One of the things to add to your to-do list before you head off to college is “find a good college connection”. Depending upon what you’re studying or what you need in school, your connection can vary.
College can be a profound change in your life and a college connection can ease the transition. Between the load of schoolwork, the self-discipline of independent study, and the new found freedoms that college can represent there is a lot of adapting for you to do. Finding someone that can assist you as you learn to pace yourself can make a world of difference in your success as well as your grades.
A good time to start your search is before you head off to college. Think about what you need the most. Are you traveling far from home and need support with the ins and outs of living on your own? Or are you entering a field that requires ethical analysis as you learn and would benefit from having a sounding board? Define the area that has the largest gap in your college life so that you’re clear on where your connection will do the most good.
Your next step is to consider all the people that can assist you and that can also be contacted on a regular basis. Think outside the box. Your professors and counselors will be there to support and teach you but you’ll do much better if you have someone else as your college connection. If you need support with living on your own see if there are any relatives or family friends that live in your college town. If you’re in a dorm, use the dorm leader as a resource, and make friends with your neighbors if you’re living off campus. One student befriended a local resident in a senior center that not only taught him to cook and do his laundry but also shared her secret family recipes. He was the most popular guest at potlucks in the entire college. If you need a sounding board, befriend the local coffee house owner, bond with a used book store seller, or find common ground with the campus librarian.
Think creatively and do your best to find a college connection that will assist you with keeping on track once you start your studies. There’s no way to cover all the angles your first year at college, and having someone to help with the areas you need assistance in can make a world of difference.