How to Prepare for Your First Semester of College
In-person college might not happen. On a daily basis, news sources share university after university that are moving their courses online for Fall 2020.
After an incredibly unique last semester of high school, all you want is to have the normal college experience. You want to move into the dorms, make college friends, and go to college classes.
Right now, you have no absolute guarantee that college will be in-person. What can you do to prepare for the start of college that may or may not be remote?
Get informed.
Before assuming classes will be online or in-person, check the latest information from your university or college. You can easily cause yourself unnecessary stress and worry by acting based on word-of-mouth.
Don’t make assumptions or predictions based merely on someone’s opinion. Go straight to the source. (In all likelihood, your future college is regularly communicating information to you by email or mail.)
Ask key questions.
College is new to you, so knowing which questions you should be asking may seem impossible. When talking with your academic advisor (or your first-year advisor), approach your phone and email conversations prepared with the right questions.
Talk to your parent(s) and current or recent college students you know. They likely will give you ideas of questions you should be asking.
Below are a few questions you may want to include:
By when will the university/college confirm classes will be in-person?
If the semester is moved online, will I still be eligible for my current scholarships or grants?
If the semester is moved online, will I need to purchase technology with any specific capabilities?
If the semester is moved online, will I still have opportunities to get involved with extracurricular college groups or college clubs?
If the semester is moved online, will I be reimbursed for already paid room and board bills?
Prepare for possibilities.
Much like the past few months, the next few months are filled with more questions than answers. Because you’ve been looking forward to going to college for months (maybe years), you can easily set your heart on college. Be careful. Prepare yourself for things not going as planned.
Though you should hesitate to expect the best scenario, don’t expect the worst either. College may not be quite what you planned, but in all likelihood college will still happen in some format.
Prepare yourself mentally for the possibility of college looking a little different than you expected.
Be flexible.
Whether or not college is in-person, being flexible is key. College pushes you out of your comfort zone. It exposes areas that need growth and areas of insecurity.
Regardless of what college looks like in the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year, aim to be flexible. Your college, your parent(s), and your future teachers and professors want to keep you safe, help you grow, and give you the best college experience possible. They are working to make the best decision possible for you and for other students. Whatever happens, they have good intentions toward you.
Though your first semester of college may not be what you dreamed, you can still prepare yourself. Refuse to act based on assumptions, ask the right questions, and prepare yourself to expect others to act in your best interest.
