Why planning to arrive to your first class on time is a bad idea

When I was a senior in high school I remember a couple older friends bragging about how "College is so easy. Professor's don't even take attendance - you don't even have to go to class!" 

Those friends went to colleges where they were in classes with 300 other students. Attendance might not have been taken. But those friends took 5+ years to actually graduate.

This is not a good strategy.

But what I really want to talk about is not only ATTENDING every class, but arriving EARLY.

I'm writing this now because I want you to keep this in mind as you register for your spring semester. 

Schedule your first class for a time that allows you to arrive on campus at least thirty minutes before that class starts (I also recommend not scheduling classes back to back; instead leave time in between where you'll be forced to spend time in the library studying, or have time to meet a professor, join a club, etc.)

Always, always, always plan to arrive to your first class at least 30 minutes early. Worst case scenario, you're there early and you can get some studying in. Best case scenario, when you hit those inevitable snags (e.g. traffic) you won't be late!

Strolling into class late not only means you'll miss important content (and possibly lose points depending on how your professors monitors attendance - it does count for many!), but it also sends a message. The truth may be that things out of your control happened, but regardless, it sends a message to the professor that the class just isn't that important to you.

Because in some ways, that might be true. If it's really important to you, plan ahead to always arrive early so you can ensure those things that are out of your control don't affect your college success or timeliness. 

Sure, everyone might have one crazy thing happen each semester that makes them late or miss a class. Life happens. But if that's happening to you more than once a semester, it might be time to change something. 

Choose your classes carefully, and don't just make time for class in your schedule. Good time management starts when you register for classes and decide on how much time you'll dedicate to your classroom. Schedule at least 2 hours in the library for every hour you have in class, and perhaps consider making one of those hours occur before your first class of each day so you're never late. :)

Do you have to buy a computer for college? #AskIsa

Have a question you'd like to see me answer just for you in a video? Ask it in the comments, tweet it to @IsaAdney, or send me an e-mail at isa@isaadney.com! The student featured in this video is struggling with procrastination and isn't sure if he should buy a computer for college. 

Check out the answer below! :)

How to stop procrastination BEFORE it starts

Do you procrastinate on fixing your procrastination?

Probably. 

The WORST mistake you can make in college is not developing a plan to stop your procrastination before the semester starts. 

One of my most popular posts ever features 10 ways to stop procrastination, and I wanted to add another way you can stop it - BEFORE the semester starts.

(If you're reading this after a semester has started it's okay, this can still help.) 

Not only will this help you not procrastinate, but it can also help you improve your grades IMMENSELY. 

I've developed this really simple time management chart for you that you can download and do in a few minutes RIGHT now (see links below). 

I know you want to procrastinate this right? You're already opening a new window and thinking "well, Isa, that sounds good and all, but I'll do it tomorrow, right now I need to catch up on my Twitter feed"). 

Hold it right there. You can do this right now. I believe in you!! Tell that procrastinator in your brain to be quiet and keep scrolling.

I can't take all the credit for this idea as I got the inspiration for it in a book I was reading this morning about teaching a college course. I added my own spin to it and I hope it helps. 

Doing this chart will help you plan to have plenty of time to do homework, readings, and study for each course AND enough time to get ahead and put in the time and effort required to get an A in any class.

I spent at least two hours in the library for every course each week and it enabled me to get straight-A's throughout college without stress or procrastination. I also almost never did homework on the weekends, which may not work for everyone, but I loved devoting Monday-Friday to school and then the weekends to pure fun. 

If you put the time and effort into building your schedule the way you want it (and make the necessary sacrifices to make your classes and the work required of them a priority, even over work) you can get the grades you know you're capable of and actually enjoy the learning process. 

You may feel like you need the last-minute pressure to do your work, but once you experience the thrill of doing something EARLY you may just find that can motivate you even more.

Click on one of the links below to download the chart to help you build your schedule and find the time you need to reach your full potential in college. I've made the documents available on Dropbox for you and the links are below.

To fill it in on your computer download the .doc here on Dropbox.

To print it out and fill it out with pen/pencil download the .pdf here on Dropbox.

It looks like this:

 I challenge you to do this right now. Go. Come on. You can conquer procrastination once and for all. 

Your GPA will thank you. 

10 goals you should have in college

How to pay for college (while I put on many jackets??)

A student recently asked me what she should do after finding out she didn't qualify for work study (where you are given a job on campus in exchange for tuition reduction). 

In the quick video below I share some basic tips for what you should do next to pay for college once you've found out your financial aid situation won't cover everything you hoped it would.

And please share any ideas you have for future videos (or questions you want answered while I do something random) by commenting on this post or sharing your idea in the Ask Isa inbox!

HELP I need your ideas! :)

I'm planning content for this fall and I would LOVE to get your help. I just got a new camera and am going to try to do some more YouTube videos this year, but I can't do it without YOU.

Check out the video below and either comment with your ideas on this blog or submit them to the anonymous Ask Isa inbox.

I want to help you this year by sharing content that can really help you  move forward in your life (college or career) as well as try to make you smile in the process. 

I really appreciate any ideas you can share or any questions you have! Thanks a million. 

College Freshman Pep Talk (Part 3 of 5)

College Freshman Pep Talk - Part 2

I've been getting a ton of e-mails from students about to start their freshman year of community college and they're FREAKING OUT because they're so freaked out about what college is going to be like. I can relate, so I wanted to address all of you here.

Part 2 shares the first most important thing you should do your first semester of college.

3 Ways to Make Your Summer More Productive

The mentoring gap

It started out like any other typical Saturday night. 

My husband and I went out to dinner. We ate (too many) chips with salsa before our meal came. We talked. We laughed. We enjoyed the outdoor Florida nighttime air. 

Our meals came, and as we ate I couldn't help but overhear the conversation at the table right next to us. (I promise I wasn't being weird and nosy, but, you know, when you're just eating and not talking outside and there's no music, you can't help but hear what's going on around you.) 

From what I heard, it was clearly a mom, a dad, and a young man home for the summer from college. They were just having a nice family dinner, just like I was. But something was very different about their family dinner than any I'd ever encountered. 

After spending so many years immersed with low-income and first generation students, I'd forgotten this other world. 

During the course of a simple Saturday dinner, this young man was given a wealth of advice and support from his parents regarding college and his future.

The purpose of the dinner was not to lecture him. It wasn't to discuss his future. It just sort of happened, naturally, in between laughs and talk of other things.

By the time I was halfway through eating my mac-and-chorizo the dad had already related what medical school was like and how he got through it, and the mom was reminding her son why he had earlier decided he didn't want to be a lawyer. Both parents then gave him some advice and leads for his internship plans for this summer and next summer. 

In short, they had a very positive mentoring session. 

It was also obvious that this was a high income family. They talked about the young man's high school - the best private school in my area. The dad was a doctor. These were wealthy people, and this was an example of what a casual saturday night could look like in a high income family.

I saw these relationships all the time when I was a private SAT/ACT tutor. It wasn't just about parents who cared - I had parents who cared. And I would imagine wealth doesn't automatically make you a caring parent.

This was something different. It was parents who cared and who'd been there. They had this vast well of knowledge to draw from and pass along to their kid. A cycle of wealth. A cycle of success.

I spent most of my time thinking about how to create these similar relationship exchanges to help break the cycles of poverty that are all around us. 

I got in the car that night and said to my husband, almost teary-eyed, "how do you compete with that?"

And by "you" I meant of course all the students who don't have those kinds of Saturday-night mentoring sessions with their strongest role models - their parents. 

But here's the thing, I think you can compete. These types of conversations are vital to success, but it's okay if you don't happen to have them in your family.

That is where I believe other crucial support systems come in. Teachers, mentors, professors, school staff, college staff, non-profit staff, etc. That is why I'm constantly emphasizing those relationships and conversations in my speeches. 

We need the formal stuff, the systems, the processes, the programs, all that - but we also need to remember the importance of those informal one-on-one conversations. The moments where you can talk about what you want to do with your life, what's going on in your life, and have someone who cares about you and who has some experience help you figure things out. 

And not just once, but often, consistently. 

We all need this. I still need it! I was just on the phone with an important mentor in my life last week asking for advice. 

I wrote my book so that I could give community college students the tools to ensure that no matter where they come from they can build that community of success. 

There is a mentoring gap. But it's not too late to fill it. 

And I for one am thankful to all the unsung heroes out there who are having conversations like the one I heard that Saturday night, with students who, while they may not be their sons or daughters, are treated like they are anyway. 

How to Get Good Grades in College

How good does getting good grades feel?

You'll have to see the episode below to find out. ;)

But seriously, it feels great. And if you haven't experienced the elation of getting straight-A's, this video will show you how it can be possible. 

(spoiler alert: I dress up like a pageant queen and a wrestler; I'm waiting for my oscar nomination in the mail any day now.)

Top 5 things to help you choose which university to attend

I recently sat down with a community college graduate who was trying to decide between two transfer universities. One was in-state, one out of state. One had full tuition covered and the other would require tens of thousands in loans. 

She was torn and feeling a lot of anxiety about making the "right" choice. 

I shared with her the key things I thought she should look into, and she found them so helpful that I thought I should share them with you too!

If you're not sure which university will be the best choice for you, here are five things you can do:

1) Visit each campus
Get up-close-and-personal with the campus. Ask the admissions office to visit a class and/or the program director or dean of your intended major. Eat in the cafeteria. Go to an athletic event. Sit in the library. 

Don't just do the standard walk-around-tour. Some colleges even offer a chance to stay overnight - do it! This is an investment and getting as close as possible will reveal a lot and will help you make a better gut-level decision.

2) Check out alumni on LinkedIn 
LinkedIn has this new feature that I'm obsessed with. Go to LinkedIn.com/edu and click on the "Prospective Students" tab. Then type in the universities you're considering and after you click to "view" the school you're looking for, click "explore careers of alumni." Keep clicking "show more" until you find the industry and/or company that most closely matches your dream career. 

You can click on one industry or a few, and then scroll down and explore the alumni of that college. Look at a few profiles that intrigue you and consider their career path. Is it something you want to model? 

For the bold, reach out to a few alumni that you admire and ask if they'd be willing to share their experience with the university. Nothing is better than a first-hand account. Sometimes admissions offices will also arrange an alumni conversation.

If you have a very specific post-college goal then also be on the lookout for alumni who fit that profile.

For example, the student I talked with really wanted to go to graduate school at an ivy league after she graduated with her bachelor's, so I told her to try to find out which university prepared more graduates to study at an ivy league and/or had alumni who worked at her dream organizations (e.g. The New York Times). 

3) Talk to a current student 
When you visit campus be bold and ask students around you quick questions. Walk up to a group eating in the cafeteria and explain you're a prospective student and ask them if you can ask them a few questions about how they like the college.

The worst thing that can happen is that they say no, which may tell you something about the campus culture.

Some questions to get you started: 1) What made you choose this college? 2) What is your favorite part about going here? 3) What is your major? 4) What do you like most about classes here? 5) What do you like to do for fun here? 6) What do you know about [program you're interested in]? 7) What is the most challenging part of going to this college? 8) What is one thing you wished someone had told you before enrolling here? 

4) Research your intended major/career
One of my favorite websites for this is InsideJobs.com. Explore your intended career intensively and consider your major with a lot of thought. Then look at the programs at each college to determine which one will best prepare you for what you really want to to learn and do.

One of the best things you can do is connect with someone doing your dream job and tell them about the colleges and programs you're trying to decide between. There is nothing better than getting advice from someone who is in the industry and knows what kind of weight their industry places on particular colleges and programs. 

5) Cost
I put cost last very deliberately. I think community college is a great option because it is so cost effective, but that doesn't mean you always have to go for the cheapest option. 

Wait until you've completed steps 1-4 and then consider your financial aid offerings from each university and map out the cost. 

Here are a few reasons when it can be a good idea to go with the more expensive university: 1) if there are a ton of alumni who went on to your dream organization or dream graduate school 2) if someone in your dream industry says that university opens A LOT more doors in your field than the other 3) if the academic program you want to major in is one of the best 4) if it's an ivy-league university whose recognized name can open a lot of doors

Small loans are fine as you are the best investment you can make. However, if after doing all the research you think you can get all of the things above for less money at an accredited school, then go for it.

There's no reason to take out crazy loans for a private school if it doesn't really offer the things that you want and need for your future. 

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And finally, remember that you've just graduated from community college - something not everyone is able to do. You should be so proud of how far you've come and realize that you have proven you can make the best of wherever you go to school. 

Be smart and strategic, but do not be anxious. Whatever choice you make, as long as you continue to work hard, commit to the experience, and build a college community, you are going to be successful.  

College To-Do List Week 21: Summer Internships!

The college to-do list is almost over! I hope you're excited for the end of the semester. Now may feel like the time to slow down, but not quite! Keep going strong and that last day of the semester will be even sweeter. You can do this! Remember to take care of yourself, get lots of sleep, and eat healthy during stressful times. 

College To-Do List Week 20: Set your goals

College To-Do list is almost over (which means your semester is almost over!!). Congratulations and keep on going strong. You're almost there!

Below is a to-do list item that you should definitely do if you haven't already. It's something I still do every day. :)

College To-Do List Week 17: The best way to make friends & win scholarships

Are you sick of this coral tank-top yet? lol. 

I filmed the college to-do list all in one day back in Miami, so sorry for the single-note wardrobe. Ha. Hope the tips are helping!

Please let me know how you're doing with the to-do list items in the comments below or at isa@isaadney.com. How many items have you done? What results have you seen?

I'd love to possibly share your success story at the end of this series! 

It's really important to me to hear what you're going through and how I can use this blog (and the YouTube channel) to help. I want to hear from you! :)

P.S. The vlog above is about becoming a leader in a club. Most people only think about this in the fall semester, but spring is a great time to look into clubs as many officers will be graduating and clubs will be looking for new leaders!

College To-Do List Week 16: Best use of LinkedIn for College Students

The College To-Do List is here to see you through until the end of your Spring 2014 semester! It's the small things you do consistently that make the biggest difference. 

Click below to find out one of the best uses of LinkedIn for college students!

College To-Do List Week 15: An important social media tool

The College To-Do List is here to see you through until the end of your Spring 2014 semester! It's the small things you do consistently that make the biggest difference. 

Click here to watch the video & make sure you have a profile on this social media channel!

College To-Do List Week 14: What to bring to your advisor

The College To-Do List is here to see you through until the end of your Spring 2014 semester! It's the small things you do consistently that make the biggest difference. 

Click here to see what you should bring to your advisor this week (hint: it will save you a ton of time and money!!) 

College To-Do List Week 13: Something fun to schedule!

The College To-Do List is here to see you through until the end of your Spring 2014 semester! It's the small things you do consistently that make the biggest difference. 

College To-Do List Week 12: Preparing for transfer

The College To-Do List is here to see you through until the end of your Spring 2014 semester! It's the small things you do consistently that make the biggest difference. 

Watch the video below to see what to do this week to make your transfer process A LOT easier.