As students are heading off to college, most are anxious,
nervous and/or sad about this new chapter in their life. Being the first in my
family to go to college I relied heavily on what people told me about college
or what I saw on TV. Some things were right, some were very wrong that’s why in
this blog post I hope to provide some insight on some of the most basic college
situations.
Deciding on a career/major right away – Asking a 17 or 18 yr
old to decide what they’re going to do for the rest of their life can be very daunting.
Many young people haven’t even decided what they’re going to wear to school;
let alone what they’re going to do for the next 40 yrs. Yes, there are a few
students who know exactly what they’re going to do, what college they’re going
to, what job they’re after; they have a plan and they’re going to achieve it no
matter what. That’s awesome. Many more students though, are not sure, and
that’s ok. College is the place to explore many possible careers and the
college will help students with career assessments to pinpoint a possible
major. Some students who haven’t decided on a major opt to attend a community
college for the first two years and then transfer to a four year college. This
allows the student to take a variety of classes, get their academics in order
and hopefully help them decide on a major. A big plus to this is the fact that
students will save money on tuition. Ideally, a student would have a major
picked out by their junior/3rd year in college to avoid going to
school longer than necessary. Please know that there are people and resources
available to help students decide.
Graduating in 4 yrs – Spending more time in college than is
necessary is a waste of money, plus potential employers will question why it
took so long to graduate from a 4 yr school. Students need to be serious about
their academics starting in high school. Math and science classes are key to
academic success in college. Students
have to be on top of their graduation requirements from day one. Their academic
advisor will be their guide through the college process. I recommend students
meet with their academic advisor every semester to go over the necessary
courses required for their major and plan ahead for the following academic
year. If a community project or major research project is part of the
graduation requirement, start brainstorming about what they’re going to do to
meet this requirement. Communication with academic advisors and department
chairs is very important.
Attendance in college
does count – Unfortunately, some students think that because a professor
doesn’t take attendance in their class that it won’t have any effects on their
grade. This is not true! Attendance counts even though actual attendance is not
taken. Material is being taught and learned even though the student is not
present. If the student is constantly absent from class it will have negative
repercussions when mid-terms or final come along. Not only that, you’re wasting
money! Every time a student doesn’t show up for class they’re throwing away
money, whether it’s their own money, their parents money, the governments money
or the scholarship committee who awarded the scholarship. Bottom line, go to
class. You’ll be grateful for it later.
College food is gross & it’ll make you gain weight –
Colleges and universities have professional chefs and cooks on their campuses.
Students pay top dollar for meal plans and students should take advantage of
what they’re paying for. If a student has food restrictions such as peanut and
gluten allergies, this needs to be communicated to the cafeteria staff and they
will make food with their dietary needs in mind. Food is made fresh daily and a
salad bar is always available, along with fresh fruits and vegetables. As far
as gaining weight, this is all based on the choices the student makes. For the
most part, a college cafeteria is set up like a buffet, you can eat as little
or as much as you want, some of the choices offered are heavy on carbs, but
again students have to make the right choices on what food to consume to stay
healthy. I recommend that students get a scale and track their weight on an app
in their phone. Don’t panic if the scale goes up, but be aware of it. A
person’s weight says a lot about their lifestyle.
Greek life – Many young people have a stereotypical view of
what greek like is all about from movies they watch. Greek life is so much more
than parties. Many U.S. presidents and Fortune 500 C.E.O’s were part of greek
life while in college. Fraternities and Sororities help students meet new
people and allow them to create a great network that will be useful when they
graduate from college. Despite what students see on TV, sororities and
fraternities take academics very seriously. Being in a greek house makes
studying and having study groups much easier because everyone has the same
academic goal. Students learn a lot about leadership since most of the houses
are student run. The opportunity to give back to the community is another
reason why students consider joining greek life. Volunteering is a big part of this
type of organization. Don’t dismiss greek life right away. Look into a group
that has the same values as you and consider joining.
College parties – Parties are a part of college. You will go to at least one; you will go to many. You will make great memories with people who will be your friends for life and with people who you will never see again. Have fun and enjoy. Have stories to tell your grandchildren. But please, please be careful. If you’re in a situation that doesn’t feel right or safe…leave…fast. Trust your gut, we’ve all had that feeling in the pit of our stomach when something seems “off” trust this feeling and get away from the situation. If you’re going to drink make sure you’re being responsible and safe and always, always have a sober person in the group. It goes without saying but, don’t drink and drive. A DUI is expensive, embarrassing and it can have a lasting effect on your future. Also, not all parties need to have alcohol to be fun. Look for events around campus or the community that are alcohol free; those events can be as fun, or more fun than those that have alcohol. Lastly, if you’re a victim of any type of harassment, abuse and/or crime report it to the authorities immediately.
Lupe - ICAN Hiawatha & Davenport Centers
