Image courtesy of Google
Written by Kristin WBNQ
Welcome back, college students!
Whether you are an ISUer, a Weslyan attendee, or starting off at Heartland, college can be an exciting (and yes, admit it… somewhat scary) adventure.
But the college dream is achievable with a little help from your friends (yes, that’s us).
I graduated just a few years ago, now, so I’m not THAT far removed from the college experience, so stop rolling your eyes and calling me old. I’m not… quite… yet…
Kristin’s Tips for Surviving College
1. You need a great local radio station to dance around to when you are still up at 3am writing that paper and your brain stopped working. Enter us. See that black bar at the top of the screen? Click the “Listen Live” button, and you are on your way to some great booty-shaking, idea releasing tunes. You can also check out the iHeartRadio app- take us on your walk to class!
2. Actually GO to class. Ugh. Yes… I know. This is where I sound like your mother. But no one actually graduates without attending classes. It’s hard to become an Elementary Ed teacher if you don’t know how to make a lesson plan. Yes, I understand you are a theatre major, but for some reason the college REQUIRES you to take math… so you might as well do it. There’s no getting around this one.
3. I think one of the worst experiences in class is the feeling of not knowing how you are doing. Yes, you will have the college professors that never give you your tests and homework back and then you suddenly have a C- at midterm with NO inclination of how you got there. You will have to bug them. However, when you DO get papers back, it’s important that you keep track of those grades. Because I am SO NICE (and also because I happen to be halfway decent at Excel), I’ve made this handy dandy little grade sheet for you. All you have to do is fill in the assignment, the points you received, and the total points possible. My formulas do the rest! If you have questions you can always email me.
4. Use awesome technology to wow your friends and learn on the go. I had an android in college and discovered the app Study Droid- where you can create flashcards and study them on your phone… no more hand cramps from writing them all out. They link to a website so you can type them all out quickly and then download your pack to your phone. SUPER easy. Flashcards+ is available for iPhone and has a high rating and looks pretty similar, so check that out, too! Plus, if you are embarrassed that you are studying, you can make it look like you’re just Facebooking. Crisis averted.
5. Get creative. Ahhh Buzzfeed. Buzzfeed presents 36 Life Hacks Every College Student Should Know. Believe me, I WISH I had known some of these in college! You’re welcome.
I kept it to 5, mostly because I’m sure you stopped reading long ago. Have fun. Learn lots. And the most important lesson, try not to annoy the townies TOO much… Welcome to BloNo, students!