Monthly Archives: July 2015

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College Preparation

Lesson 1: Adjust

How exciting! You’ve graduated from high school and now you’re off to college. Whether still living at home, or dorming it, the adventure is about to begin and you have no idea what to expect. The anxiety mounts with each passing day as you wonder if you’ll make new friends and if you’re ready to start life as an independent adult.  There is no turning back. Your tuition is paid and you’ve registered for classes, but you’re really not sure what to expect.

Simply put, expect to adjust.

Remember your grammar, middle and high school years?  With each grade level promotion your teachers warned about the next level and what to expect. Throughout your senior year your teachers may have explained college life in terms of exams, papers, organizing, and documenting, and they may have shared fun stories about their college days. However, I was recently reminded that many teachers forget to mention the constant learning curve of adjusting.

For some people change is easy.  For others change shocks the system.  Because change is different for everyone, I came up with a short list of adjustments to help you prepare.

Adjustment 1: The Syllabus

  • Read It!
  • Know It!
  • Own It!

Adjustment 2: Your Roommate is not your sibling. (Not applicable unless you are in a dorm or apartment.)

  • Figure out the living arrangements, together.
  • What are the rules for overnight guests?
  • Ignore A LOT.

Adjustment 3: You’re on your own.

  • Take care of your financial situation.
  • Take care of yourself by making sure you eat right and exercise.
  • Know your schedule.

Adjustment 4: Make New Friends

  • My friend met his wife at their freshman orientation at UC Santa Barbara, that was over thirty years ago… (Lesson: You never know who you’re going to meet.)
  • You will make tons of friends, some may become life-long!
  • Some of your classmates will be your parents’ age, or your grandparents’ age, learn from them.

Adjustment 5: Get a Calendar (paper, computer, or phone) and Schedule Everything

Block out

  • Class Meetings and mark readings, papers, and tests on the schedule in different colors
  • Studying, researching and writing.
  • Meals and Social events
  • Housekeeping/Laundry
  • Workout
  • Employment (if applicable)

This is such an exciting time for you!

I remember it so well. Excited, nervous, unsure and alone I went to my first class, sitting next to young woman my age. We began talking and quickly became friends. Together we learned to adjust to our environment.

You’ll learn to adjust accordingly. Just keep in mind, school is a learning environment and adjusting is a learned skill.

By the way, if you’re wondering what happened to that young woman I met so long ago, we’re still friends. In fact, I know she’s reading this post!

(It is my hope that a dialogue is started. Please feel free to leave only positive comments.  I know there are a lot of other adjustments one must figure out and your suggestions are welcome! They may even become a blog topic. Oh, wouldn’t that be neat?!)

Please stay tuned for future topic: Reading the Syllabus, Your Schedule, Organization, Assignments and Documentation (See resources). Continue reading →

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Plan It!

Eventually my goal is to separate creative writing posts from college preparation posts. However, from time to time I’ll combine entries as they relate to one another, and I get comfortable with the entire blog idea.

That’s right; I said I need to get comfortable with the blog idea. My old school ways simply weren’t working any longer and like any true professional I evolved.

As I started to change an epiphany hit me over the head and then came back kicking my butt! Developing and writing a blog, essay, story, novel, or even a business plan requires planning, brainstorming, researching and trial and error before publishing.

Wait a minute! Stop everything! I just explained the writing process.

Yup!

As I created my website I discovered everything from thought to creation required the exact same premise as the writing process.  Simply put, one needs a plan.

It’s like going to the grocery store. First comes the list of needed items from the top of my head and then I look through the cabinets and refrigerator– the brainstorm. Sometimes I go even further and lump items together according to isles—the outline. Then it’s time to look through the ads, checking for the best prices—the research. Without a plan I waste time and money—the disaster.

Start early and plan it. Whether you’re writing creative for creative audience, or an expository audience, give yourself a deadline for a final copy and plan accordingly. Remember to sketch out your ideas—the brainstorm. Lump them together and know where you want to go—the outline. Don’t forget to research, research, research and document, document, document accordingly. (I will address that at a later time). Start drafting. I mean that word as a gerund; a verb and a plural noun, there should be more than one draft. Remember what happens without a good plan—disaster.

The bottom line is that everything must start with a process and a plan before trial and error, which is your drafting. Write a first draft. Get those thoughts on paper. Let it get cold. Wait a few days. Then, look at it. Yes, you wrote that, so now fix it! It wouldn’t hurt to let it get cold again and then fix it, again.

Keep in mind; everything starts with a plan.  Just plan it!