TIP OF THE WEEK - AUGUST 19, 2011

How to Succeed Freshman Year
Article from the Wall Street Journal By Emma Slayton

It’s true what they say: Time flies when you’re reading big books, meeting people, listening to lectures, taking exams and learning to be an adult.
Oh, and having fun.
 You only get one chance to be a freshman in college, and you’re probably not going to do everything you set out to. In part, that’s because you’ll discover so many other things on campus that you never even imagined before. And it’s because over the course of freshman year, you’ll begin to discover things about yourself that you never knew.
That said, you don’t want to look back on the experience a year later, or 10 years later, and think of that important period as a complete waste of opportunity, time and tuition money. So with the benefit of hindsight, I offer you a few general tips will that help you make the best of your freshman year:

BE SOCIAL: The first few days and weeks of college are made for socializing. And you should do plenty of it. Because once the real work starts, you might not have as many opportunities.
Those days are set up for you to take advantage of orientation activities, ice breakers, open houses, parties and mixers, so that you’re socially comfortable before you take on the bigger challenges of higher education.
Because your friends will serve as your on-campus family, “you have to be more social than you’ve ever been in high school,” says freshman Jessy Bear, who suggests walking down your dorm hallway and poking your head into open rooms.
If you really force yourself to be social, you’re sure to find the people who fit best with you instead of clinging to that first friend and missing out on the many other friendships you could have made. “I was really unhappy until I switched out of my first group of friends,” says freshman Emma Fisher, who initially was wary of breaking away from the people whom she met first.
In those first few weeks, try changing your surroundings often, sitting down with people you don’t know or starting up a conversation with a stranger in one of your large lecture classes. “Don’t be scared to sit at any freshman’s table. They are just as nervous as you are,” says Emma. “I made friends at the library who I see a lot now.”
Heck, I met one of my closest friends at college standing in a lunch line.

BRANCH OUT: Heading into college, I knew exactly what I was interested in and what I wanted to study. I wanted to take writing and history courses. I was proud that I had such a focused plan, and this year, I did exactly what I set out to do.
In retrospect, it might have been better to branch out a bit.
Bennett Cross, a student in my dorm, did that, and I think he’s better off for it. Instead of just following his interests, he kept an open mind about what he wanted to study, which led him to courses in music, logic and religion. In the process, Bennett learned a lot about himself. “I found out that what I liked and what I’m good at are not always the same thing,” he says.
 Bennett has also been smart about choosing a broad cross-section of courses that help him get his graduation requirements out of the way early. As a result, he has more freedom than I would to change majors along the way.

GET HELP: In high school, I had to stay after school with a teacher for calculus tutoring. I dreaded it, and not just because I don’t like math. Let’s face it: There’s a certain stigma associated with having to get extra help outside of class. The last thing any high school student wants to see is a teacher’s note on a test that says, “See me.”
In college, it’s very different. There’s absolutely no stigma, and for freshmen getting used to work at the college level, that extra time with professors and their teaching assistants is nothing but a prudent use of your tuition money. “It’s like having a private tutor who knows all the answers to the homework,” says Brian Orser, a freshman who never hesitates to get some face time with a professor. “No one else takes advantage of them.”
Indeed, “office hours”-those times that college professors set aside to help students outside of class-are an underused resource, probably because of freshmen who come to campus with high-school preconceptions about staying after class.
Those people don’t know what they’re missing. Especially during freshman year, you don’t want to put your grades at risk for the sake of pride. And it can be really tough to rescue your GPA from a bad first year.
In college this year, I’ve been to office hours for almost half my professors and I still haven’t gone enough. My simple advice: If you need help, go out and get it-before you get a note on your test. Professors are standing by.
 
KEEP LEARNING: Long after their classrooms and lecture halls close up for the evening, college campuses are alive with learning opportunities-cultural programs, art exhibitions, ethnic festivals, speeches by visiting dignitaries and informal coffeehouse chats with professors-many of which happen only at colleges.
There were many lectures, a capella performances and sporting events that I missed because I was too busy with schoolwork. Looking back, I probably should have taken more breaks to attend those events. When I finally made it to a poetry reading last semester, I met some writers on campus and engaged in an illuminating conversation with the poet. The experience of learning for the sake of it-without the pressure of exams and grades-was a real treat.
So close the books and give yourself a break once in a while. “If you get an email or see a flyer about a lecture or an event that is outside your academic focus, go to it,” says freshman Liana Engie. Consider it part of the educational experience. You won’t regret it.