KB

May 5, 2017

Future Freshman College Student

Salt Lake Community College

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84123

 

Dear Future College Student,

 

    If you're reading this, you’re probably an incoming freshmen who just got out of high school.  I am writing you this letter to help you understand and navigate your first year in college and your future years to come. The most common misconception when entering college is “it’s just like high school but a little bit harder.”  This statement couldn't be more wrong.  While college is much harder than high school, there are many other differences too.  For example, how you should stay organized, how to stay motivated, how to listen and take good notes in class, and how to study.

 

    Staying organized is one of the hardest things to keep up on in college. With classes, homework, study time and free time, it can sometimes seem impossible to make room for it all.  But here are a couple tips to help you stayed organized and less stressed. First, keep your study and homework space separate from your social and sleeping space.  Different places create different moods so having these places separate will allow you to study hard and sleep better.  Make sure to also keep these places well organized. A lot of times, freshmen live in the dorms that don’t provide a lot of space.  So keeping you spaces organized can help you stay less stressed. Second, create a to-do list every week. Write down all your homework, study time, and anything else you have that week.  Include how much time is will take for each thing on your list.  Third, convert your to-do-list into a weekly agenda that includes everything on your to-do-list plus your class schedule and anything else you do on a weekly basis.  This will help you figure out what your spending to much or to little time on.  Make sure to also include your sleeping and eating schedules with the hours for each.  This may seem like a lot of work, but it will help keep your life organized and balanced between school and your social life.

 

    Next, I am going to talk to you about motivation. Staying motivated to study, go to class and do your homework can be hard in college with all the parties and the fun social life that comes along with being a student.  The best thing to do to stay motivated is to set goals.  Make short, mid, and long-term goals and accomplish them. On example could be getting an A on your first science test, this is considered a short term goal.  A long term goal could be having a B average after your first year of college.  Setting academic goals and achieving them can truly help one stay motivated and do well in school. Another way to stay motivated is having a positive attitude. Don’t get discouraged if you didn’t get the grade you wanted or didn’t like the homework that was handed out.  Staying positive even when things don’t go as planned can help you stay motivated and continue to do better. The last advice I have for staying motivated is creating a network of study friends for each class.  Having a study group and people that understand the stress of a certain class can really help you stay on track.  Plus, studying with other students is more fun than studying alone!

 

    Another part of college that people think are the “same” as high school is listening and taking notes in class. In high school, some teachers would guide you through the notes and even print them out for you on occasion.  In college, you are responsible for your own notes. There are no outlines, no teacher telling you what to right down and no “fill in the blanks.”  You must write the notes you deem to be fit for the information you are learning. There are four easy steps to make sure you take good notes that will help you study and ace your exam! Step one, prepare for class.  Make sure to have a notepad or notebook just for that class, a pen, pencil, and possibly colored pens and possibly a laptop depending on you like to take notes. Come to class ready to learn with an open mind.  Step two, absorb new ideas and listen. Ask thoughtful questions, ask for clarification, listen to the information and absorb it. Step three, take notes.  Right down all the information you think is important.  Draw pictures, make points and bullets, right down things to help you memorize the information. Your notes don’t have to be neat, just write down everything that comes to mind when you're listening to the in class lecture. Step four, review and reorganize your notes.  As soon as possible after class, go back over your notes and organize them in a way that is easy to study.  Pull out main ideas and connect them to the rest of your notes, keep your drawings and bullets but make them more organized.  This will help you understand, memorize and study the information for the test. 

 

    My last piece of advice is how to study.  Studying for college exams can be stressful and hard.  Here are some suggestions to make studying a little easier.  One, study to learn, not for the test.  This may seem like an odd concept but if you absorb information to learn it, it becomes less stressful than to absorb the information for a test.  Two, study every day.  Don’t just study two days or the night before a test.  Study your class notes every day after you take them, and start reviewing for a test a week or two before the test date. This will allow you the time to really understand and memorize the information. Third, minimize distractions and study in your designated study area alone or with your study group. It’s good to have study sessions alone and with others to see others points of views and ideas on a concept.  Learning to study is a hard thing to do, but these tips can make studying a little less stressful.

  

    I hope you enjoyed my letter and took away something valuable from it.  College is a new and exciting for all incoming freshmen and can be a great experience if you find balance in your social and school life.  Make sure to stay organized, stay motivated, take notes, and study!

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Kenzie Ball