While it is smart to plan ahead and research what to expect on your first semester as a college student, no one knows how to survive higher education better than actual Salt Lake Community College students.
SLCC student Jenny Tran advises others not to take classes too lightly. “Work hard from the beginning so you’re always caught up instead of always having to catch up,” she says. “I would’ve told my freshman self to take exams and finals more seriously. You can always retake tests in high school, but in college, if you fail the final, you fail the class.” The best option is to study hard rather than risk earning a bad grade.
David Huang advises students to be prepared to work the entire day. “In the math class that I took, we never took a break. My brain was fried at the end of each day.” Of course, every class is different and everyone’s experience isn’t the same, but there’s no debate for the fact that college can be difficult. You’re going to struggle, but so is everyone else, whether they’re a freshman or a senior.
While the main purpose of college is to expand your knowledge, that doesn’t mean it should be all work and no play. “Learn how to make new friends,” Ange Padilla, an SLCC sophomore, says. “Don’t spend your first semester isolating yourself like I did. Trust me, college is a lot more fun when you have good people around.”
A great way to get involved with the community and meet new people is by joining one of the many clubs at SLCC. There are over sixty clubs to join and if that isn’t enough, you can even start your own.
It’s also a good idea to have a decent relationship between you and your professors. “Don’t be afraid to drop a class before the deadline,” SLCC student Michelle Nguyen says. “You have to click with your professors. If you don’t or if you just don’t like how they teach, you’re going to have a hard time learning the subject.”
Another tip: Remember to drop any class before its specific deadline; if you drop them after the deadline, your money will not be reimbursed.
