First off, congratulations on your admission! We are so happy you choice BMCC and we hope you’ll be able to make the most of your time here. As you come into your first semester as a college student we thought it might be helpful to put together some advice so you don’t feel so overwhelmed.
- Meet with your advisor early when registering for classes. On advantage college has over high school is that you get a lot of choices and you can make your own schedule for your classes but you need to start early if you really want to get your top choices. Meeting with your academic advisor to go over your strength and weaknesses as well as what you need still to graduate can make this process a lot easier!
- You want to learn to manage your time. You might have days between when you meet for classes so it’s important to stay on top of your long and short-term assignments. Use your calendar, write assignments down in your notebook, and set alarms whatever helps you not forget what you still need to do. There are always academic coaches you can meet with on campus and over zoom if you start to feel overwhelmed putting together a system on your own.
- Talk with your professors. Building up a connection with your professors can be very beneficial in the long term. It helps you feel more comfortable in class and gives you a better sense of what the professor might be expecting from your work. You might also need academic recommendations if you’re looking for internships or continuing your academic career beyond BMCC and who better to give them than a professor who was able to get to know you and see how well you were able to do in their class?
- Reach out to others. It can be hard talking to other people at first. You’re in a whole new environment and you never know how people will react but so is everyone else! Talk to your classmates, and join clubs and organizations. Put yourself out there and your time at BMCC will be a lot more enjoyable.
We hope that the points in this letter were able to alleviate a little of your anxiety going into this first semester. We wish you all the luck in your academic career and look forward to seeing what you can do as a BMCC student!
