Dear incoming college freshmen:
College is going to be a little weird this year.
Whether you're moving to campus and having in-person classes, doing hybrids of half in-person and half online, or staying at home and taking online classes...it's going to be a different experience than most freshmen have. My heart goes out to you, it really does! My freshman year of college really shaped who I was going to become in the following four years.
But no matter what you decide, the important thing about college is that school should come first. That's what you're there for! Now I'm going to give you the realistic advice on how to handle your classes and still have fun. I was a collegiate cheerleader, I lived in a learning community, I was the President of a club, I worked for the University, and I studied abroad. Twice. I attended date parties, I went out on the weekends, and I still graduated Cum Laude and had a job lined up after graduation. Yes, it's possible to do all that and still pass your classes. Here are my tips to navigating online courses, picking your curriculum, and still having time for fun.
You don't need to sit in front of the class
I remember reading all the blogs when preparing to go off to college and all of them said sit in front of the class and make sure your professor knows who you are. That's a joke when it comes to a 250 person class. Even if you sit in front they still might not know your name because honestly, some professors don't really care or are too frazzled to learn people's names. Obviously, things are going to be different with CDC regulations so you're going to be in smaller classes or in online classes which could potentially make it harder for them to learn your name.
I was a middle-kinda-towards-the-back type of student. It didn't help or hurt my learning experience. It's just where I felt comfortable! It helped to have friends in my classes, that way if one of us didn't understand something, the other person could help explain it. Some of my friends had exam answers from their friends who had taken the class in the past. Some people would find PDF's of the professor's edition textbook online. I personally think knowing people in your class is equally as important as knowing your professor. You'll have that "we're all in this together" type of feeling, and it helps you make friends!
Online version: look at the student list of your classes, stalk them a little on Facebook or IG, and DM the people who seem nice or similar to you. Now you have a friend to swap answers and ideas with.
If you REALLY need your professor to learn your name, write them an email about an assignment or about their office hours the night before a class. The next day, approach them before class and introduce yourself as the person who wrote the email. It could be something as simple as finding an article about the class subject they might enjoy.
Pro tip: Just because your prof knows your name, doesn't mean they'll be nicer or more lenient in your grades. It just depends on the professor and the subject (art professors generally kind of hate everyone.) If you're too much of a suck-up, your prof could get easily annoyed. Honestly, it's better to just stay in the middle and contribute to discussions when you can. Don't be quiet, but do NOT be annoying.
Plan ahead for everything
Planners don't really work for me. I've tried them, I'll plan assignments way in advance and then completely forget about them. Especially if you're taking online classes, you have to be on top of your game. Writing down a due date won't help you if your assignment is going to take multiple days. I've learned to set reminders on my phone a few days in advance, along with writing stuff down on sticky notes by my computer.
When it comes to online classes, professors tend to lay out everything from day one, and then will not remind you about due dates as they arrive. It is up to you to keep track of when you need to start an assignment. It's part of becoming an adult! You may also not receive notifications for when exams are live, so you might want to turn on email notifications for your assignments and prof messages. There have been a few times where I completely forgot to take an online exam!
Be sure to also look ahead at the lengths of assignments. Online courses will often pair a reading with a quiz and a writing assignment. Look ahead at the reading and plan adequate time to read all of it and take notes. Some will be a few paragraphs, and some will be 40 pages!!
Also be sure to look at due dates that are on the weekends. If you really want to enjoy your weekends or spend time on another project, it's best to get your online work done before Friday.
Set study dates
My final semester of school, I lived in an apartment with a sketchy laundry room and coin machines. So my freshmen teammates would key me into their dorms and we would all do laundry (for free) together. While we waited for our laundry, we would get food and do homework. This was a great weekly tradition because it would allow me to plan ahead for the coming week and I could get a little homework done.
Setting one or two days a week to go to the library or a coffee shop and get work done is a great activity to add to your schedule. It will keep you on top of your assignments and will allow you to keep track of how you're doing in your classes!
Find learning opportunities outside of class
Unfortunately, even though you're paying for classes, they may not teach you everything you need to know before you graduate. You have to put in work to better yourself outside of class time. I would not have gotten the internships I did if I hadn't spent all my free time learning as many design techniques as possible and doing photoshoots with my friends. Even if it's joining the student organization for your major, you're still going to learn something more outside of the classroom (or computer screen).
A few things to do monthly:
Read blogs related to your program
Do informational interviews with people in your industry or even upperclassmen or professors
Watch YouTube videos on a wide variety of subjects (how-to's, TED talks, business advice, interview and resume tips, etc)
Get involved in clubs related to your major
Job shadow
Take on your own passion projects to build your portfolio
Don't buy books
Online textbooks with software for mandatory homework assignments are unfortunately the new norm. But if you get a class where the professor requires just a normal textbook, look to see if you can find a PDF online of a later edition. Normally they will have the same information, just on different page numbers. You can check your school's buy & sell Facebook page for books to buy, and you can always rent from Chegg. But avoid buying books if you can!
The only time I've bought a book was when it was a design book I could refer to in the future. Normally these are pretty cheap to buy on Amazon anyways!
Have fun!
Take every opportunity you can to have (safe, social-distanced) fun! Get involved with your school, find new things to do, and get out of your dorm if you can! Even hanging out with a friend on the lawn of your university is a little enjoyable experience you get to have in college. Trust me, you don't want to spend the entirety of your four years of school focused only on school; you deserve to have fun when you're young! Take advantage of this time in your life and expand your horizons!
Have fun, be safe, and good luck!
-Elsye
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