At College Planning Strategies, LLC we understand how different high school and college really are, but many students don’t realize this until a few weeks into their freshman year. The following are a few Strategies for Success that we share with our seniors. 
1. Make your courses count: In college there will be a lot of pre-requisite courses and many requirements to fill. If you can take one class that will count for multiple requirements, that’s the way to go. For example, an African American Literature class may count for both an English requirement and a Global Education requirement.
2. Declare your major by junior year: As an underclassman, you will spend most of your time on general ed. requirements. This is a good way for you to experience other classes and hone in on a particular major. If you are still undecided, visit the career services department. They will help you explore career paths and your options.
3. Contact professors to be admitted: If you’re registering for a course and suddenly realize it’s full, you may need to contact the professor. Usually professors have the authority to add you into a class even if it’s full. You can do this by sending an e-mail or visiting the professor during office hours.
4. Start studying early: If you know a particular class or professor is going to be difficult, start studying early! This way, you’ll avoid some stress down the road as well as some potential all-nighters.
5. Mix easy and hard courses: Try to be cognizant about scheduling a balance of easy and hard courses each semester. It might be tempting to fill your schedule with four or five really easy courses, but next semester is likely to be an absolute nightmare.
6. Think about academic strengths and weaknesses: By now I would hope that you know a little bit about yourself and how you learn. You should know what you’re good at and what your weaknesses are, so try to choose courses based on these strengths and weaknesses. If you are not strong in writing, don’t take a course where you are only evaluated based only on 3 papers you write during the semester.
7. Stay on top of the registration process: The registration process at some schools can be a nightmare, so plan for this in advance. You need to make sure that you stay on top of all deadlines and have back-up classes in case the ones you are trying to get into are full. Make sure that there are no time conflicts, and make sure to see which courses are only offered in the fall or only in the spring.
8. Check in with your advisor each semester: I can’t stress this enough. Your advisor is there to help you stay on track, graduate on time, and answer your questions. They are a very valuable resource for you, so make sure that you check in at least once a semester.
9. Find a study-buddy: You’ll want to find at least one classmate who you can trade contact info with. This way if case you miss a class, you will have someone you can contact to find out what happened. Doing homework with someone else can also be a great motivator for getting your work completed, especially if the homework is particularly difficult.
I hope that these tips will help you recent high school graduates in making a plan to stay on track in college. For current college students or college grads, what worked well for you? If you have any additional tips for incoming freshman, share them in the comments!
About Smart Track™ Toolkit: The toolkit is a web based service that assists families with everything from admissions and test prep, to student athletics and financial aid. Our intuitive software and on-demand workshops are key components to making sure students find their top choice colleges, and families can afford to send them there.
About the author: Laura Guarino is the Student Services Coordinator with College Planning Strategies, LLC. Laura has a degree in Human Development from Boston College
Connect with us
Great advice! I'm a prof and I'll piggyback on two: First, actually go to the first class if a class you want is full. The prof is more likely to let you in once he/she can see an actual head count of students. Second, under the recommendation to know your strengths and weaknesses and NOT to take a class with three written papers if you aren't a strong writer... ask for a syllabus before the class ever begins. E-mail the prof or go to their office and ask for the syllabus. Then, you will know what is required before you even register, or before the date passes when you can get your money back and change to another class. Ellen Bremen, M.A. @chattyprof http://chattyprof.blogspot.com
ReplyDelete