College is a scary word to many high school students. Students are put in a new environment to learn material for their future career. Juniors and seniors are taking college courses at Tarrant County College. Although it might not be classes specifically for their future careers, it is a good start towards getting a feel for college classes. Seniors have already been attending these classes for a year, but juniors are new to this. This is a new experience and some might be completely clueless (I was too,) but worry not college freshman! The spectacular seniors (… or rather, me,) are here to help!

Don’t. Procrastinate. I cannot stress this enough. I understand that students would rather do anything else besides their homework, but having your assignments done on time will save you many hours of sleep. Trust me, I’ve pulled so many all-nighters that could’ve been prevented if I finished my assignments on time. And don’t push the time back to start your assignments. Do them as soon as you get them, and don’t say that you’ll do them at 4:00, and push the time back to 5:00 because it’s 4:01. It’ll be difficult trying to start your assignments, but it gets easier the farther you get. Trust me, that satisfaction you get whenever you finish your assignment will feel so good. 

Plan, plan, plan! Buy a planer, it’ll be worth it. Write down important dates, such as test days and when your assignments are due. It’s important to keep up with dates; falling behind will stress you out and it’s easy to prevent. Buying highlighters and pens will allow you to spice up your planned and decorate it to your heart’s content. Color coding your planner would make it easier to identify what the date is for. If buying a planner isn’t ideal, download Google Calendar. Everything is available in your hands. It’s travel-friendly, simple, and accessible. And free too! It’ll send notifications to remind you if you have an upcoming assignment. It’s save you so many freakouts over having an assignment due in five minutes. 

Ask for help! Don’t be ashamed of asking for help either. Your professors aren’t going to hunt you down if you’re struggling. If you don’t understand something, ask for clarification. Start study groups, help your peers, and read more about the topic. It’ll pay off, and passing your classes will benefit you. You’ll be saving money and earning college credits, which will give you a jumpstart to your future.