What a first-generation student should know about starting undergrad

If you’re starting a new chapter in your life, it’s best to have a plan.

Whether it’s something as small as planning tonight’s dinner or larger like wanting to attend college, you want to know what to do, when to do it and how to do it.

When you’re a first-generation student, you may not have all of the answers.

The people around you may not know either because it’s something they have not experienced.

It can feel like a struggle, but it doesn’t have to be.

Here are a few things I wished I knew before and while starting my first year of undergrad.

* Take action early

Colleges and universities function differently than high schools (especially public high schools). You cannot walk into a university, tell them you want to enroll in classes, create a schedule, and be on your way. There’s much more planning ahead that needs to be done and if you don’t take action early, you could be setting yourself up for future problems. File for financial aid as soon as the application process opens. A lot of aid distributes on a first come first serve basis and if you decide you want to wait, you’re basically putting money in other people’s pockets. You can file for federal aid at https://fafsa.ed.gov.

* SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!

I can’t stress enough how important it is to save your money, especially if you don’t plan on working your first year. It’s hard to realize how fast money can go when you’re not making it back. I had to learn the hard way. There are times you are going to want to hang out with friends, make a food run, or something unfortunate may come up where you will need the funds. School is already stressful enough. Don’t add another weight of financial stress on your shoulders.

* Get to know your professors

Getting to know my professors was one of the best things I’ve ever done. I wish I would have done it in my first year. Believe it or not, they’re people just like me and you, and getting to know them more helped me better enjoy my classes and feel more comfortable asking for assistance. That’s how I figured out how much they cared about their students and they work they put in our courses.

Of course, this isn’t a full list of things high-school senior or undergrad freshman me would have been aware of. I wish I would have done a lot of things differently starting school, I don’t have any regrets. Every situation that came my way has made me grow as a person and gave me the luxury of helping the undergrad students.