8 Things You Should Know Before You Start College入學(xué)應(yīng)知八件事

麥肯納·米勒

Advice for getting your first semester of college off to a good start.八條建議，助你順利開啟大學(xué)第一學(xué)期。

By McKenna Miller

Setting off for your first semester of college can be scary， and even the most eager aspiring first-year will have questions. Although colleges do their best to make new students feel welcome， there are some issues that won’t be addressed in the orientation package. Here’s a little guide to some of the more practical matters of getting your college career started right.

Every college has different rules on what you can bring

It is essential that you check the list of approved and prohibited items from your college before you move in. Rules vary from school to school， and you may want to hold off on buying that mini-fridge/microwave combo1 until you make sure you can have them in your dorm. Even things you might not think about， such as power strips2 or halogen lamps， might be prohibited by your university. Make sure you check the college’s specific requirements.

You probably shouldn’t take your whole closet

Dorm storage space is one thing that many incoming freshmen overestimate. Depending on the size of your wardrobe， it might be a good idea to consider leaving everything but the necessities at home. Besides， you might find you don’t need as many clothes as you think—most college laundry facilities are easy and inexpensive. Many colleges even offer free use of washers and dryers. It’s a good idea to do some research before you start school to see whether or not you need to stock up on quarters. Some colleges even have high-tech laundry services that will text you once your clothes are ready. Be sure to do a little research into your college’s laundry facilities before you pack for college.

You might not like your first roommate （and that’s not the end of the world）

For your first semester of college， odds are you’ll have a randomly picked roommate. And while it’s completely possible that you will be the best of friends， it’s also possible that you might not get along. This can be uncomfortable， but remember that with classes， clubs， and other campus events， you probably won’t be in your room very much anyway. By the time the semester is over， you’ll most likely have found a friend to room with for the next term.

First semester classes might not be that great （but they’ll get better）

For your first semester， you’re probably taking a first-year seminar， some gen-ed classes， and perhaps a big lecture hall 101 type course3. Some of the big， mostly first-year classes aren’t the most engaging， and first-year students are frequently taught by graduate students rather than the college’s professors. If your classes aren’t what you had hoped for， keep in mind that you will soon be in smaller， more specialized classes. Once you pick your major， you can start with the major-specific classes as well. Even if you’re undecided， you’ll have a wide range of classes to choose from， with everything from upper-level science courses to creative fine art studios. Just remember to register as soon as you can before the classes fill up！

Know where you can get good food

Food is an important part of the campus experience. Most colleges have multiple dining options， and it’s a good idea to try them all your first semester. If you want to know the best place to eat， or if you need vegan， vegetarian， or gluten-free options， you can always check the college’s website， or just ask your fellow students. Don’t forget to try outside the college， too—college towns almost always have good， cheap food.

There are tons of things to do （and it’s pretty easy to find them）

The last thing anyone should be worried about is being bored on campus. Almost every college has a host of student clubs and organizations， frequent campus events， and other activities. They’re not hard to find， either. Colleges usually have a list of registered student organizations， and there are often fliers and posters all around campus for things to do and clubs to join. Some clubs even have their own social media sites， which could help you not only learn about the clubs， but also contact current members.

Plan out your academic career early （but don’t be afraid to change it）

In order to make sure you have all the credits you need to graduate on time， it’s a good idea to plan out your courses early. Don’t forget to plan for general education requirements and classes you need for your major. But keep in mind that your plan won’t be written in stone. Most students change their majors at least once during their college careers. So， while it’s a good idea to have a plan for your academic career， keep in mind that you’ll probably end up changing it.

You can get good grades and have fun

A common fear when starting college is that there will be time for either studying or having fun， but not both. The truth is that with good time management it is possible to get good grades in all your classes and still have time to be in clubs and go have fun. If you manage your schedule well， you may even get a decent amount of sleep， too.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?■

開啟大學(xué)第一學(xué)期可能很恐怖，甚至最期盼、最有抱負(fù)的第一學(xué)年也不會一帆風(fēng)順。雖然學(xué)校盡其所能讓新生感到備受歡迎，但總有入學(xué)教育沒能解決的問題。這份小指南將告訴你順利開始大學(xué)生涯的實用事項。

各大學(xué)對可帶物品規(guī)定不同

入住前務(wù)必檢查學(xué)校允許和禁止的物品清單。規(guī)則因?qū)W校而異，別急著購買迷你冰箱與微波爐組合，先確認(rèn)學(xué)校宿舍是否允許使用。大學(xué)可能還會禁用電源板或鹵素?zé)舻?，這些你可能想不到。一定要核對學(xué)校的具體要求。

可能不該帶上全部衣物

很多大一新生都高估了宿舍的存儲空間。根據(jù)衣柜的大小，最好只帶必需品。此外，你可能會發(fā)現(xiàn)需要的衣服沒有想象中那么多——大多數(shù)校內(nèi)洗衣設(shè)施操作簡便，價格低廉，在許多大學(xué)甚至還提供免費使用的洗衣機和烘干機。所以不妨在開學(xué)前看看是否需要備些25美分的硬幣。一些大學(xué)甚至提供高科技洗衣服務(wù)，清洗完畢后會短信通知。打包出發(fā)前，一定要了解清楚學(xué)校的洗衣設(shè)施。

你可能不喜歡第一個室友（這可不是世界末日）

第一學(xué)期可能隨機分配室友。你們也許志趣相投，也許無法相處，后者可能讓人不舒服，但請記住，你還有課程、俱樂部和其他校園活動，反正也不會常待在宿舍。到學(xué)期結(jié)束時，你很可能已找到下學(xué)期的室友了。

第一學(xué)期的課程也許不那么好（但會越來越好）

第一學(xué)期，你可能會有一年級的研討課、一些通識課，也許還有大班基礎(chǔ)課。通常一年級的大課并不吸引人，授課教師也常常是研究生而非大學(xué)老師。如果課程沒有之前想得好，請記住，你很快就能上專業(yè)性更強的小班課了。一旦選好專業(yè)，可以從專業(yè)課開始。即使定不下來，也有很多備選課程，從高級科學(xué)課程到創(chuàng)意美術(shù)工作室，一應(yīng)俱全。要記得在課程報滿之前盡快注冊！

知道哪里有美食

食物是校園體驗的重要組成部分。大多數(shù)學(xué)校提供多種就餐選擇，所以不妨在第一學(xué)期全部品嘗。想知道最佳就餐地點，或需要純素食、素食或無麩質(zhì)食物，可以隨時查看學(xué)校網(wǎng)站或問問同學(xué)。同時可別忘了去校外試試——大學(xué)城幾乎總有物美價廉的食物。

活動很多（很容易找到）

根本無須擔(dān)心校園生活無聊。幾乎每個學(xué)校都有許多學(xué)生俱樂部、社團、頻繁的校園賽事和其他活動。要找到這些活動的信息很容易，學(xué)校通常都有一份登記的學(xué)生社團名單，校園里也常常張貼各種活動及俱樂部的傳單和海報。有些俱樂部甚至有自己的社交媒體網(wǎng)站，不僅能幫你了解俱樂部，還能聯(lián)系現(xiàn)有會員。

提前規(guī)劃學(xué)業(yè)（不要害怕改變）

為確保拿到所需學(xué)分按時畢業(yè)，建議提前規(guī)劃。別忘了根據(jù)自己的專業(yè)需求做好通識教育的選課規(guī)劃。但請記住，規(guī)劃并非一成不變。大多數(shù)學(xué)生在大學(xué)生涯至少換過一次專業(yè)。因此，雖然建議你提前規(guī)劃學(xué)術(shù)生涯，但別忘了，規(guī)劃最終很有可能改變。

學(xué)習(xí)娛樂兩不誤

新生常擔(dān)心學(xué)習(xí)和娛樂不可兼得。但事實上，管理好時間，不僅可以在所有課程中取得好成績，還能得空在俱樂部里玩樂。如果安排得當(dāng)，還會有充足的睡眠時間。? ? ? ? ? ? ? □

（譯者單位：北京師范大學(xué)）