New college student!!!!!! (help)

norlns24 · Aug 5, 2012

Sounds like you do just fine. You sound very enthusiastic and ready to take the plunge. Since you are a student/ mom, check to see if there are clubs on campus for you. I attended a community college, and there was an academic and social support club for single moms. Not sure if you are single, but there might be a club you can join that will offer you a social support system from the start, such as a club for health-care related majors. Most schools will have a big kick-off the first week or two where all the campus clubs have a booth set up (kind of like an open house) to let new students know about what they have to offer.

Also, another big piece of advice would be to check to see if your school has any kind of learning assistance center or tutoring available. Having two English classes, it might be a really big help to you if there is someone on campus you can go to in order to have your papers proof-read and receive guidance and feedback outside of the classroom. Also be sure to go to your instructors' posted office hours for extra help if you need it. From the sound of your post, you are ready for school to begin and your instructors will greatly appreciate your determination and enthusiasm. Sadly, so many students in the core classes don't want to be there and participate very little. I have found that it is possible to jump up an entire letter grade, esp. in English classes, just by participating a lot and being engaged in the discussions.

Another advice is to try to develop a relationship w/ an academic counselor if your school does not pre-assign you one. At my school, we were not assigned to a particular counselor, but I managed to forge a good relationship w/ one of them off the bat, and always requested her after that. It was great because she remembered me and knew my needs. College counselors can be very busy, and the burden is often on the student to double check things. I met so many students who trusted what a random counselor said and ended up taking classes they didn't need. It's not that the counselors did not care, they just had so much going and so many appointments that they would sometimes make mistakes or not double-check info for changes.

If you have not done so already, after the first couple of weeks when they have more time, make an appt. w/ an academic counselor and formulate an acamedic plan that covers your first two years. It does not have to be set in stone, but having a general sense of which classes/ prerequisites you need and being able to look ahead a little bit is helpful down the road. It also allows you to go back and double check everything to make sure you have every class you need for your program, and keep tabs on your progress. Also, ask around, and try to make friends w/ other students in your classes who might also happen to be in pre-nursing programs. You will meet them -- trust me. Some of them will be second year students, and as such, have already taken some of the classes you will need next semester and next year. These students are a GREAT resource! Asking around about what instructors to take, which ones to avoid, etc. and what to watch out for in general can be invaluable.

Also, if you are not enrolled in it already, see if there is a Student Support Services (S.S.S.) program on your campus. At my school, it was called Trio (I believe some other schools may call it something else). I believe it is a federally funded program and available to qualifying students. It's a fantastic program, because they will cover the cost of some books, and award scholarships for attending meetings throughout the year, provide extra counseling to ensure success, and best of all, often offer one-on-one tutoring (subject to funding availability). Use all of the resources available to you in order to increase your chances of success. I went back to school after being out for over 15 years (B.A. in liberal arts), and could not believe how much easier it was for me. Part of the reason was that I was willing to accept tutoring help for math (I would have never been caught dead in a Learning Assistance Center my first go-around... too proud for that!), and found that I was able to get fairly easy As in the same math classes I struggled in 15 years prior.

Best of luck to you. You sound ready for the challenge!!

New college student!!!!!! *(help)*

New college student!!!!!! (help)