10 Ways to Prepare For Postsecondary Studies at Lakehead-Georgian

Entering your first year of postsecondary studies is exciting. It’s also going to involve a lot of change, between new living arrangements, new friends, and an accelerated study schedule. Spending time to get ready this summer can help make these changes easy to adjust to.

Here are our top 10 tips for getting ready for your postsecondary studies at Lakehead-Georgian.

1.  Get Your Money Organized

• Take some time to make sure you know how you’re paying for things, and where that money is coming from. Sit down with your family and make a budget! Get any last minute applications for grants, bursaries and awards done. Free money is great, but you have to find it. So spend some time looking.
• If you plan to work during your studies, get some job applications out. You can reach out to employers who are hiring today and ask them about future opportunities for students.

2.  Talk Early and Often

• Open communication is the best way to avoid conflict and keep everybody in your orbit happy.
  1. Have a talk with your parents about when they expect you to visit or call.
  2. Chat with your new roommate(s) about what dorm ground rules you should have regarding visitors, noise and cleaning.

3.  Do Some Reading

• Check if your new courses have summer reading and make a plan to get it done. We all procrastinate, but wouldn’t it be great to get ahead of this one thing!
• If your classes don’t have summer reading, it’s still a good idea to get used to the accelerated reading schedule that you’ll soon be required to follow. Grab a couple books you’ve been meaning to read and get them done over the summer. This will make your transition to postsecondary studies a lot easier. If you have access to your course syllabi, you could even get a head start on the assigned readings for the semester.

4.  Go to Orientation

• Lakehead-Georgian’s orientation is meant to welcome you to your new home and student life. It’s a perfect time to get to know your campus along with the people you’ll be going through school with. Meet your professors, make new friends, and be as outgoing as you can! Everyone during orientation is just as new as you are, no matter how cool they pretend to be, so don’t be shy.

5.  Get Some Work Experience

• Work experience in your future field is important, but other types of work experience can be just as valuable. Jobs that give you leadership and organization skills provide supporting experience that will be helpful during your postsecondary studies and future career.
• Choosing a different job each summer throughout school will allow you to explore your options and learn new skills and management styles. This way when you’re finished school you’ll be able to more accurately apply for the type of job you’d like to pursue. Also it doesn’t hurt to have some money saved up before you start school.

6.  Make Friends

• Leaving your hometown and childhood friends to start your postsecondary studies can be sad, but luckily you’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet new people. Don’t let the chance to make new friends pass you by.
• Orientation is the perfect time to start meeting the people you’ll be spending the next few years with, or even working with after school.
• Joining clubs, teams, or study groups is also a fantastic way to meet new friends.
• Find out who your new roommate(s) will be and add them on their social networks before you start school.

7.  Get Digitally Prepared

• You’ll be relying on your digital tools to help you through your postsecondary studies. Take some time over the summer to make sure you’re fully prepared, this can include:
  1. Take your laptop in for a health check: make sure you have plenty of storage space and battery power.
  2. Familiarize yourself with a cloud back-up services such as Google Drive: working in an online document means you’ll never have to worry about losing precious files.
  3. Download time management apps: make sure you have time for classes and homework, but also for relaxing and friends.
  4. Set up your school schedule on your phone: you don’t want to miss a class or study session.

8.  Learn About Student Services

• Every campus has student services available for you to use:
  1. Knowing what’s available is important: maybe you need help with math or writing or maybe you want a peer mentor to help with adjusting.
• Students having difficulty with their postsecondary studies or who want to talk to a professor should take advantage of open office hours.
• School libraries offer knowledgeable staff and study resources.
• These services are especially valuable for international students who might be struggling with English language skills or the adjustment to a new country.

9.  Get Involved

• This is one of the most exciting and rewarding times of your life – you don’t want to do it alone! Join a club, society, study group, a team, or band.
• Having a plan before arriving will help you make sure you don’t miss out on important sign-up dates.

10. Make Some Memories

• Leaving home can be challenging and it’s important to stock up on good memories to help you through the transition.
  1. Spend time with your family this summer, you won’t see them as often once school starts.
  2. Spend time with your high school friends, you’ll only see them on holidays or summers – unless they all go with you.

With these tips you’ll be prepared to start your postsecondary studies and take on your new student life.