How to Prepare Mentally Before Starting College
How to Prepare Mentally Before Starting College
Let’s face it, seniors: once you’ve gotten those acceptances from the colleges of your dreams, it can be hard to stay focused the last couple months of high school. And before you know it, your “last summer” will transition into your first year of college.
You may feel like you’re ready to start right now. Or you may be looking at the calendar with dread. Transitions are difficult for everyone; but the good news is you’re not alone.
Approaching this period of your life with intention as well as anticipation can help you grow. As you prepare to trade the familiarity of one routine for another, it’s important that you reflect on the journey you’re undertaking and check in with yourself to make sure you are maintaining relationships that uplift you and preparing to handle new levels of responsibility and freedom.
We want to celebrate and support you on your path however we can! Read on for our tips to help you cherish the last stretch before you launch into the next stage of your life.
Enjoy the Last Bits of High School
Thinking back to all you (and the rest of the world) has been through this decade alone, you understand acutely how plans can be disrupted. Don’t take any moments for granted as you close out your high school career. Enjoy the time you have and dive headlong into your activities and into solidifying your relationships with your friends and teachers.
Practice gratefulness and resilience as you tie up loose ends at school. Remember, this is time you can’t get back. Maximize your focus on what you love and you’ll be in a better place mentally to begin college in the fall.
Get to Know Your Future Peers
You can meet your roommate and future friends before you ever get to campus. You can also start thinking about which clubs or groups you may want to join. Your college will assuredly have its own online platforms to facilitate this discovery, in addition to all the unofficial ways – social media, Reddit, etc. – that you already know about.
Make an effort to enter college with several relationships already in the process of being built. This will help keep you excited about what’s to come and hopefully make your transition smoother when you arrive. You can’t plan everything out, but you can hit the ground running.
Make Time to Finish Projects You’ve Started
While your mind may already be focused on the future, don’t forget to wrap up the things that have been important to you already. Perhaps there’s more work to do on an Eagle Scout or Gold Award project. Maybe you’ve been learning a new computer language or finishing a difficult book.
Staying in the present and accomplishing your short-term goals is a great way to prepare yourself for future success. Give yourself a leg up on starting your first year of college right by reinforcing the habits of intellectual curiosity and follow through.
Talk to Other College Students About Their Process
Take advantage of the information available to you from current college students and recent graduates. Their experiences will mirror yours to an extent. Ask them what was exciting and what was hard. How did they handle their relationships back home, and what was it like to adjust to a college course schedule?
Learning from their experience can give you a sense of what to anticipate when it is your turn. Of course, everyone is different, but you might find that their advice could come in handy once you encounter an unexpected problem.
Hindsight is often 20/20; but beginning your own process informed by others’ relevant experience can help you avoid some of their pitfalls and take full advantage of some of the opportunities they wish they had.
If transitions are particularly stressful for you, be sure to speak with a counselor or trusted adult with experience dealing with such issues. Remember, what you’re experiencing is normal and you will get through it! Be positive and open-minded about the changes coming your way and you can start college on the right track.
The expert admissions consultants at Wise World Prep have helped hundreds of students maximize their potential of being admitted to their top choice colleges and universities. Over 20 years, we have successfully guided students through each stage of the application process – from choosing competitive high school courses to building an appropriate college list to drafting winning essays to writing persuasive update and appeals letters. We would be happy to answer your questions and partner with you to create a successful admissions roadmap.
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