Being a first-year student is fun! Unlike high school, where your first year is usually filled with anxiety and the occasional wrong-classroom mishap, colleges prepare first-year students with an orientation that builds a strong bond among class members. Many colleges offer additional early orientation programs (usually a camping trip or gathering hosted in a nearby city) to foster relationships before the school year even begins. Attend as many orientations options as possible. It will make your college transition easier if you already have bonds with your classmates. Once orientation is over and the upper-class students are back on campus, you will find that they are excited to meet the first-year students, and you become very comfortable in the college setting very quickly.
High School vs. College: The Learning Environment
Get used to saying "Professor" or "Dr." Your teachers are no longer Mr. or Ms. Brown, but Professor or Dr. Brown, and guess what? You are expected to have an opinion! You are no longer a passive learner who just sits and listens to a teacher, occasionally writes a paper, and takes a test in which you are expected to simply reiterate what you have learned or been told by the teacher. You will not be provided with notes; rather, you are expected to figure out on your own what's important. (Professors are available during their office hours for help if what's important is ever unclear.) In college your professors are expecting you to voice your thoughts, and disagreeing with the professor's opinion is considered an interesting debate, not deviant behavior. Class participation and providing your own perspective and analysis are key to success in the college learning environment.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
When you enter your room on the first day of college, the best thing that you can do is to fraternize with your roommates. These are going to be the people that you spend the rest of the year with so it is very smart to make friends with them immediately.…
- 385 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Going away to college for the first time can be exciting and intimidating, but don't worry. As long as you put the effort in, you'll be successful in the end. There will be lots of temptations at school, but you need to remember you are there to learn and your decisions affect your future.…
- 443 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
When you enter your room on the first day of college, the best thing that you can do is to fraternize with your roommates. These are going to be the people that you spend the rest of the year with so it is very smart to make friends with them immediately.…
- 410 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Your first college experience can be a little overwhelming if you are not sure what to expect. Try out the tips shared in this article and you will find that your time in college can be all you ever imagined. Good luck in your quest for a higher education.…
- 472 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
When you think about it, college can be overwhelming to a new student. Such big changes, in every area of your life--at college those changes happen all at once. It's important to have guidance and help. That's why this article contains…
- 388 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The idea of going to college frightens most high school students, but it should not, and here is why. In the article “Your First Year of College: 25 strategies and Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive Your Freshman Year and Beyond” by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D helpfully walked through 25 grand tips and tricks to help college students push through their years on a campus. Not only an empowering entrepreneur, Randall S. Hansen also focuses on health, wellness and college success. Randall S. Hansen stated that one of his students once said “his technique in the first week of classes was to meet at least one new person in each of his classes,” as a result of doing this he expanded his network of friends and it was always nice to have study partners.…
- 218 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
When I first arrived on campus I treated college as if it were just an extension of high school. I wasn't taking my classes seriously and I was not studying appropriately and therefore on my first couple of test I received a wake-up call after receiving some of the lowest grades I had ever seen. I also was not organized and ended up missing assignment due dates and this led to my grades being lower than expected. So in my opinion, the best advice I can give First-Years is to be organized, be serious and attend…
- 383 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Try to do everything in moderation when you enter college for the first time. This means that you should not party too hard or work too hard during your experience. Have a lot of fun, but make sure that you understand you are going to college to learn and expand your possibilities for employment.…
- 431 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
For first year students, college is new for them and going through college they are exploring themselves. In…
- 1001 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
The time has come! Your clothes are packed, room emptied and your mother is anticipating her new gym room, college life is swiftly approaching. Are you ready for this encounter? Have you reviewed the guidelines for surviving college? Many persons project college as a frightening entity, a place where your pockets are hurt, you miss assignments and are failed by your professors. Yes, some of these aspects may be true nevertheless, with guidance and wise council in reference to inside the classroom, outside the classroom and residential life, surviving college will be a breeze.…
- 861 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
When you get to college, it is a strange feeling. You have to go to class, which you are used to, but you have a lot more freedom than you may be used to. There are a lot of things to know about class, but there is much more to know about your life at college. Here are some tips to help you.…
- 659 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
High school is mandatory by the state, and usually free if you go to a public school. College is usually completely voluntary, and very expensive. In high school, your teachers tell you what to do, and how to act in school. Your parents generally made sure that you did your homework and studied for tests. Your time was pretty much managed for you. In college you are pretty much on your own. You have to manage your own time and study and do homework because you know that is needs to be done to pass the class, not because your mom is standing over you making sure that it is done. In high school, you are reminded of things that need to be done, and events you must attend. In college it is your responsibility to remember, and you must make all of your choices.…
- 918 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
College, “an institution of higher learning, especially one providing a general or liberal arts education rather than technical or professional training.” College is something provided for adults of all ages that offer the opportunity to become a more advanced educated citizen. It’s something with great value and credibility in the real world when it comes to seeking for a salary paid job, whether it’s a corporate career, teaching career, or a career in the media industry. With any college experience comes an automatic gain especially if completed and exited with a degree or associates.…
- 537 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
To begin with, there are many ways in which the responsibilities of both teachers and students in high school differ from teachers and students in college. It’s been cleared to me that high school teachers are much stricter and they provide more rules for the students to follow. Teachers are responsible for making sure each student obeys these rules and carry out disciplinary actions for those who did not obey them. One example in which a teacher has taken on a disciplinary action was when a student was tardy or skipped their scheduled and they end up doing extra class work and homework or getting detention. I always felt like I was getting pushed to accomplish things in high school. I also remember having rules like no eating or drinking class. Chewing of gum in class was never allowed. Meanwhile in college, teachers are different. You are treated like an adult. The instructors in college expect you to do the work and aren’t constantly pushing you to do assignments. They expect you to have assignments done; you either do it or fail.…
- 452 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
College culture is full of peer influences. With the rampant wild parties, female and male friends everywhere and the urge of not wanting to attend the classes. Keeping up with college is not an easy task because one is always torn between having fun and maintaining focus concerning the class work. For me adapting to college life is not a hard task after all, it all depends on your priorities and the way you balance your preferences.…
- 483 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays