02 May Preparing for the First Day of College

The first day of college is a big change, preparation, organization and time management will be very important. You may feel like your life is going to be great when you get to college and get to start making all of your own decisions. Well it is. But at some point, you may have difficulty making decisions, or you may make some poor choices or just have difficulty adjusting to college life. If and when it happens, you will have stress, and dealing with it in a productive way (or preventing it from happening at all) can make all the difference in the world. Here are some tips for preparing for this huge milestone in your life.

1. Orientation. One of the best things you can do is attend orientation. At orientation, there will be college students telling you what’s going to happen and giving you guidance.  There will also be advisers who will assist you with your schedules and provide tours of the campus and the dorms/apartments.  Orientation helps to relieve a lot of stress for both you and your parents.

2. Acclimation. When you visit the campus, be sure to explore available parking, eating places, entertainment, etc.  Decide (with your parents) whether you will live in a dorm or apartment and make the necessary arrangements.

3. Money. Have a discussion with your parents regarding budgets and money management.  Set a clear understanding of their expectations and agree on a monthly budget.

4. Textbooks. When you go to class on the first day, your professors are going to give you a syllabus, and tell you what you’ll need in the way of supplies and textbooks.

5. Supplies. As far as supplies go, you need a durable backpack that can accommodate your laptop.  Other than that, some notebooks, pens and highlighters are the basics.

6. Accountability. Probably one of the most important things you need to be aware of is that in college, you’re on your own. You’ve got to stay on top of deadlines when signing up for classes and paying the tuition.

So stay organized, manage your time, and be sure to meet your deadlines. If you do these few things, you’ll be prepared for that first day of college and it won’t be so intimidating!