The Freshman Checklist: 10 Things You Can Do This Summer to Get Ready for College
Graduation is in the rearview and summer is already half gone. In a little over a month, college freshmen will be arriving on campuses around the country for their respective welcome weeks. Right after that, classes will start and 2019’s brand-new college students will be off to the races. It may seem like the fall is still months away, but summer has a tendency to fly by—especially the last summer before college. It’s also easy to forget that the summer is your chance to check off the last few items on your college planning checklist. Below, we’ve compiled a list of 10 things you should do this summer to get ready for your first college semester.
Attend orientation: Orientation is the single most important item on your summer-before-college checklist. It’s at orientation that you will start to familiarize yourself with the campus that will soon be your home. It’s at orientation that you will nail down your course schedule for the fall. It’s at orientation that you will start making the connections that will bloom into friendships come September. Ideally, you already have an orientation date marked and circled on your calendar. Better yet, maybe you’ve already attended your orientation session. If you haven’t, though, or if you’re not sure when your orientation date is supposed to be, contact your college/university and get that sorted out ASAP.
Make sure your housing arrangement is all set: By now, you should have gotten a housing assignment and probably a roommate. If not, contact your school and make sure you have a spot in the dorms. If so, “friend” your roommate on Facebook or find them on other social networking sites. Better yet, get their phone number and set up a time for a lengthy chat. Not only will connecting with your roommate ahead of time give you a head start on one of your most important first-year-of-college relationships, but it will also make the move-in process easier. You can even start deciding who is going to bring what, in terms of furniture, electronics, and other dorm room essentials. Finally, on a related note, make sure you’re signed up for some sort of meal plan for the semester; not much is worse than being a hungry college student!
Sketch out a calendar: Orientation is just the first important date on your college transition calendar. Other dates of note include move-in day, welcome week, and the first day of classes. Figure out when these key dates fall and mark them on your calendar, jot them down in your planner, or put them in your phone. Especially if you’ll be traveling a fair distance for college, it’s good to visualize dates so that you and your parents can plan out the travel piece. Even if you’re only going to school an hour or two away from home, though, marking those key dates will help you prepare mentally for school—and for how quickly it’s approaching. While you’re at it, mark down key dates for the rest of the semester, too—including the last day of classes, vacation periods, and finals. Having all this information in one place will make your life easier.
Earn some spending money: The summer between high school and college is the perfect time to get a job and make some money. That doesn’t mean you have to work full time—there’s something to be said for putting in quality time with friends and family before you leave town—but it does mean you should take advantage of the opportunity. Whether you’re paying your way through college or getting help from your parents or scholarships, it’s never bad to have some spending money for when you’re on campus. Plus, the booming nature of the economy means that most employers—from hotels to restaurants to landscaping companies—are in need of summertime help. In other words, there’s probably a summer job out there for you, if you’re willing to take one.
Shop for textbooks: Once you’ve gone to orientation and nailed down your schedule for the fall, figure out what textbooks and materials you’ll need for each course and start shopping. Don’t wait until you’re on campus! The campus bookstore is not the place to buy books unless you want to spend an arm and a leg. Plus, if you put your book shopping off until then, it’s just one more thing you will have to do after move-in. Read our tips for buying textbooks and take them to heart to score great deals on book purchases or rentals.
Apply for last-minute scholarships: The scholarship rush mostly plays out during senior year of high school or the summer before. However, one of the big mistakes that many high school graduates make is to stop looking for scholarships once they’re out of school. There are still scholarship opportunities to be found out there if you are willing to look for them. Start with this list of 32 scholarships to apply for over summer break. As you will see, the application deadlines for these scholarships are scattered all through the summer. Some aren’t even due until September! Start applying now to see if you can get some extra help paying for college next year. At Right Path College & Career Planning, we can help you identify scholarship opportunities and assist you with the application processes. If you’re still on the scholarship hunt, contact us today.
Get your finances in order: Even beyond scholarships, financial aid, and tuition in general, you’ll want to figure out what your plan is for money for the semester and school year ahead. Make sure your bank has a branch or ATM on or near campus. If they don’t, consider switching to a bank that has more of a presence in your college town. While you’re at it, get a debit card and check your account balance. Determine whether you will need to work a job during the semester. If so, look into opportunities for work-study on campus, or do a survey of close-to-campus businesses where you might be able to work. You can even start reaching out to those businesses to see if they’ll be hiring for the fall. Finally, sit down with your parents and have a frank conversation about money. If your parents will be helping you pay for college, it’s good to figure out exactly how far that generosity goes. Are they paying for books and gas money, or just the nuts and bolts of tuition, fees, room, and board? Making sure everyone is on the same page money-wise will avoid arguments or hurt feelings later and will make it easier for everyone to plan accordingly.
Go school shopping: Remember how you used to go school supply shopping before starting a new year in elementary school? It’s time to do the same thing—albeit, on a whole new scale. In the old days, school supply shopping was all about crayons, markers, and pencils. Before college, there’s a whole slew of items you might need. The top item on your shopping list, if you don’t have one already, is a laptop. You’ll need a reliable computer for writing paper and plenty of other coursework. Also on your shopping list should be a backpack or computer bag, bedding for your dorm room, a power strip, a desk lamp, cleaning supplies, a shower caddy, flip-flops to wear in the dorm shower, a laundry basket, some starter snacks, and anything you’ve told your roommate you will bring—be it a fan, a coffee maker, or a mini fridge. And don’t forget the more traditional school supplies, either: just because you’re in college now doesn’t mean you don’t need pencils, pens, notebooks, and binders.
Write out a packing checklist: As you shop for school, start preparing a packing checklist. In addition to all the stuff you buy, you’ll also need to pack clothes, towels, shower supplies like body soap and shampoo, hangers, an umbrella, a raincoat, and more. You’d be surprised at how easy it is to walk out the door without something important, like your razor, or your cellphone charger, or a jacket for cold days in the fall/winter. Making a packing list early and giving yourself a chance to think through everything you might want to have for school will make the week leading up to move-in day a lot easier on you. Also, you’ll probably get issued your college ID card when you go to orientation; make sure it’s at the very top of your packing list. (Keep an eye on this blog for a more detailed college packing list in August!)
Figure out your car: If you’ll have a car on campus this fall, you want to make sure that your vehicle can offer a reliable way to get around or to come home for weekends or holidays. Taking your car in for an oil change and an overall check-up with a mechanic will ensure peace of mind for you and your parents alike. Also, on the subject of cars, make sure you know what to expect from your college or university on this front. Most colleges have (somewhat pricey) parking permits that you’ll need to buy to park in on-campus lots. It’s also not uncommon for schools to have different permits for different lots. Figure out which type of parking permit you need, based on where your dorm is, as well as how much you’ll need to shell out to get that permit. If the permit is too expensive, or if you don’t think you’ll be using a vehicle much, consider leaving your car at home and having your parents drive you to school for move-in day. Some students find it nice not having to worry about their cars, especially during the excitement and chaos that is the first semester of college.
Finally, don’t forget to cherish your last pre-college summer. Spend time with your high school friends and make great memories. Do the same with your parents and siblings. Visit your favorite spots in your hometown, be they restaurants or coffee shops or beaches. You’ll make a lot of new connections and memories in college, but you’re also leaving something behind to pursue your new chapter. Give the old chapter a fitting send-off before you hit the road for move-in day and welcome week. If/when homesickness sets in, you’ll be glad you did.