The Key To Managing College Life

At first your first year of college may seem like simply an extension of what you had been doing in high school but when it comes to upholding an acceptable GPA in college there is going to have to be a lot of self-discipline involved, and for the most part this is a thing that tends to trip up most college freshman. They simply are not used to being responsible for every aspect of their own lives and this makes college life a difficult transition for quite a few.
High school seniors have a ton of down time and play time. They are wrapping up their high school experience and most already have all or near all the credits they need to acquire a diploma. There are many exciting, fun activities to distract them and for the most part they party and hang out with their friends. At the end of each day they come home to Mom and Dad who are putting a roof over their head, food on the table, and for many even providing them with some type of transportation to move about. For the most part, if they work, it is merely a way to line their pockets with some extra spending money for excursions with friends, dates, fast food, and senior trips. When they hit college most are shocked to discover the difference.
College life requires finding balance and this means scheduling and managing your own time and money. Once away at school a freshman can make the choice to skip classes and spend each evening partying with friends. But in the long run they will wind up getting kicked out of school and many are simply not mature enough to handle college living straight out of high school.
Controlling one's own time begins with a well furnished dorm room and getting plenty of rest. Sleeping is key to managing one's own life and anything less than 7-8 hours a day will be adverse for students. Some find that they need as many as 9-10 hours of sleep on average to be as efficient as they should be as they go through life. Balance begins with good rest but getting good rest means having a dorm room and a roommate that is conducive to sleep, and for many freshmen it may mean switching up roommates to be able to attain a real balance during this time.
The more mature and independent a college freshman is the more likely that they will be able to make a success out of their very first semester away at school. Preparing for time management, as well as making sure that they have all the dorm room supplies that they will need to make their living space as functional as possible, will aid them in this important transition.