The first day of college can be very different for so many people. For some people it’s a fresh new start and for others it can be saying goodbye from home for the first time in their life. It’s a huge step for most students. With this new start means that you might have difficulties navigating new tasks. Here are five pieces of advice for new college freshman.
The first piece of advice is to buy books online and not from the bookstore or not to buy them at all. Wait until you believe that you need the book for the class and then make your purchase from other places. Places such as Amazon, Chegg, or other secondary sources for books can help students save a lot of money in the long run. Sophomore student Drew Hansen, recently has experienced issues with ordering books through the bookstore.
“Always look for your books online before you go to the bookstore. You can almost always find it online and for way less money,” said Hansen, “Use the bookstore as your last resort. It’s just so expensive
The second piece of advice for incoming freshman is to take advantage of one particular service located on Iowa Lakes campus. Students have the opportunity to sign up for TRIO-SSS which is a service for students on campus. The head advisor for the TRIO-SSS on the Estherville campus is Tiffany Neavin. Neavin helps students navigate through and see if they match the qualifications for TRIO. For students to qualify you must meet two of the three requirements: first generation college student, meaning neither parent has received a four year degree, low income, or a documented disability.
“TRIO offers man services for students that qualify such as peer and professional tutors, college campus visits, transfer counseling, and academic advising,” said Neavin, “Students who qualify have to then be interview by the TRIO-SSS advisor and then if they are accepted into the program, they are required to meet face to face with their advisor at least 2 times per semester.”
The third thing freshman students should do is to get involved on campus. The amazing part about being at a small community college such as Iowa Lakes is that most students know each other. Getting to know them in a setting other than the classroom can help you find others on campus who have similar interests to you. Some organizations on campus include Laker Life, The aviation club, the diversity club, the tech club, and student senate.
One person involved as a president in the tech club is sophomore student Adam Gellert. Gellert is a second year member of the tech club which is a student run group that consists of online gaming. Students in this group meet up once or twice a month to get together and game. They also frequently are doing fundraisers for their club to go on trips to learn more about technology. Gellert talked about why it was important for him to be in a club.
“It’s a really good idea to get involved on campus, it helps to socialize with other people that you may not meet,” said Gellert, “With clubs like the tech club and the many other clubs on campus, a lot of the time people have the same interests, so it’s a little easier to get to know people when you have something in common.” Gellert also discussed what it was like to be in a club as a nontraditional student as well.
“It makes it easier for me to socialize with people, since with tech club, I for sure have something to talk about with everyone,” said Gellert, “I also got the chance to step into a leadership role last year as president of the tech club. It was a good way to get experience planning events and fundraisers, as well as just all around leadership.”
Students also have other things on their mind such as financial aid and how much money they are borrowing. One of the biggest loan amounts goes towards room and board. Now for some students this may be the right option because of being to far away from home or just wanting to get that fresh start on their own. Students should pay attention to how much they are using of the meal plan to help decide whether or not it’s worth the cost.Sophmore Lilly Gulbranson discussed why she decided to move off campus.
“Honestly I don’t know for sure. I was sexually assaulted on campus so my safety was my first concern,” said Gullbranson, “It just took a toll and towards the end of the year some other things happened. Plus living off campus I get this feeling of being independent because I have to pay my own bills. You also have to learn to manage your own time when you live on your own.” Gullbranson also discussed that if this place wouldn’t have “literally fallen into my lap”, that she would look for places off campus.
One final piece of advice is to look into getting a part time job if you are not to heavily involved in a sport or musical scholarship. Part time jobs help people manage their time and sophomore Nick Larson learned how to do that this year. Larson was a peer tutor for TRIO at Iowa Lakes for his first and second year. He now works at the waste water treatment plant here in town.
“I decided to be a peer tutor because I was involved with students,” said Larson, “It was easy money, but at the same time it was easy money. I say having a part time job is really good.” Learning how to manage your time was another thing Larson talked about.
“Sometimes you have to do homework when you really don’t want to do it, and it sucks,” said Larson, “It keeps you on your feet and in your classes. But you have to have the drive to do it because nobody is here to help you do it.”
These are just five of the many things you can do to help alleviate some of the stress that comes with freshman year. Moving off campus, getting a part time job, buying books online, joining clubs, and knowing what options you have for financial aid will help you in the long run. Getting to know people in your program is a huge part of college as well because those are going to be the people you spend most of you day with. Overall though have fun and enjoy your time here because eventually we will have to be adults at some point and go out into the real world.
Call of the Lake 
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