or more of the effort to get it to an average level when you could focus on doing the right things at the right time.
Related: 13 Ways to Succeed as a College Student
2. Try Getting Involved In Activities
Participating in new things is a great way to meet new people in college. You can increase your social circle and make new friends.
If you’re attending a school in a different state or country, it would be a brilliant opportunity to find out more about yourself by participating in various activities in your spare time.
3. Having Senior Students As Friends Is A Good Thing
Meeting senior college students in your program is advantageous to you as a new college student. Try being acquainted with your seniors.
Trust me when I say it’s useful because having people that have been in your shoes can be very helpful; plus, you could ask to borrow their old notes and reports or textbooks, which could be extremely helpful in making your work easier.
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4. Keep Your Family Close To Your Heart.
Always make time out for your family. Try contacting them every once in a while. You might feel as if you’re your person now that you’re a new college student, but ignoring your family isn’t right.
Be it as it may, they’ve been the ones that showed you support and encouragement from the very beginning, so giving them a call now and then shouldn’t be an issue. Let them know you’re thinking about them and hearing from you reassures them that you’re okay.
5. Go On Adventure
You ought to use some of your free time to go on adventures and do silly things. This way, you’d have amazing stories to tell when you’re with friends, and you can also have good memories to look back on in the future.
Nothing beats reminiscing about your college days and all the mischief you were part of over a nice cup of coffee with your friends and family.
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6. Find A Balance
Trust me when I say there is always something fun and exciting that happens around the college. And while you don’t want to flop your grades, you also want to have as much fun as possible. Self-discipline is a vital element in maintaining balance.
7. Try Taking Notes In Class With Your Pen and Paper.
It’s useful to know how to take notes in class. A skill like this could be essential to you in the future, especially during exams.
Believe it or not, teachers and lecturers say a few things they’ll likely give you during exams. Wouldn’t it be better if you take notes so you can recall what they say when it’s time to study?
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8. STUDY!!!
Unarguably, the most avoided activity among students. It is the most important thing you should do as a new college student. As much as you want to have fun and live your life to the fullest, you should always be conscious of why you went to college in the first place.
Take a few minutes of your day to study. It’s better than trying to cram at the last minute. Plus, it saves you the stress of failing and coming back for an extra year.
9. Put Your Phone Away
Studying with your phone beside you isn’t helpful. One minute you could be reading, the next you’re checking the latest trend on Tik Tok, seeing who wore what on Instagram, what your friends are saying on Facebook, and you’re suddenly surfing for movies on Netflix.
Distractions like these will eventually go on till you get caught up with lots of workloads. So, the best thing you can do for yourself and your GPA as a new college student is to put away your phone during study time.
Read: 15 Ways to earn Extra Pocket Money as a Student
10. Try Not To Submit Projects And Assignments Late
Being late for anything is wrong. Submitting an assignment or a project after the allocated date and time is no different because it reduces the marks you were supposed to get initially. It also puts you in a light of unseriousness, which can be very detrimental to your college life.
11. Have A Perfect Attendance
Attending classes is a way of gathering extra credit for your GPA. It’s the easiest way to get the most out of your lectures, so why waste it by not attending? Schoolwork in college can also pose a challenge for many. Good planning is key to accomplishing your school tasks.
12. Be Careful
Let’s face it. You are in college. People from different works of life will be there. You will eventually meet people that are bad news. As a new college student, you have to be careful when dealing with these kinds of people so that you don’t gain the wrong crowd’s attention on your campus.
13. Look For Accommodation Close To School
You wouldn’t want to waste a ton on transport fare or fuel, especially as a new college student. Even if you decide to live far from school, wait till your second year.
Staying around the school environment is preferable because it saves you from being late, especially when you sleep in, sometimes.
14. Learn to Visit The Library
You would be shocked by how much you can gain from your school’s library. You may even bump into books written by your faculty professors that talk more about the courses you’re taking. You could also find materials for assignments in the library, which would reduce your workload.
15. Don’t Pull Away From Your Old Friends.
There will be people that’ll try to convince you that you don’t need your old friends now that you’re in college. You know this is not true. Make out time to talk to them, be it on Skype or on WhatsApp, whatever platform that’ll be convenient for you.
Don’t go breaking bonds because you feel as if you don’t walk the same path anymore. You might regret that decision after college.
16. Try Not To Overload Yourself With Too Many Courses.
Look for what is best for you before applying for college. As much as you want a good GPA, what you don’t need is passing out because of stress, falling sick, losing unhealthy weight, or even having a nervous breakdown.
A lot of college students are known to have been depressed because of the excess workload. Try not to rope yourself into that statistic.
Bottom Line
As someone who was once a college student, I hope my tips for new college students will be helpful to you. I had to learn about some of these things the hard way.
Even if you ignore most of my college starter guidelines, the one thing I hope you consider and pick up is time management. Time lost can never be gotten back. Endeavor to make proper use of your time. With that said, congratulations on getting into college!
