Tips for Getting Ready for University
One of the first steps when preparing for college is thinking about your classes. There are a lot of options to choose from. You could enroll in a history class that focus completely on King Richard’s pilgrimage during the crusades, classes that focus completely on African American poets, or a class that looks at multiple world religions. Spending some time with an advisor discussing your options for classes may make it easier to make a concrete schedule for your first semester or quarter.
Another preparation you need to focus on is figuring out your living situation. A lot of schools have some sort of requirements about living on campus. At some schools you will be required to live in a residence hall or dormitory for the first or possibly first two years. If you are required to live in a dorm, the school will most likely match you up with a roommate or two. When shopping for stuff for your room, you will want to talk to your roommate about who is buying what. The school will send you a list of prohibited and acceptable items. Most dorms will allow a mini-fridge and a microwave. However, coffee pots and hot plates are usually prohibited from the rooms. To prevent having two fridges and two microwaves, you will want to make sure you clearly plan out who is going to purchase which one.
A fun part of preparing to move into your dorm room is decorating your room. Towards the end of summer, a lot of stores begin carrying stuff specifically for college dorm rooms. One thing you have to make sure you look for is sheets that are going to fit the beds in dorm rooms. After all your linens are purchased, you can plan your color theme. One thing to remember is that whatever you plan on doing to the room will have to be undone by the time you move back out. If you put up poster on the wall, using a little whiteout or toothpaste will cover up the holes from thumbtacks when you move out.
Once you get on campus, the campus bookstore will have your textbooks for sale. However, you could potentially save some money if you order them off the internet instead. Ordering books online can save you some money, but it also can be a huge hassle to deal with shipping. You will want to wait to buy things like folders, paper, notebooks, pens, pencils, highlighters, and index cards are going to be cheaper at a grocery store than at the bookstore on campus. There may be extra expenses like special calculators or a device called a clicker that certain classes may require you to purchase; however you may not find out about that until the first day of classes.
