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Recently, the Ventures Scholars Program asked Ventures
Scholars freshmen to share feedback about the transition
to college. Specifically, Ventures Scholars shared thoughts
about time management, study skills, balancing college
and social life, adjusting to roommates, and balancing
finances. Here’s some of the responses:
My adjustment to college has definitely
been an interesting one. It has not been a quick type
of "thing" nor has it been slow. It has been
fun to watch myself adjust from the summer to college
this fall. There is a lot to be done and one has to
really be motivated to get the work done. Sometimes,
motivation is hard to come by because there are SO many
distractions. Discipline is definitely the key for the
first semester. Time management techniques are really
yet to fall in place, but in due time, they will. Optimum
studying can take place in your room, but one has to
shut everything off or just stay really focused. Finances
are not that big of a deal because I am continually
consulting with my parents. Meeting new people is up
to the student because there are just so many people
everywhere! Personally, I find myself keeping to my
room and doing things when they need to be done. Although,
I still make time to fully enjoy all my peers in my
classes, big and small. I have enrolled myself in a
couple of clubs and I am excited for them to really
kick off and have a place in making an affect on campus.
I love Stanford. Classes just started
this Monday, but I have been playing soccer for over
a month. I like the flexibility of a liberal arts program.
However, I still intend to remain in a math/science
field.
I think my initial failure was unavoidable.
College is difficult, far more difficult than I ever
could have predicted. It is not that I was unprepared
to handle the work load, or ill equipped to properly
manage my time, it is just that I had to see what could
not work, before I could discover what can work. The
adjustment, was tumultuous at best. I was placed in
a triple, which made the strain even greater. The money,
well is tight, and has added to some stress. As for
meeting people, I thought I would never meet anyone.
I have never felt so alone, and yet so over whelmed
by people in my life. Getting involved, seems almost
impossible, but the again the semester is not over,
I'm sure opportunities will arrive. I think I will be
okay. Thank you for asking.
Well quite honestly I don't think
that I'm adjusting that well to college, particularly
when it comes to studying and time management. It's
so easy to get distracted and neglect your studies when
you know that your friends are going out. Yes, I know
that my studies come first but it's conveniently easy
to forget that fact when you're having fun. To be fair
to myself though I have made an effort in the last week
to get my work done prior to going out even if that
means offending some people; unfortunately, however,
that realization was delayed therefore I have so much
work that it's disheartening when I try to knock it
out. Another thing that's extremely frustrating is knowing
that I don't have time to go back and make up for that
mess-up first opportunity because if I do that it will
be time for exams! So right now that's my conflict--go
back and do the things that I didn't do in the first
place or just forget about the past and do what's asked
for now (problem with that being that I'll have to know
that overlooked information for the exam and for assignments
in the future)...
I'm adjusting pretty well. I'm enjoying
college life. Sleep is a little bit of an issue there
is so many things to do and so much distractions from
it. It becomes hard to get any during the week, but
it really doesn't affect me. Finances are a bit of concern
and kind of tricky. My scholarship allows for me to
receive money, in pocket, but I have to wait to the
end of the semester. Also I volunteer a lot and the
school pays me for it but I receive pay basically at
the end of the month. Meeting new people are easy and
fun, also my roomates are very good and we compliment
each other. I'm very involved at least 4 times a week
I have some sort of meeting or activity to do that involves
different organizations. Thank you for your interest
and support. I'm glad to be a Venture Scholar.
Time management has been a struggle
for me, but because I am making weekly schedules (although
I've been slacking with making them lately), I have
been budgeting my time more wisely. I have limited extracurricular
activities because I want to be able to devote a fair
amount of time to each, and being a biochemistry major
(which I am) is very time-consuming.
Because I took college courses while in high school,
I was already accustomed somewhat to the demands of
college, but being in college is a completely different
world from being in high school. My general biology
course is one example. Since I was used to getting A's
on all of my tests in high school, it really shook me
when I got a C on my first test.
There is an art to staying on top of classes and keeping
a healthy social life (which includes extracurricular
activities) while in college that few people can master.
I think that those who master it are those who succeed.
Living in a dormitory has proven to be very "interesting,"
but it has also been very rewarding. I have met many
people just by interactions with them in my residence
hall. Of course, dorm life can get crazy because some
people get really loud (especially the persons who lives
right next to my room and right above my room). I am
extremely grateful for my roommate who I already knew
before college as a classmate from high school. By us
sharing our experiences, I can see that I am not alone
in the struggle.
Though many times I get stressed out from all that I
have to do, I am enjoying college immensely. The people
who I have met have really helped me by encouraging
me and showing me that I am not alone. Also, my extracurricular
activities give me a chance to relax from my coursework
and just enjoy the social aspect of college. Through
all of the pressures, I think that I am making a great
transition.
College for me has been pretty good
so far, it is definitely harder than high school though.
I just hope that I will be well prepared during tests
and in my time-management skills for college. Other
than that, college has been pretty good.
College is definitely a time of adjustment.
There s a lot of time, time I've found that can easily
be spent not doing work, which can be a serious problem.
I've found that I budget my time to do work for the
same classes at the same time (as in I know I do math
homework on Friday after classes for math class on Monday).
Having a set schedule to do work for a specific class
makes it easy to plan my personal schedule. I haven't
had a serious test or exam but I have had quizzes and
my school has a really responsive system of review sessions
set up for me to get help. In high school, you are in
class all day and have very little choice of time to
do work. In college, there is a smaller amount of time
in class, but more work and a lot more time to do it
so it is important skill to learn how to budget your
time. I've found that if I write a list of all the work
I have to do for the next day or the next few days I
can prioritize the homework I have to do.
As far as money goes, I spent a lot of money going to
CVS and buying the necessary amenities that I forgot
about. It is really easy to spend money on food. Budgeting
your money (like setting a certain amount of money to
spend per week).
I'm a really outgoing person, so meeting new people
is not only not hard but a very fun thing for me to
do. My roommate is really nice and I've found I have
had to compromise and listen more to other people in
order to make sure I show everyone in my room the respect
they deserve.
As far as activities go, I've only signed up for a few
things (the black student union and the choir) that
I know I can handle. I am trying very hard not to become
overextended. Social activities I tend to limit to the
weekends and most of my social activities during the
week revolve around doing work (study breaks at the
cafe or ice cream after finishing homework for one class.)
I am a freshman at Iowa State University
studying engineering. I am adjusting pretty well to
college life, classes are naturally difficult at times
and make me a tad frustrated but it usually passes once
I take a breather. Since I have yet to find a job I've
been going off the money I brought from home and that
is almost completely depleted!! I am making many friends
some of which who are upperclassmen that have taken
the courses I am taking now and are able to assist me
when needed. The first couple of days I was a tad homesick
for food but I've adjusted quite well to that, if I
say so myself. I get along very well with my roommate
which is a relief because I admit I was afraid we'd
be clawing at each others throats as I hear from some
of my friends. Iowa State is a wonderful school and
has made the transition to college more enjoyable than
I ever thought it would be!!
--Balancing finances at college
I do my best to purchase groceries once a week this
way I will always have food in my apartment and have
no excuse to go out to eat. I also try to keep a book
recording all my expenses and available resources, but
this alone is very time consuming and difficult to maintain.
I recommend thinking before spending. More than like
you will realize there is a lack of necessity in the
item(s).
--Meeting new people and/or roommates
I am in a four-bedroom apartment and am loving the freshman
experience because since the beginning I have been involved
whether playing a Halo 2 game with the guys or just
going to the Patriot Center to work out. All you need
to do is be active. There is always something to do
around campus. I also recommend letting your roommates
know what your likes and dislikes are this way you can
all work together to get along from the start.
--Participating in college/social activities
This is a big one for me. I ran for SGA Freshman Senator
and won. The only piece of advice I can give at such
an early stage of my college experience is get out and
meet people. Research fraternities/ sororities and discover
whether there are any special interests group which
match with your likes. Be brave and try a new activity.
I started taking "Spinning" classes for the
first time and now I go weekly.
--Balancing finances at college
At first it's hard, especially balancing meals when
one has a very tight and limited budget. As time passes,
however, I found a way to manage it and go out to eat
at least once a month. Getting old books directly from
students also really helps. A good website is getused.com
because it connects students from the same school and
it there is no "middle-man."
--Meeting new people and/or roommates
Living with people is difficult. Living with roommates
with completely different habits from myself is even
more difficult. The only good thing is that school is
full of different people, so without really going out
there I was able to find a lot of amazing people that
were really open to getting to know each other. Another
thing that really helps is participating is student
organizations, i.e. clubs.
--Participating in college/social activities
There is an activity for just about everyone. The problem
is that there is usually more than one activity, there
are usually ten with the exact same purpose. It is really
hard to have to choose, in a sense, and stick to just
a couple because I know that I love to be an active
student. However, this also sometimes interfere with
my school work, and that is when I have to step back
and refocus my energies.
--Studying/time management techniques
I think that this is a very personal decision. However,
being that college offers an overwhelming amount of
activities and clubs of which to be part of, it is also
a very difficult one. Personally, I think I have stayed
on "top" of things, however, sometimes I feel
like I am not studying enough because I want to be part
of x student organization. If I don't go to the meeting,
then I feel like I am not really being committed and
that I am missing out in something, so it is definitely
a very hard decision to make.
--Adjustment from high school routine to college routine
This is a very interesting thing. I am actually a person
who goes to sleep early and wakes up early. However,
sharing a room with someone who does the opposite is
many times hard to adjust to. I have even missed a lecture
at 8am because I slept and couldn't wake up because
the previous night my roommate went to sleep at 3am
and I did too because I couldn't sleep with her awake.
So this is a very different routine from high school
were I could just make a schedule and stick to it and
well parents seem to approve of going
to sleep before midnight.
The transition form high school to
college has been an exciting experience. As I've been
told many times high school is very different than college.
Being on your own makes me responsible for all my decisions
whether they are bad or good. For my class schedule
I find that I have more than enough time to finish all
my homework. I usually don't wait until the last minute
to do my homework, so I have enough time to study and
do the homework that I need to do.
I like how my classes are setup because I don't feel
as worn out. I have enough time to sleep and the time
that I have between my classes I try to get the majority
of my homework done. I also feel that even though there
is a lot more work to do the teachers aren't throwing
at you all at once.
Meeting new people has been easy for me. Everyone is
very nice and I tend to see the same people in most
of my classes. Getting to know these people was easy
because everyone is kind of in the same boat, and they
don't know that many people.
Overall the transition from high school to college wasn't
bad. The only thing I have to adjust to is how the teachers
teach. In college it's like your teaching yourself for
the most part and the teacher is there to point out
what is important, but I'm starting to get use to it.
I like school and I'm glad that college is a good fit
for me.
At first it seemed like this college
thing was going to be easy. Of course that's because
for the first week or two of classes you just do really
general things like go over the syllabus and listen
to the teachers' expectations. Well after all that has
settled into the back of your head right between the
movie you watched last week and the dreams of getting
your financial aid money on time, the real work starts.
The lectures begin to start, the daily online homework
that must be completed, and all the other 10,000 things
that hit you all at once and you don't know what to
do. As you begin to think back on the ways things were
in high school, with the quick blink of an eye you realize
those days are over and gone. Yet, I think that not
only myself, but the thousands of other freshman can
make it. Of course we would like to join all the organizations
and participate in every activity, and we can. We just
need to focus and plan our time wisely. It was easy
in high school to start a paper the night before, but
will it be that easy now, in this new world they call
college. We can't count on the teacher giving us extensions
deadlines whenever we need it. We must stay on top of
our game from the start because it is our responsibility.
Yes I can still go everywhere and do everything that
everyone else on campus, but plan ahead and have your
assignments done.
It’s not that radically different;
I do pretty much the same things each day as I did in
high school - exercising, studying, going to class,
practicing piano - now I simply have more freedom to
choose when I do all of the above.
Balancing finances at college is really a non-issue
for me because I do not typically spend large amounts
of money on a daily basis. Occasional costs I incur
are covered by a checking account I got previous to
coming here, and I have no job, so my parents pay for
anything I need.
Meeting new people is much easier in college because
you are constantly surrounded by people and social or
educational events that provide opportunities to meet
people. I have a much bigger group of friends and acquaintances
here than in high school because a greater number of
extracurricular opportunities combined with more people
who are like me have resulted in the ability to meet
large numbers of people with whom I have become friends.
Participating in college/social activities has been
fun and easy so far since most things take place on
campus. There are a variety of activities available
most weekends, so finding something to do is not usually
a problem.
I am doing great in college. I am now
in The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education.
I am meeting a lot of new people. I am currently commuting
to school. I am looking for some internships now.
I greatly appreciate your concern
for my adjustment into my new atmosphere and my well
being. I have many great friends, and currently handle
my finances very well. All seems to be going extraordinary
except I was curious if you could offer me any study
skill techniques? I currently hold a high GPA but it
never hurts to hear advice. Also, which clubs/intramurals/etc
would be a wise choice for me to join throughout my
college career? I look forward to hearing from you at
your convenience. Have an amazing day. Thank You!
College is great!!! Although I was
homesick for the first couple of weeks, I think that
I have developed a really good routine. Managing my
work at college has been a lot easier for me than it
was in high school. All my classes end at 2 pm. This
allows me to get most of my studying done. Many organizational
activities do not start until 7pm, so students have
plenty of time to do work, relax, party, and participate
in resident life, if they plan their time according.
I utilize all of my time even if it is only an hour
between classes to organize my notes for an essay or
read a couple chapters in my textbook. College is about
working out a schedule that is good for you. I try to
finish all of my classes as soon as possible, so that
I can have flexible schedule in the afternoon. College
allows you to formulate the proper balance between what
you like to do and what you need to do. Time management
is about using every available moment efficiently.
I would have to say that the last three
weeks here at college have been a pretty positive time
for me. That's not to say that everything was easy -
believe me it was not. I've met so many new people from
all walks of life, socioeconomic backgrounds, and varying
religions. The hardest thing is finding a core group
of people with whom I can hang out with, any time. I
know its only been three weeks, but I can't wait for
some stability in my social life (perhaps then it will
take off). I have enjoyed getting to know the areas
around campus, albeit alone, and can't wait to finally
get out there and explore Boston. Extracurriculars are
really what keep me grounded sometimes - I might be
sitting there quietly, but often the information being
covered fits right into where I'm at in life. Its tough
being new, and even more tough when you start comparing
yourself to others, and much fun it seems like they're
having. Learning to manage finances was really quite
a crash course - and so are banking fees, finding the
money for and finding cheap prices for textbooks, as
well as simple stuff like paying for medicine, school
supplies, and things that I didn't get a chance to grab
back home. My family has given the most support - they
have stood by my side, have sent me quite a few packages,
and send me money at just the right times :-) I guess
if I had to give advice to myself before I started here
at Harvard, it would be to make sure that you sty grounded
- everything will work out in due time. Also, to count
your blessings - there's always something that you can
find to busy yourself here. And most of all, keep in
contact with the people who have brought you this far-
without them you wouldn't be here, and with them you
can get through anything. And of course, always be open
minded to new ideas, experiences, and people.
Yes, I am handling the transition from
high school to college very well. I had a little difficulty
becoming accustomed to the new teaching style of the
teachers, but I think I have gotten used to it now so
it is going well. I have many friends here, and my roommate
and I get along very well. I am involved with a few
tutoring organizations so I am still volunteering. I
absolutely love being here in Amherst, Massachusetts.
I am adjusting to college. It really
is not as hard as it seemed while I was in high school.
Actually because I was in the IB program the work load
is something that I am accustomed to. The only thing
that I am really having a hard time adjusting to is
living with so many girls. I am the only child so I
am use to having my space. I have space here but it
is limited being that I am in a triple. Plus my roommates
like the room cold because it gets hot on the top bunk
so I have been sick more than usual. But other than
that the adjustment has been ok. One major thing though
has been adjusting to not being with my mom because
it has only been me and my mom for so long. Thanks
College for some people seems like
another year in high school, while for others its very
different, and for some, very difficult. Personally,
I didn't find college to be that bad until I realized
I was a couple weeks behind in one of my classes, and
I had two major tests to study for on the same day.
Am I adjusting? Finally, I can say yes. I have realized
certain things that are subtly different about college,
even in your freshman year, supposedly the easiest year
of all. I have noticed that you can't simply study a
few days before like in high school, and that when a
teacher actually gives a reading assignment it is best
to read it; you can't always "get by," but
cause for some it will be good enough... but others...
it would mean failing the class or having to withdraw,
both very bad things. Also, time management is important.
I got behind cause I wanted to meet more and more people
and was too social my first few weeks I tried to go
to too many club meetings, and parties and decided I
would be fine staying up late. Now I got to bed at least
at 10:00pm, except on the night before the day I don't
have any classes. Also, you really have to plan ahead,
and anything that you don't need to put off you should
do as soon as you can so that you leave room for you
to study at a later time or do something else. Also,
find and make friends with successful people. People
that are going somewhere and studying. Sometimes I would
be with a friend of mine that I knew before college,
and we would chill so much that I would just push off
my homework and say, "I'll do it later," to
myself. Mind you they had a few less credits than me
so they didn't have to work as hard anyway. I had to
be careful of hanging out when I knew I had other things
to do. School comes first, and nothing else. Now I am
doing a lot better after I learned my lesson, but some
of my friends have yet to change and find that good
balance between work and play. Sometimes they don't
even go to class! Oh yea, make sure you go to class,
and unlike high school its good to be the teachers pet;
you will need recommendations later and teachers have
100-500 or more students and there is no way they will
remember you if you sit in the back and never come to
their office to talk about the course and any "questions"
you may have. (This helped me when I had gotten behind
in one my courses as I mentioned earlier. If you don't
have questions to ask about the course, make something
intelligent up, or ask for advice on how to expand in
that field of knowledge through research or being published
and such, or ask for any scholarships. Just find a way
to talk to your professors!) MY adjusting to college
experience was an interesting one. It as faster than
some, slower than others, and sat times I wondered if
I was going make it... but I stuck to it, and I pulled
through, and I plan on graduating with flying colors!
Things are going great! I love the
people, my roommate, new friends and teachers. The transition
wasn't hard at all. One word to the wise, learn how
to study. I am quickly realizing that that majority
of your learning takes place outside the one hour class.
I have been on a tight budget, staying in on weekends,
trying to save money. I hope to get some scholarships
soon to balance the expenses I am building in college.
So far, I've had a pretty easy time
transitioning from high school to college. My high school
was pretty rigorous academically and it was also somewhat
like a college in itself. For example, we had modular
class schedules and during our junior and senior years,
we were allowed to go off campus in between classes.
Balancing my time and finding time to study has come
very naturally to me here in college.
As for finances, I am on a full tuition
scholarship plus a little extra on top of that, so I'm
not having too much trouble paying for college.
The only thing I've been struggling
with is making a new group of friends here at USC. Many
of the friends I made when I first came here joined
a fraternity, so I'm not able to see that group of friends
very often anymore. I was also beginning to make friends
with a bunch of my pledge brothers in a separate fraternity
I had joined, but I recently depledged from that fraternity,
so I don't see that group of friends either. Right now,
I'm trying to find new people to hang out with, but
I haven't really made a new group of friends with. Do
you have any advice for me?
Well, I find it really hard to balance
my study time with my leisure. I spend almost no time
seriously studying, but I am in the process of finding
a remedy. No problem adjusting, in fact I like the college
routine a lot better. I am usually a loner, but I have
a magnetic personality so people tend to want to be
my friend, so I allow them to be and we hang out. I
really want to be involved with the campus literary
magazine, I have attended a few meetings and want to
join the staff. The most difficult problem I am having
is influence of others, not necessarily peer pressure,
but just everything being so open. Like sex, drugs,
and alcohol.
-Balancing Finances at college:
Open a Bank Account!!! It's so much easier receiving
your funds from financial aid if you have a bank account.
I still need to open one and that's delaying me from
getting payments done.
-Meeting new people and or roommates:
Being honest really works! My roommates and I hit if
off well and we set down the basic rules; quiet time,
borrowing each others belongings, etc.
-Participating in college/social events:
I've already participated in many of these! Find out
what's going on when, even if you have the least idea
of what it is, it doesn't hurt to check it out.
-Personal concerns:
As of right now I need a cell phone. You need a cell
phone, whether it be on a plan, or prepaid have one!!!
This is a must!!! It facilitates many things: calling
your study buddy, calling home, for work, and so you
can communicate w/ the school's different offices!
I am a member of the Ventures Scholars
Program. This is my freshman year in college, and I
just wanted to respond to the email and let you know
that so far things are going well. I also wanted to
tell you that the various information I have received
through the program has been helpful.
Most of the changes have been easy
to adjust to such as changing my routine, meeting new
people, and participating in college activities. There
is two things which have been strenuous: balancing my
finances and making myself some efficient time management
techniques.
It's not that different. It's like
high school with more time to do my homework (and time
to actually eat lunch!). Great TAs, interesting people,
even if the classes are so big you'll only talk to each
person once. Social activities... anything you want,
they have. Fencing rocks. College finance is just like
high school finance: no money and lots of expenses.
Thanks for asking.
Studying
Don't try to study everything in one night. Break up
your classes over the days you have. With classes MWF
do a little bit on M and some on Tues and it wont' seem
as bad. Also don’t leave all your homework for
Sunday since the task is daunting. Do a little Friday
(like an hour), do some Saturday and leave some for
Sunday too. One last thing is really take advantage
of all the computer labs on campus and the tutoring,
it helps!
Adjusting
For me it wasn’t too hard to adjust. The workload
seems about the same, but it does take a bit to get
through. Just make sure you realize that you have lots
of time but that there are just certain things that
have to be done in it. Also talk to other people if
you're having problems.
Finances
If the money is for personal use, then definitely get
a job at college, and even if it's not you should still
get one because you can often learn good skills. Your
college boss will be very flexible with your schedule
because they know you're busy. Schoolwork often does
come before work. It helps if you come into college
with your summer money saved up. You'll want to buy
all sorts of knick knacks for yourself, family and friends,
that contain the school logo.
Meeting new people
Be open! Allow yourself to share and you'll get a lot
in return. People are really looking to find other people
to chat with, even if it's just the person next door
to you. You never know what you'll have in common or
what things you'll find out. If it's a roommate the
same thing applies. If you're having trouble with them,
try to take a step back and understand. If you really
dont' get along then get the RA involved and see what
you can do.
Participation
Definitely go out and do what the college has to offer.
There's a lot in the place you're in both on and off
campus. You don't have to do everything, just a little
bit. You'll find that doing stuff on campus is really
enjoyable. Just be careful you don't do too many of
them and neglect homework. Your teachers won’t
always remind you of when its due.
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