GOING TO COLLEGE

GOING TO COLLEGE????

Whether you go to the local community college, commute to a 4 year college/university, or go away to college, here are some helpful suggestions. I hope that you can find at least one of these tips helpful!

Get to know your way around the library and the computer lab. Even if you have a computer, you may need to use the computer lab on-campus at some time.

there are scheduled tours of the campus as well as for

services offered in the library)

Find out about free computer classes (Word, Excel, Power Point etc.)

on-campus that are offered. These are offered through the main computer lab which may be located in the school library.

Find out about free tutoring, a writing lab, and writing workshops on-campus. Just ask during new student orientation. There may be a department whose job is to help new students on-campus.

Go to the Career Center and find out what services they offer to students/alumni. You can find job listings (p/t, f/t, summer, career jobs), internship information, resume/career counselors, etc.

Check it out!!!

Find out how/where to get your student email account

There should be places on-campus other than the computer lab where you can check your email

Become familiar with the college catalog (this is different from the course schedule book) and the campus guide (each school should publish this and calls this by a different name). You can obtain campus guide during orientation.

Check out the course schedule book and find out how often your major courses are offered. Some are only offered every spring or fall while, some are offered each semester, some are only offered every few semesters, while others are only offered if there is enough interest in this course. There may be courses listed in the catalog that are not offered very often.

GET TO KNOW THE SCHOOL

Get to know your way around the campus and find out:

Where to eat on-campus (hours of operation)
How to get around on-campus (walking paths, shuttles-schedules & stops)
Know the operating hours for the following

(library, places to eat, school store, copy places, computer labs, departments on-campus, financial aid, registrar-for registering for classes and obtaining transcripts)

*note-some computer labs on-campus stop printing 30 minutes before the computer lab actually closes

Where to sleep on-campus (student lounges are great!)

*(you may need this in between classes after pulling an all-nighter)

Where to make copies on-campus (cost & hours too)

You should also know whether you need dollar bills, change, or a copy card to make copies on-campus

You should be able to use your student ID to make purchases, and pay for copies on-campus as long as you have money in your account.

Know where the ATM, post office, and the closest bank are

on-campus!!!

PARKING

Where to park and obtain a parking permit

(Campus police are always on the lookout for people who do not purchase a handtag (parking permit) and if you get caught, you will have to pay!!!!

Quick places to park (where you can park for about an hour without much chance of getting a ticket) such as local neighborhoods, metered parking, etc.

If you are running late, you may need to park close to campus but not on-campus due to the garage or parking lot being full)

HEALTH INSURANCE/HEALTH CENTER

Find out where the health center is just in case you get sick or need some free cold medicine, cough drops, etc.

Find out about health insurance offered through the college

(if you need inexpensive health insurance, college health insurance can be very helpful)

AREA WHERE YOUR COLLEGE IS LOCATED

Get to know your way around general area where the college is located. It may be helpful to know where the nearest Kinkos or other copy/computer place is (copying, emergency computer use, etc.)

Where to eat

Where is the nearest coffee shop or bookstore (find out the hours too)

Where to get gas for the car

Where the nearest repair shop is

Where the nearest grocery store/pharmacy is (know the hours too!)

Which stores have the best prices

Laundromats (know the hours too!)

Where the local public library is

REGISTRATION

Find out if you can register on-line, or over the phone for classes

Find out who is your advisor and what you have to do in order to register for classes

(obtaining stamps and signatures on your registration sheet)

Make sure that you get your special permits early for your major courses (you need to go to the department secretary for these)

*note-some classes require a special permit

Know the registration deadlines

YOUR CLASSES

Find out if your professor uses email and has a website

Many professors use email as a way to communicate with students.

Find out the office hours of your professors

If you are going to miss an exam for a good reason, call the professor ahead and/or email them

When you go to your first class, exchange phone numbers/email addresses with at least 1 or 2 people in the class just in case you miss class and need to find out what you missed

WORKING ON PROJECTS

When working on projects with other students, find out when the best time is to contact your partner and best places to meet. Meeting at the library is not always possible and it may be feasible to meet at the local Borders, Barne & Noble, or local coffee shop. Also consider emailing attachments of your part of the project. Even if you do not have a computer, you may be able to work in the computer lab and email your work from the school computer lab while your partner is at home.

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