High school graduates are looking forward to their first year in college. However, college is completely different from high school. New graduates are about to enter a new world, starting over at the bottom of the social chain. If they were popular in high school, they will soon discover that their popularity is gone, forcing them to create a new identity in college.
To cope with all the changes, there are some things high school graduates can pack to bring with them to college. However, every new year brings along new gadgets and other technological devices, which may also help them academically. Here is a list to compliment a new student’s college survival gear.
MP3/iPod
Many students cannot study without listening to music. However, they won’t have the luxury of studying alone anymore, and their roommates may not like the music. New students need to absolutely include an iPod or other MP3 player in their survival kit. Luckily, many teenagers already have a listening device. If not, one can be obtained relatively inexpensively.
Mini Fridge
College food gets old after a while, and eating out gets expensive. New students will need a mini fridge. However, some new students get a list of names and numbers of their new roommates months prior to the move-in date. Therefore, they can coordinate with each other and determine who will supply certain appliances and furniture.
Laptop
Laptops still remain to be a top priority in a college survival kit, especially since many papers must be printed. The library may be an inconvenience many times. Therefore, new students will also want to have a printer for their laptop and plenty of printing paper.
Alternatively, many new students are using iPads instead of laptops. However, experts and college officials still suggest laptops be used by students because of their proven reliability, efficiency and compatibility to many programs.
Smartphone
It is easy to upgrade to a smartphone from your feature phone. Major carriers like Verizon and AT&T make it easy to choose a smartphone — most smartphones are free with new contracts. There are a couple of reasons why smartphones are a must-have in a college survival gear kit.
First, almost every smartphone can connect with Google maps and GPS, making it easy to navigate around in new areas. Of course, many college students are new to their new school and area; therefore, they will need a GPS device to help them find their way around, at least for the first few months.
Second, smartphones have helpful apps that can keep students in touch with their family, help them study and overall make certain aspects about life a little easier, such as banking.
Conclusion
The only other items that you should include in your college survival gear kit are items that make your life personally a little easier or happier. However, these listed items are items that are heavily suggested, though not required for enrollment.
Hopefully every new college student has an easy time transitioning into this new phase of their life.
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