(written by Val, College Outreach Specialist at the Center for College Planning)

It’s October already?  Didn’t you just start school?  It seems like just yesterday that you were arriving on campus, unpacking your bags, hanging your posters on the wall and gearing up for an incredible year.  You may have felt excited, anxious, overwhelmed or a combination of all three.  By now hopefully you have begun to settle into a routine, feel more comfortable and confident in your surroundings and abilities and feel well-established in your residence halls and classes.

October is a very busy month for college students.  For some of you, you may have to take college mid-terms soon.  If you haven’t been as focused on schoolwork as you should be, now is the time to buckle-down and catch up.  Classes are meant to be harder and challenge you more than they did in high school, which means you must devote more time to them.  Mid-terms are meant to find out how well you have learned the material so far and much of that learning is expected to have been accomplished on your own time.  Trust me, pulling an all-nighter the night before may seem like it’s a rite of passage that all college students should do, but it’s tiring and does not offer you the chance to fully prepare…been there, done that, it doesn’t work.  Instead, take the next week or two to slowly catch up on your reading; your grades and body will thank you for it!

Many colleges also offer Family Weekend in October.  It’s a great time to show your family members your new home (but don’t call it home, parents especially have a hard time hearing you call anything but your home with them “home”), and how well that you are doing.  There are usually some pretty fun activities, find out what they are and check them out!  Many colleges have information listed right on their website, such as SNHU does which I found here .  They list events, places families can stay over the weekend and more; your college may do that too!

And who can forget, October also means Halloween and hopefully something fun planned at your college.  I never enjoyed dressing up for Halloween as a kid, but in college I looked forward to it.  We had a Halloween Mixer and students spent a lot of time creating fun and interesting costumes.  Maybe you can go trick-or-treating in your hallway; remember to have some fun…college is not supposed to be all work and no play!

Make the most of your October; November is right on its tail!!
Val