worldof20something

The college years are such a unique point in everyone’s lives.  Before college you spend twelve years in elementary, middle and high school just waiting and wishing to grow up and go on to college.  After college you remember it for your whole life, sometimes wishing those years had lasted longer.  That being said, if you haven’t gone to college yet, you should really take the steps necessary to ensure that your college experience is the best it can be.

Having already finished college, there are 5 pieces of advice I have to offer you before you head off there yourself:

1. Don’t base your expectations of what college is supposed to be like based on TV.  TV and movies tend to glamorize things and you may end up disappointed when your college experience isn’t like what you saw on the big screen.  It’s okay to be excited, but just go in with the intention to learn and meet new people, and you’ll be fine.

2. Take a lot of time to get to know the schools you are thinking about attending.  After high school, just about any college will look like heaven.  And amidst all of the schoolwork in high school, you may feel to swamped to spend a lot of time researching different colleges.  But with so many different options out there, you really should make the effort to pick the college that is best suited to your needs.

3. Consider a school that offers a well-rounded list of porgrams.  You may think you know exactly what you want to study but most students change their minds at least once during college.  This being said, if you are at a liberal arts school and suddenly decide you might rather try science, a change of majors would mean a transfer of schools.  Schools with a lot of different programs also offer you great electives to take in addition to your major, because you’ll learn what subjects you like and dislike.

4. Don’t rush!  After college you’ll look back and wish that your college years lasted longer - so why not make them last longer?  Right after high school you’ll likely have the ‘get in, get done, get out’ idea, and if this is the case you may want to consider taking a year break between high school and college.  If I had to do it all over again, I would take only 9 to 12 credit hours per semester instead of the usual 15 to 18.  This would let me really enjoy my college experience as well as learn a lot from the classes I took instead of always having to worry about getting good grades and managing the heavy work load.

5. Consider going to a small school.  This will really help you get to know the people around you, including both the other students as well as teachers and faculty.  A smaller school means smaller classes where it’s easier to learn and do well.

Good luck finding your perfect college and don’t forget the advice I gave you! 

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