Tips to Prepare for College

Tips to Prepare for College

The six week break has started to draw to a close and you or someone you know may be making the transition from top of the school in year 11 to a completely new setting in college. There are many stories from teachers, friends, family on what to expect from college and how to prepare yourself. But everyone has different experiences, so we have made a list of some general ways to feel more at ease with the transition so that you can start your own story.

Start Studying Early

You may just think this is something that teachers tell you to be mean and scare you into studying but that simply isn’t true. It is a very good idea to take this advice on board as the amount of work and new knowledge you will have to grasp will be higher than you may be previously used to. Do a little bit at the end of every week or at the end of every topic to resonate your knowledge and check your understanding. There are many benefits to doing this including the fact that you will be accessing your long term memory by repeating the things you want to remember, meaning that when it comes to revision you should be able to access the information with the help of cues as opposed to having to relearn all of the topics because you cannot remember what you learned 6 months ago.

Pencils, pencils, and more pencils!

Stationery becomes like rations in college between leaving pieces at home or lending them out to others only to never be seen again. Something to consider is to have a secret stash of spare stationery sundries in your bag just for you in case you leave your pencil case at home or have said a firm farewell to your last ballpoint pen. Some essential pieces to include are 2 pens, a pencil - preferably with an eraser on the end to maximise efficiency - and a ruler. If you’re savvy enough you may be able to use a pen or pencil as a ruler to make your stationery rations less likely of being spied on by peers.

Join a club

Clubs are a great way to meet new people in your first year, especially if you are going to a large college or a college that not many people from your high school are attending. Most colleges offer a huge variety of clubs from academic to physical education and anything in between. Clubs are something that you can sign up for with a couple of friends, or by yourself, and meet a lot of new people that you already share a common interest with. This makes initial icebreaker conversations much easier as you have an idea of what to lead with.

Plan Ahead

Thinking of the future can be daunting for many people and can make you feel very small and vulnerable. To overcome this, it is actually best to logically face your fear. Leaving your future open may also make you feel like it's unclear, the best solution is to create a plan with research and have a strategy BUT you must always remain flexible. Making a plan at 16 doesn’t mean that this is the plan you have to stick to for the rest of your life! It is just something to softly guide you along a path but it is up to you where and when that path may divert into another route. Flexibility is key in life because the more you hold yourself rigid or remain completely anxious, the more likely you are to be scared of change. Make a plan such as what college courses you would need to take for the job or career you think you would like. Or which results you need to be able to go on a specific university course. However, you should always still remember that you are in control of where you go in life - the best thing about a self-imposed plan is that no one can boss you around!