Navigating around a college campus on your first day of class can be a difficult and intimidating task. It can be overwhelming to go to a large school especially if you’re coming straight from high school. Without a few helpful hints, being left to manage without help can lead to aggravation and a great waste of time. Here are a few valuable hints to save time, effort, and sanity when you first arrive for class.
First off, schools, such as the Humanities, Social Sciences and Physical Sciences divide many campuses. It is important to note that your first one to two years of college will be focused on a more general breadth. This is your “general education.” Depending on the college-prep classes you took in high school, you may have several basic writing and mathematics courses. The locations of these courses will most likely be a good distance from each other, so prepare to stretch your legs in the 10 minutes you may have to get from building to building.
Firsthand experience has shown me that identifying your class buildings can be difficult, which can leave you frustrated and also late! That is, many buildings within a “school” (e.g. Engineering) are big and usually only show the name on the front side, and if you’re in a hurry you won’t have time to run around the structure. To find my way, I discovered that the best thing to do is, sometime before school begins, to just walk around for fun. Not only will you learn your campus, but if you are going into the university system, most maintain beautiful environments. The University of California system is known for its prestigious undergraduate programs and their facilities, parks, and overall atmosphere reflects this level of quality. For instance, the University of California, Irvine, dons a 19-acre park with over 11,000 trees in the center of campus, a lovely place for a stroll and also a major shortcut.
On-site map directories, very similar to what you would find on your college website are conveniently located on the college grounds. . If you’re one that plans ahead, I suggest using the online map, which can be saved in a printable PDF format. Instead of clicking on a labyrinth of links, just use the sites search engine. Another helpful strategy for navigating through all those buildings and countless parking lots would be to ask any family, friends or roommates that are either attending or have attended your college. If no one is available, and you have truly lost your way, pay a visit to the administrative services building or see your school counselor. You can also shoot either one of these an email. As a last reminder, you definitely want to know where the food court is in order to grab a quick little snack or meal before your next class. Hunger can be a powerful distraction while sitting through a droning lecture.
Knowing how long it will take to find a parking spot, or how long your bus ride is, and from there how far of a walk you will have is critical to time management. Efficient planning will help you to relax and arrive to class on time. I loved walking from class to class on my university campus. It doesn’t have to be an disagreeable experience (although, I wouldn’t have minded cheaper parking!). Remember that there many other students attending your college and they all have to find their way around too. So relax and remember you are not alone.
Windy Reigns Online Education
June 20, 2010 by Windy Reigns