Monday, September 24, 2012

Making the Most of College

College is a time that you either look forward to or fondly look back on for the rest of your life. Not only is it a time to party and enjoy yourself, but it is also the time when most people discover themselves - both personally and professionally.

Getting distracted in college with all the new experiences can be quite easy whether you're attending Vancouver College of Art and Design or studying chemical engineering at University of Saskatchewan. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your time in college.

Attend Class

Now before you start rolling your eyes and disregard this point entirely, keep in mind that you are paying to get an education. There are in reality, two aspects to this - you're paying for the course and that you want to educate yourself. Neither of these aspects is helped if you end up skipping the class. A good way to drive the point of money home, is to try and break up your total tuition cost into a per class value. This way, every time you end up skipping a class, you'll know exactly how much money you're throwing away.

Schedule Well

There is a fine balance in creating the perfect schedule. You don't want to extend a four year course into a fifth year due to lesser classes nor do you want to be like Jack by not leaving any time for play.

If you know that you're not one to rise early every morning, try and schedule your classes for a little later in the day. Also keep in mind that you would ideally need a breather every 2 hours or so.

Extra-curricular Activities Help

When you step out of the college life and into a job hunting role, you'll find that most hiring managers prefer a well-rounded student over one that is too academically inclined or one that barely scraped through. Take part in the student government, participate in sports, join the drama club, or any other activity that interests you, but take part!

Build Your Network

For most people college is the last time that they get to spend so much time around the same individuals. Use this time to network with students, professors and visiting faculty. The network you build in college often comes in handy through the later years.

Let Your Mind Explore

Even if you came to college knowing exactly what you want to do with your life, you might be surprised with how much a different area of study can increase your educational value. And of course if you're part of the majority who isn't really sure about the course their life will take, it makes even more sense to use your initial year(s) to figure out what you'd like to do.

Remember that your time in college is limited and you need to make the most of it. This includes the time you have for fun. While it is very important to get a good education out of your college years, you don't want to leave college without having some of the best times of your life either!

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