letter

Georgetown High School
2211 North Austin Ave.
Georgetown, TX 78628

Dear college-bound seniors,
For my freshman seminar class at Texas Tech I was asked to write a letter to college bound students from my old high school advising them on the best ways to manage their first year at a university. Let me begin by stating the obvious - college is a huge step for any young adult. The difficult classes mixed with new found freedom and hundreds of activities to join can catch many recent high school graduates off guard. Many incoming college freshman underestimate these challenges, and can easily find themselves in a hole that is very difficult to get out of. Fortunately, I have learned a few basic tricks to help you guys out. The three most important things for every college bound senior to know are to have good study habits, set priorities, and to manage their time.
Studying is a task that is not always required in high school, which is why most college freshman have little knowledge of how to study or how much to study. It is advised that the student have a “study spot” where they do all of their studying. This should be a quiet, secluded area where they can concentrate their absolute best with minimal distractions. It is also recommended that each student study at least 2 hours per week for each class. This doesn’t sound like a hard task, but the procrastination is a constant and difficult battle for every college student. Having good, consistent study habits will make your freshman year of college tremendously easier.
The importance of setting priorities is something that every college-bound senior should know. There are an overwhelming amount of clubs, organizations, and people that it is easy to simply “go with the flow.” However, jumping at every opportunity is more likely to hurt a college freshman than help them. It is crucial that each student decide what their top priorities are while they are at their new college, and to stick to those decisions. From grades, to fraternities and sororities, to the baseball team, it is important that each individual decide what comes first to them. Setting priorities will increase the chances of having a happy, healthy freshman year at college.
The most vital thing for a college freshman to know is how to manage their time. Knowing how to study is important, but if a student does not manage their time properly they may end up without any time to study at the end of the day. Setting priorities is essential, but students still need to know when they can participate in certain events and when they simply do not have time. Weekly and/or monthly planners make time management easy and effective, if used correctly. If the student can make themselves write down every assignment, when it’s due, when significant events are, and when they should study, they will have an automatic leg up on any other student who isn’t doing so.
Making the adjustment from high school to college can sometimes end up being a bad experience, but these tips should help any freshman make a smooth transition. Having been a student at Georgetown High School and now half way through my first semester at college, I feel that these tips can really help all of you especially. Although the life of a college freshman will probably never be considered easy, knowing these skills will surely make not only a student’s freshman year successful, but their entire college career.

Sincerely,
Lauren Alsup

movies and television tend to make college look like one huge party. everyone just runs around drunk and you rarely hear anything about homework or tests. obviously we have all figured out that we need to study and do well in our classes to even have a shot at staying here and that partying really comes second to schoolwork.

9/23

Probably the most memorable thing I've done since I got to tech was join a sorority. It takes up a lot of my time but it is very helpful in other ways. I was able to meet tons of new people, have fun, and, since we have required study hours, keep up with my grades.

4 (9/16)

Three good ways to use a textbook wisely is to make notes in the margins (annotation), read the chapter summaries, and to read to learn instead of just reading to say you did it. The advantages of the university are that it offers many study areas and that almost everything is in walking distance.

study abroad

I went to the study abroad meeting last week and thought it was very interesting. Each table talked about whatever place they could send you (Ireland, Italy, China, etc) and told you a little about the process. I thought it was funny that each stand was extremely passionate about their location and said that it was the best place to go to study abroad. Mostly everyone just talked about their experiences and encouraged us to sign up.

essay - first draft

Study Habits, Setting Priorities and Time Management’s Importance to Your First Year at College
College is a huge step for any young adult. The difficult classes mixed with new found freedom and hundreds of activities to join can catch many recent high school graduates off guard. Many incoming college freshman underestimate these challenges, and can easily find themselves in a hole that is very difficult to get out of. Fortunately, there are a few basic trips to help these new students out. The three most important things for every college bound senior to know are to have good study habits, set priorities, and to manage their time.
Studying is a task that is not always required in high school, which is why most college freshman have little knowledge of how to study or how much to study. It is advised that the student have a “study spot” where they do all of their studying. This should be a quiet, secluded area where they can concentrate their absolute best with minimal distractions. It is also recommended that each student study at least 2 hours per week for each class. This doesn’t sound like a hard task, but the procrastination is a constant and difficult battle for every college student. Another way of battling procrastination is by going by the motto of “if you’re not studying, your behind,” some wise words from my teacher, Mr. Rice. Having good, consistent study habits will make your freshman year of college tremendously easier.
The importance of setting priorities is something that every college-bound senior should know. There are an overwhelming amount of clubs, organizations, and people that it is easy to simply “go with the flow.” However, jumping at every opportunity is more likely to hurt a college freshman than help them. It is crucial that each student decide what their top priorities are while they are at their new college, and to stick to those decisions. From grades, to fraternities and sororities, to the baseball team, it is important that each individual decide what comes first to them. Hopefully grades will come first, but everything thereafter is up to each individual. Setting priorities will increase the chances of having a happy, healthy freshman year at college.
The most vital thing for a college freshman to know is how to manage their time. Knowing how to study is important, but if a student does not manage their time properly they may end up without any time to study at the end of the day. Setting priorities is essential, but students still need to know when they can participate in certain events and when they simply do not have time. Weekly and/or monthly planners make time management easy and effective, if used correctly. If the student can make themselves write down every assignment, when it’s due, when significant events are, and when they should study, they will have an automatic leg up on any other student who isn’t doing so.
Making the adjustment from high school to college can sometimes end up being a bad experience, but these tips should help any freshman make a smooth transition. Although the life of a college freshman will probably never be considered easy, knowing these skills will surely make not only a student’s freshman year successful, but their entire college career.

Chapter four talked about how to maintain high self esteem and discussed the importance of setting goals for yourself in college. The fifth chapter was about how you can manage stress by exercising and setting aside some quiet time for yourself. Chapter six focused on what kind of learner you are and the best ways to study based on whether you were a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner. Katie talked about not being a worry wart in her first blog, that is something I need to work on.

First Blog- IS1100

In the first chapter I learned that there are many stressful situations in college but there are many ways to avoid that stress, like being prepared for class and being familiar with the campus. The second chapter has basic things you should know, like being on time, paying your tuition early, and sitting close to the professor so they will notice you. The third chapter is mainly about studying and how you will be successful if you stick to a good study schedule. A friend of mine told me that you should always ask your professor a question after class within the first couple of weeks so that they will remember you, is this true?