Photo by Mike Frederiksen
I still remember the first day I started classes at Moraine. I was excited, anxious, nervous, maybe even scared. College is a huge step in life, and it can be overwhelming.
Thankfully, my brother and mother had gone through this before, so it helped me to know what to expect. Not everyone has that though, and it can be hard with all of the red tape to know what to do, where to go and who to talk to.
For all freshmen starting college, the primary goal should be knocking out all of the general education classes as efficiently as possible. If you’re transferring to a university, be prepared to take a math course, two science courses, and a few more unpopular and mandatory courses. Getting these courses out of the way as quickly as possible can ease the stress they bring on.
These courses and community college itself can also work as a buffer between a student and the rest of his or her college career. They allow students who have no idea what they want to do more time to figure things out while still moving forward.
Another thing to always keep in mind is all of the school’s resources. So many students forget that the campus has a wide range of resources to help students succeed. Anyone who has taken College 101 already has a good taste of everything Moraine offers, from counseling, academic advising, and a tutoring center for those pesky subjects like math, and math. Did I forget to say math? Point is, there’s even more resources beyond those that will help you get through your classes. From carpooling, to a massage clinic, everything a student could ever need can be found at Moraine. A full list of the campus’ resources can be found at morainevalley.edu/resources.
Finally, something that should be common sense at this point is to never procrastinate. Of course, that’s a given with schoolwork, but I’m not just talking about in class. Between registering for classes and financial aid, waiting until the last minute can make things a lot harder by lessening the amount of money you get, or making an already busy schedule even more sporadic.
College can be a scary step to take, but don’t forget, you’re not the only one who’s taking it. If you ever feel overwhelmed, or don’t know what to do, don’t be afraid to use everything the school has to offer to move forward.
