1. Be sure your tuition has been paid
Even if you're receiving Financial Aid (grants, scholarships and/or loans), check on the status of your bill with the Student Business Office (381-1346). SCCC also has a payment plan available. Classes will be dropped for those students whose tuition bills are not paid by the deadline.
2. Submit proof of immunization
Stop into Elston 222 and speak with Betsy (381-1344) to turn in your immunization records and/or to see whether you've been cleared to attend classes. Classes will be dropped for those students whose immunization records are not submitted by the first day of the semester.
3. Student ID and parking permit
You can obtain them now until the end of the second week of classes. Print a copy of your class schedule, grab your car's registration, and bring them with you to the Activity Forum in Elston Hall. Get in the habit of carrying the ID with you at all times.
4. Textbooks
Sold in the College Store (Elston Hall, first floor), you can buy new or used, or rent textbooks. You'll need your student ID, class schedule, and a way to pay for them (cash, check, credit cards are accepted; some students may be eligible for bookstore credit through the Financial Aid office).
5. Transportation
- If you have a car, be sure it is in good working order, hang your parking permit on the rear-view mirror, and park in student parking areas only.
- If taking public transportation, be sure that you know when the bus runs and when it will arrive at campus (They can drop you at the front door!). You can use your student ID card to swipe and ride anywhere, any time while classes are in session, for FREE.
- If you're relying on another person to give you a ride, arrange a back-up plan so if you're driver is ill or the car breaks down you can still get to campus.
5. Study space
Establish a quiet place with no distractions somewhere in your home where you feel comfortable. Set up a table or desk where you can easily spread out your books, use a computer/laptop, and do your work. If you need to study on-campus, there are a couple of quiet zones: Begley Library, second floor and the Learning Center, Elston 528.
6. Use a weekly planner and monthly calendar
To stay organized and on top of your college work and personal life, a planner and calendar will come in very handy. If you've never used this method to be organized, stop in at the Learning Center, and they will gladly show you how to set up the process. Take my word for it: busy college students NEED to have a solid plan to be organized.
7. Work schedule
There's a formula we use to explain to college students how to be academically successful: for every credit hour you're taking, you will have at least 2 hours of outside work (reading textbook, studying, researching for a paper, etc). For example, if you're registered for 15 credits, that equates to:
15 hours per week in the classroom + 30 hours of classwork outside the classroom =
45 hours of college work
That's a full-time job all by itself. Talk with your employer to arrange a schedule that will accommodate the number of hours you'll need to devote to college responsibilities. It is strongly recommended, also, that if you are registered as a full-time student you should not work a job for more than 20 hours per week. If you can't live on that and need to work full-time, seriously consider studying on a part-time basis. One of the main reasons students drop out or fail is that they try to work and study full-time...and there just aren't enough hours in the week to do that.
8. Schedule study time
As crazy as that sounds, you need to treat study hours like going to class or to your job: the days and times must be scheduled in your planner and on the calendar. Study time is not negotiable. You wouldn't blow off going to work if you had the opportunity to hang out with friends or going shopping, for example. You'd be fired in a heartbeat. The same goes with studying. The time you carve out in your schedule is only for studying. While you're at it, learn to say no to family and friends who unintentionally try to pull you away from hitting the books.
9. Child care
If you have little ones who need looking after while you're on campus, be sure you have reliable and flexible child care. SCCC has a policy that children are not allowed in educational spaces (classrooms, labs, Library, etc.) nor are they to be left unattended anywhere on campus. To prevent missing classes, have at least one child-care back-up (although two back-ups is better). Another primary reason students fail or drop-out is that their child-care arrangements didn't work out or fell through.
10. Make coming to college your No. 1 priority.
When you decide to put your education as your most important priority, you will undoubtedly be successful. Why? Because you'll learn to say no to things that might be fun to do at the moment, but will ultimately take your focus off of achieving your educational and career goals in the long-run. Because you'll MAKE time to study, stay on top of your reading assignments, turn in ALL of your work on time. Because you will be proud of yourself when you finish what you are starting here because you put the work into it, and will recognize that if you are not successful, it will be because you didn't.
All of us at SCCC have complete faith in your abilities, and want you to succeed. If you need help, ask. If you can help a fellow student who you know is struggling, reach out. If you know you can make our campus and surrounding community better places to be, get involved. If you see someone with an armful of books and is having difficulty opening a door, do the right thing and hold it open (or offer to carry some of them!).
You can do it.
(c)2013 Robyn M. Posson All rights reserved.
