Your First Year in College: Key Strategies for Success

Webinar Transcription

2024-07-25 – Your First Year in College: Key Strategies for Success

Sydney: Hello, hello everyone. Welcome to today’s webinar, “Your First Year in College: Key Strategies for Success.” Uh, so first and foremost, congratulations on making it this far. Thank you for joining us tonight. We have a really great presentation for you ahead. Uh, my name is Sydney Mantell. I use she, they pronouns, and I will be your moderator today.

I am one of the senior advisors here at CollegeAdvisor. And as a proud first generation college student. And graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I love getting back to students in this role and being a part of the CollegeAdvisor team. I also have my Master of Environmental Management from Duke University, and I currently work in science communication at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA.

So just to quickly orient everyone with the webinar timing, we’ll start off with a presentation and then answer your questions in a live Q& A. So you will soon be able to download today’s slides on the handout tab. Um, and you can already go ahead and start answering questions in the Q and a tab. So whenever a question comes up, go ahead and write it in the chat and the Q and a, and randomly you’ll be able to answer it later.

And with that, I’m going to go ahead and turn it over to our amazing presenter, Brandon Mack.

Brandon: Thank you so much, Sydney, and good morning, good afternoon, and good evening to everyone. And, uh, thank you for joining us here for your first year in college key strategies for success. So a little bit about me. My name is Brandon Mack, pronouns he, him, his, and I am a former admission officer at my alma mater, Rice University, where I started as an admission officer and worked my way up to being an associate director of admission.

That meant I got to chair admission committees for all of the undergraduate schools at Rice. I was also the liaison to the school of architecture, the director of transfer admission and the director of international admission and recruitment. And now I serve as an admission officer here at CollegeAdvisor and have been with CollegeAdvisor for the past two years and very happy to talk to you about the transition from high school to college.

So how should you start preparing for college life? First and foremost. Let’s say congratulations. Congratulations to all of you for making it. You should really take this time to really celebrate that amazing win. You put in a lot of work to get the great grades, to be involved in your extracurriculars, to write those amazing essays, and to get that acceptance into college.

And now it is that wonderful, amazing transition period. But one of the first things I want you to do is to celebrate yourself. And is part of that celebrating yourself. It is also about giving yourself time to adjust to college life. I know many of you want to get in there and rush, but it’s also a matter of enjoying the process and enjoying that transition.

So I want you to give yourself that fullest amount of time. Don’t feel that you automatically have got to get the ground running. You’re going to have a lot of points in between. Uh, here in the summer and the beginning of your fall semester in order to to transition to the college. So I want you to enjoy that transition by enjoying the time with your friends, enjoying the time with your family, enjoying the time with your community, and then adjusting to To that new environment.

That is going to be your college home. One of the biggest things that you should do at this particular time is make sure that you’re paying attention to the communication from your future college. Many colleges and universities are giving you wonderful information to help you in that transition. This can be important.

Forms to help you with your housing. This could also be important forms related to the support services that are available at that particular college and university and also important information related to the orientation program. So once again, make sure that you’re paying attention to those important communications because that important information will ease you in your transition from high school to college.

Next, be sure that you attend orientation. It is optional for some schools. It is required for many schools, but orientation really is a very important part of that transition and preparation into college life. During the orientation week program. Once again, you will be greeted by your university community.

You’ll learn important support services related to your student life into transition, but also many times during orientation. This is your opportunity and ability to register for classes. And so while it may be optional, it is always advised that you attend orientation because you will actually be better prepared.

Thank you For your new institution and your new life. If you go to orientation versus those students who decide to skip out. So I can’t stress enough that it is always so important to go to orientation. 1 of the other benefits is you really start to develop your community. Many orientation programs actually put you into smaller freshman orientation groups, and these easily become your 1st friends.

Interestingly enough, 1 of my really good friends from college. We met. During orientation, and we are still friends to this day. So I, once again, really cannot stress that it is a wonderful time and a great program to attend your orientation, but also be sure that you get the things that you need you get to set up your space, you get to set up your space in your new dorm room, maybe in a new apartment.

And so you want to take advantage of many times the wonderful special discounts and deals that they give you for the new things that could be in your space. And the thing is, is that. These are the things that you need. So be very honest with yourself about, well, what do I need to be comfortable? What do I need to feel prepared?

And of course, if you’re going to be with a roommate, be sure that you ask them so that way you can coordinate so that maybe you’re not getting two of everything when only one is needed. But if you do need something separate for each of you, just make sure that you’re being that good roommate to start off with by asking the right person.

Well, what do you think we need for the room? What are you going to bring? What am I going to bring? And all of these things are going to set you up for success as you start your new college life. So what should you expect during the transition to college classes? College classes are very different. Now, you got a little sample of what it’s like during an AP class, but you were still, or an IB class, but remember that you were still in a high school setting.

This is now a completely different setting, and so we want you to be prepared for the real transition of what it’s like, what is going to be academically when you’re now in a full fledged college course on a college campus. First and foremost is that you’re going to be more in control of the entire situation.

The nature of the work that you do in college is going to be you driven. Meaning it’s going to be self guided work and self guided responses. No longer are the days of the worksheet. No longer are generally the days of there being only one right answer. It’s going to be you having to prove who you are.

Why is your answer correct and you making sure that you’re preparing yourself along the way to demonstrate the mastery of that particular material? One of the biggest transitions I know that I had was the fact that you actually spend less time in class and your days are a lot less structured than they were in high school.

As many of you probably remember and are trying to maybe get away from is that your high school days would often start very early, sometimes 7 30 in the morning, sometimes eight o’clock, um, in the morning and you would go all the way until 2 33 34 in the afternoon with classes at a given period each day.

Maybe you would alternate from an a, a block scheduling of one class during one day, another class during another day. But this time, you’re going to be in class for a lot less time, and you get to govern what you do in those in between periods. So just to give you a sense of the difference, high school, you actually on average spend about 30 hours a week in class.

30 hours. In college, your average amount of time that you’re actually in class receiving instruction is between 12 to 16. So as you can see, a very drastic difference in terms of how many hours you are inside of a classroom gaining instruction. You have a lot more free time. In between your classes. So I know for me, I wasn’t the biggest fan of early morning classes.

So I would actually structure for my classes to start at 10 a. m. And then I maybe wouldn’t have another class until 2 p. m. So during that four hour block time, I could do whatever it is that I want versus. Knowing that I had to have first period at 730 second period at 830 and so on and so forth. So you get to decide when you have your classes and also there’s going to be a lot more downtime.

So as such, you have to really develop the time management to make sure that you are staying on top of things and using that time in between effectively. Also, you’re going to be dealing with various class sizes. So in high school, you typically would have a class. Of maybe anywhere from 10 students all the way up to 30 students.

Now that you’re going into a college class, you could easily have a class that maybe have 100 to 200 students, depending on the institution that you’re a part of. And then you consequently could also have. Smaller seminars, maybe smaller, uh, teaching groups. And so you have to adjust to the fact that instead of having that relatively consistent class size, you’re going to have varying class size.

So as such, your awareness. As far as your awareness of you and your professor being aware of each other may differ. You might be used to the fact that your professor knew you by your first name and would greet you and call on you very frequently, to now you being sort of lost in the crowd and the professor not really knowing you, um, as well.

So that’s something to also adjust to is the fact that you’re going to have a very different experience and you’re also going to have a A variety of different class sizes, depending on the particular subject that you’re learning and the level that it’s going to be. Typically your introductory classes, your entry level one on one classes, 200 level classes.

Those are usually going to be your biggest classes. Usually when you get to your upper level courses and curriculum in the three hundreds or above or however your school does it. That’s when you start to see some smaller classes because they’re more specialized topics. The other thing that’s going to be very different in a college environment is the way in which you engage with the material.

It’s no longer going to be finding, once again, the right answer. It’s no longer going to be, um, just hunting and being developed just based off of a book. It’s going to be more engagement. So you could be conducting more experiments, more field research, more Um, engagement with the actual tech text and reading in between the lines, then finding and hunting that one direct passage or that one direct statement within a textbook.

The other thing is the level of work that you’re engaged in. There is a lot less homework and a lot less quizzes that happened in a college class. Oftentimes, you will have to be dependent upon reading. The material or doing the experiment or the pre work before that particular class and there isn’t that homework that is going to absolutely be graded or quiz.

That’s going to be over that material. So once again, this requires a lot more self regulation because you don’t have those constant periods of work or those constant touch point to see if you’re mastering the material. So you have to be ready for that. And then the other biggest thing is that your grades are once again going to be more dependent upon big exams and culminating projects.

So once again, it’s not that nine week, you know, midpoint situation where you’re getting grades or even a progress report. It’s often going to be, here’s the midterm. This is going to be maybe worth 30 percent of your grade. And this final exam may be worth 70 percent of your grade or that you have Midterm exam, another exam, and then a final culminating project or a final exam.

So it’s once again adjusting to those different ways in a college class where once again, you have more self regulation. You have more consistent work that you’re doing that builds up that’s going to help you for success when you transition into a college class. So where can you find support on campus?

One of the things I really love about colleges and universities, they are true communities. They are there for your success. They want everyone to be their very best on their campus and they’re committed to your success. So as such, you have various places where you can find support for a variety of different issues and in a variety of different methods.

Generally, you get an academic advisor. This is someone who’s going to help you with course selection, help you with picking a major, and can also be just a good person to talk about or to talk to if you need additional academic support. At some institutions, this will be a dedicated staff member who’s affiliated with the academic advising office, but it also could be a peer of yours.

Who has been trained by that academic advising office to provide you with guidance on course selection, as well as helping you to find additional support for your studies. Your professors are always going to be an excellent source of support. Many professors hold office hours, which is literally an open time for students to come and ask them questions.

I highly recommend that you use that as an opportunity and ability to get to know your professors. Uh, get a chance to ask them questions about your interests and also about their academic interests. And oftentimes by visiting those professors during office hours, not only are you getting assistance, but oftentimes they can also connect you to other opportunities.

One professor that I engage with in with. With with was my, um, sociology one on one professor. I would just talk to him about different elements of sociology, different social constructs that actually led to me receiving a melon maze undergraduate fellowship where I was able to conduct undergraduate research, and he recommended me based off of our conversations.

So, once again, I cannot stress enough that your professors, they’re there for your for, uh, to assist you. They’re there to make sure that you feel supported. So please feel free to reach out to them. You also have teaching assistants. Teaching assistants can be people who are graduate students who are learning the profession of being a professor and can either be an assistant to the professor or they may be the main person teaching your course.

Once again, they’re there to help you because they are, in a sense, part Professors in training there once again getting a feel of what it is like to work with undergraduate students and they’re there to assist you. So I often recommend that you do talk to your teaching assistant similar to the way that you would talk to your professor and get that assistance that you need to be successful in the course.

But you can also reach out to other graduate students. They’re advanced level students who are working on a master’s or a PhD in that particular subject. And oftentimes there also are great sources of support, um, for your academics, but also to help you navigate. Um, being a student in college, your fellow upperclassmen oftentimes during freshman orientation, those upperclassmen will serve as your orientation week advisors and leaders once again there to assist you.

They’ve been there, they’re now seniors and juniors, and they want to give back, um, to the college university and to the community by assisting those incoming freshmen with navigating, um, The your first year in college. So I highly recommend leaning on your upperclassmen. They can also be great friends and also point you to many new opportunities and help you get adjusted to the residential life that you’re in, but also to the new institution that is now your home.

I would also recommend looking to your fellow students. Your fellow students are once again in the same boat. So don’t look at them as your competitors. Look at them as your colleagues. Look at them as your collaborators. And they can also be great senses of support so that you know that you’re not alone.

And you are also going through similar situations. They may have a different approach. And once again can serve as great friends, mentors, and support. Also, there’s also amazing counseling services at almost all colleges and universities, and I highly recommend that you check those out. They can provide you with the mental and emotional support that you need through group sessions, through individual sessions, and other support services.

And then there’s also numerous multicultural centers centered around a variety of different identities. There are ones centered on race, ethnicity, uh, could be related to religion. And this can be also a great support service for you to where you can find other individuals who share in your unique identities.

And through those commonalities, you get support. I also recommend to our LGBTQ Plus students to definitely seek out the support services of the LGBTQ Plus support services and also their staff members. And then also for those students who are the first in their families to go to a college and university.

There are often dedicated support services specifically for our first generation students because they know you do not have the familial support. support and background to understand this new environment. So they’re there to provide you really specific, specific and concentrated advice related to being the first in your family to go to a college or university.

So once again, you have a variety of different support services, and I encourage you to seek out all of these different amazing supports to have a very happy and fulfilling.

So how can you improve your study habits? So in talking about, once again, that you have a lot more freedom and flexibility in your time, here are some of the ways to make sure that you improve your study habits so that you’re performing just as well as you did in high school and now in college. Don’t procrastinate.

Cannot emphasize that enough. Once again, because of the fact that you have so much free time in between classes and a lot more flexibility in your schedule, it may become easy to put it off because that major test score isn’t for weeks on end. You may think, okay, I could just cram, uh, the night before and do well on that test.

Often that does not work. So I highly recommend do not procrastinate. Keep up with the reading. It’s going to make it so much easier to be on top of what is going on in the classroom to get the richest and deepest experience within your classes because you’re going to understand the material beforehand and just build upon that knowledge and also when you get ready to study for the test, you’re not having to cram all those pages and all that reading into just a few days or into one day, but able to be successful in reviewing it and And then moving on and performing very well on that exam or that culminating project.

Um, I always encourage students to talk about what they’re learning. Oftentimes in high school, all you had to do was read and digest the information. You really didn’t have to engage with it that often in college. You’re having to do a lot more. Explanation and articulation of your work. So really talking about what you’re learning is going to help you to recall it better as well.

It’s going to help you to retain that information. So talk about it with your fellow students say, Hey, this is what I got from the reading. What did you get? Or Hey, these are the results that I got from doing this problem set. What was the results that you got? What was the process by which you got to that particular answer?

Once again, talking about it is going to make it so much easier to do that presentation and to recall that information when you need it. Uh, do not study more than an hour at a time without taking a break. Yes, take a break. Once again, Many times we’re so used to having to cram all that information or working straight through.

This is where you need to really develop that muscle of taking those breaks because it’s going to give you that mental clarity to be able to once again, retain the information better, recall it better, but also be able to engage with it better. So generally, um, the recommendation is that you do no more than an hour.

One method that I would recommend is something called the pomodoro method or the tomato timer. You literally can set a timer for an interval of about, let’s say, 25 minutes, do a deep study session, and then you take a break for five minutes before you do another session. Some individuals, what they do is that they do a 50 minute work session, then they do a break for 10, for 10 minutes, and then once you’ve done five of those intervals, you then take a longer break.

It’s a, it’s a great way to be able to break up your studying, but also to be able to know that you’re going to use that focus and dedicated time to work on that particular chapter, that particular problem set. Do not study when you are tired. Do not study when you are tired. The results of your work are going to be diminished because of the exhaustion.

So often, and your parents may even tell you this, that they pulled all nighters in order to be able to study, in order to be able to perform on that test the next day, it is highly unadvisable to pull those all nighters because once again, you’re going to be too tired, you’re not going to retain the information as well, so take a nap if you need a nap, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep.

If you need to sleep and pick up the work the next day, because once you’re refreshed, you’re going to be better able to handle that particular material, prepared for your class at the best time for you. So once again, because you have more time, you get to decide. What time is best for you to study for some people?

It’s bright and early in the morning. So as such, they don’t have early morning classes. They have their classes in the afternoon. Some people, they prefer to get their classes out of the way because they know the best time for them to study is during the afternoons. Some people are night owls and they do.

They’re standing in the evening. You get to decide, but it’s best for you to prepare for your classes in the steady when it is the best time. Once again, it’s For you. And then also use the best note taking system for you. Oftentimes you go into a class, you’ll see everyone there has a laptop. Some people are great at taking their notes on a laptop.

Some individuals prefer doing handwritten notes. Some people prefer doing maybe a hybrid of the two, maybe recording the session and then going back and taking notes based off of what they viewed. It really is, once again, up to you. You are now in charge. You are in charge of how you study. You’re in charge of how you take your notes.

And so it has to be for you. And then a system that I often recommend for students to use when it comes to approaching their studies is the OKRs method. So this stands for overview, key ideas, key ideas, Read, recall, reflect, and review. So an overview is a simple overview of all the material, focusing on the key ideas of what is learned in that particular reading or that particular section, reading, So that way you at least have internalized it once, recalling what it is that you have read, reflecting on those particular learnings and how you felt about what it is that you read, and then reviewing.

These methods will definitely help you in terms of your overall study methods for any particular subject.

Definitely stay healthy in college. Um, one of the biggest things that you need to do is sleep. I know many of you have worked very, very hard throughout your high school years to get to that college or university. Now that you’ve made it, you’re going to be challenged, but you need to make sure that you’re maintaining your health.

One of the best ways for you to maintain your health is to sleep. Sleep as many hours as you need. Be sure that you’re exercising and staying active. Many of these amazing colleges and universities that you’re going to have some fantastic gym facilities, and you are already paying for it. Because your tuition, your fees and your room and board does go to paying for these gym facilities.

So, as such, you have free membership. Maybe you can take an exercise class. Many of them offer amazing exercise classes in areas that you were not even familiar with. For example, when I was in college, I took a capoeira class, which is a Brazilian martial art. And I had an amazing time in that class. So you have access to those facilities as well, but also maybe you can play an intramural sport.

Um, in college, you have three different levels of sports. Generally, um, varsity is going to be the highest level where you’re playing for the university. Then club is that second level. Intramural is definitely that more laid back area, it can definitely be some serious competition, but it’s a great way for you to maybe engage in a team sport, maybe learn a new sport, but it’s also a great way for you to stay healthy and stay active.

Now, college food gives you a lot of choices. Gives you a lot of choices. You can eat chicken strips and french fries every single day. You can eat that amazing pizza. But what I would encourage you to do is to definitely make sure that you eat a whole meal that is filled with whole grain foods that has your vegetables and also great snacks.

So make sure that even though you have that freedom and flexibility to do these great choices of all this delicious food that you’re used to, make sure that you’re also. Maintaining your body by eating a healthy and balanced diet. Stay hydrated. Um, it can get very hot in some areas that you’re going to.

Um, but you also want to make sure that you stay hydrated in any environment. So carry your water bottles with you. Um, there’s amazing dispensers, um, that will dispense water into your water bottles. So be friendly to the environment, but stay hydrated and, um, it will definitely help your mind, uh, and your body, um, to be as healthy as possible.

Listen to your body. If your body says rest, you should rest. If your body says, I need to eat, take that time to get up and get something to eat, but really be in tune with what it is that you need. Cause once again, you get the opportunity and ability to self reg, uh, regulate. So this is where you need to start listening to your body and being attentive to what it needs.

If you need to go to the doctor. Be sure that you’re going to the doctor. There are great health services on college and universities campuses. There’s also EMS services. If you need those emergency medical service, there is no shame in paying attention to your body. So be sure that you do that. But also, please mind your mental mental health.

is health. It is critical. So if you need to talk to somebody, if you need to process these feelings, do it in the way that best serves you. If that means journaling, if that means meditation, if that means seeking out the mental, the mental health services of the counseling services or talking to your advisors, please sure that you’re making sure that you do that.

Do not stress yourself out too much. Your mind needs that mental break at times and it’s okay to do it. So please make sure that you’re minding your mental. So time management is, as you can keep clearly see clearly, very, very important because once again, this is less structured than it is in high school.

You do not have that. You must go to this class. You must go here. You must go to this meeting and things of that nature. You get to decide. So as such, it is so important that you learn this skill now. during your high school years. I mean, during your college years, because once again, it is a skill that you’re going to use for the rest of your life.

I can definitely tell you as an advisor, I have to manage my time with working with my students and my other commitments. So it’s something that you constantly learn and evolve. But a lot of those great skills started in college when you first have less structured time and you put in the structure that first That best works for you.

But once again, it’s your life. You’re the one who decides how you get to use your time. So once again, fit it to your particular needs. If you know that you’re someone who needs that early morning classes to stay on track, do that. If you’re someone who knows how to I want to take this time to be really super involved in student government, really super involved in, uh, debate.

Then take that time to be involved, but also make sure that you’re building in the time to make sure that you stay up on your studies. If you know you wanna do that fantastic internship or study abroad program build in the time. The way to do that is through planning, prioritizing, reviewing, and adjusting.

So planning. Literally sit out with that planner, take that planner out at the beginning of the school year, fill in all the important dates because you get a syllabus from your professors in which they outline what’s going to be done over the course of the semester. You can block out the time when you’re going to be in class.

You can block off the dates in which you know that you’re going to have those assignments and tests and really be able to plan out and see, here are the periods in which I know I’m going to be busy. So hence, I’m going to block off that time to make sure that I can effectively study. Here are those times when I know I have a little bit more freedom.

I’m going to plan a little bit more fun for myself. So planning is very important. Prioritizing once again, you know what is important to you and it’s perfectly fine to say this takes more priority over this. So if you know that your goal is to make a 4.0, maybe you’re going to prioritize your time in those classes.

Over that time in which you would spend participating in that particular extracurricular activity. That’s perfectly fine. If you have different priorities, that’s also fine because once again, it is your life and you decide, but make sure that in your planning, you are prioritizing the things that are important to you and making sure you’re giving yourself the time and attention to devote to those, um, those priorities for yourself.

Review. Always review. Was this plan effective? Did I have enough time? Did I have, uh, uh, did I give myself enough space to study for that class? Did I give myself enough time to do the work to prepare that project? Doing that review is very important because it helps you to adjust. If you know that that plan didn’t necessarily work because you looked at your own review, You can make adjustments so that way you’re doing it better the next time.

So once again, it’s very important because it’s your time and your life and you want to make sure that you’re putting the time and attention into those things that matter to you. So some important life skills for college students. First and foremost, home care. You’re not at home anymore. So mom and dad are not taking care of every little thing.

So you have to do it even more so. So you may be in a living situation in which you have to do the dishes. You may, um, have to make up your bed every day. I do. Generally recommend that because it really does give you kind of structure for your day because you know, you know what I’m up. I am facing the day.

I am not going back into that bed until it is time for sleep. So hence even doing that and making sure that you clean your room and that is organized because even that helps with your mental because you feel that everything is in order. So starting that home care starts in college life management.

This means keeping up with your finances. So, Many of you may be on financial aid, but you’re also for the first time getting to dictate how you spend your money. So keeping track of that is important. Keep track of that bank account. Keep track of, um, how you’re using credit if you are using credit, but mining your finances is a part of life management and you get to regulate once again, what do you do?

So learning those skills is critically important. Transportation, how are you going to get around? Um, making sure that you’re able to walk to your class. If that’s your preferred method, if it’s a bit further, making sure that you have that bike or know how to get around that particular city or college.

So knowing the shuttle routes, knowing the bus, the bus routes and the public transportation. Getting to know those is a very important schedule, but also making sure that you take care of your transportation needs. So if you have a bike, making sure that you’re maintaining the maintenance on that bike.

If you have a car, making sure that you maintain the maintenance on your car. So understanding the transportation needs is a, is a critical life skill. Being able to communicate. You’re going to have to talk to your professors. You’re going to have to talk to your advisors. You are the person who’s going to have to talk.

Mom and Dad, not there to communicate your needs for you. You have got to be able to communicate your needs. So being able to communicate what it is that you need, being able to communicate, uh, what you know about the material is so important. Communicating with your roommate. Good communication skills leads to a happy life in your dorm room.

So definitely learn that communication. If you need some work on that, there’s amazing communication classes that are offered in schools. And also you can even get communication services to be able to better learn what is it that you need to do in order to communicate your needs even better. Advocate for yourself.

If you need something, once again, you have to be the one to advocate for yourself. So if you feel that that grade wasn’t correct, go to the professor, explain your case. Why was it, why do you feel it wasn’t correct? If you want better support services for yourself, Go to the student support services that you need and demand that you need better.

So once again, this is where you’re advocating and communicating for yourself because no one else is going to do it. You have got to do it for yourself professionalism. So this is where you’re developing your professional skills for when you’re ready to enter into the full time. World of work. So this is about seeking out those opportunities, seeking out the internship, seeking out the study abroad and working and polishing up your interviewing skills.

Schools have great communities, uh, have great, um, career services. They also have great opportunities for study abroad. So seeking those out and being ready to talk about those opportunities intelligently and why you are the best person for it. So And also keep up that resume. Many of us worked on that resume to get you into a college university.

You wanted to take it to the next step by maintaining it and really show, well, what are those experiences that you have gained through your college and university experience that’s going to make you an excellent person for that job. But above all, make sure that you ask for help. There is no shame in asking for help.

We all need help. We all don’t know what we don’t know unless we ask. So I. Can’t stress that enough that this is a time to really develop that sense of asking for help. It does not make you weak. In fact, it actually makes you stronger because you know your limits and you know, to ask for the help, to develop, To be better.

So what resources are once again available to help you prepare for right now, your future college, your future college, without a doubt, is your biggest resource right now. Because once again, they’re going to be communicating with you and giving you all the information that you need to be successful as you transition into your new college home, your friends and family.

Many of them have gone through this before. So asking them questions about, well, what was their experience like, like, what lessons did they wish that they had knew? That they knew before they went to a college or university and learning from their past and their experiences can also be very helpful in your preparation.

Talk to your new upperclassmen once again. Many of them are orientation week advisors. Many of them are there literally to just help you in your transition. So asking them any number of questions about what it is that you have on your mind as you’re making this transition is going to be helpful. Your counselor.

Now, while you have graduated from high school, many of your counselors are, of course, still going to be devoted to you and they have worked with a variety of students all across their careers. So they may even have some insights. So don’t be afraid of going back to them. There are actually numerous books available that are all about the transition from Two colleges and universities.

One of my personal favorites is called getting the best out of college. Um, it provides really practical advice from a variety of individuals who have gone through the college process and who also work at college universities and could be a great source in your preparation. And then there are also numerous podcasts and YouTube videos talking about the experiences at those particular schools and they can also be great sources for preparation into your new college life.

So my final thoughts. Congratulations. Once again, you have done the hard work of getting in. Now. The time is to enjoy this ride. College is an amazing transitional period in your life. It is a period where you get to really challenge yourself. and really see what the world has to offer you. So I very much encourage you to be open to all of the possibilities.

Take that class that piques your interest just because you have the opportunity and ability to do so. Try out that new sport. Go for that new club. Study abroad because you want to experience a different culture or learn a different language. Be completely open to the possibilities because you don’t know where they’re going to lead you.

So try out that new skill. Try out that new research and be open to it. Once again, advocate for yourself. The only way you’re going to get what you need And what you want is by you advocating for yourself. So be sure that you do that to give yourself, once again, those possibilities and those opportunities because you fundamentally deserve it.

And once again, don’t be afraid to ask for help. It is not weak to ask for help. It is strong to ask for help. Once again, it’s your life. You have to live it for yourself, not for others. This is not about what mom and dad wants. This is not about what I want. Your community wants. It is not about what your counselor wants.

This is about what do you want? Do you want to be that next doctor? Do you want to be the next engineer? Do you want to be the next lawyer? Do you want to be that next performance artists? It’s your life. So don’t be afraid to do the things that you need to be happy. To be healthy and to be a whole individual.

And that’s by taking ownership of this amazing experience and taking ownership of these amazing opportunities that you’re about to be afforded. But above all, remember you got this. And you’re going to be great.

Sydney: Amazing. Thank you so much, Brandon. I feel like you were like speaking to my soul even and I’m not even about to go back to college. So that was a great presentation. Um, before we get to the Q and a portion of our presentation, I just want to quickly talk about two of our amazing partners here at CollegeAdvisor.

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And we do have one question lined up already. I really like this question. So, Brandon. Do you have any advice on how to maintain a good relationship with your professors?

Brandon: Absolutely. Um, first and foremost, don’t be afraid of them. Do not be afraid of them. Your professors are there to support you. So please don’t be intimidated by them.

Um, I generally once again recommend that you go by office hours. Uh, it’s a great way to get to know your professors because they literally set up that time to be able to dedicate that space to talk to their students. So. It’s a good opportunity to go and use those by dropping by their offices during those office hours.

Often, many professors are going to eat their meals, so that could be either lunch or dinner in the actual residential halls. So being able to communicate with them can also be a great way of getting to know them. And also, it doesn’t have to be about your particular subject. Or even being in their class.

It could be just a random conversation. When I was in college, our professors would often come and eat lunch and dinner with us in our residential colleges. And we actually had a very nice conversation with a physics professor about the TV show project runway. So, once again, it was a great way to get to know them, even outside of that, because they’re humans too.

They have a lot of fun things that they want to talk about. So don’t be afraid to drop by those office hours. Meet with them in those different settings. And also you can always email them to set up an appointment. If you can’t meet during office hours to try and talk to them and get to know them. And also this does apply to also professors who you do not have a class with.

So maybe there’s a professor who. You share an interest in their particular subject, but you’re not taking their class, reach out to them, drop by even their office hours and just engage in that conversation. And that’s also a great way of getting to know them.

Sydney: Great advice there. Yeah, I know office hours can be kind of scary and intimidating at first, but it does really help a lot. I definitely took advantage of meeting my professors at a lot of office hours when I was in college. Um, so we have another question. What advice do you have, um, for helping find community on campus?

Brandon: In terms of finding community on campus, um, as I mentioned, first and foremost, definitely go to orientation week or your orientation program, because often they’re going to set up ways for you to get to know fellow incoming freshmen and fellow upperclassmen. So that could be a way of starting to build that community.

Another way is definitely attending clubs and organizations that are affiliated with what you are interested in and what your particular likes are. Some are going to be identity based. So once again, that could be a great way of meeting other individuals who share identities that are very important to you.

Others are going to be activity based. So it’s meaning other people who share that interest in that activity. And through that, you once again start to build community, but also going to those community events. So going to sporting events. Going to, um, maybe they do movie night, um, where they literally project a movie on one of the buildings.

Those different social events also are great ways to find your community.

Sydney: There definitely are a lot of things happening, especially in your first semester of your first year. Um, yeah, lots of community building events. Uh, what else can students expect from orientation? Like, other than just meeting other students? Like what are some things that might happen during that?

Brandon: Sure.

Some other things that generally happen during your orientation is you get to learn about the academic system. So do they operate on a semester system? Do they do a quarter system? Um, how do you register for classes and they take you through the steps to be able to register for classes? Um, many of them, many of the different support services will introduce themselves to you and tell you about what they have to offer.

So, you know, if I need to talk about mental health, they’ll Here’s who I go to. If I want to do a study abroad opportunity, here’s who I go to. If I want to talk about something that’s related to my particular identity, here are the support services related to that. So that’s what happens during orientation is that you’re getting to know the university and what it has to offer you.

Sydney: Thanks for that. That was really helpful. Um, when would it be a good time to start looking into applying to internships and research programs?

Brandon: Great question. So Many different institutions are going to be set up for those opportunities at different points. I honestly recommend for those interested in an internship, go to the career services office.

When you’re ready because they will they will meet with you even as a freshman. In fact, they get very excited to meet with you as a freshman. And so they can easily connect you to internship opportunities just by going and visiting. Um, I actually did an internship my freshman year. Um, I was interested in becoming an attorney at the time.

And so even as a freshman, First semester freshman, I was able to get an internship at a law firm, and that was one of the ways that I determined that was not the profession for me. So I definitely recommend that. In terms of research opportunities, definitely talk to the department that you are interested in studying in.

They’re going to have a wealth of information in terms of, well, what are those research opportunities that are available to students? So being sure to talk to them. We’ll also help you to connect to those opportunities. Um, and also, once again, talking to professors because professors want to cultivate the next generation of them.

So, hence, the way they do that is engaging you in research. So you have a lot of different places to go.

Sydney: Great advice. I want to go back to something you had said earlier in our conversation about going to office hours. How can you find out about the office hours for professors that you don’t have any classes with?

Brandon: Sure. So generally, many professors will list their office hours on their actual website. Um, because many of them maintain like a public website of, you know, here are where my office hours are.

And so that way you can be able to find it that way. Also, if they have their syllabus for the classes that they’re teaching that current semester, you can look that up. And I’ll also generally list out when their office hours are, or you can always contact them directly.

Sydney: Yep, when in doubt, it’s like that first name dot last name format or, you know, first letter, last name.

Yep, just sending them an email. Um, do you have any advice for someone who might be dealing with like homesickness and just that, that struggle to adjust to the new college environment?

Brandon: Absolutely. Um, it’s very common. That you’re going to feel a sense of homesickness because you are transitioning to a new environment.

In my opinion, when you are feeling like that, don’t negate that you’re feeling that way. So once again, this could be where. Maybe reaching out to the counseling services. If you need them, maybe reaching out to your new orientation advisor or your resident associate because they can be able to provide you with some additional assistance.

What I also have found is finding that community. Helps alleviate that homesickness. So this is where, you know, going to those club and organizational meetings, doing some of those social events can help you once again, feel acclimated to being in the community because you don’t feel as alone. So those are the things that I would recommend to help alleviate with homesickness.

And then always you can develop a schedule for when you do go home. Cause home will always be there. Um, maybe you, I definitely don’t recommend going home the first couple of weeks because you should adjust, but maybe during that first break that you get, usually which happens around, um, either, depending on when you go back, it could be labor day.

It could be indigenous people’s day, usually around those times or a midterm break usually around those times. And when you’re going to get some break time, it might be a good time at that point to go home. You know, get, uh, get a break and then go back.

Sydney: Yes, that’s great advice. Um, I, as someone who went to school in North Carolina, but I grew up in Ohio, I definitely struggled with that at times. And yeah, just remembered to, like, go home when I felt like I needed to, when it was possible for me to, um, this is kind of a related question, just like dealing with difficult feelings.

Um, how can students deal with imposter syndrome? And then maybe could you just, like, explain imposter syndrome for someone who might not be familiar with that term?

Brandon: Absolutely. So imposter syndrome is the feeling that you don’t belong there because you didn’t earn it. So you may be around other students, especially as a freshman, you know, you may be around other students where you’re thinking, Oh, this student had better test scores than me.

This student had, you know, better grades than me. They come from a different environment. I don’t sound like them. I don’t look like them. I don’t look like that. I belong here. How did I get in? It’s common, but let me tell you. You belong there. You went through an admission process. That admission process is generally going to be a rigorous and selective admission process.

So trust me, they saw something in you that made you worthy and deserving of being there. For me, the way that I deal with imposter syndrome is I say affirmations to myself. So literally looking in the mirror and saying you are worthy. You belong here. You got this. And really, once again, affirming yourself helps you to once again, believe that once again, you have a place and space at that university and that you deserve it.

Um, the other thing that I would say is once again, this is where your community comes in, comes into place is because many of y’all can be feeling that same similar way. And each 1 of y’all can then become each other’s height person. Reminding each other. We belong here. Okay. We are a tribe. We are a community and we’re going to get through this university because we deserve to be here.

But yeah, definitely those affirmations. You’ve earned this spot. That’s going to help you.

Sydney: Yep. You can never do that too much like too often. Like, just eating it. Yep. That’s something I carry with me as well. Um, Also kind of similar vein of questions. Do you have any advice on finding a good work life balance?

Brandon: Okay. Work life balance is a myth. Just going to be honest about it. The reason why I say that is because there is no one fundamental way to have work life balance. There is your balance. Meaning it’s how you want to balance things. Okay. Cause for some people, right, their work life balance is they work a lot and then devote their personal time in very different ways.

Then there’s some people who do a lot of the life. not as much of the work, right? It’s about what’s the right balance for you. And so for me, that’s the fundamental thing that I want to kind of challenge with that question. Not saying that it’s a bad question. It’s not one at all. It’s just a matter of what’s the approach that we’re taking with that question.

And the approach we need to be taking with that question is that there isn’t one fundamental work life balance. There is what you consider to be your work life balance. And going back to what I mentioned. It’s about that planning, that prioritizing, that reviewing, and that adjusting when it comes to time management.

Because you know, once again, what is work life balance for you. So as such, you plan it as such to where you feel balanced. And if it’s not working, then you adjust to get yourself back to your balance. So hopefully that helps.

Sydney: Thank you for that. Um, and we are running a little bit short on times. This might be our last question unless anyone gets any in the chat quickly.

But, uh, do you have any advice on how to deal with challenging coursework in college, especially coming in as an international student?

Brandon: Absolutely. So coming in as an international student, you are adjusting both to, you know, a new environment in a very different way and also often a new system. Um, what I honestly will say for you is once again, it’s about utilizing those academic supports.

So talking to your professor, talking to your teacher assistance, going to the writing center. If you need help going to those additional academic support services, utilizing all of those. Is going to help you to, um, adjust, and it’s also going to help you, um, to perform better because once again, you’re learning a new system and being open and honest with your professors is also going to be important because then they’re able to understand who you are.

Okay, not only are you adjusting to the academic rigors of the institution, you’re also adjusting to a different cultural environment. And so giving them once again, that context is going to be helpful to them in understanding your work.

Sydney: Great. Thank you so much for that. And we do have time for one last question. So, um, how can we deal with discussing people who may have very different perspectives from our own, like in a positive way?

Brandon: Sure. So, um, Once again, and I know many people feel that this is a dirty term, but it is not. I want to be very fundamental about that.

It is not. Colleges and universities are fundamentally designed to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion because they are made to bring people from all different perspectives together. So as such, you are in a place where Where you can assert your particular perspective and belief, but it should always come in a respectful manner.

So it’s always about how do you deliver it? So if you deliver it in a respectful tone, if you deliver it with the understanding that, Hey, I am coming at this from a place and space of learning, not from a place of learning. From a place and space of hate disrespect, then it can be engaged in that way. So if you make a mistake, Acknowledge that you make a mistake, but also acknowledge that you’re in a place and space of learning and that you want to do better.

So don’t be afraid to engage. But to me, that’s the biggest thing is that when you do engage, make it very known the place and space that you are coming from, because that’s how they’re going to know your intent.

Sydney: Perfect. Um, I love ending on that note. Yep. Colleges were meant to be diverse. You’re going to have a great time meeting so many different new people and hearing from their perspectives and trying new things, eating new foods. Um, yeah, your first year of college is going to have so many great experiences for you.

So again, thank you so much to our amazing presenter, Brandon Mack, for all of your amazing advice throughout. The presentation today. Um, and we do have a few more webinars to wrap up our month of July, and we will also be having more coming soon in August. So thank you all for joining us tonight. We’ll see you again soon.

Brandon: Take care, everyone.