Okay it’s August and it’s getting real for all you students about to start college. The post-graduation buzz has subsided. Your summer job has moved past “so-so” and is rapidly closing in on “please-make-it-be-over.” You’re done filling out housing forms and medical history forms and course registration forms and every other freaking form they sent you during June and July. And while you are definitely getting excited and anxious for college to please just start already, it’s still too early to begin packing. So at this point all that’s left is to hang out with your friends and wait, right?
Well, sure, you could do that. Or not.
It turns out that there are a few things that you can be doing right now that will help you have a smooth and successful transition to college. Better still, they’re pretty easy and neither publicly humiliating nor eye-rollingly lame.
Since it’s summer I’ve kept the list short – just five items – so you will still have sufficient time to hang out with your friends because that part really is important.
- Read – You didn’t see that one coming, did you? But of the five things none matters more than this one. Thankfully a good percentage of you are undoubtedly voracious readers and don’t need to be prompted to pick up a book. If you fit into that category, you can skip ahead to item #2 now. As for the rest of you…
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. You already got into college. Classes don’t start for like a month. And c’mon, it’s summer. Whatever. In a few weeks you’ll be on campus and all the boxes will be unpacked and the icebreakers and orientation activities will be over and classes will start. Here’s a news flash: right from the start you are going to have a big honking pile of reading to do. More than you ever had in high school. And it will be fine and you will be able to handle it. But, it will be a whole lot easier to make the adjustment if you have been reading regularly over the summer.
Oh, and just to be clear, read substantive content. Books. Journal articles. Thought provoking blogs about college (just keeping you honest). Long-form magazine pieces – the kind of things you find in Harper’s, The New Yorker, The Atlantic. Not People or Sports Illustrated. And no, Facebook memes, texts, and tweets don’t count. Many of you probably have a book that your college sent you and asked you to read over the summer. So here’s a crazy thought – read that. Seriously, I promise that spending more time reading now will prove helpful later.
- Write – Writing in any form is good so if you like to write short stories or essays or poems or keep a journal those are all great things to do and you should by all means keep at it. But what I have in mind is for you to write a very specific set of lists for yourself:
- Write down the 3 academic subjects that most interest you right now – and why.
- Write down 3 academic subjects you don’t know much about but look interesting to you – and why.
- Write down the names of your 3 closest friends, how long you have known them, and the reasons why you are close to, and enjoy spending time with them.
- Write down 3 activities that you enjoy and/or are interested in trying out.
The purpose of this exercise is to help you make your college journey easier by documenting your interests and activities and values. You will almost certainly find that your ideas and interests and the groups of people with whom you socialize shift and evolve over time. Routinely going through an exercise like this will help you to stay grounded and understand the path you are on in ways that will help you to make good choices and decisions going forward.
- Review your social media footprint – You’ve heard this before, right? What you put up on social media dictates how a large part of the world sees you; including a whole lot of people who really don’t know you. So if you have gotten in the habit of posting pictures of yourself and friends doing things that are goofy, embarrassing, possibly offensive, or maybe engaging in activities of dubious legality, you might want to think about editing and adjusting your social media habits. You are about to begin a whole new chapter of your life that will involve meeting many new people. Think hard about the image of yourself that you want to project and how you want new friends, faculty members, coaches, advisors, etc. to think about you. I have seen and worked with lots of students who very quickly came to regret things they put out on Facebook or Instagram, or Snapchat that couldn’t be taken back. The old cliché about only having one chance to make a first impression is particularly true when it comes to social media.
- Talk with someone you trust about the things that make you nervous or anxious about starting college – If you’re not at least a little nervous, then you’re either lying or not paying attention. Your life is about to change in HUGE ways. Having some trepidation about it is healthy and normal. This is just part of the human condition. Like most big scary things, bottling them up only makes them more daunting. So acknowledge the things that are concerning you and talk about them. Not only will it help you to feel better now, but it will open the door for those conversations to continue as the year unfolds. I promise you there will be moments along the way when that will mean a great deal to you.
- Thank 3 people without whom you would not be where you are – No doubt, you did the heavy lifting. You got the good grades and participated in sports and music and mock trial and volunteering during high school. And your hard work is what got you into college and why you will succeed there. But you know you didn’t do it alone and there are several people who deserve your gratitude. A parent or guardian. A teacher or coach. A brother or sister. A friend. As you prepare to head off to college, take a little time out and really thank at least 3 of the people who matter most to you. It will mean a lot to them. And you’ll be glad you did.
Oh, and one last thing. It’s okay to get excited about this. College is a great adventure and a ton of fun. Enjoy it.
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