Is Freshman year around the corner? Are you starting to plan what to bring to move in day to help lug all your purchases from places like Amazon or TJ Maxx to create a cute place you will be able to call home for the next 9-10 months? Let's discuss What You Need to Do to Be Successful in College before you set off for one of the best adventures of your life!
College is a time to brand yourself and figure out who you are - at your own expense.
Let's face it, college is very expensive! It is important you understand from day one that you are spending money to be there. Even if you received scholarships, recall how much time and effort, or blood, sweat, and tears, it took for you to get to that point. Recall how many sacrifices you had to make over the years to prioritize studying for an exam or sitting for the SAT. Time is money. And the quicker you accept that, the quicker you will come to value what is important and what isn't. The goal for college should be to get in and get out as quickly as possible. This doesn't mean you shouldn't make time for fun, but it means you should come to learn how to schedule your life and set boundaries to make the most of your time.
What You Need to Do to Be Successful in College...Network, network, network - and network some more!
As a professional in the college admissions world, I can not begin to explain how much it bothers me to hear people go on and say, "college just isn't worth the cost anymore." I am a firm believer that individuals create their own opportunities. If you go into something with the attitude that it isn't going to "pan out well" then it probably isn't. If you set yourself up with a mindset that you aren't going to succeed, you will become mentally distracted by the thought of failing that it will drive your outcome. If you are the kind of person who doesn't like to do more than what's required of you, then you need to change your perspective if you are planning to attend college. You can no longer float through school with the idea that "Cs get Degrees." You need to approach school with the idea that you are trying to become in expert in your area and learn as much as you can so you can sell your knowledge and ideas afterwards. The best way to do this is by attending office hours, meeting your professors, fostering meaningful connections with peers, and maintaining quality grades so if you decide to go to graduate school, you have the best chance possible of getting in.
What You Need to Do to Be Successful in College...Set achievable goals for yourself - and boundaries!
Before your first day of college, you should find out everything you can about what you need to do to get to your future career path. For example, if you want to become an Anesthesiologist and make $300-600k per year, you should do your homework. Find the resume or CV of someone who is currently in that profession and see what they accomplished in order to get to that point. Money shouldn't be your main motivator, and if it is, you probably need to re-evaluate your situation and figure out something else. Additionally, if you are dedicated and driven to become an anesthesiologist, you probably need to make sure you do your very best in every class you take in order to be accepted for med school. This would probably translate into going to office hours, taking advantage of tutoring sessions, meeting your professors, and setting aside study time boundaries. Ask someone who isn't at school with you who isn't your parents to check in and hold you accountable for your goals as a mentor. This will make sure you are on task for what you need to accomplish. In college, you are bound to hear something like, "You can only pick 2 of the following - time to have fun, sleep, or good grades. Consider your future goals and choose wisely."
If you are in need of a third party mentor to check in with your student during their undergraduate career to continue to be on track, consider reaching out to us today at info@hoosieracademiccoaching.com .
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