In college, it seems that years pass at the blink of eye.
One day you’re a freshman and before you know it, you are mailing out graduation announcements to all your loved ones.
Preparing and adjusting to college when you’re a freshman will present new experiences.
Challenges will be a part of the journey, but with some guidance, they can be easier to deal with.
When asking upperclassmen at Cal State Fullerton what they wish they would have known as freshmen, they advise to take advantage of on campus programs, resources, classes and money saving tricks.
Breanna Helsley, a sophomore kinesiology major, has learned early on in her college career that beneficial programs can be overlooked by new students.
Her suggestion for incoming students is to join Freshman Programs.
Because college is larger and more diverse than high school, Freshman Programs helps first-year students “find what they need, whether it’s a place on campus to chill or tips to improve writing or time management skills,” according to its website.
“I’m a peer mentor as well a student advisor… (for) students who are in freshman programs… it’s a good thing to take advantage of because it can kickstart your involvement on campus,” said Helsley.
The program offers enrolled participants useful classes, mentors and a place to study and print for free at a the Lava Lounge in Langsdorf Hall.
Students new to college may also not be aware of all the helpful services made available by the university.
Some of the services upperclassmen highlight are the writing and mathematics tutoring centers that are open throughout the week.
The Writing Center, in the Pollak Library, can help improve essays, term papers and resumes for jobs and internships on an individual basis or as a group.
“The Writing Center is a welcoming place where we do collaborative writing and we work together as student tutors with other students… we are interested in them in improving as writers in general,” said Robin Miller, an english graduate student who works at the center.
The math tutoring center allows students to drop in with homework and questions related to their math courses.
Taking the extra help available can be beneficial to how grades will turn out on a college transcript.
Next time freshman register for classes, it would be a good idea to add in a one unit course, said senior kinesiology major Joanne Calculitan.
As part of her career path requirements, she adds kinesiology activity classes to her class schedule.
These activities range anywhere from bowling to Aikido self-defense classes.
“One unit classes help grade point averages. It’s good because it’s like a buffer class that helps you relax and as long as you follow the requirements will boost your GPA,” Calculitan said.
She suggested freshman students browse the list of one-unit courses available at CSUF.
Lastly, holding off on buying textbooks until the first day of class is one of the biggest ways to save money in college.
David Balderos, a senior health science major, said he wishes people would have told him that not each textbook listed on the Portal is subjective to the professor.
Some professors might not use the book or might allow students to buy a previous version which is usually cheaper.
Many times, students luck out on extra cash by renting and buying old editions of books that are not much different than their successors.
Fellow new Titans can be confident that upperclassmen have their best interest in mind by taking the time to provide these simple yet useful pieces of advice.
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