College Transition 101

The first week is over and the semester really gets rolling. You might not have anything “due” for several weeks. No papers. No tests. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have anything to “do.” It’s important to understand that even though you don’t have anything due you still have plenty to do.

Right now you mostly have reading to do. Keeping up with reading might require a secretary. Not to worry your brain comes with a built in secretary. Your pre-frontal lobe located behind your forehead is your secretary. This is the part of your brain that plans. Make a plan to read every day.

Another “to-do” is go-to-class. It’s really amazing how much information you can pick up just by going to class and really listening. If you struggle in note taking, try recording the lecture on you phone or computer instead of taking notes. This will help you listen with understanding. Listen to the recording during study time. You can pause the recording to take notes.

The third “to-do” is make a plan to eat, sleep and exercise. Eating has obvious benefits. Schedule in a regular work-out time. During college you pick up some crazy sleeping patterns. Telling a college student to get some sleep is like telling a fish to stay dry. But sleep is when your brain will organize information learned and build strong dendrites. So get some regular sleep and plenty of it. Sleep at night and be alert in class during the day.

The fourth “to-do” is get familiar with the website for each class. You will find a lot of extremely valuable information on the website. Learn to navigate the website.