There are several aspects of college that my family had no idea of how to help me with. Being a first generation college student for me means that I had to navigate the many resources and mechanics of university on my own. I am the trailblazer for my family in a way, and I hope to show other first-gen students that it is possible! I also know that being first-gen gives me a sense of accomplishment and pride from my achievements. I would say I’ve had a successful college career so far and want to work towards helping others know the resources available to them be the best version of themselves.
Here are my 5 unwritten rules for success in college!
- Networking is as easy as saying hello
- A lot of people will tell you that you NEED to make connections, but never what those look like or how to do it. Networking for me has been saying hello to people who come my way and getting to know them. I became acquaintances with the faculty in the counseling department because I helped them carry some boxes one day. Now I have gone on several experiential learning trips with them and presented at conferences. – All because I said hello one day.
- Sleep!!!!!
- I can’t emphasize enough how important sleep is for information processing and comprehension. When you sleep your brain takes the time to file away all the knowledge you studied and worked to develop. But when you don’t sleep enough, your brain does not have the time to process everything. So, I have made a rule for myself nowadays that I cannot keep working if I’m too tired to think. For me, that’s the sign that my working mind has clocked out and I need to rest. Speaking of rest!
- Assign days/ activities to rest
- Speaking of rest! I get super busy and forget to take care of myself sometimes. When it comes to self-care if it’s not on my calendar, it’s probably not happening. What I have done lately is make time each evening to unwind and unpack. I don’t use my laptop. I don’t check emails. I make myself paint or journal. Remember to make work/school/life boundaries and adhere to them.
- Communication is KEY
- Talk to your professors! They are there to teach you the content and help you in the class. I have had calls/emails with professors to get clarification on assignments, pitch essay outlines, and the like. Just this semester I let my professor know that the exam was lining up with a huge community event that a lot of the students were probably going to have to work the whole event, i.e. Me. We then talked out changing the due date from Sunday evening to Tuesday for the whole class. Again, communicate in a respectful a manner can do wonders. Professors are human too and understand life happens. That being said- don’t abuse their kindness and be disrespectful, lie to get your way, or wait too long to ask for help. Be genuine, be kind, and they will often times do the same.
- You are your greatest limitation
- A part of going to college is learning about yourself and growing into the person you want to be. For me, I needed to learn how to get out of my own head and let myself be happy instead of being overwhelmed and worried about how other people perceived me. Learning how you tend to internalize, think, and care about can do wonders to working towards your goals. For me I found that I was constantly nervous and overwhelmed when doing presentations. At first, I would just avoid presentations and new interactions as much as possible. Upon reflection, I found that I was constantly nervous because I value clarity and transparency. I wanted to present more, and I put such a grand emphasis on doing it right the first time. I didn’t let my nervousness stop me and would talk myself through the situation to calm down and be the best I could be. Later I would examine how to do better next time and make goals for myself.
Being #firstgen is challenging and is a journey full of discovery. I would never wish to have it any other way. I hope to motivate and encourage others to embrace their positions and empower themselves to know the resources available to them and to take advantage of them.
Best of wishes to all my fellow #first gen!
You can so this!
-Cessia Glz. 🙂