Preparing for College: A Comprehensive Guide
The transition from high school to college marks a significant turning point in your life, filled with anticipation and a myriad of critical decisions as you begin the transition into adulthood. Whether you were the class president, a member of the honor society, or even the valedictorian in high school, thriving in college requires more than just academic excellence. The first few weeks on campus are extremely critical for all new students. This guide will help you navigate this exciting yet potentially overwhelming period, ensuring you're well-prepared not only for your first year but for your entire college career.
Before You Go: The Summer Checklist
The summer before college is an exciting, yet somewhat scary, time. With high school behind you and college plans in front of you, it’s time to take a deep breath and get organized. Committing to your campus is only the first step in this journey. It’s going to be tempting to dedicate the time to enjoying one last summer with your high school friends before you all set off on your own college pursuits. There will be time for that - life is all about balance - but it is imperative to get these items done!
To make the process more manageable, break down the tasks into smaller chunks. Consider this a handy to-do list to refer to, divided into four information buckets:
1. Setting Up Your Foundation
This bucket addresses the foundation of your college life. Where will you live? Who will you live with?
- Select Your Housing Option: Many universities require freshmen to live on campus. If you are not attending one of those schools, will you live on or off campus? Living on campus? Your college housing office will send you resident information and a contract. See if the residence halls close during winter, spring, or summer, or if you can stay year round. If the residence halls close during breaks, reach out to the Housing office to see if you can secure housing during this time. Your campus might keep some of the residence halls open over the break, but they might require you to fill out a form or application to stay there.
- Select a meal plan: Often, first-year students are required to have a meal plan. This may sound counterintuitive, but I advise you to start with the smallest meal plan option. This doesn’t mean forced deprivation or even rationing will be in your future! Believe it or not, there will be days that dining hall dollars go unused - like when you opt for 15 more minutes of sleep and a quick breakfast in your room. Identify where the dining halls are located, the hours of operation, and how long it takes to walk there in between classes. If you can afford it, it is recommended to have at least two dining hall meals per day to ensure that you will have enough food throughout the semester.
- Contact your roommate: Get the contact information of your assigned roommate or roommates. Be sure to reach out! Start getting to know them better now to avoid a first awkward meeting at the dorm when everything else also feels awkward.
- Go shopping: There are essential items you’ll need to purchase to make your college life more comfortable (i.e.: bedding, towels, etc.). Most colleges will have a list of items that are not allowed in the residence halls and may also have a suggested packing list. You also can find suggested packing lists like the one found here. Many big box stores offer services where you can secure these items while at the store location in your hometown and have them waiting for you to pick up in your college town!
- Make your travel plans: Will you drive or fly to school? Even if driving, will your parents want to stay overnight to help you move in? Now is the time to make your travel arrangements as hotels can get crowded during college move-in days. You may also want your parents to rent an SUV to pick up and deliver all of those dorm purchases.
2. Academic and Financial Preparation
- Set up your College Online Portals: Setting up your online accounts is vital! Log into your school portal including your student account, and the learning system your institution uses (ex.
- Purchase a laptop: If you don’t already have a device, you’re going to need one before heading off to school! Make sure it’s light because you’ll be carrying it a lot. Other good features to look for include; a good processor speed, long battery life, and wireless capability.
- Summer Reading: Some freshman courses and seminars assign summer reading.
- Finalize Financial Aid: To finalize your aid, check to see if the financial aid office needs any additional information or documentation; make sure you have accepted aid that was offered to you; complete entrance loan counseling; and sign your master promissory note if you intend to borrow federal student loans. Often, your financial aid counselor will do this with you if you request an appointment. The earlier you fill it out, the more aid you can get!
- Review and Adjust Your Class Schedule: If you need to make changes to your schedule, do so by your institution’s set deadlines for adding, dropping, or swapping classes. Contact your academic advisor if you need assistance with making changes to your class schedule. Do you need to swap classes due to a timing conflict, unanticipated course load or the desire to have a different professor?
- Acquire Textbooks: You can either rent or buy your textbooks depending on the books you need. First, visit your campus bookstore online or in-person and see what the cost is to rent or buy your books from them. You can then compare those prices to other online textbook services like Chegg, Amazon, and other used bookstores. Things to consider: Do you need an online access code? Used books will typically not come with these. When do you need your textbooks?
- Walk Your Schedule: Walk through your class schedule so that you’re able to easily find your classes on the first day.
3. Personal and Practical Skills
Getting ready for college is an exciting time for the student.
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- Establish a communications plan: How often will you be coming home? How often do you want to hear from your folks while you’re at school?
- Medical coverage: Know your health insurance status. Are you eligible to stay on your parent’s plan?
- Medical emergencies: Now that you’ve primed your parents with the discussion about medical coverage, let’s cover medical emergencies. You’re 18 now, which means your parents don’t automatically have the authority to make healthcare decisions for you - even if you’re still covered by their health insurance! If you want them to act on your behalf in an instance where you’re unable, put a healthcare proxy in place. This authorizes them to make medical decisions for you. You will need to check the laws in your state for executing such a document.
- Develop Essential Life Skills: You're going to learn so much in college-and not just academically. The best way to learn life skills is to get experience and practice. When you envision "independence," maybe you simply see it as no home rules and restrictions to abide by-nobody to nag you to help with the laundry, load the dishwasher, or clean up your room. But what about the practical aspects that come with independent living? Reality may only set in once you settle into your dorm, or first apartment, or first job. It's important to take the time to develop some practical life skills to help you manage the transition to college (or whatever your next life stage is). Life skills are interpersonal skills that help you handle the demands and challenges of everyday life. While these 10 categories provide a very solid foundation, there are countless practical life skills that aren't always covered in classrooms. There are students, graduates, and even adults who have missed out on learning some basic life skills-like learning to create a budget or properly iron a shirt. Being out on your own means more freedom than you may have ever had before. Floors don't vacuum themselves; furniture doesn't dust itself off, and the kitchen doesn't clean up automatically. Unfortunately, there is no push-button magic to get all of these chores done and no mom to do them either. You are now the one to manage your own life, and this doesn't just include keeping up with your class schedule. Ready for all that?
- Cooking and Nutrition: News flash: feeding yourself doesn't just mean putting food into your mouth. Man cannot live on fast food alone. Of course, you might feel happy living off pizza, ramen noodles, and other fast foods, but these should only be occasional treats, not standard fare. Learning how to shop for ingredients and cook homemade meals is more nutritious and will help you save money. Not to mention, it'll increase your overall health and well-being.
- Time Management and Organization: From day one in college, you'll be juggling classes, assignments, homework, extracurriculars, sleep, downtime, and everything in between. It's a lot-there's no sugarcoating that. Only students who have mastered the art of organization can juggle all of these successfully without feeling overwhelmed, so it's important to learn how to get organized before your first semester. In college, you will have to learn how to manage your time more effectively. Time management skills, from waking up on time to completing work by the deadline, are crucial for your success. It may take some trial and error to figure out what system works best but don't give up.
- Conflict Resolution: College may be the first time you live with someone who isn't family, and this could bring about some conflicts or disagreements. Whether it's a messy roommate situation or a group project gone wrong, it's important to know how to handle it. You may feel like you have to know it all on the first try-you don't. We aren't born knowing all of these things, they're taught. Learn from others: Many people around you would love to help including educators, older siblings, a trusted mentor, and your parents. Get experience: You won't become good at cooking if you're only ever making microwavable ramen, right? Practice: Just like a muscle-the more you work on it, the stronger it gets-and the same goes for life skills. Throughout life, we will continue to learn and adapt as we experience different stages of life. Whether it's through personal or professional development, continuing to develop your life skills is necessary. Remember to always be willing to learn and improve yourself.
- Scholarship Applications: Another skill students should be learning before their first year of college? How to apply for scholarships! It's super easy and straightforward-if you know where to look.
4. Enjoy the Moment
- Sit down with a calendar: Record your key academic dates - the start and end of classes, dates for finals, and vacation times. Jot down commitments such as a job and any extracurricular activities. This may be the bucket you’ll want to rush through and I hope you won’t. Having been a college student myself and having just launched a college student, I can now see both sides of this list.
- Reflect and Recharge: Now that school is starting to wrap up for many high school students, I wanted to share some tips for enjoying your summer which are especially relevant to incoming first years, who we also refer to as pre-frosh. If I had to summarize my first year at Princeton in one phrase, it would be, time flies! It can be hard to enjoy the stage of life you’re currently in, especially as you anticipate the next step in your life, but remember that you will never be exactly where you are right now again. Whether you are in the summer before Grade 12, the summer before a gap year or the summer before college, try to soak it all in for what it is. I remember feeling a mix of nervousness and anticipation about heading to Princeton in the fall and most of all, not knowing what to expect. Enjoy your time at home without the pressure of school. It may be a long time before most of your friends and potentially all your siblings are in the same place again, so hang out with your friends at your favorite places, take fun pictures to put on your dorm wall, and enjoy some quality time and your favorite home-cooked meals with your family. The photos in my first year dorm. It can be very exciting to begin preparing for college by buying a lot of new things, but speaking from experience, you will accumulate a lot more than you would expect over the course of one year here! I arrived with two suitcases and a backpack, and I now have an additional six bags and eight boxes of varying sizes as well as some loose ends like a fan and drying rack in my possession (in my defense, a lot of it is bedding, textbooks and cooking utensils). It is stressful and time-consuming to pack and store all of your belongings for the summer, and you would be surprised how much you can buy from students and sales once you get here. Do your best to limit how many new things you buy and bring with you-your future self will thank you!
- Write a Letter to Your Future Self: Consider writing a letter to your future self! This is something I wanted but forgot to do the summer before starting college and now it’s a little difficult to remember exactly how I was feeling (see #1). I wrote a letter to myself as part of the orientation activities at my United World College, a two-year international boarding school, and it was interesting to see how my experience differed from my expectations and realize how much I had learned and grown over the course of just one year.
- Read for Pleasure: The summer is a great time to get a lot of reading in, especially if there are books you have been wanting to read for a long time or if you just want to expand your horizons. I love reading, so it was something I missed once I began college and it was much harder to find the time. Thankfully, I read at least one book a month during my first year as a member of the Asian American Student Association’s book club. My favorite out of the books we read was Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. Hannah Lee, one of my Community Action leaders and my PUMP mentor, recommended that I read Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee, and I read it in one day when I came back to Princeton at the end of winter break.
- Engage in Hobbies: On a similar note, do the things you love! Whether that is running, dancing, crocheting, cooking, playing an instrument, or something else entirely, it might be difficult to engage in your hobbies as frequently at college. I hope your school year ends on a good note, and congratulations to graduating high school students! We cannot wait to see you in the fall, and in the meantime, I hope you have a restful summer.
Settling In: The First Few Weeks
The initial weeks of college are crucial for setting the tone for your academic and social life.
- Go to all orientations: Do you really need to go on yet another campus tour? Yes. Orientations are your main safety net - not only this year, but for all your years. This is a great way to make new friends and meet staff at your school.
- Know your professors' expectations: Professors will hand out a syllabus on the first day - a road map with important dates - and expect you to be prepared. Always know your professors, especially if later in the semester you run into some snags.
- Go to class: Obvious, right? Avoid the temptation to skip, even if you feel tired or overwhelmed at times. By attending, you will know exactly what is expected of you - and when.
- Seek guidance from your academic advisor: Academic advisors are invaluable resources for scheduling of classes for future semesters and deciding on majors and minors.
- Seek a balance: College life is a mixture of social and academic happenings. Avoid going too far in either direction. A solution? Consider joining sports teams.
- Strive for good grades: Another obvious one here, right?
- Take advantage of the study resources on campus: Just about all colleges have learning labs and tutors available. If you find yourself in some troubles, these resources are another tool available to you.
- Schedule Downtime: Schedule some downtime out of your day or week. Whether it is reading, jogging, or writing in a journal, be good to yourself.
- Be open to new experiences: College is a time to explore and discover who you want to be.
- Introduce yourself: Make the effort to meet at least one new person in each of his classes.
- Get involved: Look for clubs, organizations, or activities that spark your interest.
- Prioritize your health: College can take its effect. Get enough sleep, take your vitamins, and eat right. Despite the jokes about college food, you soon will realize that you need a balanced meal. Avoid the temptation to go for those extra fries or cookies.
- Resist the urge to escape: Unless you live close to campus and were one of those kids who couldn’t wait to get away, try not to leave campus too soon or too often. Immerse yourself at school.
- Seek professional help when you need it: Most colleges have health and counseling centers.
- Keep track of your money: If you’ve never had to create a budget, now is the time to do so. Be aware of any financial aid you will soon be receiving.
- Don’t cut corners: College is all about learning. Don’t cheat on tests, or you’ll learn very little.
- Be prepared to feel overwhelmed: There’s a lot going in your life right now, and it may feel a bit too much. As one student says, be prepared to feel completely unprepared.
- Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP): If you are receiving financial aid, make sure that you are meeting your school’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and you remain eligible for financial aid.
- Summer Opportunities: Are you taking summer classes, working, or doing an internship? Start planning and preparing for the summer now. Your campus might keep some of the residence halls open over the summer that might require you to fill out a form or application.
- Withdrawal from Classes: Do you need to withdraw from a class or multiple classes?
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