Cynthia C. Muchnick - The Everything College Checklist Book: The Ultimate, All-in-one Handbook for Getting In - and Settling In - to College!

THE

COLLEGE CHECKLIST
BOOK

Dear Reader,

Congratulations on your admission to college! Having worked in college admissions and as a private college counselor for the past fifteen years, I am thrilled to have this opportunity to assist you, a prospective student, as you make your transition from high school to college. Hopefully you will come to agree that the undergraduate collegiate years will be a defining point and among the best four years of your life. No matter what kind of college you choose to attend, there is no better way to maximize this experience than to prepare for it with the kind of real-life information and tips contained in this book. Use this book to clarify your expectations, to generate discussion with your friends and family, and to prepare you for the great journey that you are about to embark upon. I hope that this book guides you, and I join you in looking forward to an amazing first-year experience in higher education.

Cynthia Clumeck Muchnick, MA

The

Series!

These handy, accessible books give you all you need to tackle a difficult project, gain a new hobby, or even brush up on something you learned back in school but have since forgotten. You can read from cover to cover or just pick out information from our four useful boxes.

Answers to common questions

Important Snippets of Information

Urgent Warnings

Quick handy tips

When youre done reading, you can finally
say you know EVERYTHING!

PUBLISHER Karen Cooper

MANAGING EDITOR, EVERYTHING SERIES Lisa Laing

COPY CHIEF Casey Ebert

ASSOCIATE PRODUCTION EDITOR Mary Beth Dolan

ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Lisa Laing

SENIOR DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Brett Palana-Shanahan

EVERYTHING SERIES COVER DESIGNER Erin Alexander

Visit the entire Everything series at www.everything.com

THE

COLLEGE
CHECKLIST
BOOK

Avon, Massachusetts

For Justin, Jacob, Ross, and Ally. May you find rewarding college experiences of your own someday. And to Adam, the greatest guy I met in college.

1. Get involved! Find an organization that interests you and attend meetings, plan events, and meet great new friends.
2. Invite a professor to the cafeteria for lunch. Getting to know professors as more than just teachers is a great opportunity.
3. Visit a new friend at his home. Travel to see a different part of the country, meet a new college friends family, and enjoy the break from classes.
4. Bring a new friend home with you. Show off your hometown, introduce your new friend to your family and high school buddies, and enjoy a favorite home-cooked meal.
5. Get to know the library. Become acquainted with the campus library and e-library system early in your college career and youll reap the benefits until the day you graduate.
6. Stay connected with your parents from time to time through text messages, Skype, phone calls, e-mail, or snail mail.
7. Find a favorite local restaurant. Eating out is a great way to relax with friends and recharge your battery.
8. Attend parties. Gather a group of friends to dance, play games, or just hang out. Find your place in the social scene and balance out your study stress.
9. Visit your high school teachers. Round up some friends, visit your old teachers, and tell them about college. Thank them for helping you get there.
10. Create (or revise) a resume. Get assistance from your schools career office and prepare a resume that will impress future prospective employers (including that all-important summer job employer!). Starting early will get you on the path to a great job after graduation.

AFTER TWELVE YEARS OF formal education, the end is in sight. Yet in order to pursue your dreams and increase your earning potential, you are about to head to college. An undergraduate degree by itself means several more years of classes, papers, and tests. If you pursue a graduate degree, you could be in school for another six to ten years. And you are actually looking forward to this?

Of course youre looking forward to college! These will be the best years of your life so far. You will make lifelong friends and perhaps meet your soul mate. You will try new things, learn valuable skills, and be challenged to figure out who you really are and what you stand for. You will fall in love with some of your classes (and perhaps classmates), deeply discuss serious issues with peers and professors, and enjoy many moments of quiet reflection.

You have achieved a lot and have done well in order to graduate from high school. You have learned what teachers want and how to succeed. However, college classes will move faster and your professors will be more demanding. Youll read thousand of pages and process dense information for class discussions and presentations. Youll also write hundreds of pages in essays, reports, and exams. To do so, you will spend many hours researching in the library and online, as well as many more hours studying in your room, in quiet places around campus, and even in the cafeteria.

As you are working harder and becoming smarter, you will also be having more fun than ever before. There will be more concerts, parties, and cultural events than you have time to attend. You will have a full range of athletics to watch or participate in, a new local community to explore, nearby exercise facilities to work out in, and perhaps even natural resources such as hiking trails, beaches, or ski mountains to enjoy. You will meet and live with interesting people, some from places you have never visited, with very different backgrounds and experiences than yours. By developing these new friendships, youll learn more about yourself and what you want out of life.

By the time you finish college, youll be prepared for a job in a field that may become a career. Youll also be prepared to change jobs if necessary, and you will still have college resources available to help you make that change. Your education in the classroom will be represented by your degree, but your education outside of the classroom will shine on your resume and in job interviews. Leadership experiences, internships, and semesters spent abroad will all help shape your approach to life and your contribution to the adult world.