Your First Six Weeks of College !!!

Week One

One of your goals is to transition into your college courses as smoothly as possible. As you may hear from orientation, organization is an important key to success in college as your life will be very different from high school.

You should get a planner/calendar before orientation. Use it!

Enter all class times and extracurricular activities. If applicable, enter your work schedule as well.
Enter the due dates for all assignments, papers, projects, and tests/quizzes from your course syllabi (which you should receive on the first day of each class).
Keep your planner handy so that you can enter campus or community events that you would like to attend or even times with your friends.

Week Two: Let's Talk About You and Me...

Now that you are settled in, one of the best things about college is meeting people with different interests and making life-long friends! You are an important member of your college community. Trust that you will continue to build friendships and form relationships across campus throughout the year!

Some things you should do:

Introduce yourself to your professors. The best times to do this are after class and during their posted office hours.
Meet someone on a different floor in your residence hall.
Remember, now that you are away from home and meeting new people, don't forget where you came from. Make sure that you are keeping connected with friends and family from home. Call, write, e-mail, or send an IM or text message and make sure you stay in touch! They will really appreciate it!

Week Three: Making the Grade

By now you may be realizing some of the differences between high school and college. Some of your classes are likely becoming more intense as the coursework increases. In other cases, you may not feel like you have as much work because you don't have weekly assignments. But, BE CAREFUL - you are accountable for ALL assignments as well as readings. For those classes which assign more reading, why not focus on more intent note-taking?

Don't forget:

While in class, sit in the front to help you avoid distractions and so that the professor can see you.
Make sure you attend all classes! It will be factored into your grade.
Have a desire to succeed! That is where it all begins.
Talk with classmates and form study groups to help prepare for quizzes and tests.
Also find out about other ways to succeed and thrive at college including structuring your time, successful study habits, writing tutors, and much, much more!

Week Four: Just Do It!

There are many ways to get involved on the campus. There are many student organizations that you can join. Getting involved makes you an even more valued member of our community. It's a great way to gain skills that may help you in your future career. Best of all, it's a great way to meet new friends and find your "niche" here at school!

Check out the Student Activities website where you can find out about services, activities, clubs and organizations that you can become a part of or even create! There are a variety of options out there! For example:

Attend to a club meeting that sounds interesting.
If you could create a club on campus that does not exist, what would it be?
Show that you care about your community by recycling or volunteering for community service.

Week Five: A Sound Mind and a Sound Body

By now you have faced, and possibly experienced, many of the challenges and pressures associated with college (academics, meeting new friends, developing a support system, managing time, and/or pressures to use alcohol/drugs, etc.). Remember that you have the support of your Community Learning Assistant (CLA) and Resident Advisor (RA) as well as offices on campus.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, set up a meeting with your CLA or your RA. You may choose to visit the Counseling Center or Campus Ministries. Remember it is very important to take care of yourself and don't be afraid to ask for help if you are going through a tough time. Here is some helpful advice:

In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, you should:

Eat healthy by balancing your diet with fruits and vegetables. "An apple a day will get you an 'A'.'
Do an activity outdoors or take the stairs instead of the elevator.
If you are going to partake or indulge in alcohol and/or drug use, know the risks and consequences!
Try to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
Go to the Student Fitness Center (Marcus Foster Student Center-2nd Floor)!
Ask an RA what resources are available at the Student Health Center.

Week Six: Celebrate!

Congratulations! You have accomplished so much during your first five weeks! Just think of all of the changes you have embraced! Some were easily navigated while others were much more challenging. The important thing is that YOU MADE IT THIS FAR!!! No doubt that you will be able to go even further!

Now that you have successfully completed your first 5 weeks, it would be a good time to think about the following:

Evaluate the goals that you set for yourself at the beginning of the year.
Check out your grades for each class.
Set goals for the remainder of the semester.
Reflect on the year thus far.
Think of changes you will make for the remainder of the semester to meet your new goals.