As college gets closer and closer, I keep thinking about all the things that I have learned and worked on since I started college last year. There are a lot of things that I truly wished that I would have known before started college that I didn't think I would need to know. Some of these things are from other people. There are a lot more things, and every person you ask will be slightly different in the things that they tell you, but it is still good to have some idea before walking into class.
1. Write a well versed paper
Chances are you are going to walk into your first class on the first day and you will learn that you will have to write at least one paper for that class. This is something that comes over time and needs to be worked on. I started developing these skills in high school English classes and realized how thankful I was to have had 3 really great composition teachers over my 4 years of high school. If you lack these skills, take an English class. Chances are you have to take one anyway, but try to take it fall semester of your freshman year. Sit down with your professor during office hours and have them help you.
Many colleges have writing centers available by appointment as well. You can take a paper into the writing center and they will go over it with you to help you improve it. The goal is not to go in for every paper, but to learn from the changes that they want you to make when you go in there. Try going every 2 months or so, because your writing will change and you will still have room for improvement.
Also, if you have multiple papers due for one class over the semester, write the first one. Unless you get a 100% on your paper (Super unlikely), go talk to that professor during their office hours. Ask them what they would have liked to see differently and what you could have improved for your next one.
Life Hack: After you finish writing a paper, copy and paste it into Google Translate on English. You will find a ton more errors than you will just skimming it over.
2. Write a thesis
All research papers need to have a solid thesis for your professors to be able to follow. A thesis sums up your entire paper in one sentence. It is really not hard, but asking your high school English teachers to really focus on your thesis when looking at your papers is an easy way to figure out what you are doing!
3. Use Microsoft Word to create a bibliography (THIS WILL SAVE YOU A MILLION HOURS!)
This is sad. I am going into my sophomore year of college. I had to write a paper for one of my classes and it required me to do footnotes. While I was doing this, I found out that Microsoft Word will do it for you. The Reference Tab at the top of Microsoft Word will put together your in text citations and create a bibliography from that. This is something that you should try playing around with way before the night that first paper is due. It takes time to figure it out, but having a great bibliography could save you from accidental plagiarism, which could possibly save your college career, if you aren't careful.
4. Read a book and take notes
Most of your professors are going to say read chapter 2 this week. They aren't going to tell you what they are looking for and they aren't going to tell you if they will go over it or not. There are some classes where you can get away with not reading and still get a good grade, just because the teacher covers the readings in class. The time to figure out whether or not you can get away with not doing it is not the night before the first test though. Chances are it is better to do all of the readings until the first test and figure out how much of the readings were tested on. Or just do all the readings anyway. It is a great way to improve your understanding of the material.
5. Read for the important information
As with reading a chapter of the book in a week, you will have to learn to skim and scan for the things that really related to what you are discussing. There are going to be some books that you can just sit down and read cover to cover, but not a lot of them. Most of the books you will read in college will be textbook style format, and if your high school was anything like mine, (hopefully it wasn't) you are probably not prepared for this.
y favorite way of doing this is to sit down and read over the chapter once (even 5-10 pages at a time). Then, skim through to figure out the main headings and jot those down in a word file or in your notebook. Then, read through it one more time and fill in the main ideas and at least one example of real world context if your book gives it to you. The more times you go over material, the better your understanding. (Also, if at all possible, this should be done before your lecture. This will give you a chance to really ask the questions that you need to when you have your professor there!)
6. Hold your attention on class for 1 hour.
Those hour long classes are going to make you wish that you were back in high school. The professor is probably going to get up there and lecture the entire time too. Some professors are understanding and they will take a break halfway through and change gears a little bit, but chances are they probably will just keep going and you don't want to miss a thing! Do not be afraid to take your laptop to the back of the room and stand if you need to (and the classroom works to do it in), but try not to interrupt everyone else's learning while doing so.
Last semester, I had a Biology Lab from 8-11:30 every Tuesday morning. At one point, right after my lab, someone on my social media was complaining about how long high school classes were. I literally laughed out load.
Turn your phone off/ on silent and put it into your backpack or on the floor. Fight the urge to check it. Your text message will be there in 1 hour. I promise.
7. Take Notes from someone speaking at you
See number 6. Professors tend to talk at the audience when they have a class size of 100+. The first semester of my freshman year I took a class that started out with over 350 people in it. It is hard to have a one on one discussion with a class that big. They expect you to take notes and keep your attention without them really doing much. Luckily, most of my professors used PowerPoints, which helped some, but don't expect that from all of them.
Professors often don't stop to ask questions or have a discussion if the classes are on the larger side. If you find that you are really struggling, talk to your professor. They really are there to help you. One thing I found helpful is asking the professor if they are okay with you recording the lecture on a voice memo on your phone/computer. MAKE SURE YOU GET PERMISSION!! If they are okay with it, use that voice memo to go back over your notes after class is over with. (Attempt to do it in the same day, while the notes are still fresh in your mind)
8. Time Management.
There is no one there to tell you that you need to do your homework or write that paper. Your teachers won't even care if you show up to class and don't turn your paper in. But your overall grade will care. I watched a lot of people struggle with this during the first semester. Luckily, my time management was pretty good and I only spent a few nights up really late writing a paper. Most nights I was in bed by 9:45, only to get up early for a workout when I could. A daily planner and a to do list were my survival tools for my first year of college. Every person has a different way of doing this!
9. How you prefer to study
Some people like music, some people silence. Some people can focus on one subject for an hour, some people need breaks every half an hour. How you prefer to study can change tremendously from high school to college, but figuring out the basics before you get there can help a lot before it comes down to the end. I prefer to study in 20 minute increments. I set a timer on my phone for 20 minutes and try to get as much as I can done in that time. This keeps me from getting side tracked. When the 20 minutes is up, I stand up. Walk around the room, refill my water, and check Facebook. But I only allow myself 5 minutes of free time before jumping back into another 20 minute study period.
I can't tell you what to do for this. This is all based on how you learn and what you need to do, but you will figure it out over time.
10. Finals.
Yeah. I know. Everyone hates finals, but the best thing you can do for yourself is to figure out if the final is cumulative or not, on the very first day of class. If it is, here is the key. Take a set of printed off notes with no writing on them to the test, but keep them put away. Right after you hand in your test, find a place to sit and highlight everything you remember seeing from the test. Keep these in a separate folder. When it comes time to study for the finals, focus on the highlighted stuff. Most professors make their finals from a question bank of questions that have already been asked on previous tests. If it isn't cumulative, then you are in luck, just keep studying for the test like you have for the other tests in that class.Talk to other people who are in college already that you know. You are sure to get tips like these and a whole bunch more!
Still wanting a few more tips? Check out these other posts about my Freshman year of college experience.
What college survival tip helped you through your first year of college? Please share!
No comments:
Post a Comment