Relevant guidelines for an accomplished college experience

High school is usually a carefree period. It is almost as if you are under the radar of society. For most youngsters, the society does not demand much from them nor does it put them under any sort of pressure. Consequently, high school is often characterized by plenty of fun and excitement. However, everything starts to change once you are done with high school. Now it is time to make a shift to college. This is the time when you get to make one of the most important decisions of your life; what you will like to study and where you will like to study?  

Preparation for college requires the right mentality and tactics that encourages exploration, participation and accomplishment. Many freshmen are completely oblivious of the demands of college and this often gives them a very rough start. With over two decades of active involvement in higher learning coupled with insights and experiences from interactions with my colleagues and mentoring students, I present relevant and applicable guidelines that will reposition college freshmen for a successful and memorable college experience.   

• Be organized: This is one of the most important requirements for success in college. Having every activity and event properly scheduled is vital. College seems like a rush to many people. There are numerous activities and many freshmen often feel overwhelmed and disoriented. You should have weeks and months events scheduled in advance. With very intelligent smart phones and mobile devices, being organized shouldn’t be an arduous task.
• Stay connected: If you are timid, shy or suffer from any form of complex that affects your ability to interact freely, the break between high school and entry into college is a great time to get rid of such problems. Interaction is a fundamental requirement for development in college. Additionally, social media offers an impressive opportunity for you to interact and connect. When you stay connected, you will increase your chances of being successful.
• Be ingenious: The distinction between you and your contemporaries is your ability to think of something unique and different. When you are ingenious, it will reflect in your academic undertakings thus giving you the edge over others.
• Follow your curriculum: It comes highly recommended that you follow the curriculum. While you may not be penalized for drifting, it is best that you are cautious and work within your curriculum.
• Handwritten thank you notes still in fashion: While there are modern and effective means of expressing your gratitude, handwritten thank you notes still holds a lot of value because it shows thoughtfulness.
• Put interactions first: Don’t let your pursuit for grade and academic excellence affect your interactions and involvement with your colleagues and professor. While it is great to have good grades, learning and interactions are more important.
• Build and broaden connections: College is a time when you get to meet build and broaden your connections. During college, it is expected that you interact with alumni, instructors, colleagues as well as your seniors and juniors. Building good connections is often the pathway to an accomplished college life and connections are very relevant after college too.
• Do not undertake every task: Often times, freshmen assume that you have to undertake every task or project that comes your way to be accomplished. While this sounds great, it is much better to undertake a few projects and handle them efficiently than to undertake every task and do it chaotically.
• Broaden your horizon: College is a fantastic time to broaden your horizon and explore new and interesting things and learning a new language is certainly a great way to do so. Learning a new language is the gateway to new possibilities. When you learn French for instance, you can have French friends, work in a French company and appreciate French way of life better. Additionally, a new language will give you a competitive advantage over others.
• Have online presence: Having a great online presence that showcases your accomplishments and expertise is a great way to create heightened exposure and visibility for yourself to prospective employers.
• Exercise is imperative: While college brings a lot of fun and excitement, it also presents significant levels of pressure. To manage this kind of pressure, it is advisable that you engage in routine exercise to keep your body and mind healthy, energized and invigorated. While maintaining a healthy lifestyle might seem challenging, it is certainly worth the effort. You can be sure that good nutrition, adequate rest and regular exercise are essential recipe for a happy and productive life.
• Building your aptitude: College is a place of self-development. It is important that you build your aptitude and creativity in college as this will prepare you to dazzle to the world. If you are a good cook, spend your leisure time cooking a lot and creating a reputation for yourself as a cook on campus. If you have a great voice, give college radio a shot. Essentially, your goal is to be the best you there is.
• Crave expertise: Always crave expertise and specialization. While it is good to have a general knowledge of a particular field, the defining factor is being able to perform task and operations that others will find difficult. The only way to achieve this is by being an expert. When you have an unmatched level of expertise and thorough knowledge of certain operations and tasks, you immediately stand out from the clutter for jobs and other benefits.
• Have fun: It is important that you have a lot of fun in college. At the end of the day, fun experiences and moments are what create the best memories and makes like pleasurable.
• Be original: Originality is unarguably one of the most enchanting features any one can possess. When you are original in the way you implement various academic projects, you can be sure to get exceptional commendations and admiration from your colleagues and instructors. People are drawn to original views, approaches, perspectives and outcomes. Interestingly, originality is effortless.

When you implement all of these instructions accordingly, you can be sure that your college experience would be characterized by meaningful accomplishments. These guidelines will help freshmen settle into college and thrive while cultivating productive relationships and memorable experiences that will stay with them forever.