Indeed, going to college can be an incredible journey. Aside from the fun part, it’s also an important educational program every student should have for various reasons. These include having career satisfaction, long-term financial gain, job stability, and success.
However, preparing yourself for college can also be a daunting experience. Although you’ll meet new friends and classmates, you need to embrace the new responsibilities you have as a college student. Because of this, it’s essential to get yourself ready when the classes start.
So, if you want to get the most out of your college life, keep reading this article to learn 10 ways to prepare for college.
1. Talk To An Admission Consultant
Generally, you don’t need to be 100% certain about what degree to study in college. Although this freaks several students out to the point of putting college application on hold, you should have to worry about it because there are people who can guide you and help you pick your career path.
For instance, if you need help in deciding what courses and schools will fit for you, don’t hesitate to talk to an admission consultant. They provide college counseling to make sure you take the right college path to succeed. Also, they can assist you in having the best chance of admission to your top chosen universities. Thus, find time to consult these professionals when you prepare for college.
2. Get Familiar With Your College Degree Requirements
While you’re still in high school, studying your college degree requirements beforehand is extremely important. While you can always pay attention to standard subjects, such as math, history, science, and literature, it’s a good idea to emphasize higher technical degrees with specific subjects.
Therefore, consider taking some college courses if possible. By doing this, you have enough time to get familiar with your chosen college degree requirements. After all, having a high general weighted average (GPA) isn’t enough to succeed in college. Instead, better take some courses ahead of time to make your preparation much easier.
3. Prepare For The College Entrance Exams
Apart from taking college courses, early preparation for the college entrance exams can help you get ready for your college life.
Check if the universities you consider require specific entrance exams. Once you’ve known that there’s an exam, start taking pre-tests and pay attention to your weak subjects. Read some books or register yourself for an online test prep course. That way, you provide yourself time to prepare for entrance exams until you officially take them.
Since it’s uncommon for a student to ace the test during their first take, don’t hesitate to take the pre-exams several times until you enhance your score.
4. Start Financial Planning Early
Going to college means paying expensive tuition fees and other related costs. Unless you’re a member of a wealthy family, you probably need to plan your college finances to avoid problems in the future. With proper financial planning, enrolling yourself in your top choice university will no longer be an issue.
To make this happen, start saving all the money you can get as early as you can. For example, if you’ve received some cash gifts from your godparents during special occasions, choose to save them. If you’ve been taking high school jobs during your school breaks, set aside your salary for your college expenses.
By setting aside some of the money you’ve earned, you can cover some high costs in college.
5. Apply For Scholarships
If you want to save some money for your college expenses, applying for any scholarships that you come across can be the best thing you can do as early as now. With many local scholarship programs to choose from, all you have to do is search and explore every option.
For instance, you can check with your parents if their respective employers offer scholarship programs to students who want to study in college. When it comes to finding one for your needs, assess your qualifications before filling up an application form. Usually, most scholarship committees factor in leadership positions and community service experience, and not just your GPA (general weighted average).
6. Establish Good Habits And Skills
Being in college is different from being in high school. More often than not, you need to be more independent and mature in dealing with your college responsibilities. Thus, establishing good habits and skills is vital to succeeding in college.
Below are some habits and skills to develop before you enter college:
- Read Books Regularly: Typically, college coursework and requirements require more readings than in high school. Because of this, you should develop the habit of reading as much as possible to prepare yourself for the increased workload of readings in college.
Instead of hanging out with friends during summer, spend your time reading some books as you get ready for your college freshmen classes.
- Enhance Your Note-Taking Skills: In college, students are advised to take down notes for increased retention. And, since most professors discuss quickly, you need to have quick hands to jot down what they say during the lecture.
If you don’t want to deal with empty notebooks in college, begin adjusting your listening phase and practice your note-taking skills. Doing so can ensure you survive the academic aspect of your college life.
- Practice Speaking Skills: As a college student, there may be times you have to speak in front of the class. If you’re not used to it, start developing your speaking skills as early as now to prepare yourself for the college courses.
You can do this by creating notes of what you say before you speak to overcome your fear of speaking up in class.
- Develop Writing Skills: College life means doing many research papers and other writing activities. To make sure you’ll not have a hard time dealing with it, enhance your writing skills before your college journey begins.
You can do this by taking every writing assignment you have seriously and taking note of some research paper writing tips.
- Equip Yourself With The Best Research Skills: Apart from writing skills, being a college student means handling lots of research tasks. During summer, practice your research skills by using some important tools, such as proper internet sources and city libraries.
- Enhance Time Management Skills: Studying in college is never easy. With all the responsibilities involved, managing time can be a difficult thing to do. Because of this, it’s best to develop your time management skills before the classes begin.
Create a computer file of how you spend your time. Then, allot a specific amount of time for studying and another amount to do personal things.
7. Equip Yourself With Extracurricular Activities
Dealing with college life isn’t just about academic excellence. Sometimes, you need to balance your academic and extracurricular activities to make your entire college experience more fun and fulfilling.
Hence, start joining some clubs and organizations that you find exciting. These extracurriculars will make your high school life more productive and prepare you for endless activities you’ll experience during your entire college life.
8. Do A Campus Tour
Another way to prepare yourself for college is to have a better idea of what you’re looking forward to and where you should be in your classes and activities. So, schedule a campus tour as early as you can so you’ll know what to expect when you get there.
If you can’t decide which university to go to, find time to revisit the campuses and picture yourself out there. By doing so, you may be able to choose which school you want to be part of your college journey.
9. Be Ready New Experiences
Whether you believe it or not, college is also about having new experiences. Your life will be entirely different once you enter college.
First, your classmates and friends in high school will also be starting their career paths. While you’re away from them, you’ll meet new people from different countries and cultures. That’s why you should be open to making friends with some of them.
Second, the activities you used to attend may be different from the ones you have in college. Hence, to keep you from experiencing culture shock and even homesickness, prepare yourself by seeking new friends and experiences before you step into college life. For example, explore your new environment by going to events you’ve never been to before.
10. Stay Organized
Being organized in all your college dealings is essential to your preparations. Whether it’s about your classes or your life in general, you should have a plan in place to make sure everything is running smoothly.
To make this happen, use some organizational tools to help you stay organized while preparing for your college life.
Final Thoughts
Just like other aspects of your life, being prepared is always better than not preparing at all. Therefore, if you want to get the most out of your college experiences, keep these tips in mind to ensure you’re ready from start to finish.
Remember, preparation is crucial for your college success, so take advantage of it as long as you can.
By Anna Griffins
As a college student who has a knack for web development, Anna Griffins spends most of her time writing articles about technology and college life. Anna wants to help more and more people to understand how the technology works and how millennials can maximize these innovations.