As the school year approaches and students are preparing to enter college we thought it would be good timing to provide advice from a current student for students just entering college.  This blog entry was written by Cara, a senior at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT.

SOON TO BE FRESHMEN

Starting college is a new and exhilarating experience.  Leaving behind your family and friends, your room, the comfort of your mom’s home cooking, or even your favorite pizza shop will most likely leave you feeling homesick and lonely at some point in the year. But college also presents a chance to reinvent yourself, to meet and make friends with people unlike anyone you have ever met, and to learn to be self-sufficient, or at least somewhat more independent.  In addition to preparing mentally for the excitement of freshman year, there are plenty of things you can do to make your transition into life as a college student a smooth one.

One of the most important things to remember is that your four years of college go by faster than you could ever imagine.  Before you know it, you will be a senior, so you want to make the most of every minute, both academically and socially.

Before you get to college and get distracted and caught up in the excitement of dorm life, try to think about what you want to gain from your college experience. While taking the easiest classes might seem like a good idea freshman year, chances are that, in retrospect, by senior year, or even midway through the semester, you will come to regret it. Instead, sign up for the classes that interest you because those classes will be infinitely more fulfilling.

Additionally, think about what kinds of careers you might be interested in and what activities, clubs, and classes would be helpful in making that decision. College presents a diverse array of opportunities, more than high school, and possibly more than any other time in your life.  There are few other times in your life that you will have so many opportunities at your fingertips and so much freedom to take advantage of them. Although it is important to think about your future, you don’t want to let yourself feel tied down to the familiar. Leave yourself the freedom to participate in whatever you want because you never know what experiences will change your life.  Before school starts, take some time to look at your school’s website and think about what interests you. Don’t worry if you have no experience in that area or know little to nothing about it. If it sparks your interest, go, participate, learn. College, and especially freshman year, is about exploration.

College is also all about balance - finding a good balance between the academic and the social.  The friends you make in college will probably, and hopefully, be a part of the rest of your life and an important factor in your college experience. Your friends in college will get you through the tough times; they will be your family. They will be the ones eating pizza with you at 4am helping you study for an exam, bringing you food from the cafeteria when you’re sick, calming you down when you’re stressed, and making you forget about how challenging college can be.

There is no need to be someone you are not. Take advantage of the fact that you are starting with a clean slate.  No one knows you or your friends from high school and no one has prejudgments.  Let that knowledge set you free.

Above all, remember that this is a time for you.  It’s a time to grow up, to find out who you really are and a time to be somewhat adventurous.  You will have no real responsibilities other than to learn, to find out who you are, and to think about you future and that is an amazing gift. Take advantage of it!

For information on Campus Bound's services, visit www.upromise.com/campusbound.