Learning Curve: Are You Ready?

It's the beginning of July. In a little over a month and a half a good majority of us will be headed back to school. Time to start deciding what's going with you to school & what gets left in your room at home, buying bedding and towels, cute picture frames, and the dreaded school supplies. I really want to know where my summer went and how it's possible that it's already time to start thinking about going back to school. Take a break from the stress of all that to check out some of these tips...

1. College isn't High School: College curriculum is a lot more stressful than high school. In high school, everyone, from your parents, to your teachers and guidance counselors want to see you succeed. I'm not saying that your professors don't want to see you do your best, but they aren't as involved in your life as everyone in high school was. These people will see you as an adult and expect you to act like one. That means being responsible for your own success.

2. Sleep: I think I've touched on this before, but I'll say it again. Once you get to college there is no one reminding you that it's getting late and that you should go to bed because you have class in the morning. College is probably the one time in your life when you will get the least amount of sleep and you can't ever "catch up" on sleep. Sleep can be hard to come by though, I understand that. You're in class all day, studying all night, so the only time to hang out with your friends is extremely late at night. Parties & games are also causes of college students not getting enough sleep. And please, don't ever pull an all nighter trying to study for tests. Filling your body with caffeine and that kind of energy is not good. Study as much as you can & then GO TO BED! You'll do so much better

3. Alcohol: I think Ariel did an amazing job of covering underage drinking this week in her column. I really don't know what else I can say about it. Alcohol is pretty easy to find on any college campus. Don't ever be pressured to do anything that you don't feel comfortable doing. A lot more people will respect your decision to not drink than you think. You don't have to drink to fit in.

4. Procrastination: My huge weakness when it comes to doing anything. Not good when it comes to assignments and deadlines. Get the work done early so you don't stress over it the night before it's due and end up pulling one of those "all nighters." It can be a hard habit to break, but college is a great place to start changing some of those bad habits.

5. Managing Classes: When you register for classes you can be tempted to take on more than you can handle. Use freshmen year to get adjusted to college life. Don't feel like you need to declare a major the minute you walk onto campus. Spend the first year taking basic classes. You may realize that you're really interested in a certain field and want to take some time exploring it. When you choose a major too early, you can feel like you're locked in. Most college students change their majors at least 6-8 times, if not more. Don't be afraid to change your mind about your future. You're the one that has to live with this choice for the rest of your life

6. College is a Job: By spending all day in class and studying all night, there's not a lot of time to hold down a full time job. If you must work through school, remember that you're education is the most important thing in the world. Try to work around your school schedule. If you can, get work-study on campus. They'll pay you to work, plus give you the time you need to study.