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8 Steps to Make the Most of College
1. Make Connections
Seek opportunities outside of class such as internships, summer experiences, and research projects with faculty where you can learn about the real world. Visit the career center early in freshman year, meet with your advisor regularly and talk with professors about your areas of interest -- both academic and career.
2. Be a Joiner.
Join an activity that interests you in depth. If the first doesn't click, try another. Consider trying something completely new. There is a significant correlation between participation in an extracurricular activity or two (for as much as 20 hours per week depending on how well you manage time) and overall satisfaction with college.
3. Explore New Academic Areas and Avoid the "Let's get the requirements out of the way" Syndrome.
If you focus on requirements freshman year you will spend most of the year in large lectures and will be much less likely to seriously engage with a professor in your first year. Take a course in a subject area that is completely new to you. If you are interested in psychology, then try an anthropology course. If science is your thing, explore new fields such as neuroscience. Challenge yourself even if you think you know what your intended major will be.
4. Learn to Manage Your Time
Work a little bit on every subject everyday. To get the most out of your education, you should complete the reading for every class before you arrive. There is a dramatic increase in the amount of independent work that will be expected of you. You also need to allot a longer period of time for significant engagement with a particular subject. If time management is not your strength, get support from the academic resource centers on campus or in the community.
5. Seek Help When You Need It and Do Not Delay
It might be time management or it might be that you are not equipped with the study skills to meet the demands of college-level critical thinking. You will not be asked to report back facts, but rather to analyze and evaluate ideas from multiple sources, provide your own views, and extend what you learned to new situations that may not have been covered in class. Writing Centers on campus are a great resource -- so use them!
6. Seek or Form Study Groups
Students are more likely to engage with the course material if they first read and study independently, but then meet with a group of peers to discuss, study and review ideas. If the course doesn't require group work, form a group with classmates -- even if you grab a bite to eat in the cafeteria right after class.
7. Learn to manage money
- Fastweb - Under the resources section, there are articles about managing money, how to choose a credit card, and responsible usage of credit cards. You must create an account to access (it is free).
- www.pueblo.gsa.gov - This site offers consumer articles on money management and credit cards
- The Northwest Education Loan Association - This has a great series of articles on their website about managing credit cards. Click here to go directly to the "Managing Your Money" section of the site.
8. Take Care of Your Health
Abuse of substances, sexual assaults and not managing stress are common problems on college campuses. Seek help from campus counselors, your resident assistant in your dorm and other resources on campus, and encourage your friends to seek help if they begin to make poor choices. Don't hesitate to call your parents or other close family members if you need help, feel homesick or just need a familiar and empathetic voice.
Sources:
Making the Most of College: Students Speak their Minds
by Richard J. Light, Harvard University Press, 2001. |
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Summer in the City: Making the Most of Your Summer Vacation
It is hard to believe but summer vacation is just a few short weeks away. If you've put off making plans for the summer or lack the funds to take a trip around the world, don't despair -- there are plenty of opportunities for you to get valuable (and fun) experience that can help you explore your interests and different career options. Here are some suggestions on how you can make the most of your summer in and around the Boston area:
- Get a job: A part-time job scooping ice cream at J. P. Licks or selling books at Borders may not seem glamorous, but it has numerous benefits. Besides giving you the chance to earn some extra money, a summer job can help you learn responsibility, time management, and multitasking and interpersonal skills.
- Volunteer: Boston has many opportunities (Children's Hospital, MSPCA, Samaritans) for you to volunteer your time and services. In addition to helping others, volunteering gives you the chance to gain a sense of accomplishment and a different perspective. You can access a list of volunteer opportunities in your area at Volunteer Match. Besides allowing you to search in a particular area of interest (such as arts and culture), the "Advanced Search" function lets you find opportunities that are great for teens. Currently, the State House is inviting high school students who are interested in volunteering as tour guides to add their names to the wait list.
- Intern: If there is a particular field you are interested in, consider getting a summer internship to gain more experience in that field and to apply your classroom learning to real world situations. Ask your family members if they know of anyone who works in that venture and see if they can help you make contact with people who might be interested in having a summer intern or who might allow you to shadow them at their job.
- Take a class: While taking a class may seem like the antithesis of what to do during summer vacation, Harvard University offers an excellent course in Reading and Study Strategies that many of their undergraduate and graduate students take to help them adjust to the academic rigors of college. This three-week course offers explicit instruction in how to read and study and is ideal for students who are about to take their first AP class or for seniors who are preparing for college in the fall. One of our clients took the course and credited it to helping him achieve success his first semester of college. Registration for the summer class starts May 12, 2008.
- Read: Reading is one of the cheapest and most rewarding things you can do this summer (or anytime). It keeps your mind active, helps improve vocabulary and comprehension, and gives you something interesting to do when you are at home or stuck on the T. If you enjoy classical literature, you may want to look at the various lists online, such as Time magazine's "100 Best Novels." However, you don't have to limit yourself to the classics. Clients' book recommendations include Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, Michael M. Lewis's Moneyball, and J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye.
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Short Takes on Colleges: New Programs
- The University of Connecticut is starting an undergraduate major in African-American studies.
- Bryant University has started a major in applied mathematics and statistics.
- Carnegie Mellon University is introducing an undergraduate major in global politics.
- Carnegie Mellon University has also started an interdisciplinary major in music technology.
- Roger Williams University is starting an undergraduate major in security assurance studies.
- Unity College is starting two new majors: sustainable design and technology; and agriculture, food, and sustainability.
- St. Lawrence University has started a major in conservation biology.
- Worcester Polytechnic University is now offering a bachelor of arts in environmental science.
- The University of Maine at Fort Kent is starting a concentration in forest management within its business management major.
From www.insidehighered.com and www.thetartan.org
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May To-Do Lists
Juniors
- Write a resume of your high school extracurricular activities (both in and outside of school), as well as work, leadership and enrichment experiences. Include your academic information such as AP courses, awards, SAT scores and GPA.
- Plan to ask two junior year academic teachers for a recommendation before the end of the school year. Choose teachers that can say the most about how you think, your enthusiasm for learning or your intellectual curiosity, and your ability to work hard. Make an appointment and share your resume and your college criteria and aspirations when making the request.
Seniors
- Write thank-you notes to the teachers that wrote recommendations on your behalf as well as your guidance counselor, letting them know where you have decided to matriculate next fall.
- Plan to read over the summer to keep up your critical thinking skills before college begins.
- Prepare for orientation by reviewing the course catalog. Plan to take advantage of academic support services and register for disability services if you qualify by sending the proper documentation to the contact person on campus.
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