4 Summer Steps Before Your First Year of College

Here are four steps students should take before they walk into their first college class.

After years of researching schools, filling out applications, and going on-campus visits, you're finally ready to start your college career. Well, almost. You've still got this summer before your freshman classes begin.

Classes won't start for another month, but that doesn't mean you need to stay idle. Here are a few things you should do to make sure you're ready to go on day one.

1. Order Your Books

You've probably already been told (over and over again) that you're on your own in college. While few 100 level courses have prerequisites or pre-semester tasks, most will start assigning homework at the end of the first class. It can take university book stores days, and sometimes even weeks, to get books ordered at the start of the semester, which means you're beginning on the wrong foot. A few weeks before class begins, visit the bookstore or look at the course description and find out what books you need. Order them with plenty of time to deal with shipping problems, so you can walk into class prepared. You can visit any bookstores around Dubai to make this task more interesting. 

2. Email Your Instructors

Although you are largely on your own in college, that doesn't mean that your instructors don't want to help. Most profs spend the month before the semester begins preparing their courses, and they're already thinking about students like you. A short, polite email is a great way to make a strong first impression on your professor. You can find their contact information in the enrollment system your school uses (or your advisor can get email addresses for you). Shoot your teachers a short message, telling them your name, your major, and what you hope to gain from the class. Even if they don't respond (they're busier than students right before the semester begins), profs will inevitably associate your name with initiative and a desire to learn. Introducing yourself via email starts building a rapport between you and your teacher. That's sure to pay off at the end of the semester.

3. Set Up Your Accounts

Even if you're not taking any online classes, you'll still need to have your school email and computer accounts activated. Most professors use a Learning Management System such as Blackboard or Canvas to distribute information and keep in contact with the class. If you don't have these ready on the first day, you could miss out on valuable information. Many schools offer orientations during the weeks leading up to the semester's start, and most of these sessions include time to get your accounts ready, so the first step is to contact your adviser and ask about your school's options.
 

If your institution doesn't offer an orientation or you can't make one of the scheduled sessions, then go to the school's main computer lab (often in or near the library) and meet with the staff. They can give you what you need to register your online tools. Starting the course with activated accounts means that you'll receive everything the class has to offer.

4. Identify Your Buildings

The internet may have changed many parts of college life, but it hasn't changed one thing for most students: you still need to come to class. And that means you need to know where that class is at. College classrooms can be located anywhere on increasingly sprawling campuses, sometimes miles apart from one another. To make sure you get to class on time and spend more time learning than mapping, it's wise to orient yourself before school is headed with other contused first-timers.

Course listings will include classroom designations when you sign up, but those can change as administrators shuffle everything around, so it's best to wait until 1-2 weeks before the class starts. Double-check online to get your classroom numbers, and then head to the school with a paper or digital map. Make your way around the campus, locating restaurants, or amenities you may stop at between classes.