Seek a Balance Of Fields, Skills, And Workloads

Published:

January 04, 2013

Think about the first year as a whole - you'll take about 8 different classes your first year - and also begin to plan for your second year.
Study a variety of disciplines. Think broadly about different ways of learning. A diversity of courses helps balance your workload. (You will want to avoid writing forty papers in one semester!)
Explore as many interests as you can. You will have exposure in college to disciplines not taught in high school. Even familiar disciplines are often taught differently at this level. Most students' goals change over four years, and it's important to keep your options open.
Develop your command of written English, not only in the Tutorial but in at least one other reading and writing course during the first semester.
Strengthen skills in mathematics and foreign languages - these may eventually assist you in graduate studies and will serve you well in your life beyond college.
Come prepared to take coursework in all three academic divisions of the curriculum - Humanities, Social Studies, and Science.
Think about extracurricular activities as a way to explore some of your areas of interest. There is a lot of learning outside of the classroom as well as in the classroom.