10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming to Purdue
10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming to Purdue
Starting college for the first time can be a little scary, but knowing the right information can help a lot. Here is a list of ten things that we wish we knew before coming to Purdue to hopefully make your transition easier!
1. You are now in
control.
In high school, teachers
took attendance and parents told us to finish our homework. However, in a
lecture hall of 400 students, the professor won’t notice when you’re gone or if
you don’t submit an assignment; the responsibility to keep up your grades is
entirely on you. Make sure to keep yourself accountable and spend your time
wisely.
2. Have a planner or calendar to record your
daily tasks.
There are many things
to keep track of in a typical day. On top of attending classes, you will have
homework, projects, essays, and exams to manage. Planning ahead will help you
stay on top of all the work you have to do. Managing your time and balancing
academics and extracurriculars will be very important.
3. College classes are more comprehensive.
College is very
different from high school. The material is more challenging, and some first-year
classes are set in large lecture halls. However, that does not mean your
courses are unmanageable. Purdue is very good at supporting their students; there
are a lot of resources to help you get through the classes. Make sure to manage
your time accordingly and put a good amount towards studying outside of class
to retain the information talked about in class.
4. Go to office hours and attend supplemental
instruction sessions.
If you are stuck on a
homework problem, a good resource to use is office hours and supplemental
instruction (SI) sessions. These sessions are held by teaching assistants (TAs),
students who have already taken the class, and they go over the material in a
smaller setting. The professors and TAs will announce SI dates and times at the
beginning of the course, so make sure you write it down and take advantage of
them.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
During the first
semester of college, there were a lot of things that we had no idea how to do.
Not just regarding academics but also living on our own and taking care of
ourselves. If you ever feel lost, you are more than likely not the only one.
One thing we love about Purdue is how willing everyone is to help each other
out. Just ask and you might make a new friend along the way. Reach out to your
advisers or professors because they are all here to help you.
6. Get credit for classes you took in high
school
By getting credit for
high school classes whether it be from AP, IB, etc., you can get ahead in
classes. Even if the credits don’t directly transfer, they count as
undistributed credit. This can bump you from a freshman to sophomore or even
higher by credits, and you will receive earlier registration which is useful
during class and housing registration.
7. Learn your study habits.
Purdue has many
libraries and buildings with quiet study places or group study areas. It may
take a while to figure out what studying strategies work best for you; what
worked in high school may not work in college. A great piece of advice we were
once told was to work smarter and not harder. Creating studying groups is a
great way to learn and also make new friends!
8. Take classes that interest you.
You will have to take
a lot of general education classes your freshman year, but it is also important
to choose some classes that you will enjoy. Purdue offers thousands of classes
to choose from. Learn a new language or take a class on something totally
unrelated to your major.
9. Join a club or just try something new!
A great way to make
new friends in college is by joining a club and meeting people who are
interested in the same things you are interested in. As cheesy as it sounds,
you will do miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. College is full of
opportunities to try something you may have never even heard of; take
advantage. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake because we all do. Step out of
your comfort zone!
10. Everything will be okay. Just breathe.
Going to college is
definitely a huge step and you will experience a lot of changes. There will be
some rough days (Purdue academics are known to be rigorous), but you will get
through them and learn a lot in the process. All of this is just to build a
better you, so don’t worry too much and enjoy the college experience. Don’t be
afraid to take breaks when you need to and make sure to take care of yourself.
College is an exciting growth and learning experience and it will be some of
the greatest years in your life!
Christina Yu, Mechanical Engineering '22 and Yourong Tang Computer Engineering '22
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