A Cliche’ for a College Student

Recently a larger number of people have been started attending college, even more then ever before. It’s encouraged and almost impossible to get a decent paying job without college education. But once you’re out of high school the advice seems to just- stop. There’s nothing.

And that’s okay. You’re smart, you’re going to be just fine.

As someone who’s almost done with college education herself there’s a couple things I wish people would’ve told me, it’s not like the place came with a handbook. Or maybe it did it’s just no one ever passed it around. I’m going to start off with some very important tips for those who are preparing to go to college or heck, go back to college.

1. Check your e-mail & often
   1. I know this sounds silly, literally everyone tells you on the advice forms, “check your e-mail”, but your professors can and will use it to communicate with you. If you get lucky your professor will even send out PowerPoints of the latest lecture, but usually it’s homework or class cancellations.
   2. Also, a lot of colleges will send you an informative e-mail typically containing clubs, events, and fundraisers. If you get a chance go to these events. At a lot of these events is where I won gift cards for their bookstores. And bought my book.
2. Show up to Your Classes
   1. It’ll always help. Literally, you will get more leeway if you’re struggling with “the thing”, whatever “the thing” may be, if they actually see your face occasionally
   2. Don’t just show up, communicate, interact. No one likes to sit in a room with 20-30 people and talk for approximately an hour and a half to have silence returned to them. They’re people too, communicate. And better yet, make them laugh. If you can make their day better, they’ll likely remember you. Also, they’ll realize you’re paying attention.
3. Find out what you’re college ID is
   1. Literally the Financial Aid Office used it for everything, and I was in there fighting them constantly
   2. EVERYONE uses your ID to identify you, find it out
   3. What I did is my college offered “free use of gym” and they gave you, your ID card with presentation of a class schedule, it had my name, picture, and ID.
      1. It was literally the easiest thing to do, I can’t say numbers out loud without stuttering so I would hand over the card. And I bet they appreciated the amount of time it saved them by the ability to do it themselves.
4. Typically a college will make you an account on their website
   1. Explore it.
   2. Look around, find deadlines, advice, job offers.
   3. Typically it’ll also have how far along you are on your degree
5. If you’re not getting Financial Aid or at least the offer of it visit the Financial Aid Office.
   1. And do it over and over again until you get at least the offer to use it.
   2. I went 7 semesters without any Financial Aid, granted it’s a community college, but that money could’ve been in my pocket. Can you imagine the hours you have to swing to do that? And literally none of that money is your’s until you’re done with that.
   3. Find out what’s wrong and bring them the paperwork until it’s fixed.
      1. They had messed up and clicked a button they weren’t supposed to. 7 semesters, I was furious.
      2. Fight them.
         1. But professionally, because you’re classy and with tact. These people have your financial aid paperwork in their hands after-all. You want them to actually care and not hate you.
         2. Go as many times as you need to until it’s fixed.
6. Make Friends with Your Professors.
   1. It’ll help when trying to get jobs & if you transfer afterwards
   2. I asked 6-7 people for Letters of Recommendation [I only needed 2] and was almost denied entry to the transfer to the college I’m trying to go to afterwards because only 1 person came through for me
   3. Make friends with your neighbors, and no I don’t just mean the people sitting next to you. I mean your literal neighbors. We all know the “I hate my neighbors” cliche’ from movies & apartments & ect. This is literally what just saved my butt getting that second letter of recommendation.
7. If you Need something within a deadline [and that person said yes]
   1. Tell them a week before that deadline
   2. When that deadline is coming around and they haven’t pulled through for you, mention it again
   3. Start searching for other options if they don’t have it done. It doesn’t effect their life it affects yours. It’s not as important to them.
8. Connections
   1. Talk to People
      1. Other students, professors, your co-workers
      2. Make friends with them, you don’t know who’s carrying that achievement to that side quest to get a better job.
9. Remember that Gym I mentioned? Not Free.
   1. You’ve already paid for it.
      1. It’s in your tuition so they can list it as “Free”
   2. GASP, so is tutoring.
   3. USE THEM. If you have time, use them. You’re paying for the darn thing you like it or not. [Probably one of the reasons college is so Expensive.]

 

There are so many benefits that come along with a college degree, but also being in college. Use them and taken advantage of them.