No matter who you are, the first semester of college is intimidating for everyone. As a freshman straight out of high school, the jump from the cozy neighborhood you’ve always known, to a brand new city can be daunting. Not to mention, the first semester at a new school for a transfer student can be like living through the original jump all over again. Personally, I found myself at the U, anxious and unprepared for what was to come.
Throughout the summer I came to recognize the infamous “lasts” as they plagued my relationships and experiences. Last movie night with the whole friend group. Last girl’s night before we moved in. Last drive around town. Last zumba class. Last few days before I moved in. As the “lasts” increased, so did my fears about moving in, and figuring out who I was going to become in college. Every day that passed only heightened my worries that “my roommate is going to be a serial killer”, “I’m going to fail all my classes”, “all of my old friendships are over”, even wondering if I even wanted to go to the University in the first place.
Now having successfully escaped the throes of first semester, I chuckle remembering how nervous I was for the first few months. Admittedly, some of the fears stayed longer than others because of their scope. But I realize now, that even with the most intimidating prospects like trying to ace a class after bombing a midterm, I always had people guiding me with sage advice. Friends from high school that went to the U, as well as people I picked up along the way, always offered wisdom about how to conquer my first semester. That being said, there were several things I couldn’t just figure out from a “college checklist”.
Every time something went wrong or I found myself at a loss this semester, I wrote in my journal hoping to find some solace in the situation. I skimmed through those entries now at the end of the semester, and I believe I have the remedy for all my ales. So for everything that First Semester Grace was confused, anxious, and absolutely incredulous about, here is a first hand survival guide from a proud conqueror of first semester:
Classes:
In order to be a full-time matriculated student at the University of Utah, a student needs to be taking at least 12 credit hours. The recommended amount of credits regardless of major is 15 credit hours a semester. Most universities suggest that students take 15 credit hours in order to stay motivated, and finish their degrees earlier, and thus save more money allowing them to propel to grad school or other opportunities. What does 15 credit hours feel like? Depending on your class selection, 15 credits can feel overwhelming. I felt like I wasn’t doing enough because I only was taking 16 credits and throughout high school I had almost always had a full schedule filled with Honors and AP classes. Yet since my classes were a range of 1000-3000 level courses, I had a wide range of difficulty that demanded pretty consistent work each day. It wasn’t until finals that I recognized that 15 credits can lead to a hectic few weeks of papers and test. With that, never underestimate your classes, and their ability to stress you out.
Being a naive freshman again, I believed everything my advisors told me. I loosely mentioned that I was interested in pre-med and my academic orientation advisor signed me up for Biology 1210 and Calculus 1210 “just to see” if I wanted to go pre-med. I didn’t really want to take biology or calc in the first place, but I played along believing that my advisor “must know more than me” when it came to my classes. Except I was the one going to those classes, not him. If you find yourself with a schedule you’re not excited for, or at the very least, interested in, figure out how you can change your classes and do it early. This will save you lots of grief (to be discussed momentarily).
When it comes to classes, I wish I knew that the freedom of having classes at the times I wanted, meant a lot more responsibility to actively attend class. I had heard how hard it would be to wake up for my 9 a.m. classes, but I had been waking up at five in the morning almost every day of high school. It honestly couldn’t be that hard to get to class on time…or so I thought. Yet as I mentioned before, I didn’t really want to take biology or calculus… and those were conveniently my two morning classes. Some days I justified sleeping in because the classes were “easy,” and I remembered a lot of the content from previous AP classes. I would have someone take notes for me, and I’d go the next day, or at least I’d try. Unfortunately, after sluffing a few times I noticed that I was waking up later, because I didn’t want to go anyways. Many of my friends found themselves sleeping through their classes, even the ones they enjoyed, because “the class is easy”. Never underestimate your classes. Playing the catch-up game is always harder than attending class, not to mention the lower quiz and test scores due to lack of attendance.
College is not as easy as high school. Yes, I know, you can choose when your classes are. Yes, you can choose the level of difficulty. But in college, rather than your GPA typically being calculated by 8 classes with a buffer of AP/IB bonus credit, a college GPA is only determined by the number of credits and how successful a student is in those credits. In my example, I only had four classes (plus a pass/fail yoga class) for a total of 16 credits. I had to actively make sure that I would be able to retain my scholarships and stay in the Honors Program based on the results of only those four classes. Most scholarships and programs are cumulative, but it was a shock to realize that there really isn’t much padding in a college GPA. Take at least one fun, easy class each semester that you can relax and get an A in. Are you great at writing? Take a creative writing course, and knock out a fine arts credit! Take a painting class to help de-stress, and boost your GPA!
Also, when it comes to choosing when you want to have your classes, think honestly about your schedule and what seems plausible. I took a yoga class that was conveniently timed exactly when was rushing from one class or coming from a club meeting. Effectively, I stressed myself out trying to get to a class, I took in the hopes of relieving my stress. Needless to say, my practice wasn’t improved because I was too focused on the studying I still had to do, or the tasks I had to get done before my next meeting. Take a look at your schedule, think about how much studying and work you need to do each day, and balance that out with your classes. Early morning and evening classes are rarely the classes with the highest attendance. In my case, I will not take another evening fitness class because it just doesn’t work with my study routine, and the schedules of my extracurriculars.
Studying:
If a student only has four or five classes each semester, one would think it would be easy to succeed in every one. Yet with the day to day of college life, time management of when and where to study can be difficult to figure out in the first semester. My old routine in high school was to begin everything once I got home after my clubs and volunteering, and hopefully make some progress that could be built upon later. In high school, essays and online assignments were euphemisms for “to be finished two hours before it’s due”. But if college has taught me anything, it’s that studying can’t just be done in one hour long Quizlet session before the test.
I also wish I had tried to make friends earlier who would be my study buddies. It doesn’t matter if you’re focusing on one subject together, or just sitting around a table working on essays – what matters is that the work is getting done. Almost all of my roommates told me throughout the semester how easy it was to push off their work. I found myself doing everything in my power to “sleep early and work tomorrow”. I wish I had diligently started studying from the beginning of the semester. The fall is so much fun with activities and parties all around campus, but I would tell first semester Grace to do at least two solid hours of homework each day. Even on the weekends. Make sure that your Saturdays and Sundays aren’t just a pre- and post-game, use them to catch up and get ahead on your work while you can.
One of the best resources I found halfway through the semester was ToDoist. I used to live by my planner, but I always needed something techier than a bullet journal to keep me aware of what I had done, and what I had left to do. Now my GCal, email, work computer and phone are all synced up with my tasks for each day, perfectly color-coded and organized. For all my Type A kiddos out there, ToDoist is your way to go.
I say when it comes to picking your classes, and figuring out the best way to study, “take it easy on yourself, dude”. It’s oh too easy to find yourself in classes that overload you or classes that are completely underwhelming. Don’t think that you have to take intro level classes, don’t minimize yourself. Really take a moment when you’re looking through the class schedule to think about what you want – not your mom, not your high school teachers, sometimes not even your advisors. If you aren’t psyched about the class, or the method that you’re using, take a moment to reflect, and breathe on what you can alter to best aid your process. And in the end, remember, it’s only the first semester of many to come, so there is plenty of time to learn and grow in your major, your learning style, and in your study skills.