College Success 101: Start the year off right

You're counting down the days. It's time to plunge into the new college year, and you're hoping it's going to be a good one. We've compiled some great tips for kicking off the school year right.

Before arriving on campus

• If you'll be living in the dorms, contact your roommate and figure out who will bring what. Don't overpack. Associate Director of Residence Life Kody Rother suggests that "less is more."
• Familiarize yourself with your class schedule and how it will integrate with meals and other activities.
• Set up a communication plan with your parents so that they'll know how often to expect to hear from you.
• Arrange in advance for your textbooks. Here's the link to our Textbookx.com store. 

The first week on campus

• Get involved. Check out the various campus organizations and activities early on. Take a risk, stretch beyond your comfort zone and join a group you never would have considered joining before. But don't overbook yourself. Joe Boucher, director of student activities, notes that "it's better (and less stressful) to be good at three or four things than to be mediocre at nine or ten."
• If you have a roommate, work out some ground rules. Talk about how you want to use the room. What can your roommate borrow, and must he or she ask permission first? Leave your door open a lot so that you can meet the other people on your floor.
• Set yourself up for academic success by getting organized. Get a planner or set up an electronic calendar. Put classes, work schedule, sports practices and other commitments on the calendar. After you get your syllabi, add every test date, paper deadline, etc. Block out realistic study times and reminders to study for tests several days ahead. Don't forget time to relax and sleep!

The first month

• Get to know campus resources, such as health and counseling, the writing center and career services. Stop by, introduce yourself, and find out how to access the services.
• Venture out into the community beyond campus. Eat out; go to the mall; check out a park or hiking trail; visit a church.
• Meet lots of people. Talk to others in the Commons line, before or after class, or at campus events. "Regularly look to meet someone new who isn't like you," suggests Dr. Gail Steehler, associate dean. "Having friends who are a bit different from you makes life more interesting."
• Go to every class. Don't miss unless you are so sick you can't make it. There is no substitute for being in class. But, in case you do get sick, be sure to exchange contact information with at least one person in every class so that you can get notes.
• Take time to talk to your professors. Dr. Jennifer Berenson, associate dean, recommends going to office hours for each of your courses even if you don't have a question. "Just introduce yourself to your professor to begin a good relationship for the semester," she says. "That way when you do need help, you won't feel as awkward going to office hours."
• Cultivate healthy habits. Get in the habit of regular sleep and nutritious meals. Exercise will clear your head and reduce anxiety, which is a distractor and can lower productivity.
• Balance work and play. When you're doing class work, only do class work. Don't text or play video games or watch TV. When you're goofing off, only goof off. Don't fret about your reading or papers. Clear your head. 
• Pulling an all-nighter before a test is not a good idea. Better to get some rest, get up maybe an hour early, and go through your notes once. Then relax. Don't cram as you walk into the classroom. That just raises stress, which won't really help you.

English Professor Paul Handstedt has this surprising advice: Ignore your grades. "I don't mean, by this, that your grades don't matter and that you shouldn't try," he says. "But...you should stop thinking about grades as the purpose of your education. They are not. The purpose of your education is for you to find something that you care about, to throw yourself into it, and to learn about it solely because you care about it...If you're figuring out a question that's confused you, or finding a new way of looking at the world, or discovering a new way of approaching things, the grade really doesn't matter."

"You're not in high school anymore," says Handstedt. "The next four years are yours. Take them. Do what you want. Take a chance. Enjoy being that new person who isn't scared anymore."

Our thanks to Kody Rother and Drs. Jennifer Berenson, Paul Handstedt and Gail Steehler for their suggestions.