College life is not only about making sure of the best possible grades. It is the formative phase of one’s life, and this is where they develop into a professional as well as a social person. If one just focuses on academics and misses the rest of the experiences that college life offers, then they haven’t made the best out of it.
For some, the start of college might be daunting because of the expectations and burden of studies. But it shouldn’t be made so much that it eclipses the rest of the experiences, and later, there is nothing except nightmares. There is a need to prepare a checklist to ensure that you do all that might add to the pleasure and value of this life.
We have prepared a comprehensive list that can help the students get their best out of college life experience. This will be quite beneficial because sometimes experimenting with things on your own can be very messy, so it is better to follow the already set path.
It is a balanced checklist that covers academics as well as co-curricular activities. You can also follow these to make it a memorable experience for yourself.
1. Making new friends and socializing
One of the best experiences of college life is making new friends. Oftentimes, students move to a country other than their own for college. It not only brings them to a different environment but to new people. It depends on the student whether they go explore their options to find new friends or stay stuck in their dorm.
We recommend that you make new friends and socialize. It has a myriad of benefits for college students. If a person isn’t social and doesn’t interact with fellow students, it will affect their academics as well as co-curricular activities. They need to make new friends to explore the new environment as well as those who can help them when needed.
New friends can introduce one to new hobbies, reading habits, sports, and many other activities. They can also help hone the personality of a person as the company has a lasting impact. The social circle of a person determines their strength. If a person isn’t interested in socializing, it might have multiple negative impacts on their college life.
It is easy to make new friends and explore your social circle. The new faces might seem intimidating, but you can use mutual interests and other factors to introduce yourself to new people. If the interests match, you can do well with each other. Once you make new friends, your transition to college life becomes much easier compared to the difficult times you had imagined.
2. Joining clubs and organizations
There are several clubs and organizations that can help groom a student into the best possible person. College students can explore different clubs and organizations to utilize their college time. Participation in these clubs will not only help them personally but will also have a strong impact on their CV.
Some of these clubs and organizations include the following:
- Academic Clubs
- Social Justice Clubs
- Political Clubs
- Community Service Clubs
- Arts Clubs
- Media Clubs
- Sports Clubs
- Student Government Clubs
- Cultural Clubs
- Honor Societies
- Religious/Spiritual Clubs
Each of these clubs has their own benefit for the student. Though a student can’t join all these, they can choose two or three depending on the time available to enrich their college experience.
Joining academic clubs can help build up the learning experience by strengthening the academics of students. It is not only off-class learning but also helps explore different majors that can be used for future decisions.
Community service clubs can have a strong impact on the personality of a student. It not only helps connect with the community but also adds the aspect of empathy with those living near them. It can be a strong point in the CV of a student.
Another example is that of art clubs which can help refine the taste of the student in arts. These include literature, painting, sculpting, etc. Thus, the student can choose an art of their liking and join the club.
3. Balancing academic work and extracurricular activities
It is important to note that there should be a balance in the activities during college life. If the student isn’t able to maintain a balance, it can have an adverse impact on their college life. The worse can even go far as dropping out as the result of not being able to score satisfactorily.
A better solution to this problem is to create a schedule that can help determine what to do at what time. It also helps analyze the time spent on specific activities.
The focus should be on creating a balance between academic work and extracurricular activities. If the focus shifts too much to one, it will result in a loss for the student. They need to work on creating the schedule in a sensible manner. They should keep in mind that they not only need to cover their academics but also enrich their personal experiences through non-academic activities.
Covering your studies is important, but it doesn’t mean that it should come at the cost of fun. If you can manage your studies and have fun at the same time without sacrificing your studies, then it will also help in your professional life. Each of the college life experiences is for life, and if any of these is missed, it will feel like a void.
You might also face the impacts of the imbalance created as the result of mismanagement during college life in professional life. So, you should make sure that the schedule focuses on your professional as well as personal development.
4. Living in a dorm or off-campus housing
If you are preparing to enter college, you might be considering the pros of living in a dorm or off-campus living. There are different factors that are important to consider when making the final decision. Some of the most important include prices and how they can impact your life. There are a lot of variables that will impact each living experience. So, you need to choose carefully which one you should go for.
We have outlined the pros and cons of each, which can help you decide which one best fit you. Some of the benefits of living in a dorm include proximity to class, unparalleled experience, amenities, meal plan, socializing, security, housing resources, sleeping in, etc. You won’t have to spend time commuting to and from the class, making it easily accessible.
While it can also help connect with those from your class or other classes, as most of the students live in dorms.
Meal plans are another pro feature of dorm living; you can choose a meal plan according to your budget. While the affordability of meals is also important as dorm living prioritizes students.
If we compare off-campus living, it has its own pros. These include personal space, privacy, independence and adulthood, saving money, commuter programs, and freedom to choose a location.
Most students aren’t happy with the privacy of dorm life as the hustle won’t let you enjoy your privacy. In addition to that, the costs of dorm living are daunting for some students. Thus, off-campus living can help them save costs in addition to the freedom they can choose their own living space according to their preference.
5. Dealing with homesickness and adjusting to college life
Most of the students haven’t lived without their parents before starting college life. They might face problems of homesickness and might take time to adjust to the new environment. Most of us can’t imagine living without our family until the time comes to shift to college. When this happens and students will need to shift to a dorm or off-campus hostel; they usually encounter problems. But they can easily adjust to this problem if they learn to deal with the situation.
However, if they continue to face trouble and don’t accept the new changes, this can be very challenging for them. They need to understand the new life and what it requires. If they don’t pay heed to these things, then college life might become a nuisance instead of bringing any good to them. They need to learn how to deal with problems and how to look for support in difficult situations. Homesickness is an issue that can be resolved in a couple of weeks as the student adjusts to new life.
But if it takes more than a month and there is no change in their behavior, they need to consider what is happening. Lasting homesickness can affect their studies, and they should be careful about it. New entrants to college life should also know how to deal with it as it is much different from home life. They have to deal with various issues themselves, and also, the living pattern is different compared to home.
6. Exploring new interests and trying new things
College life is a time when one can explore their interests and try new things. They can immerse themselves by getting in touch with those who are different from them in terms of various aspects and backgrounds. Most college graduates recommend that a new college entrant should try friendships with one who is completely different from them.
Students usually make friends with the ones who have different views, backgrounds, academics, etc. This will help the student reconsider their views and what changes they can bring to their personality. It will also help them introduce to new cultures and what they can learn from students coming from different backgrounds. A student can also explore interests that they haven’t previously explored, and this can be done with new acquaintances.
Furthermore, one can also list down the popular things in the area and try them. This can vary for different areas and countries. Thus, a consolidated checklist can help in this matter.
7. Taking part in internships, research opportunities, or study-abroad programs
College life isn’t about staying in your dorm and burying one’s nose in books. Instead, it opens various opportunities for an entrant. These include taking part in internships, research opportunities, and study abroad programs. Each of these is a valuable experience that not only helps the student explore the world but also gets strong points to add to their CV.
You need to plan the path of your career at the start of your college.
This helps you decide what courses you can take and which internships will strengthen your CV. Once a student is sure about all these, they can better avail research internships and research opportunities that will land them better jobs. College students need to know that every single step matters, and when all the effort is combined, it can have a huge impact on their chances of being selected.
Internships are short stint that helps you refine your skills at a specific organization. While research opportunities are available in different educational institutions as well as professional organizations to explore new things. One can take internships and research projects if one can manage time. They should make sure that they avail these opportunities, but the academics and fun shouldn’t suffer.
Instead, all this needs to be managed in a manner that the balance of life isn’t affected. If this is mismanaged, it will have negative impacts on the student. They need to prioritize each of these according to their importance. Study-abroad opportunities are also available to college students, which they can avail to get the best out of themselves.
8. Coping with stress and mental health challenges
Stress during college life is real, and there are various reasons for it. It can be academics and other reasons, such as joining collegiate contests, homesickness, adjustment with dorm mates, balancing different things, etc. Stress is natural in such a situation, but it shouldn’t be let completely dominate you. If stress persists and it affects your studies, then seek professional help.
If the problem of stress is left unchecked, it can have huge negative impacts. Mental health is important, and no factor should be allowed to undermine it. The student should keep their mental health as the main priority. There is professional help available on-campus on most campuses, if it isn’t available, they can look for professionals at health institutions.
Many college students face problems like depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, substance misuse, etc. Each of these can be identified in time to prevent negative impacts. There are various resources available that can help in this situation. One can also talk to friends or family in this situation to prevent any major impact. Each of these can lead to a serious situation if the problem goes unchecked.
It will affect not only the academics of the student but also their life which is why it is important to look for solutions in time.
9. Managing finances and budgeting
Money management is one of the most important aspects of college life. Students should make it a necessary part of their checklist, as mismanagement of the budget can create serious problems for them. If the budget is managed well, it can help in leading a smooth college life. But if the contrary happens, it can ruin the student’s college experience.
To avoid major issues like student loans and debt, there are some budgeting tips that help you manage finances without facing big problems. These include enrolling in a meal plan, sharing expenses with the roommate, saving on supplies, and determining what is essential and what isn’t.
Enrolling in a meal plan helps cover the expenses of your meal for a whole semester. There are different options available according to affordability, which the students can choose as per their needs. You won’t have to pay daily for your meals. Instead, a premium plan gets you covered.
You can also reduce the cost of living by dividing the costs with your roommate. These include sharing expenses for appliances, furniture, laundry, etc. Thus, you don’t have to spend individually, which lowers the expenses. You can also save on supplies by using resources that offer them at reduced costs. An example is the bookstore for used books which will help you get stuff at much better prices.
The final thing is to remember that you have to prioritize according to your need. If you spend extravagantly without keeping in view what is important and what isn’t, then you will soon run out of funds. Thus, you need to be careful about it and create a checklist of what to spend on and how much budget you should allocate to each thing.
10. Participating in community service or volunteering
College life is a big transition in one’s life, and one of the benefits is being part of community service. You can volunteer for a cause of your choice and play your part in serving the community. Participation in community service will not only make you a good human being but will also have a huge impact on your chances of securing a job. It strengthens your CV while also making you a compassionate individual.
It brings many pleasant changes to your personality, and you can spend some fantastic hours in the stressful college life without any worries. It can bring multiple benefits, which include social benefits, psychological benefits, can boost confidence, and cognitive benefits, and will keep you stay active.
You can also use these activities to refresh yourself, as this is a selfless time that could make a big impact on your life and others. Also, you need to keep in mind that volunteering is good, but there should be specific time allocated to it. If you spend much of your time in these activities, you might see a negative impact on your studies. Thus, you should be mindful of how much of it is fine.
You can also benefit from teamwork in volunteer work. You have two options in this regard which include working individually or working as a team. It is better to go for the second as it can have multiple benefits. It is a great way to know how organizations work, and thus, this experience can be later used in professional life.
You can be the change, and it won’t take much effort or time; you can make use of time and energy to add to your personality and professional career.
Remember…
College life is all about new experiences as it not only adds to your professional life but it can also make you a morally upright human being. The important thing to keep in mind is managing things well, which might be a bit difficult for new college entrants. The best possible solution in this regard is to prepare a checklist for oneself. It will not only help prioritize each thing according to its importance.
It can also be used to create a schedule for oneself. Though college life might seem a bit daunting, one needs to keep in mind that fortune favors the brave. If you are not taking chances to avail opportunities, you might not be able to make full of college life. It is best to look for opportunities and how to utilize them. Though one shouldn’t ignore academics, they shouldn’t make it the only thing to be covered. One should focus on academics as well as extracurricular activities. It will best prepare the student for professional life, which demands a balanced lifestyle.
College experiences are important for a balanced professional life. The above-given checklist can help determine what is important to do in college life. If it is followed, it will bring pleasant results for new college entrants.
