How to prepare for college?

Starting college or university is one of the biggest transitions in anyone’s life. Despite what the movies show you, preparing for college is the key to have an enjoyable and carefree first semester. Let’s see how you can make that possible.

How to prepare for life in college?

Accommodation

Let’s start with one of the hardest and most important points. Getting into a college or student dorm is tough. In most universities, they are packed within minutes after registrations are available. Therefore if your university or college cannot ensure your place look for online portals, advertorials, Facebook groups for accommodation ads.

The easiest way is to look for larger apartments with friends or fellow students and divide the costs. Sharing a room with a friend might be a good idea as long as you get along well. Regarding location, distances don’t matter as long as the commute to your lectures is easily accessible. In the meantime, if you still cannot find anything and you are on a budget, use Airbnb or Couchsurfing.

Whatever you do, you can rely on your friends. Don’t be a stranger to them. There is always an empty couch if that is the worst-case scenario.

Join an orientation program or student associations

There are plenty of groups offered by each faculty to mingle. This is extremely useful for helping you to settle in and acquaint others. The first week can be a tiresome mess. Even if you enjoy your cozy bed with a book and chill vibes, make sure to get involved as much as possible. The first week is often the easiest and quickest time when students make friendships for life. 

Prepare your Skills

The less busy periods are a good time to start thinking about how you can build your skills outside of the classroom — before assessments start to pile up and your free time becomes an issue. You may decide to research potential internship and volunteering opportunities or ways to get involved on campus. Also consider refreshing your résumé, adding any skills or experience you’ve gained since the last update.

Read

This is difficult in part because it is hard to stay motivated while the year hasn’t even begun. But you will most likely have some readings in advance. This is important if your courses are more text-based. It might be a good idea to get ahead, particularly as it will help you manage your workload.

Travel Before You Decide

One of the best ways to prepare for college is by traveling. This can involve tours of colleges you’re interested in or simply visiting different parts of the country. Traveling can help you to learn more about yourself and what you’re looking for in a college.

It can also help you to meet new people and see new things. Join tours for students to get a feel for new places or colleges you visit along with your peers. Sit in on informative sessions about the admissions process and financial aid. And, of course, take plenty of pictures to remember your travels!

Use Social Media to get chatty

Look for Facebook groups in your faculty and create events, invite people or just casually ask if anyone wants to hang out. There is no shame in asking people to join you for a tour, drink or a program.

Plan your Budget

If you’re preparing to live on a student budget, now is a great time to start planning for the months ahead. In many cases, you’ll spend most of your time in dorms, libraries, lecture halls, or parties. Finding a well-paid job is hard, but maintaining a work-study balance is even harder.

Therefore it is advisable to start planning your budget for food, accommodation, utilities, and social events. The key is to avoid overwork and falling into depression during or even after you’re done with your studies.