Tips To Succeeding In College

by Claire Rachel Feuer

Claire in front of her dorm

Major? Unless you are on the pre-med track or interested in majoring in bio, engineering, etc. EXPLORE classes in each department. As soon as you get to college the hot topic of SATs quickly turns into.... "what's your major?". Nonetheless, don't be afraid to say "I'm not sure yet".  Honestly, many freshman don't know what they plan to study.  In fact, I didn't even know what anthropology was until this semester (the study of humans- which is still a VERY broad study). 

Rainbow over Binghamton University

Workload- I have no doubt that you will be receiving A LOT of work. Everyone says that time management is crucial in college and I can’t agree more. With late night partying, practically no adult supervision, and hanging out with friends, to name a few, there are distractions everywhere! I've pulled multiple all nighters and have consequently missed a couple of classes. However, this stress could/can be prevented by using your time wisely, for example, choosing instead to party two days a week rather than three, or dedicating more time to one class rather than the class that you are already excelling in. But…BE REALISTIC- This is college and there will always be some type of work to do so you HAVE to take breaks and have fun in order to survive the work load. If you've kept up with the long term projects at ICE then college will be a breeze (because you already know about planning, creating outlines and drafts, and writing lab reports).

ASK FOR HELP!- At ICE you've been fortunate to have dedicated teachers who will often stay with you until the night to help you complete your work. Depending if you have large class sizes, the faculty-student relationship will probably be much different. In college student and faculty relationships are often different, in college, professors unlike ICE teachers have lives (haha kidding) and often teach other classes, are pursuing studies, and overall do not have time to meet with you after class. Luckily, all professors and teaching assistants have office hours.. so USE THEM! Office hours are a great way to clarify ideas gone over in class, ask further questions, and to make an impression on the professor and TA. Freshman should take advantage of office hours as much as possible because in large lecture classes it's easy to fall asleep, drift off, and more importantly feel overwhelmed and anonymous (especially coming from ICE where everyone receives personal attention). No matter what class you take, whether it is the easiest math class (I took Math in Action), if you are struggling you should ask for help immediately before it's too late (and don't worry office hours are utilized by many).  

Writing centers: Go, go, go, unfortunately I think that these are the one of the most underused resources at Binghamton. Even if you are confident in your writing skills there is no harm in going. The majority of jobs require that employees write well so you should improve your writing as much as possible (especially because there is a huge difference between writing expectations in high school and in college).

Thanks so much Claire for sharing your college experiences and observations with us!  I just want to echo you........Writing Centers!!  Writing Centers!!  The help you get here can definitely see you through difficult papers and assignments.

Look for Claire's 3rd posting in the next day or two where she will discuss some of the social aspects of college.

Jennifer