You have picked your course and chosen your majors. Now is the time to go to college. On the first day of college, if you do everything right, you will hit the ground running. Each college year is broken up into semesters and there is an exam at the end of each semester. So, each class carries a lot of weight. Therefore, it’s even more critical that you start off on the right foot. If you take care, you will be more likely to get the necessary support from your faculty and co-students as everyone would carry a positive image of you.
Map your college beforehand
On the day before the classes are to start, scout around the campus and find out exactly which lecture halls/classrooms you will have your classes in. By doing so, you will save yourself your precious time on the day of class. It can also be highly embarrassing if you are walking around the corridors looking confused and asking for directions. If you enter your classroom late, you might take a great deal of time getting comfortable in class.
Make Friends
Compared to school, college is always a much more diverse environment. At the outset, you might feel a bit out of place but ultimately college trains you for real world out there like no other place. One of your biggest areas of personal growth comes from when you leave your school-time peer group behind and set forth to make new friendships in a completely different environment. While your school friends are important to your growth in their own way, yet there’s a sense of personal growth and identity exploration that can happen only when you literally and symbolically “leave you school years” behind to explore new paths. So, go with the flow, try to get to know people and make some good friends too.
Buy your books
You should try to buy the books which are necessary. Because the professor might want to refer to books in the first or second class itself. However, if you go to bookstore on Day 1 you might get lost in the crowd. So, order them online.
Take control
Attend every class right from the first one. Each class is likely to be vital enough to pack a sizeable amount of your syllabus. Also, right from the first class you should be able to grade the professors teaching you, go through the syllabus and decide if you have chosen the right course. Make sure your course is neither too hard nor too easy for you. If you feel that another course could have been better for you, change now.
Take notes
Class lectures are of utmost importance in college, because the exam is set mostly from what is taught in class. Get in the habit of taking notes and make sure that you go through them before exam. Sometimes even books don’t help in explaining concepts as much as notes do. Taking notes is one way to enhance listening, and using a systematic approach to the taking and reviewing of your notes can add immeasurably to your understanding and remembering the content of lectures. It’s a simple tool of academic survival. Notes not only aid comprehension, but they also make learning active and, most importantly, make study time more efficient, especially during end-of- the semester review sessions for final exams.
Participate in class
Be as actively involved in class, as possible. In addition to keeping you on your feet, participation in class leaves a positive impression of you with the professor. A positive image in the mind of the professor can come in handy any time. Sit up in front because that will reduce your chances of being on phone as well as getting involved in any distractions with others who are not interested in class.
Do your homework
Some professor might give homework on day one. Do not take it for granted. If the professor gets a feeling that you are not taking the class seriously, even he might stop taking you seriously. At other times, you could be assigned some work which has to be submitted at a later date but needs you to start preparing now, get on with it. Not completing homework in college bodes ill for several reasons. The most basic reason is that most exams are based on the work done in class. By not studying you will have poor grades on your test. When the time comes to apply for jobs after college graduation and enter the workforce, there will be homework to carry back home. Hence, this would be a good habit to cultivate.
Go for the extracurricular
You also must involve yourself with your choice of extracurricular activities taking place in campus. Extracurricular activities can add a lot of value to time spent on campus. They are not only good for keeping motivational levels high but can also add to learning and life skills a tad better than books. When you are involved in extracurricular activities it shows that you have time management skills as you are able to balance a number of things at the same time. Being involved in extracurricular activities will also show your future employers your positive work ethic.
Nothing like healing the world
And last but not the least; participate in any activities for helping the underprivileged that are being undertaken in your college. Just like the Kartavya foundation work being taken forward by Sharda University students. That glow of the inner satisfaction you achieve upon doing such deeds is only one of the benefits. The level of management skill required for giving shape to such tasks is another reason you should participate in such work. Being part of these endeavors can make you a very lucrative proposition for your future employers.
By doing everything right little by little, you will surely benefit hugely from your college studies and prepare much better to embark on a fruitful journey ahead. Good Luck!
