In my sophomore year, I learned some great lessons that helped me with my college life. When you are a freshman, college still seems chaotic, and you are beginning to make new friends and getting to know the teachers and subjects you want to study. Here are the 10 most important lessons I learned that are valuable to any second-year student.
College professors tend to overburden students with reading assignments. When you have a full load of classes, by reading all of the required and advised literature you won’t be able to see the light of the day. Taking into account the college textbooks’ academically bloated style, the task is almost unmanageable. Read only what you have to and don’t waste time.
Don’t join all student committees, volunteer for 10 hours a week and play music instrument at church at the same time. Do you realistically think all of that coupled with a full course load and a part-time job is manageable? Only if you don’t mind all the stress and no sleep.
This is something most students don’t do, and you should start doing it right now! In high school, you might not have viewed email as something of much importance. But college officials and teachers send out reminders and information that can save you lots of time and effort. Your email is a prime communications channel in college.
Being a Teaching Assistant, or TA, is a great way to pay for college and be in constant touch with professors in your area of study. TA positions typically entail teaching a class under the supervision of a professor or helping check homework. The position usually offers a stipend and lets you master your specialization in a better way.
Can you think of a profession football players? Yeah, they are really good at what they do. But they are likely to be really bad and baseball… in fact, not even good enough to play on high school level. This means that keeping the focus on what you love and good at is essential. Trying to do too as many things as you can at the same time won’t allow you to master any of them.
Who you know is oftentimes more important than what you know. The majority of students spend countless hours in class and even more on homework. It leaves almost no time to meet new people. In college making right connections is essential for the future success in your career.
While in college, there are still many scholarships out there to take advantage of. You should surely take advantage of these to cut you a student loan.
College expenses can definitely break your wallet. Remember that students can get lots of things for free or at a hefty discount.
Many parents stuff their children’s’ suitcases with unnecessary stuff. Don’t bring too many clothes, or any other random stuff you are unlikely to ever use.
Sit down and figure out what you plan to do in your life. Being successful requires you to figure it out now. Make a clear plan and get motivated to succeed.