Make the Next 4 the Best 4: How to Prepare for and Make the Most out of College
Written by Jeanne Joof, 20 years old
Congratulations! You’ve made the decision to go to college and now it’s time to start planning for your next life journey. Planning for the future can be both exciting and overwhelming! Preparing yourself ahead of time will help to make your transition into college life a whole lot easier. Talking to your family, teachers, counselors, and mentors can make fitting each piece of the puzzle a whole lot easier. It helps to think about your time in college as a whole and get an idea of what you’ll need to help your day-to-day go as smoothly as you can (and that includes doing laundry!).
Plan for a Work-Life Balance
While college classes can be exciting they are fast-paced and challenging. If you’ve had the opportunity to take honors, AP, or IB classes in high school, you’ll have gotten a taste of what a college class is like. Planning your class schedule ahead of time each week is essential. A planner will help you to keep track of everything you have to do during the week. Be sure to include days to clean your dorm, do laundry, and maybe even go grocery shopping. Be sure to make time to take cool elective classes like to help lighten your class schedule like Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse, The Evolution of Taylor Swift, Scuba Diving, or Cow to Cone! If you can find the course outline for your degree you can also plan when you’ll want to take certain classes.
Create a Checklist for All Your Essentials
If you will be living in a dorm your first year, create a checklist of essentials for when you go shopping so that you won’t forget what’s most important. Visiting your school website to find out what is allowed in your dorm and what’s not can also make it easier to know what you will be able to take with you. Try not to overpack on clothes as most college closets are quite small!
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
College is an exciting time but can be scary and overwhelming. For the first time, you might live somewhere other than your hometown and without your family. You’ll get to be more independent and learn how to balance your schoolwork with your newfound social life! You can usually find your college class (ex. UCLA 2028) on social media sites which can be a great way to learn more about the people you might meet on campus (remember to be safe online!). Either way, there will be many opportunities to get involved on your campus, make memories, explore different careers, and get the experience you want for your future career. You just have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and be open to new opportunities!
Do Your Research and Explore Your School Resources
Finding out what resources your school offers is a great first step to knowing what is available to you such as your school’s career services, academic support, counseling etc. Joining clubs can be a great way to meet people with similar interests, make friends or find a new hobby. The career services office can be helpful in finding internships or job shadowing opportunities to gain first-hand experience with the careers you’re interested in or explore some new ones. Internships can be a great way to build your resume and make you competitive for jobs once you graduate. Remember to utilize the resources available to you and reach out to these offices when you need it, they are there to support you.
About Jeanne Joof:
I am a recent graduate of Rockland Community College. A few of my favorite things include singing, traveling, and trying new recipes.