College is the start of a new chapter in everyone’s life. If you’re someone who’s attending college for the first time, you may be feeling excited and a little scared.
But feeling overwhelmed is completely normal, especially among newcomers. Since it’s your first year, you may not know what to expect.
To help prepare you ahead of time, here are four of the college basics you need to know.
1. Find Your Way of Understanding
With how intense college work can be, even during a freshman year, you need to understand the material. Everyone has their own unique way of learning, which makes understanding much difficult at times.
Some students may find it easier to read their material while others learn better through video presentations.
Experiment with these methods to see how you learn best as it’ll make college much easier. Take advantage of all the resources available to you through campus outlets as well.
There might be tutors, webinars, in-person or virtual study groups, or just simply literature that you can use to help you find your best way of learning and comprehension.
2. College Isn’t Free
Paying for college is something you may already be aware of, but there’s more to it than you may think.
It’s possible that you can’t afford to pay your college education out of pocket, which is why you need to find an alternative, like student financial aid.
Getting financial aid, like a student loan, can cover the cost of tuition. However, you must pay back what you borrowed over time.
In fact, the reason why people consider college to be too expensive is because of their student loans. If you’re finding yourself unable to pay them on time, you need to find out how you can lower your monthly expenses.
Students with outstanding debt can also look into refinancing their student loans into a new one through a private lender. Private lenders are ideal because of their reduced interest rates, which makes them a great choice for new students.
As for refinancing, it’s not a bad idea to look into using a student loan refinancing calculator to determine how much you’ll be paying each month.
3. Don’t Strive for Average
You might be thinking that getting a C isn’t the worst thing that can happen. However, grading works a bit differently in college than it did in high school.
Getting a C every once in a while is totally fine. But getting them routinely, on the other hand, isn’t.
Getting a C can have a negative impact on your GPA. Your GPA is something a lot of employers look at to determine your eligibility for a position. You want to strive to get at least a B+ in every assignment you complete.
4. Pay Attention During Orientation
The introductory courses you’ll be in are surprisingly underrated. Some students tend to gloss over them and move on to their actual courses.
However, the introductory courses during orientation are just as important.
They give you the necessary information needed to survive college and provide you with a wealth of resources you can use whenever you need assistance.
You can also reach out to your advisor for extra help as well.
