No Sugar Coating
It’s no lie, college isn’t a breeze. Plenty of all nighters and missed hangouts to finish projects, its all about finding what works best for you and what you want to prioritize over the next four years.
One of the main things to consider is location.location.location. Finding a good spot to campout for the day with a cold brew and your laptop is imperative. Whether that be under a tree on the lakeshore path, in college library, a coffee shop on State, or Gordons dining hall, those first few weeks are for you to find your niche and where you operate best. Having a place you feel comfortable and collected will make absorbing those chemistry notes a whole lot easier.
And speaking of notes, let’s talk about them! Taking them, a must. Some prefer typing them on a computer, others are more into writing them on a IPad. I haven’t gone fully digital, and still lug around my notebooks with me, but nevertheless anyway you take notes that you can READ and understand will be beneficial. Not to mention that you can jazz it up with fun pens, sticky notes, or other stickers to make rereading them more entertaining.
Next crucial tip would be to find you food/beverage of choice when studying and making it part of your everyday routine. Before I would head to the union, each day I started out with going to starbucks and getting an iced latte. Basic and boring, but it got me up and moving for the day!
And finally, remember you’re not the only one going through this. If you don’t understand a topic don’t be afraid to raise your hand in discussion, or messege someone in your class. Having someone else to chat over class problems with not only builds bonds, but also gives you an outlet to ask for assistence. College is hard, and no one said you had to do it by yourself.