Just as you are not told everything you should know while applying for colleges, you are also not told everything about how to graduate on time and do so well. We've compiled a list of musts that all incoming students should be aware of in order to not only make the most out of their college experience but to also be able to stay on track for graduation. These are the type of things that if you do not pay attention to you might stay another year or two in school, or in some cases seven years, hence the importance of graduating on time, its the difference between 4 years of loans versus 5-7 years of loans, no one wants more loans, no worries, we're here to help.
Advisors
When you first get to your respected institution you will be assigned an advisor, meet with him/her right away and see what advice he/she has for you in your own goals and dreams. It is always a good thing to be on good terms with your advisor as he/she might be able to aid you in ways you would not have the power to aid yourself. The problem here is that many times we are paired up with an incompetent advisor, one who doesn't really care about us, or one that you know more about school policy then. Within these cases a few options are available to you, you could request for another advisor and start the process over, or you can choose the 'do it yourself' route, which can be way easier if and only if you are organized, thus leading us to the next point.
The Catalog
As you apply to different programs you will be given that particular year's catalog, this catalog holds all the classes you will have to take in order for you to graduate, study it. Being that you are just coming in and your mind might change about your major or minor, it is advisory that you take the core classes first. Basically your classes are divided in two different sections, the "everyone needs to take these" and the "these are the classes for your chosen concentration". While you make up your mind about what concentration you should take you should get all those "everyone needs to take these" classes out of the way. This will ensure that you do not take classes that you will not need for graduation, nothing worse than arriving to your fourth year and realizing that half of the 120 credits you have do not count towards your graduation route, I've heard of this happening more times than I would like. So if you study the catalog and understand what classes you need to take then you will surely be on track for graduation in four years.
Summer
Summer school in high school is frowned upon and lame, summer school in college is look up to and treasured, this is a simple truth. By taking summer classes you could cut your college loans by at least a year and a half, this means saving you close to 150K, that's a ton of money, this is not the time to be thinking about anything but your future, owing 150K+ loans is no joke, and might enslave you for various years after your graduation, thus summer classes are a solid choice. Within summer classes you basically get the whole material you would during the year condensed and done with in 4 weeks, this might seem tough but its not that bad and it pays off big time in the end. Most schools have a May term, then a Summer A & B terms, which means you can get up to 12 credits out of the way in a summer if you play your cards right, that's a semester's worth almost. Its a good choice, trust.
Professors
Just as you should be aware of what professors are big deals within the world you should always check what professors are tough as nails for no reason, this will save you time and energy. There are some professors that aren't good, this is a truth at every college, there is always that one professor that likes to see his students cry from over working, and hence the importance of being informed. You should always talk to upperclassmen and find out what professors are good, which ones are tough, which ones are worth being close friends with, and so on. In your research try to talk to multiple upperclassmen as well, that way you get a better less biased perspective on a professor, this process could save you a lot of time and energy in the future, there is nothing worse than being in a class with a professor who prides himself on not giving anyone A's, its a pride thing for them and its a waste of money and energy for you, thus seek those upperclassmen out.
And that concludes our list, we hope that this has been of aid to some of you and that some of this is new to you. We pray that you all have a fantastic week, and hold on, Friday is approaching.
Love from your humble blogger,
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