How to Prepare for Going to College

Now that you've been accepted to that college, you have to get ready for whatever lies ahead. All you need is a little preparation and your next few years will be a blast.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Academic Counselings
• Financial Aid

1. Get any scholarship or financial aid information from your high school's guidance counselor or your college admissions department.

2. Contact the college's student housing department to secure your on-campus housing, or research your off-campus housing options by visiting early or ordering local papers to be mailed to you.

3. Stop into your local school or office supply store to purchase working supplies and any furniture you'll need.

4. Determine your transportation while at school - will you need a car or can you bike, walk or take public transportation easily?

5. Request the school's class schedule so you can begin planning what courses you will take the first semester.

6. Select books for summer reading that will give you a head start when school begins.

7. Research campus jobs, your meal plan, and how and when you will get to school.

8. Get a summer job so you can have some extra cash to enjoy all that college has to offer.

9. Spend lots of time with your high school friends before you all head off in different directions.

Tips & Warnings

• Try not to sweat all the details. Once you arrive, many things will fall into place.
• Ask for help from your college. They are usually more than happy to lend a hand to new students.
• No matter how hard you try, you will forget something.

on 11/22/2005 When you are to be going to a university, there are certain deadlines that you must be aware of. Please learn of the deadlines for things like financial aid, as well as registering for classes as soon as you have been admitted. These are really important deadlines, and you must meet them quickly. Learn them, and follow through on everything you are asked as soon as you can. A good way to find the deadlines is by going on your university's homepage. Learn all you can early, so you have no surprises later on.

on 11/22/2005 What's important is how we use our time. How do we fill our time? With a computer and the virtual world or friends or books? Going to a cinema or theatre and seeing a show does not mean that something happened to us. It is just something to fill our time.

on 11/22/2005 Don't be afraid to ask questions. The admissions office, campus housing, scholarship office, etc. field hundreds of questions, so they will generally have an answer for just about anything you can ask.

on 11/22/2005 Find out who your roommates will be and call them before you go crazy packing. Compare what you are bringing, just so that you don't end up with four coffee makers, four TVs and four microwaves.

on 11/22/2005 Be very outgoing with all the new people you encounter. The good thing is everyone is at a new place for the first time, from different places with no preconceived notions about you. Everyone is making the same mistakes.