If you’re anything like me, you did not have to study a whole lot in high school to get by; however, college is a whole different ball park. Good study habits are one of the most essential things to have if you want to succeed in college. Whether you are a freshman reading this or a senior about to graduate, this ultimate “study” guide is bound to have a tip you may have never knew you needed. Check it out!
As long as you take good notes, don’t over study, avoid all-nighters, stay organized and most importantly take breaks when necessary, you will most definitely max out your GPA and get on that honor roll. To the freshman… start off strong and keep it going! To the seniors… let this be a sign and a productivity-boost to finish off your college years on the right foot. Comment below your best study tips! I’d love to hear them.
When I was still in high school trying to figure out where to attend college, my mom would always tell me one thing… “Go away for college.” She didn’t care where I went to school, but she was just a super big advocate for people to go out and live on their own when they go to college. Moving out, finding a roommate and becoming independent was definitely going to be a major change for me since I was always used to living under my parent’s roof, having my own room, and having dinner prepared for me nearly every night; however, I made it work and so can you! The following shares a list of living arrangements you can choose from when going away for college, in addition to some Flashcard tips I have from my personal living situations:
Where should I live?
Residence Hall-living
Kelly Meier from The Classroom blog gives the perfect description of ‘dorm life.’ Meier says that living on campus in a dorm can make the transition to living away from home easier. Her reasoning behind that, which I very much agree with, is because many dorm packages include meal plans, cable television, workout facilities and other amenities. Having the convenience of readymade food, a short walk to class and friends living right across the hall from you is nothing short of amazing.
Apartment or house-living
If you’re over dorm-life and want to venture out on your own, college-towns usually offer a variety of close by rental properties whether that be an apartment complex or a university-owned house. Meier explains that most rental properties require a nine or 12-month lease, so she advises that you be sure you plan on staying in school for the full year before you commit. Living off campus can give you a lot more freedom as well. You won’t have to follow quiet hours, have a curfew or listen to an RA; however, don’t think that means there aren’t any rules!
It’s important to find the most ideal living situation for you and there are many options to choose from that offer different advantages and disadvantages. Kelly Meier from The Classroom blog explains that researching your options in advance will help you find the right match. It’s also important to take into account if you want to live with or without a roommate. The following shares a list of pros and cons to having a roommate while attending school:
Pros & Cons on Roommates:
Pro – You won’t be lonely.
Even if your roommate isn’t your best friend, you will feel safe at all times just for having the presence of someone else around. My freshman year roommate was randomly selected and even though we didn’t hangout outside of our room together, when it came time to get ready for bed, we would always recap our days and it just felt nice to have someone there to chat with.
Con – No privacy.
If you’re anything like me, you love having alone time and a little bit of privacy. Having a roommate doesn’t really allow for a lot of either of these things. Ron Leshnower from The Spruce blog simply states that not having roommates means you can do what you want when you want it. My first roommate was from out-of-state and didn’t have a car on campus, so she never went home unless it was for a holiday; therefore, if I wanted to have some time to myself, I had to be the one to leave which can ruin the whole “going away for college” memo I mentioned earlier.
Pro – You will save money.
It’s a no-brainer that living with someone else will help make the cost much more affordable, so if you’re looking to save as much money as possible when going away for school, having a roommate can for sure lend a hand in that. Leshnower from The Spruce wrote that when having a roommate, you can rent a larger apartment that would give you both more room and more value. “You’ll also split utility bills and the cost of groceries, among other apartment expenses,” Leshnower said.
Con – They may miss a payment.
The Rent.com editorial team explains that the problem with splitting the cost of rent and utilities is that they have to be paid whether or not your roommate can afford it that month. It’s really important to consider if your roommate is not reliable because when it comes to paying rent at the beginning of each month, “it could end up costing you,” the editorial team explains.
Pro – You will make new friends.
The one main perk I personally think of having a roommate is that you get to make new friends; not only with your actual roommate, but with potential suitemates or floormates. The Rent.com editorial team explains it in the best way: “Having a roommate means there’s always someone there to hang out with or talk to when you come home from a long day at work.”
Con – There will be unexpected guests.
One major problem when having a roommate is that they can have people over whenever they want and because they have partial ownership of the place, they don’t need to run it by you if they want to have guests over. It can become frustrating at times when you have a huge test to study for and your roommate is having a girls night and all you can hear is them screaming the lyrics to Party in the U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus.
No matter what you choose to do or where you choose to live when go away for school, make it the best experience possible. I have lived in a residence hall and an apartment in my college years and I definitely recommend trying out both while you have the chance. I want to hear about your living experiences, so comment below! Let’s chat.
If you want more background on where the best place is for you to live, check out the links below!
Attending college does a lot of things for you as an individual; starting with building the bridge from childhood to adulthood, to expanding your post graduation career options. When high school teachers and even your parents mention anything college-related, it is always about how you need to declare a major so that you can enroll in the right classes and learn all you need to know to succeed in the “real world.” No one ever brings up how there is so much more to the college experience than what happens inside the classroom… at least they didn’t for me.
I spent my entire freshman year of college packing up my bag Thursday nights to have it ready to go home for the weekend right after my Friday morning class. I went that entire year missing out on so many opportunities simply because I had no idea where to start. Now, four years later, I am proud to say that I have served as a student success leader for freshman, a peer leader trainer where I taught a class about leadership, a resident assistant in one of the dorms on campus, a college ambassador where I represent my school and an assistant coordinator for a writing job in the marketing department of the university I attend.
Getting involved on your college campus has so many perks. Whether it be in an academic club, intramural sport, leadership position, or an on-campus job, all college campuses offer endless opportunities for involvement. I am telling you, once you stick your foot in the door, you will never take it out. Here are my top five benefits of how getting involved will MAKE your college experience:
Become a leader on your campus.
Getting involved can lead you to becoming a leader on your college campus. Being a leader for your school not only benefits the student body, but benefits you as an individual as well. Leadership positions can help give you a sense of responsibility, build confidence, sharpen your problem-solving skills and build your personal and professional network. When first accepting leadership positions I was offered, I was made aware that there was going to be a high level of responsibility put on me because my team and supervisor were all relying on me to pull my weight and give my all to the organizations/jobs. After being an SSL, a peer leader trainer, an RA, etc. my leadership skills have now transitioned over to my current job and how I work with others.
Meet your closest friends.
When I say this is the best part of getting involved… I mean it. Like I said before, I was going home to hangout with my mom every single weekend during my freshman year of college. Can you say lame? Because LAMEEEE. Moving away from your high school friends that you have known forever can be scary, but the best way to find new friends is by getting involved in organizations where you know there will be people who have similar interests as you and are there for the same reasons. When I was offered the RA position, I had no idea who any of the people were on my staff. After one team-bonding event, I knew I was where I was meant to be because Adam and Keondra, my now two closest friends, made me feel at loved. After I met those two, I never wanted to go back home. I had to start forcing myself to go home to spend time with my mom because I just didn’t want to miss out on late-night Walmart runs to get snacks for our weekly Mario Kart tournaments. If you are ever nervous about making friends, join a club… I swear you won’t regret it
Build your resume.
Freshman year is not too soon to be thinking about layering up that resume for future job interviews. As senior year rolls around (and let me tell you, it rolls around FAST), you will want to have as much as you can on your resume because future employers will be much more likely to hire you if they see that you have more experience than another applicant. Getting yourself involved will ultimately make you a stronger and more well-rounded candidate for job opportunities including internships.
Develop personal skills.
Joining clubs or taking on a leadership role on your campus will help you learn so much about yourself. By getting involved, you can not only develop skills specific to your career path, but also improve your overall leadership, interpersonal skills and self-confidence. The management skills you learn while involved in certain organizations will be extremely useful in the future when job-hunting. Through the positions I have been involved in, I have developed a wide array of people-skills, organization mechanisms and leadership qualities; better yet, I have truly found and learned so much about myself that I feel more confident and calm in social situations than I ever have before.
It’s a blast!
When going to college, academics should be your first priority because whether you’re thinking about it or not, you are paying to go there and good grades and a hard work-ethic will get you far post-graduation; however, academics should not be the only thing that is important to you. It’s important to make time in your schedule to have fun and do things that you enjoy. Getting involved on your college campus is the perfect way to add some excitement in between classes and homework. When I became a resident assistant (RA) in one of the dorms on my campus, my co-workers and I basically had the same schedule when it came to RA business, so when we weren’t making rounds through the building, we would be sitting in the RA office together playing Sims. If that doesn’t sound like one of the greatest nights spent while in college, I don’t know what does!
I hope this has given you some motivation and insight into getting involved on your college campus. This time in your life is an opportunity to meet new people, grow your leadership skills, build your resume, learn about yourself and develop socially and emotionally. Getting involved on my college campus has done all of those things for me and if you make the commitment, you too will see the difference it will make in your college years. I’d love to hear from others who have found the benefits of getting involved, so please share your stories and comments!
Click here for more reasons on why you should get involved:
Building relationships is important for everyone, regardless of where you are in life. It increases community satisfaction, helps you to find future opportunities and lays the groundwork for future roles. Attending college is the prime time to network and build relationships because of being exposed to such a large and diverse group of people. College relationships may be short-term interactions or become long-term friendships. As you continue reading, you will find some Flashcards from Macy K on best practices and reasons for building relationships with classmates, roommates and professors during your time at school.
Classmates
Having a relationship with classmates may not be on the top of everyone’s list when headed off to college. Most people just want to go to class, listen to their hour and a half lecture and get out. Contrary to the majority belief, the simplest of relationships with your classmates has major benefits. According to a blogger that goes by the name of Winonadolphins, building the most basic relationship among classmates is all you need to do. “Forming close relationships or friendships with your classmates isn’t necessary,” they said. All it takes is just simple communication efforts. California College San Diego offers great tips on forming classroom relationships for those who may struggle making that initial interaction. See the classmate Flashcard from Macy K below for some reasons why relationships among classmates are important:
Roommates
Even though you meet a lot of people when you attend college, there are a select few that will end up having the greatest impact on your life; one being your roommate. Sharing a room and essentially your life with someone is bound to lead to a deeper relationship than most. Angela Milinazzo of Campus Sims wrote that when living in such close quarters with someone, you’re subject to dealing with any aftermath caused by your mood, classes and relationships. Sometimes roommate situations work without any issues; however, more often than not, there has to be work put into that relationship in order to keep the peace. See the roommate Flashcard from Macy K below on what you can do to make living with a roommate the best it can be:
Professors
It may be intimidating to make that initial move to connect with your college professors, but I’m telling you… building that relationship foundation from the get-go will be extremely beneficial for you in the end. Jacquie Butler of Education Quest gives some great reasons on why it is important to build relationships with your professors: Professors are experts in their chosen field, so they will be able to help you to succeed academically. Also, they will be able to provide you with information on opportunities that you may not have considered before. Finally, professors have many connections and will be able to reach out to companies on your behalf to help with nailing down internships and/or jobs. Butler explains that it’s important to keep in mind that your professors are people too, and I couldn’t agree more! Your professors are there to help you and move you along in your academic career. They want to see you succeed, not belittle you. See the professor Flashcard from Macy K below for how to introduce yourself and maintain a connection with your college professors:
You know what they say… Teamwork makes the dream work! Teamwork is important in every single field. Every workplace, every organization and every classroom needs to continue expanding its networks and they can do so by actively building relationships. What advice or questions do you have regarding building your network while in school? Comment below! I’d love to hear from you.
If you want more tips and tricks on how to build relationships while attending college, check out the links below!
Flashcards from Macy K 