What Are Some Tips for Making a Great Impression in Your First Year of College?

College Life
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With school about to start shortly, Forbes recently shared the 4 tips below for making a great impression in your first year of college.

Tip #1: Command Respect In The Classroom
Tip #2: Build Authentic Peer Relationships
Tip #3: Make Your Mark In Campus Organizations
Tip #4: Earn Professor’s Respect And Navigate Academic Advising

Do you have any other tips to share?

How did you (your kids) navigate the first year of college? Share your experiences by commenting below!

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Go to all the help sessions and office hours, even if you don’t think you need to!

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Office hours!

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Go to the Write Place (or whatever your school calls their writing center) with all papers at least for the first year. If nothing else, there is always some little error they will find.

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Get out of the dorm room and be seen.

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  1. attend class, and speak up (in moderation – don’t monopolize class discussion)
  2. Join things! And help out while you’re there – if they need volunteers, raise your hand. C24 joined a club in a field they liked, and at their first meeting they asked for someone to be a trainee Treasurer. They volunteered, and as sophomore year begins, they’re fully the Treasurer, responsible for a complete overhaul of the way the club uses its funds, planning a big event, and having an amazing time! And they’ve gotten to know a ton of people they may not have if they hadn’t taken that first leap.
  3. If you’re feeling scared and shy, remember that other people may be feeling the same way. Be brave, start a conversation.
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Say “yes” more than you say “no”. Be willing to try new things.

Stop by people’s rooms and ask If they want to walk to dinner together.

Knock on doors and invite people to hang out in the hallway to get to know each other. S23 and roommate started with the room next door and by the time they got to the end of the hall, there was a huge bunch of kids. No one was left out and kids that said no initially could join in because they were in the hallway rather than in someone’s room with the door closed. The kids from that floor are still really tight. Nine of them moved in together sophomore year.

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Don’t eat lunch by yourself. Say hello, ask to join a table, and invite persons sitting by themselves if they may want company.

I gave our daughter this advice when dropping her off for her first semester and she excitedly told me she quickly made a ton of new friends around campus (visiting different dining halls). These new friendships carried over into her second year and it was great to see her settled in on campus.

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