Organization

Organization is one of the keys to succeeding in college. It sounds weird, we know. How can staying organized really affect your grades, after all. The truth is, organization is going to affect your grades – a lot. And it isn’t just making sure your clothes are picked up, it’s everything that needs to stay organized. Pretty much if you’re not organized, you’re going to be stressed. And college is a little stressful on its own.

To start with, you need to make sure all of your college course supplies are organized right down to your pens. You need to know where everything is in your dorm room. You’re going to be on the go quite a bit for your classes, and the last thing you want to do is hunt for a pen that you thought was in this certain drawer. Keep your things organized from the start. This may be harder if you’ve never really been an organized person, but once you get used to it, it will be easier. When you’re unpacking when you get to college, find designated spots for things and make sure you always keep those things in those spots. In other words, when you’re finished with your index note cards or other supply, make sure they get put back where you originally decided to keep them. It will make your life so much easier to have all of your class supplies neatly organized.

One of the most important things that need to stay organized are your notes and homework. We’ve talked about it before, so I won’t say it again other than this – you need to have a good planner for college. You need to be able to keep track of your homework and have it all in a convenient place so you don’t forget to do something. Outside of the planner, you need to keep your notes organized. Don’t get in the habit of highlighting every single thing in a book because you think it’s important. Same goes for your notes. Highlight headings and important terms and if there’s something your professor stresses that you need to know, highlight that too. Invest in binder dividers so you can keep your units separated – you don’t want to throw out your notes after a unit is done. There will be exams at the end of the school year that you’ll need those for. How you organize your notes doesn’t matter – if you’re typing them, you can keep them organized in sub folders off of the folder for the class. If you’re handwriting the notes, keep them in folders or have them divided or even invest in those small Sticky Note Tabs to separate the topics. If you’re keeping your notes in loose leaf paper in a binder, make sure you have paper reinforcements, too. You’re going to be turning those pages a lot – you want to make sure all the notes stay in your binder! And most importantly – make sure you have homework that you have to turn in in a separate folder or pocket of your binder. You don’t want to have to search through everything like you may have done in high school to find your assignment!

How to Save Money on Your College Textbooks

As you’re getting closer to the start of your college classes, you’re going to be purchasing your college textbooks. Those college textbooks can get quite pricey…they will range from a couple dollars for a novel for English depending on the version up to well over $100! You can very easily spend $400 or more on textbooks for your classes, and that’s just in one semester. Imagine spending that much every single semester, because it is very close to what will be happening. College textbooks are expensive, but there are ways you can save money on them.

Buy Used – You can and should buy your college textbooks used. There may be flyers around your college campus where college students are selling used textbooks from certain classes and your class may be one of those. Take advantage of this – make sure the book is in usable condition and is a price you’re willing to pay. There may also be textbook rental programs or you can even buy them used online. One thing you want to make sure of, however, is that it is the same edition of textbook that your class requires. If you’re buying your textbooks from the college bookstore, get used if it’s available. Often the used version isn’t in bad condition and is almost as good as new. Flip through the book and make sure it’s in a condition that you can live with throughout the semester. For example, every page may be highlighted top to bottom – compare dealing with this with saving money. It’s your personal preference how much writing, highlighting, and page fold overs you want to have in your college textbook and if you think it will bother you when you're studying and taking notes.

Selling Your Textbooks Back – You may have seen signs around college or heard from other college students that you can sell your textbooks back at the end of the year. Don’t do it. Trust me. You could spend $400 and get $20 back. There are other options – remember the flyers around the college that we were talking about before where other college students sell their textbooks back at the end of the year? You can do that too! Of course, it’s been used so you will want to sell it at lower than what you bought it as, but it will be a better value that will help you buy your next round of textbooks. There’s also the option of not selling your books. For example, you may not want to sell back college textbooks for the subject you’re majoring in because you will want to reference them later. This is okay to do – simply box them up and store them in your room at home or in a storage area of your apartment. 

High School Versus College

At this point you’re probably wondering how High School and College are going to be different. You don’t know what you’re walking into with moving into your dorm or going into your first class. It’s an exciting time, so enjoy it all! I’m going to warn you though – it’s also a little stressful. It’s the stress of being put in a new situation on your own and learning to navigate through it. You will do just fine, you’re not the only one in this same situation.

You already know college is different because you’re living in the dorm rooms, so this is going to focus more on your classes because it can be quite a shock. Your college classes are going to be completely different from your high school ones, and it helps to be prepared.

Your first day of class, your college professors will hand you a syllabus which they didn’t do in high school and if they did it was 1 or 2 pages. The college syllabus is a terrifying document of 15-20 pages but after your initial fright of getting this document in your hand, it won’t be so bad. In fact, you won’t be able to thrive without it. The syllabus is going to lay out course expectations, attendance policies, and what you’re studying every single class as well as what homework will be assigned. If you’re handed a syllabus for your favorite subject, you may even get excited to see what you’re going to be studying! In other words, don’t be terrified by this monster document! It’s going to be your best friend in your classes.

Your high school teachers may have given you guided notes. They would hand you a packet and show a Power Point presentation and you would just have to fill in words here or there. You won’t be getting those in college. At all. Your professors are going to lecture, you’ll have a discussion, or you’ll get a presentation about what you’re learning. You’re going to be taking notes. Furiously. Invest in plenty of pens, highlighters, and paper now. Or remember to take your laptop or tablet to class. Be prepared to have as many as 15 pages of notes per class period.

Your high school teachers may have hunted you down up to a month after a paper was due if you didn’t turn it in or give you multiple chances to re-do an assignment. Your college professors will not do that at all. They may give reminders here and there to the whole class that there’s an essay or exam that is due, but they won’t hunt you down for an assignment. When it’s due, it’s due and that’s it. They may have a late policy, but unless there is an emergency of some sort, get your assignments in on time! Remember – you’re paying for college. In most circumstances, you didn’t pay for high school. If you do badly in a class because you didn’t do the work or didn’t come to class, you’re going to be stuck in that class with that same professor again because you need a certain grade in order for the credit to count for your degree. If you have to retake a class, you’re going to be spending more money, especially if you took out loans.

This was probably on your mind at some point but you felt embarrassed to ask so you were just going to go with the flow. You won’t have gym classes, study halls, or lunch periods built into your schedule like in high school. If you want to exercise, you have to go to the college gyms on your own free time. Studying is going to be worked into any free time you have so you have to learn time management. And you’ll have to build lunches into your schedule yourself and grab a bite to eat in between classes.

You won’t have a locker. And if you’re dorming, you won’t have time to go back to your dorm room in between classes. That means you’re going to be carrying every notebook and textbook you need for the day with you all day. Everything you need has to be with you when you walk out of your dorm, apartment, or house in the morning. Invest in a sturdy backpack with plenty of space in it to carry everything, and don’t take more than you need to class.

The good news is you won’t be taking standardized testing with everyone else taking the class. You will have exams but they will be with the rest of the college students in your class period. These exams aren’t the type of high stakes testing that you experience in high school. That doesn’t mean they’re any less intense. You’ll end up writing very long essays in college and taking intense exams that last one or more class periods. Study for them. You need to study for them. Seriously. You can’t just take the exam without studying like you may have done in high school. The questions are going to be more intensive and need more than just one word or one sentence answers. Make sure you know your stuff.

Moving Into College

Packing and moving into your college dorm room is an incredibly stressful time. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also stressful. You have to be prepared for a few things that will happen in the process of packing, moving and unpacking.

Packing is never fun. It’s not fun when you go on a trip and it’s definitely not fun when you’re packing up to move into your dorm room. It may not have hit you yet – you can’t take everything in your room to college with you. It may not fit and then you’ll be sending stuff that didn’t fit back home with your family if they helped you move. As you’re packing up stuff in your room to take with you, set aside the absolute necessities first. These are the items you absolutely cannot be without so you don’t want to have them get accidentally left behind because you haphazardly went through your room packing everything in sight. This is where it might be beneficial to make a list of what you need to bring with you. While you may think everything in your room is essential and the thought of leaving anything from home behind may sadden you, trust me – your dorm room will be a lot cleaner, a lot more organized, and you’ll be able to find things easier if you leave behind some of those things.

You’re going to be learning a lot as you pack and go through each year and semester. You’re going to be learning a lot about what you can and can’t bring to college. As you go through college, some of the items you thought you needed your first year, you ended up never using so you know not to bring it. It’s a learning process and you may find that you don’t have it down pat until halfway through college. You’ll be finding new ways of packing and unpacking to make things more efficient. Your first year, though? Your first year will be a little crazy and that’s okay. You’re going to be stressed, but try not to be upset. Try not to take frustrations out on those helping you. This is an incredibly exciting time – enjoy every moment, even the ones that may seem like a hassle such as moving.

Speaking of moving, don’t wait until the last minute to pack. In the couple weeks before you move, pack up things you aren’t using in your room at the moment and set them aside. If you wait until the last minute the day before or the day of moving, you’re going to be A LOT more stressed and these are the perfect conditions to forget things. Reserve the day before or day of moving for things that you were still using up until moving time.

Enjoy this time with your family and friends. Whether you’re going to be an hour away or across the country or world, take the time to spend time with family and friends. Even if it’s just sitting at the kitchen table or on the couch with your mom in the morning and drinking coffee. Make that time and live in the moment and enjoy it. Even if you’re an hour away, you’re going to go from seeing your family every day to a couple times a month or less.

You’re going to get homesick. Nothing can prepare you for it, no matter how much time you spend with your family. It will be extremely rough at first but it does get better. Just remember that you are beginning an amazing experience and you’re going to be learning a lot, and not just in your college classes. You’re going to be learning independence and you’re going to be a stronger person from this experience.