Orientation

Orientation usually involves a day or two of sessions that provides the students and parents with an overview of what to expect the first year. This will be the first glimpse of college for most students as they prepare for the days leading up to moving on campus. Orientation includes many tours of the campus and sessions filled with valuable information that the students and parents will find useful. Some sessions covered in orientation may include financial aid, residence halls, campus activities, and registering for class. This experience will also be an opportunity for students to get to know new people and establish a group of friends to hang out with. Though this day or two may be fillies with a number of sessions to attend, orientation is not always boring. Some schools provide many opportunities for students to network and get to know each other as well as a number activities that make this experience an enjoyable one.

Campus Life

Your first year college experience will typically vary depending on the location of the university, the size, and what classes you've decided to register for. You have some universities that are known for being "a party school", and others that involve rigorous studying and focus amongst the students. But nonetheless, the first year is an experience that you will never forget. Some of the main differences between high school and college include the amount of students in class, the amount of coursework, and grades. Though academics is the main priority when attending college, maintaining a social life is also just as important. Not having peers that you can share this experience with can get lonely and depressing. Meeting new people can open up the opportunity to join organizations on campus and get involved in school activities making the college experience much more enjoyable. The atmosphere of the campus is inviting to students as it opens up many possibilities for enrichment and growth.

Living in the Dorms

This aspect of college may be the most challenging for some freshmen. As for others, this may be the most exciting part about their whole college experience. Many colleges are different when it comes to the dorms. Some colleges may have privatized dorms where each student may have there own rooms and share there own private bathroom while others may be a traditional small dorm room with a roommate and community bathrooms. Whatever the living arrangements may be the experience is still somewhat the same. Of course there are rules to follow when living in the dorms such as quite hours, visitation hours, and what items are allowed in the rooms. But having that first year college experience and living in the dorms gives students the opportunity to meet new people and interact with the people on there floor and building. Some colleges have special events or activities that they host for their building to engage the students and get them to bond with the other students in their buildings. Although the rules may be a drag, the experience is still one that's worth going through.

It's time to get up!!!

For the first time freshmen will be living somewhere other than home which can either be really exciting or intimidating. Being away from home and living in the dorms is so different from being at home. Now when it's time to wake up for that early morning class it's the students responsibility to set their alarm and actually get up in the morning to make it to class. You won't have your parents there to wake you up in case you don't hear your alarm buzzing in the morning. This may be a challenge for some as it is solely the individuals responsibility to go to class. I mean let's be honest, there will be some days where you just don't feel like going to class for whatever reason but at the same time, you shouldn't make it a habit to not attend class as it will reflect on your grades and you may end up being behind in class.

The first day!

The first day of class is a day that many freshmen look forward to. Some students are filled with excitement and anticipation while are may be a little more nervous. Hopefully you would have already viewed a map of the campus and walked around to see where each building is for your classes. By doing this you can avoid getting lost, stopping frequently to ask people where certain building are, and not show up late to class on the first day. Once you get to class, most of the time the teachers will just review over the syllabus with the students and let them know what to expect in the class throughout the semester. There are some teachers though that do begin lesson on the first day so make sure you're prepared with pen and paper. Overall, the first day is pretty chill and laid back, you'll just be getting a small glimpse of what to expect for the semester.

Making sure the financial aspect is in order.

One of it not the most important aspect about going to college is the financial aid process. Knowing that your tuition is paid for the semester can give students one less thing to worry about while in school. If you don't have a scholarship or don't have money set aside for your tuition you want to make sure that you complete everything that is required to receive financial aid. This can be done by going to fafsa.ed.gov to complete the application to turn in to your schools financial aid office. One all of your paper work is completed on time before the deadlines your school will award you financial aid for the semester in grants or loans. Students should take this process seriously because it is a crucial aspect of college. If your financial aid is not complete or you're missing certain documents, the school will not award you any financial aid for the semester and it then becomes the student responsibility to pay the balance for that school semester. If the balance is not paid by a certain date the school will then drop the student from all of their registered classes for that semester. So students should keep in mind that it is crucial to have their financial aid completed on time so that they will not have to worry about being dropped from any classes throughout the semester.