The passage from school to college life has a keyword: adaptation. Both academically, socially, and psychologically, it is important to adapt to the new world and each student handles it at their own pace, within their possibilities, with the tools at hand.
If you are reading this, you or people you know are probably preparing for college life. While there are some obvious points to think about like checking the subjects and the safest colleges, other points often get neglected.
Go ahead and go through the following very important tips so that your dive into college life becomes an unforgettable experience:
1. Acceptance and emotional management
The first step, perhaps the most important, during the introduction to college life is to accept that your life has just been transformed. It is about becoming aware that you are in a new moment in your life and that some things will change for the better.
The whole transition is accompanied by many emotions. Here, the key is that you learn to deal with them. By doing so, you will be able to capitalize on positive emotions and turn negative emotions to your advantage. How do you do that?
- Practicing relaxation and meditation techniques.
- Attending consultations with a psychotherapist.
- Creating an emotional support network with your family and friends. Tell them how you feel.
2. Organization, discipline, and perseverance
Early in college life, you run the risk of being overwhelmed by excitement. But at the same time, you need to focus on assignments. That is why organization and discipline have to be part of your day-to-day life.
Learn to manage your time, always starting with the most complex tasks and then attending to the small ones. This way you can separate the hours for each pending: study, classes, outings with friends, time alone, and time with family. Nothing will be left out.
On the other hand, maybe at some point, you want to give in to the complexities of college life and neglect your studies. This is where discipline comes into play. Find the strength to face obstacles and maintain the course you have chosen for your life.
If you are constant, both in thoughts and actions, you will be able to advance more easily in your career and also in your personal life.
3. Learn to manage your autonomy and your studies
One of the most important challenges of the first year of college is self-management, management of time and studies, both second-year students and professional counselors coincide.
Working on your own can be difficult at first, but you must be willing to learn how to do it. You have to learn to be disciplined and know yourself very well. But don’t shy away from asking for help if you need it.
4. Have a good support group
Having a group of classmates, whether they are friends or not, will allow you to understand and share college life, with all the challenges that it implies. It helps a lot to surround yourself with people who support you at times when the race can get a little tough.
Getting involved in the multiple educational, cultural, and social events offered by the college will also allow you to make new friends and discover your new reality. In addition, you will be able to develop transversal skills such as communication, strategies for learning and adapting, and empathy, among others.
5. Get informed and get to know the study plan in depth
A large part of students access the degrees because they are attracted to a certain professional field, but they are unaware of the specific subjects and the skills that they must put into play. And when they have to face them, they become aware that it doesn’t look anything like the representation that had been created in their mind about the degree.
That is why it is important to be very well informed about the study plan. In this way, you will know what you are facing, both this year and in the following years, and you will be able to anticipate if your interest in these studies is more or less complete. You will also understand the different options for specializing in content and credits throughout the course.
6. Identify your concerns and ask for help from guidance services
Trying to verbalize your concerns, discussing them, and being able to share them with friends, tutors, or professional advisers, to see how you are evolving, will help you feel better in this new stage of your life.
Currently, there are student support services in all universities. In many colleges, there is the figure of a tutor, and then the professors offer an hour of tutoring that many students do not usually take advantage of.
7. Keep an open mind
At college you will learn to ask questions, participate in debates and give opinions on the topics that interest you. That is why we advise you to have an open attitude to dialogue and tolerance to accept different views.
Keeping an open mind also means learning and experimenting with different resources. You can always use the internet to download informative study materials that can help you grow your academic knowledge. If you are someone that loves music or video editing, you can download software from the internet and then engage in your creative pursuits for a few hours every day.
8. Do not lose the motivation to learn
Some students who have already passed through the first year of their degree affirm that the motivation to learn can be a weapon to overcome adversities in the university. You have to be curious and want to continue learning more about the new topics you are acquiring.
9. Learn to prioritize to reconcile your work or hobbies with the college
Managing all the things that you like and that you cannot have is not easy for students, so you have to make decisions and learn to prioritize. That is why it is so important to position yourself and use it as “monitoring” the first month of the race to analyze if you can handle everything. Set your priorities straight and stick to them. But don’t forget about adaptation and staying flexible.
10. Take charge of your professional project
Students inquire into the practices they can follow to complete their training, not only through the study plan but also through other extra-academic channels (volunteering, extracurricular internships, seminars, workshops, fun activities etc.).
By considering all these tips from your beginning in college life, you will be able to adapt better. Putting these tips into practice in the long term will make it easier for you to grow and allow you to achieve success in college.
Recommended Reading: Student Housing Options for International Students in the UK
Salman is a prolific environmental writer, and has authored more than 500 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management, sustainability and conservation all over the world.
Salman can be reached on salman@cleantechloops.com
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