Surviving the first year of College

Surviving the first year of College

Congratulations you are going to college. Enjoy all your hard work and get the most out of your college experience. Here are a few tips to help you on your way.
Go to all orientations.
Do you really need to go on yet another campus tour? Yes. The faster you learn your way around campus the more at ease you’ll feel and the better prepared you’ll be when issues arise.
New roommates.
The people you live with, most of whom are going through similar experiences and emotions, are your main safety net. Take the time to get to know your fellow first-year students.
Get Organized.

In secondary school, the teachers tended to lead you through all the homework and due dates. In college, the professors post the assignments and expect you to be prepared. Buy an organizer, use an app, or get a big wall calendar, whatever it takes for you to know when assignments are due.
Find the ideal place for you to study.
It may be your bedroom or a cozy corner of the library, but find a place that works best for you to get your work done, while avoiding as many distractions as possible.
Go to class.
Sleeping in and skipping that 9 am class will be tempting at times. Avoid the temptation. Besides learning the material by attending classes, you’ll also receive vital information from the professors about what to expect on tests, changes in due dates, etc.
Meet with your professors.
There are only upsides to getting to know your professors, especially if later in the semester you run into some snags. Professors schedule office hours for the sole purpose of meeting with students, take advantage of that time.
Seek a balance.
College life is a mixture of social and academic happenings. Don’t tip the balance too far in either direction.
Get involved on campus.
A big problem for a lot of new students is a combination of homesickness and a feeling of not quite belonging. Consider joining a select group of student organizations, clubs, or sports teams. You’ll make new friends, learn new skills, and feel more connected.
Strive for good grades.
Some goals for yourself and then making sure you work as hard as you can to achieve them.
Take advantage of the study resources on campus.
Just about all colleges have learning labs and tutors available. If you are having some troubles, these resources are another tool available to you. You can also form study groups.
Make time for you.
Be sure you set aside some time and activities that help you relax and take the stress out of your day or week. Whether it is enlisting yoga techniques, watching your favorite television shows, or writing in a journal, be good to yourself.
Make connections with students in your classes.
In the first week of classes try to meet at least one new person in each of your classes. It will expand your network of friends, and is a crucial resource at times when he had to miss a class.
Stay healthy, and eat right.
Get enough sleep, take your vitamins, and eat right!
Learn to cope with homesickness.
It’s only natural that there will be times when you miss your family. Find a way to deal with those feelings, such as making a phone call or sending some email home.
Seek professional help when you need it.
Most colleges have health and counseling centers. If you’re sick or feeling isolated or depressed, please take advantage of the many services these offices provide students. You don’t have to face these issues by yourself.
Keep track of your money.
If you’ve never had to create a budget, now is the time to do so. Find ways to stretch your money. Avoid credit cards.
Don’t cut corners.
College is all about learning. If you procrastinate and cram, you may still do well on tests, but you’ll learn very little. Even worse, don’t cheat on term papers or tests.
Be prepared to feel overwhelmed.
There’s a lot going in your life right now. Expect to have moments where it seems a bit too much. As one student says, be prepared to feel completely unprepared. The trick is knowing that you’re not the only one feeling that way.

Business Plan Tutorial: Types of Business Ownership

Types of Business Ownership

There are basically three types or forms of business ownership structures for new small businesses:

1. Sole Proprietorship: A business owned and operated by a single individual — and the most common form of business structure in the U.S. The advantages with a sole proprietorship include ease and cost of formation — simply announcing you are in business and requesting any licenses and permits you may need; use of profits — since all profits from the business belong exclusively to you, the owner; flexibility and control — you make all the decisions and direct the entire business operations; very little government regulations; secrecy; and ease of ending the business. There are disadvantages, however, including unlimited liability — all business debts are personal debts, meaning you could lose everything you own if the business fails or loses a major lawsuit; limited sources of financing — based on your creditworthiness; limited skills — the sole proprietor really must be a “jack-of-all-trades,” part manager, marketer, accountant, etc.; and limited lifespan — the business ends when the owner dies.
2. Partnership: A business that is owned and operated by two or more people — and the least used form of business organization in the U.S. There are two basics forms of partnerships, general and limited. In a general partnership, all partners have unlimited liability, while in a limited partnership, at least one partner has liability limited only to his or her investment while at least one other partner has full liability. Most states require a legal document called the “Articles of Partnership” that delineates details about each partner’s investment and role in the new company. The advantages of a partnership include ease of organization — simply creating the articles of partnership; combined knowledge and skills — using the strengths of each partner for better business decision-making; greater availability of financing; and very little government regulations. There are disadvantages, however, including unlimited liability — all business debts are personal debts; reconciling partner disagreements and action — each partner is responsible for the actions of all the others; sharing of profits — all money earned has to be shared and distributed to the partners per the articles of partnership; and limited lifespan — the partnership ends when a partner dies or withdraws.
3. Private Corporation: A business that is a legal entity created by the state whose assets and liabilities are separate from its owners. While there are also public corporations — who stock (and ownership) are traded on a public stock exchange — most small businesses are (or at least start as) private corporations. A private corporation is owned by a small group of people who are typically involved in managing the business. Forming a corporation requires developing a legal document called the “Articles of Incorporation” and submitting them to the state in which the corporation wishes to reside. Advantages of a corporation include limited liability — an owner (stockholder) can only lose up to the amount s/he invested; unlimited lifespan — a corporation is charted to last forever unless its articles of incorporation state otherwise; great sources of funding; and ease of transfer of ownership. Disadvantages include double taxation — the corporation, as a legal entity, must pay taxes, and then shareholders also pay taxes on any dividends received.

Two other types of ownership of interest to entrepreneurs include:

• S Corporation: A form of ownership that is the best of both partnerships and corporations. Owners have limited liability, greater credibility (for obtaining financing), and no double taxation as all profits pass directly to the owners and the corporation pays no taxes. There are, however, restrictions on the number and type of shareholders.
• Limited Liability Company (LLC): A form of ownership growing in popularity in the U.S. that provides limited liability and is taxed as a partnership or sole proprietorship (depending on the number of members). This type of business formation — formed by submitting articles of organization to the state in which the company resides — is growing rapidly because it is flexible, simple to run, and does not require all the paperwork of corporations.

Lost? Go to the Map of the Business Plan Tutorial: Tools to Help You Launch Your Own Business.

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Your First Year of College: 25 Strategies and Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive Your Freshman Year and Beyond

How to Survive — and Excel in — Your College Years

  Perhaps you were class president in high school. Or perhaps you were a member of the honor society. You could have graduated in the top percentile of your graduating class; perhaps you were even valedictorian. Maybe your were in the honors program or the International Baccalaureate program. Actually, it doesn’t really matter what you did in high school as you make the transition to college. High school success (or lack of it) doesn’t automatically apply to college.

You start college with a clean academic slate, along with a lot of independence and a myriad of critical decisions as you begin the transition into adulthood. The decisions that you make and the actions you take during this first year of college will have a major impact on the rest of your college experience.
According to American College Testing (ACT), one in every four college students leaves before completing their sophomore year — and nearly half of all freshmen will either drop out before obtaining a degree or complete their college education elsewhere.
But wait! This article is not meant to scare you or take away any of the joy, excitement, and anticipation you feel about going to college. Quite the opposite. This article is all about the things you need to do to not only survive your first year of college, but to thrive in college. And many of the tools, skills, and habits you develop through this article can not only be used to help you succeed in college, but in your future career as well.
The first few weeks on campus are extremely critical for all new students. It is during this time that you make critical decisions that will have an effect on the rest of your life. Some of these 25 tips are critical during your first weeks, while the others are meant for longer-term guidance and survival. Whatever you do, be sure to be yourself and try to enjoy your college experience as much as possible. Expect to feel some stress and homesickness, but don’t let these issues wear you down.

25 Strategies and Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive Your Freshman Year

1. Go to all orientations. Do you really need to go on yet another campus tour? Yes. The faster you learn your way around campus — and around all the red tape — the more at ease you’ll feel and the better prepared you’ll be when issues arise.
2. Get to know your roommate and others in your residence hall. The people you live with, most of whom are going through similar experiences and emotions, are your main safety net — not only this year, but for all your years. You may change roommates after the first semester or you may stay roommates for all four years — just take the time to get to know your fellow first-year students.
3. Get Organized. In high school, the teachers tended to lead you through all the homework and due dates. In college, the professors post the assignments — often for the entire semester — and expect you to be prepared. Buy an organizer, use an app, or get a big wall calendar — whatever it takes for you to know when assignments are due.
4. Find the ideal place for you to study. It may be your dorm room or a cozy corner of the library, but find a place that works best for you to get your work done — while avoiding as many distractions as possible.
5. Go to class. Obvious, right? Maybe, but sleeping in and skipping that 8 am class will be tempting at times. Avoid the temptation. Besides learning the material by attending classes, you’ll also receive vital information from the professors about what to expect on tests, changes in due dates, etc.
6. Become an expert on course requirements and due dates. Professors spend hours and hours preparing course syllabi and calendars so that you will know exactly what is expected of you — and when. One of the lamest excuses a student can give a professor: “I didn’t know it was due today.”
7. Meet with your professors. Speaking as a professor, I can assure you there are only upsides to getting to know your professors, especially if later in the semester you run into some snags. Professors schedule office hours for the sole purpose of meeting with students — take advantage of that time.
8. Get to know your academic adviser. This is the person who will help you with course conflicts, adding or dropping courses, scheduling of classes for future semesters, deciding on majors and minors. This person is a key resource for you — and should be the person you turn to with any academic issues or conflicts. And don’t be afraid of requesting another adviser if you don’t click with the one first assigned to you.
9. Seek a balance. College life is a mixture of social and academic happenings. Don’t tip the balance too far in either direction. One of my favorite former students always used to say her motto was to “study hard so she could play hard.”
10. Get involved on campus. A big problem for a lot of new students is a combination of homesickness and a feeling of not quite belonging. A solution? Consider joining a select group — and be careful not to go overboard — of student organizations, clubs, sororities or fraternities, or sports teams. You’ll make new friends, learn new skills, and feel more connected to your school.
11. Strive for good grades. Another obvious one here, right? Remember the words of the opening paragraph; while good grades could have come naturally to you in high school, you will have to earn them in college — and that means setting some goals for yourself and then making sure you work as hard as you can to achieve them.
12. Take advantage of the study resources on campus. Just about all colleges have learning labs and tutors available. If you’re having some troubles, these resources are another tool available to you. Another idea: form study groups.
13. Make time for you. Be sure you set aside some time and activities that help you relax and take the stress out of your day or week. Whether it’s enlisting yoga techniques, watching your favorite television shows, or writing in a journal, be good to yourself.
14. Don’t feel pressured to make a hasty decision about a career or a major. It doesn’t matter if it seems as though everyone else seems to know what they’re doing with their lives — believe me, they don’t — college is the time for you to really discover who you are, what you enjoy doing, what you’re good at, and what you want to be. It’s not a race; take your time and enjoy exploring your options.
15. Take responsibility for yourself and your actions. Don’t look to place the blame on others for your mistakes; own up to them and move on. Being an adult means taking responsibility for everything that happens to you.
16. Make connections with students in your classes. One of my best students said his technique in the first week of classes was to meet at least one new person in each of his classes. It expanded his network of friends — and was a crucial resource at times when he had to miss a class.
17. Find the Career Services Office. Regardless of whether you are entering college as undeclared or have your entire future mapped out, seek out the wonderful professionals in your college’s career services office and get started on planning, preparing, and acting on your future.
18. Don’t procrastinate; prioritize your life. It may have been easy in high school to wait until the last minute to complete an assignment and still get a good grade, but that kind of stuff will not work for you in college. Give yourself deadlines — and stick to them.
19. Stay healthy/Eat Right. A lot of problems first-year students face can be traced back to an illness that kept them away from classes for an extended period of time that led to a downward spiraling effect. Get enough sleep, take your vitamins, and eat right. If you haven’t heard the jokes about college food, you soon will. And without mom or dad there to serve you a balanced meal, you may be tempted to go for those extra fries or cookies. Stay healthy and avoid the dreaded extra “Freshman 15” pounds by sticking to a balanced diet.
20. Learn to cope with homesickness. It’s only natural that there will be times when you miss your family, even if you were one of those kids who couldn’t wait to get away. Find a way to deal with those feelings, such as making a phone call or sending some email home.
21. Stay on campus as much as possible. Whether it’s homesickness, a job, or a boyfriend or girlfriend from home, try not to leave campus too soon or too often. The more time you spend on getting to know the campus and your new friends, the more you’ll feel at home at school. And why not take advantage of all the cultural and social events that happen on campus?
22. Seek professional help when you need it. Most colleges have health and counseling centers. If you’re sick or feeling isolated or depressed, please take advantage of the many services these offices provide students. You don’t have to face these issues by yourself.
23. Keep track of your money. If you’ve never had to create a budget, now is the time to do so. Find ways to stretch your money – and as best you can, avoid all those credit card solicitations you’ll soon be receiving. The average credit card debt of college grads is staggering.
24. Don’t cut corners. College is all about learning. If you procrastinate and cram, you may still do well on tests, but you’ll learn very little. Even worse, don’t cheat on term papers or tests.
25. Be prepared to feel overwhelmed. There’s a lot going in your life right now. Expect to have moments where it seems a bit too much. As one student says, be prepared to feel completely unprepared. The trick is knowing that you’re not the only one feeling that way.

Final Words of Advice for First-Year College Students

You’ve done all the prep work — you’ve gotten good grades in high school, scored well on a standardized test, and been accepted into the college you want to attend — so enjoy all your hard work while laying the groundwork for a successful college career. Don’t be a statistic; be determined to make it through your freshman year — and beyond. Take advantage of your network of new friends and professors, have fun while learning as much as you can, and get the most out of your college experience.

Useful College Resources

Here are some useful articles and links that you may find useful:

• Choosing a College Major: How to Chart Your Ideal Path
• College Professor Pet Peeves and Positive Student Behaviors
• How College is Different from High School
• It’s Never Too Early — or Too Late — to Visit Your College Career Office
• 10 Tips for Getting Good (or Better) Grades
• What Good is a College Education Anyway? The Value of a College Education
• Teen Life/College Life Resources

Top 10 Reasons College Students Leave/Drop-Out Too much fun at the expense of classes and grades A sense of not belonging; a sense of isolation, homesickness Academically unprepared; burned-out on education Financial constraints; low on funds Personal family issues Academic climate/fit Choice of wrong major; major not offered Lack of advising, guidance Demands from part-time or full-time employment Move to a different geographic location Source: A variety of college institutional research sources

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TAGS: Career Resources student

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