Top 5 Things to do in Your First Semester at SBCC (Antonio Monteiro)

It is hard to list all the great things that I enjoyed during my first semester at SBCC. Meeting new people, moving away from home, and learning how to be more responsible is just a few. But as a veteran, there were a few things that I wish I knew before coming to SBCC. Your first semester are vital for future success during your school years. And oh boy, they go by really fast. So without further due, here are the top five things to do in your first semester at SBCC.

 

1) Learn the College Requirements for Graduation

You need to learn the rules of the game. Otherwise, you will not know how to play it. And this could make or break you. 

Learning the requirements for graduation, the necessary general education provisions, and how to plan your years at school is vital. 

Get to know more about the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC), and how to use assist.org to pick your chosen universities, and learn their course requirements. The sooner you understand the educational system, the more comfortable you will become at SBCC. You will know why you are taking the specific classes, and what to do.

 

2) Plan your courses, major, and routine.

By failing to plan, you are planning to fail. Plain and simple. I have not yet met any successful student here at school that does not plan his/her school year. Not only that, the successful student plans his/her days, weeks, and months. If you do not plan, you will be stressed out during midterms and finals week. And this could impact your grades and health (not good). Therefore, go ahead and prepare your course plan, major and daily routine. And if you do not know your major, no problem. You can always plan your general education requirements.

 

3) Meet your counselor

Go ahead and meet your counselor as soon as possible. He/she will be the person that can help you with your course planning, and any other type of question or issue related to your preparation for success here at SBCC.

Do not be afraid to tell them what is going on, what are your challenges and what you want with their advice. They are highly trained professionals with the willingness to make you successful. So help them help you! And if you feel like your counselor does not fit with your personality. Do not be afraid to look to ask for changing your counselor.

 

4) Check out the school resources

Our college is like a breakfast buffet for helpful resources. There is something good for everyone. Therefore, go away and learn more about them. And give it a try on the ones that you think it might help you.

5) Take the initiative to meet your professors

Go ahead and meet your professors. They want to see you succeed if you have questions. Or even if you want to set expectations about the classes and ask for tips on how to do well, do not lose the chance of going to their office hours.

 

Bonus: Get good grades ASAP! This is serious. Get good grades, primarily in your first year.

 

The GPA is cumulative, which means that if you have a 3.8-4.0 GPA during your first year, it is most likely that you will keep it high. Think about it like that, the earlier you get good grades. The easier will be for you to transfer to a top-notch university. You will be setting yourself with the habit of achieving excellence, and you will keep up with ease once you get the grip of it in the beginning.

  

To Sum
I know that college is much more than grades, and studying. There are a whole array of things going on in our lives, new experiences and so on. However, keep in mind your priorities, and why you are here. You do not want to get stuck in a wrong group of friends, abuse too much of parties, and other things. But by any means, do not cut your fun out, this is important too. Just learn how to manage.

 

I wish you the best of luck and an excellent experience here at SBCC!

Best, Antonio

 

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