The much feared/anticipated event of the college student's life is either already here, or not too far away. Colleges all over the world are gearing up for the first semester (for most folks) of the 2010 year. I hope that everyone's ready for and at least somewhat excited about their new courses. As you approach first day, try to catch up on some of the sleep debt you may have accumulated throughout the summer. That way, you'll be as fresh as possible for your first couple of classes (it probably won't last long). If you want to play the odds in terms of getting high grades, sit in the very first row of the class. Research has shown that students sitting in even the second row of the classroom get lower grades than those in the first. Hopefully you're done with or working on all your textbook purchases, and hopefully those purchases aren't coming predominantly from the college bookstore (unless of course, your school is one of the few that doesn't rip students off). If you're dorming, I trust that you've kept in touch with your roommate and split the expenses of dorm supplies. Hopefully your roommate isn't one who purchases himself an individual TV for his/her eyes only (not unheard of). It will probably take a while to snap back into that scholarly spirit after a lazy summer, so give yourself adequate time to adjust to the new lifestyle. Remember to make some connections within your classes, both for friendship and for practicality's sake. Having a few phone numbers in every class will definitely come in handy at some point throughout the semester. Most of all, try to have yourself a good time this year. Love what you do, and you'll always do what you love. Best of luck this academic year. (P.S: There has been a new addition to The Academik lately, specifically a college database with useful links to all kinds of information about many universities. We don't have too many entries added yet, as it's still in the works, but we're excited to provide this new service and plan on expanding it extensively.)
For many, college is a time in which they can at last move out of the house and into a dorm, finally gaining their long awaited independence from Mom and Dad. For others, however, it isn't. As you probably know, some students choose to either live at home, or somewhere else off campus, and commute to school for classes. For these students, both new advantages and challenges arise. One thing commuters must learn to adjust to is a greater sense of time and organization than that which a student on campus would necessarily have. Campus students have the advantage of being relatively close to their classes, while commuters can live up to two or three hours away. This means they must use their allotted time more effectively. If your commute allows it, make sure you do something school related while you travel (if you can). This will buy you back some of the valuable time you waste moving from place to place. Commuters must also learn to plan their schedules around not only the average commuting time, but the abnormalities that could arise on the trip. Because they lose time traveling, commuters must adapt to being more efficient once they get home. They must make sure they're constantly aware of the time and how it's being spent. Since commuters usually cannot realistically go home if they forget something, they must be more responsible with what they bring along with them to school. Forgetting a paper at home can be catastrophic to a commuter. Depending on the commuter's route, there may also be safety precautions that he or she must take. If your college is in a bad neighborhood, you probably don't want to be leaving the campus too late. One resource that can be invaluable to a commuter is a dorming buddy whom he/she can count on to stay over a night or two. If you're a commuter, do yourself and cultivate one of these relationships. There will most certainly be times when you want to stick around for something on campus that is taking place late at night, and you probably won't want to commute home after it. As a commuter, it is important you use all your time spent on campus effectively. In between classes, make sure to make an attempt at getting some school work/studying done. A commuter also sometimes has a greater need for on campus facilities than dormers do. Make good use of the library (for reference and a quiet place to study), gym (if time permits), and computer labs (if you don't have a laptop, which, by the way, you definitely should as a commuter). If you're a commuter, you must also try harder to make social connections on campus. Extracurricular activities are crucial for commuters, because other than classes and parties, they'll be the only places you can comfortably connect with other people. Just remember, commuting doesn't have to be a negative aspect of the college experience.
Both college and high school would be vastly incomplete without something other than academics that students could get involved in. Extracurricular activities are an unquestionably important part of a complete educational experience. However, there is a right and a wrong way to incorporate them into your schooling career. You are probably already aware of most of the ways extracurriculars can go horribly wrong. Stacking way too many of them drains very large amounts of time out of your schedule, and as a result, your grades suffer. If you're not sure whether you're doing too many, compare your grades at the end of semester or marking period, to those you had in a previous section of time, and see if there are any markable differences. If so, drop a few activities, and try again, once again comparing results and adapting accordingly. Another way extracurriculars can be done incorrectly is doing them solely to add padding to your resume, and thus, performing poorly in them. When you have absolutely no interest in something, it will show subconsciously, whether you'd like it to or not. We like to provide realistic advice on this website, so I understand that a ton of students will do extracurriculars, regardless of desire level, to make themselves more valuable to colleges and graduate schools. However, at least try to make sure that you have some semblance of an interest in whatever the extracurricular happens to be. In this way, you'll not only be somewhat entertained, but as a result, you'll probably make a more meaningful contribution. Another way extracurriculars can go wrong is to not do any at all. A lot of students might carry the mindset of: "Why waste time on extracurriculars when I can devote those hours to studying, and getting a better GPA. Won't a higher GPA mean more to colleges than any extracurriculars will?" This is a valid concern, but do you think a higher GPA will mean more to colleges than absolutely NO extracurriculars will? Colleges will look at your records and see just what you have presented yourself as, that is, a straight up student who has no interests other than getting high grades. Is this the image of yourself you want colleges to perceive? Perhaps GPA points are worth more than extracurriculars in the long run, but a student who has no, or very few, activities on his record will definitely raise a few red flags in the admissions office. If managed carefully, extracurriculars are an excellent way of not only unloading some of the pressure of school, but discovering something about yourself, learning something new, meeting new people, and more practically, standing out amongst other students.
