You start university with a clean academic slate, along with a lot of independence and a myriad of critical decisions as you begin the transition into adulthood. The decisions that you make and the actions you take during this first year of college will have a major impact on the rest of your college experience.
Here are 7 ultimate decisions to make as a freshman in the University.
Form a Study Group
The first thing to do after you have gone through all that registration and orientation hustle in school is to form a study group. These groups may consist of a few people from your class, or some people who are offering a particular course with you. It is important to note that your study group should not contain so many people since a large number may be a disadvantage. Also make sure your study group is not formed on bases of friendship. It is key to have someone who is smart in your group.
Build a Good Grade Point Average (GPA)
This is the best step to make in order to excel academically on campus. Don’t forget that the main reason for you being in school is based on academics. The GPA you make in your first semester on campus is what you build on till you graduate, which means you have a better chance of graduating with a better class if you build on a very good GPA from your first semester. The best way to achieve this is by attending lectures, studying hard and putting much effort into your academics.
Make Good Friends
I’m sure mom and dad have already told you not to make bad friends. At this stage you are new on campus and don’t know which of the people you’re seeing around is good enough to be your friend. The best thing to do now is to relax and take some time just to examine the people around you. You don’t have to be in a haste to make friends because you might end up regretting it. Also, most of the friends you make in the University are those that tend to help you after school.
Business Minded
Your parents are not going to send you money always and you may sometimes squander all of your cash before you get another remittance from home. Start a small business on campus. It could be selling top up cards, water, pancakes, soft drinks. The ladies can also sell stuff like hair and make up kit.
Course Change
It’s too late for you to change your program now but you can change one or two courses from your department to suit yourself. Bare in mind that this is just a first degree program so what course you’re reading now doesn’t really matter. You can sign up for a professional course of your choice with Coursera.com, Oshaacademy.com, Charted Institute of Marketing, Charted Institute of Economics, and so on.
Make Good Use of School Resources
School resources are at your disposal anytime you want to use them. For example the university’s main library is opened for you to do some research. You can also visit your department’s library for past questions and books for your course.
Finally, Enhance a Good Social Life
Even though you need to build a good GPA from your first semester in school, you also need time to mingle with your peers. It’s important to go out once in a while, make new friends and even date on campus. You don’t have to graduate four years later and regret the fact that you didn’t explore or have all those fine girls on campus.
We hope these tips will come in handy as you start a new life on campus. We wish you all the best.
