Making the Most of Your College Experience
A few months ago, Zinch polled a bunch of college sophomores about their first year college experience. We found out a lot of good stuff. Below are some highlights and some feedback on how to have a successful first year.
Top 5 Recommendations for a Successful Freshman Year:
1. Go to class
While entering freshmen were somewhat worried about their academic preparation from high school, the reality was far less of a problem. More than 25% of entering freshman were concerned or very concerned about their academic preparation. But more than 44% found their high school preparation stronger than expected.
The difficulty of college courses was, in fact, the second greatest concern entering freshmen had about academics. (After workload.) Fortunately, course difficulty was less of a problem in reality than anticipated.
Another student said, “Go to class! Having all this freedom, there is a desire to sleep in once in a while. Don’t!”
2. Get out of your dorm room and participate in campus activities
Most freshmen — 70% — participated in campus activities, with more than 40% getting very involved in organized clubs. Only about 3% of our sample played varsity athletics, only slightly more than half said they would continue playing their varsity sport in their sophomore year.
Students who said they didn’t have a successful freshman year were significantly less likely to have participated in campus activities. They also didn’t have enough spending money and were far more stressed about money.
About 40% of freshmen held part-time jobs, mostly on campus. Half of those students worked between 5 and 10 hours a week, and almost as many worked between 10 and 20 hours a week.
What advice do happy upperclassmen have for entering freshmen?
“Make time beyond studying for some healthy activities. Sure you’ll party. But don’t make college just about partying.”
3. Do your reading on a regular basis
Many students had fears about the academic workload. We found this was the biggest concern among entering freshmen. And indeed, the reality was closer to the expectation than any other factor. Some 60% of students said they were concerned, and 30% said it was tougher than expected.
The reality is college will be different from high school; you already know that. The workload is different; the pace is different; and there is very little handholding. What does it take to succeed?
One student responded, “Everything moves at a much faster pace. The trick is to keep up with the reading.”
4. Be considerate of your roommate
So what advice did our respondents say about living with strangers?
“Always try to be kind and courteous to your roommates, and be considerate of them. Keep your area(s) clean. It also helps to have a working agreement about who takes care of what bigger tasks like cleaning the bathroom and floor.”
5. If you don’t get along with your roommate, change roommates sooner rather than later
71% of freshmen reported that before getting assigned a roommate, their college sent them a questionnaire asking about preferences and habits. So how useful – or successful – was that “matching” service? Mixed!
Only 28% said their match was bad or awful. But 20% said pretty good and 30% said great! What was interesting – or a warning to college administrators who administer these questionnaires – is that the “success rate” of matching was just marginally better for those who completed questionnaires.
“Communication is key because without communication neither will resolve a problem if one exists.”
