As millions prepare to begin their college career in the Fall, the excitement of a new adventure and new freedoms scarcely prepare them for the new academic world that awaits them. For many, freshman year is an eye opening experience from which too many may not recover. What words of wisdom should they heed to make college a better experience? The old adage which says-to end up right, you must start out right. A good start will go a long way towards making college the success an aspiring student wants it to be.
Go with the attitude you are there to get an education and not just a degree. Too many students enter their secondary educational years with the attitude they simply want the piece of paper and could not care less, whether they learn anything or not. In fact, they act as if grades are more important than professor feedback or course content. Professors are constantly amazed to receive emails or phone calls from parents trying to jockey for a grade increase. A professor friend received an irate phone call from a mom who insisted that her daughter was an A student, and it must be a mistake that she received a C on a recent paper. She berated the professor's teaching ability and his use of teaching assistants to grade papers for the 100+ student class. On checking the roll, the professor found that the student had missed class in excess of 5 times in a period of three weeks. His report of the absenteeism brought an email of apology from the girl's dad and a disavowal of even knowing his wife. Remember you are at college to learn how to learn and gain wisdom of how the world works. College is not about making you look good. It is about a discipline that will put you into a job where you will shine, and not into a job that gives a paycheck.
The nature of college requires that you show up for classes, take good notes, study daily, and resist the urge to party. If the average institution of higher learning gave a baccalaureate degree in partying, the graduation rate would increase drastically. However, alas, students expect the unthinkable. How dare a professor expect an 18 year old to show up on time, take notes, and study without someone holding his/her hand? It is expected that you are matured enough and organized to the point that you can function on your own, and guess what, while blaming the teacher might work in high school, no one cares at college. And, by the way, remember when you flunk out from playing too much-your friends who took you to the party-won't be taking you home!
Find a major and stay in it until you finish something! 44% of college students switch majors between their second semester freshman year and graduation. Surprisingly, they switch even though the classes they are taking are still general in nature. Most major-related classes come in the final two years. Most major changes are acts of desperation because the student did not get off to a good start. Major changes are costly both in time and money. Here is the conventional wisdom--get the degree-remember that 90% of people never work in the major they train in. By all means do not switch majors in the first two years. You can always choose a career field at the master's level.
Seek help early, avail yourself of review sessions-even if you do not feel you need it. Most professors hold review sessions prior to exams and schools often have an academic success center where free tutoring is available. Much to the chagrin of college professors, those who show up for review and study sessions are the students who are making the highest grades. Those at the bottom of the academic heap show up the day before the final to beg for extra points. Few realize how disrespectful that type of behavior is to the professor and how dishonoring to the student himself.
Get to know your professors and cherry pick teachers to get the best. A great source of information is RateMyProfessor.com. Pay attention to professor grading practices, moodiness, and attitude, and while you might have to take classes from people like that, at least avoid them in the first year. All types of professors reside on every college campus, and while tenure may not always be a good thing, it is a reality. Be sure not to take more than you can handle during the freshman year. Adapting to such a different world than you are accustomed will be harder and take more effort than you realize.
As you take the first steps leading to a college degree, be sure you approach it with an attitude for success. Determine to get started right, and you will greatly increase your chances for success. Study long and hard and your reward will be not only a piece of paper, which will put you in good stead, but you may also learn something about life along the way. Good Luck!