Key Preparations For College Life Essay, Research Paper

In today?s society it is important to receive a college education to join the workforce. However, the transition from high school to college can be a very intimidating experience for many students. To make the college transition less frightening, students can take several precautions while still in high school. These precautions include participating in extracurricular activities, taking challenging courses, as well as developing good time management skills. Participation in extracurricular activities is important in succeeding in a college environment because it helps students to explore their interests and talents. Challenging courses also benefit students because they help to prepare students academically for the demanding workload found in college. Time management is yet another important skill to have because it will help students to manage their time between academics and socialization

Participation in extracurricular activities is a great resource for students to grow as individuals. Students have many opportunities to choose from when participating in extracurricular activities. The most common opportunities for participation in extracurricular activities are found in schools, communities, and religious organizations. The most accessible extracurricular activities to students are those that are school related. School sponsored extracurricular activities include sports, student clubs, and musical organizations. Community organizations are also popular among students, and serve as great extracurricular opportunities. Communal extracurricular activities include awareness groups, focus groups, and reform groups. Although not as popular as school or

community organizations, religious organizations also serve as a strong ingredient for extracurricular opportunities. Religious related organizations consist of faith groups, retreat groups, and study groups.

Besides participating in extracurricular activities to belong to a specific group, students can also volunteer for community service. Community service teaches students responsibility, helps to build strong friendship bonds, and helps to make important business contacts. Students are taught responsibility when performing community service because they are no longer thinking about themselves. The students? priorities are however, now to help those whom they are doing this service for. Strong friendship bonds are also established through community service. By performing community service, students continuously associate with one another and often grow to become great friends. Community service is also important in establishing important business contacts. Students can volunteer in an area that interests them, and at the same time make important connections that may help them in the future.

Taking challenging courses while still in high school will help students prepare for the demanding workload that they will find in college. Most high school senior students believe that it is their right to take a minimal amount of courses because it is their last year in high school. This kind of thinking can however, frustrate these students in the future because they will be overwhelmed by all the work assigned to them in college. College professors expect entering students to have a solid education especially in English and mathematics, and will expect a great amount of effort from their students. In college, students do not have the option of complaining about having too much work.

By being used to a demanding class schedule while still in high school, the transition from high school to college will be much easier.

Students who take challenging courses while still in high school will also become more proficient learners. Students will become more proficient learners because these challenging courses will expand their vocabulary, as well as narrow their interests. Students who take challenging courses will build a larger vocabulary because they will be taught in a much more demanding environment. The more challenging courses will also familiarize students with many then unknown terms. High school students who do not want to be challenged are never exposed to new material because these students only take those courses that they are already familiar with. Students who take challenging courses however, will be exposed to new material that may help to shape their future careers.

Time management is the most important skill to possess in order to succeed in college. Many students have difficulty succeeding in college because they do not know how to organize their time between academics and socialization. There are numerous distractions found on a college campus that often lead to the hesitation of doing schoolwork. Some students like to put homework off for later because they see schoolwork as a burden. Instead, students do what is pleasurable to them, often ignoring schoolwork altogether. By knowing how to manage their time, students will be able to enrich their lives academically as well as socially.

A good time management skill also leads to good study habits. Although some students know how to separate their time between academics and socialization, they often encounter problems in the way that they approach their studying. Many students do not

know how to, or for how long to study on certain tests. The best solution for students is to experiment with many different study methods, whether it would be studying with or without music, alone or with a group, or in your dorm or at the library. Although most students will not immediately recognize what study habits work best for them, good time management skills will be of great help. Good time management skills will enable the student to focus on particular topics that he or she may have trouble with. By being able to focus on a particular topic, students will be able to apply different study methods since the subject matter that they are struggling with will have the students? full cooperation.

Although there are many more precautions that students have to take before attending college, being exposed to extracurricular activities, taking challenging courses, and developing good time management skills while still in high school will undoubtedly help students to succeed in college. Being involved in extracurricular activities in high school will help students find their niche in college extracurricular activities. By taking challenging courses in high school, the students? academic transition to college will be easier. However, the most important skill to possess is in good time management because it will help students to distribute their time between recreation, and academics. Even though it is important to take several precautions before attending college, the student also has to be prepared mentally for this new venture.

This assignment was worthwhile for me because after completing this assignment I now realize how I can be successful in college. However, the only problem for me now is to apply these ?precautions? into my daily routine. One problem I had with this assignment was starting it. Whenever I write, I always have problems brainstorming my

ideas even though I often use an outline. Another problem that I had in this first assignment was expanding my thoughts about main point into two paragraphs. When I normally write, I am used to summarizing each idea or main point in one paragraph rather than two or three.