Hitting College for the First Time – Without Fear

Being the new kid on the block really sucks. It feels like your life is changing too fast for you to actually recover, but who really wants to feel like that? This is the perfect time to really start thinking about the type of college experience that you want to have.

Yes, that’s right — it’s an experience. It’s very easy to blow off everything, thinking that you know better. But really, there is going to come a point where you have to get serious about college. By then, you will have blown off a lot of opportunities that you didn’t even realize were there.

If you’re thinking about going off to college, you want to make sure that you are really in there to get an education. Don’t take this for granted, or think that you’re going to be able to just pick up your studies at any time. It’s been a long point of contention and debate, but the truth is that its’ hard to get back into the college mentality once you leave. You know that you really don’t have to go back if you don’t want to, so why put up with it?

The real world without a college education is a tough one. You have to prove yourself form the ground up. That might not be your cup of tea, or it might be something that you can sink your teeth into. You need to be honest with yourself. Others will need a little bit of motivation before investing in a career path. There are places online that people can visit to be inspired by the success of strangers. Whether it is reading a story about someone becoming an entrepreneur after going to college or traveling the world to find their passion, anyone can find it online.  Also, if you’re in a field that requires a college education in order to even get any experience that counts, you can’t just quit school.

Facing college without fear means knowing what you’re getting into. This is why that first college tour is really important. You want to roam campus, meet people that can tell you what it’s really like, and see who is going to serve your needs well in terms of learning the ropes of your field. You want to be able to work together with smart people to do big things and to dream big.

Having goals is a good thing — but you don’t want to get too arrogant about it. There are going to be times where you slip and you need help. This means that you want to be able to reach out for assistance.

As the new freshman on campus, you might feel very much out of your element. Just because you’re stepping into your new present doesn’t mean that you have to just abandon your future. You can always get things together in a much better way than you might expect. You have to trust in your new environment. Don’t be afraid — learn from everyone that you meet.

Get to know your professors. Hang out at the library. Meet new people and see what you can do for them. If you serve other people’s needs well, you might be surprised at how many people will rally around you when you need them most.

These steps might sound obvious, but you might be amazingly surprised at how many people really don’t follow them. Trying to be everything to everyone is just going to stress you out. Time management is going to be the key, but you’ll ignore this advice and end up writing your first college essay at the last minute. You might even be surprised at how much harder college is compared to your high school years.

No matter what your experience is…savor it. Because quite frankly, college is over before you know it…and bigger challenges lie ahead! Good luck!