10 Tips To Survive The Transition From High School To College

The Prom is over, the SAT scores are in and you’ve traded in your free room and meals on demand for a dorm and huge stacks of books and bills. Welcome to college. Way back when, 1999, I recall my freshman year, which can be summed up in one word: AAAAAACH!! Before your hair turns completely gray, check out these ten tips to help you survive the transition from high school to college. Keeping these things in mind will maintain your sanity and control the culture shock of going from Homecoming to coming home…to tuition bills.

1.) If it doesn’t have FREE on it, you have to pay for it. Textbooks are no longer handed to you with the only daunting task of giving it a paper bag cover. You have to go to the bookstore and actually buy them. TIP: You can save a few dollars by buying your books online. The pitfall to this is you have to make sure you get exact editions. If I had a quarter for every Calculus class I walked into and someone had a 5th edition instead of 6th… 2.) Credit cards are both your friend and enemy. They are a great way to build your credit, and are a total lifesaver when your have to buy books at the last minute. However, beware of the SPENDING DEMON. Thanks to paying for books, supplies, and memberships in a few CD clubs, I managed to rack up over $1500 in credit card debt. Hey, a girl’s must have her music, how else was I supposed to study? 3.) GET A JOB. Hate to get all "parental" on you, but it’s a good way to learn how to manage money and plan a budget. Plus it’s sweet extra cash for those late night potato chip fixes we all get every once in a while. Also, having a savings while in school can wipe credit card debts clean before they start to pile on. 4.) Activity Overload! Danger! DANGER!! Extracurricular activities are good to have because they dress up the resume and are just plain fun to do. However, remember that this is college, which means classes are harder, so you need more study time. Studying for college level courses is hard enough without trying to balance that and making it to 10,000 practices, meetings, etc. Limit your extras for the first few semesters so you can fully learn the rhythm of the game. 5.) UNDECIDED IS NOT A CRIME! Not sure what to major in yet? Fear not, college has a smorgasbord of things in which to specialize. Besides, going Undeclared allows you exposure to elements of just about every major. A friend of mine went Undecided and at first thought he wanted to be a Chemist, but wasn’t completely sure. After his first semester, he decided to major in Nursing and he is now a Registered Nurse. 6.) Don’t believe the bad things movies tell you about teachers! They are there to help, and want to see you succeed. If you ever get confused, or just need an ear to chew, just ask. They’ve been there, and they have valuable experience that can help you. 7.) Don’t fear failure. Should you fail a class, don’t cry. Hey, it happens to the best of us, but you shouldn’t pack it in over one bad grade or the possibility of one. If your major is something you really want to do, don’t quit or change majors over one F. Repeat the class and raise your GPA in the process. He who never plays, can never win. 8.) No passion, no profit. When choosing a major, make sure it’s something you REALLY want to do. If you’re an insect fanatic, don’t major in Accounting, major in Entomology. Got a love for animals? Become a Veterinarian, or study Zoology, not Communications or Engineering. Take it from an Engineer turned Writer, this is four years, thousands of dollars and the rest of your life we’re talking about, make them count. 9.) How do I get here? Get to know where various buildings on campus are beforehand via tours, the map, or walkthroughs with friends at the school. This way if you have classes that are a distance away from each other, you’ll already know a few shortcuts that will decrease your chance of being late. It also helps when you need a bathroom break or have a snack attack at the end of class. You especially want to know where the Registrar and Financial Aid offices are, over the next four years you’ll frequent these two places more than the Cafeteria. Get to know them! 10.) BREATHE! Classes are harder; the weight of seemingly the world has just been dumped on your shoulders; everything is rush, rush, rush; not to mention the new responsibilities of maintaining good grades, financial aid and taking care of yourself in general. College can be hectic, chaotic, your life can seem like it’s spinning out of control from all the pressure getting good grades. Just remain calm and make time to breathe. A good way is to take long walks around the track or around campus early Saturday mornings. Walking helps you sort things out and keeps you in shape. Besides, nothing is ever as bad as it seems.

Freshman year can be fun…and frightening. You are at the threshold of your tomorrow, don’t blink, and don’t turn away. Your hard work in high school shows that you are ready, and you do deserve to be successful. There will be hits, and there will be misses. In all that you do, remain focused on what you would like to become. Welcome to your future, kid. Do not, for a second, look back.