So, you and your parents have just invested a significant amount of money for your university education. As a freshman, what can you do to make sure you get your money’s worth? How will you assure a return on your investment (ROI)?

Step 1: Get Organized
Developing a strong, structured time management routine is crucial to being successful in college. Your
first semester will set the tone for your following four years. It is imperative that you establish a strong
GPA that first semester because maintaining a high GPA is much easier than trying to bring up a low one.
Being organized will also keep you healthy, reduce your stress levels, and prevent fatigue.
Work on maximizing your time between the hours of 8am and 5pm, Monday through Friday. Take
advantage of free time between classes to work on homework, projects, career development, and exercise.
This will free up your evenings and weekends for additional activities, rest, and relaxation. Then, spend a
few hours at the end of your weekend to review and plan for the following week.

Step 2: Schedule Monthly Meetings With A Career Coach
Because career development is a process that takes as many semesters as your established major,
scheduling career coaching appointments monthly will benefit you tremendously. Every college has a career
development office. Locate it and visit your first semester. Then, establish a relationship with this office
and keep consistent appointments with a career coach. He/she will help you plan out your professional
development goals for each semester.
If you do not do this, you will not be educated on how to transition from student to professional. Would
you dare wait until your final semester of college to visit your professors, attend class, and follow through
with your major requirements for graduation? Of course not! So, why would you dare make the mistake of
doing this with your career development?

Step 3: Engage In Your Career Development
The majority of students who fail to attend and participate in career development events do so because
they choose not to engage and prioritize this development. Again, it is imperative that students educate
themselves on how to transition from student to professional. Establish and keep consistent appointments
with a career coach so you can identify professional interests, build strategies for out of classroom
experiences, identify strong, mentor-based internships, and establish a strong professional brand. Learning
to be professional starts freshman year, not senior year.

Step 4: Investigate Extra Curricular Activities
Once you have identified professional interests, it is time to celebrate those interests and meet others who
have those same interests. This is where extra curricular activities come in. As a freshman, finding a
community that celebrates these same interests will help you learn more about yourself, your goals and
passions, and your interpersonal style. College provides an abundance of clubs and activities for students
to choose from, so investigate these choices and participate starting your freshman year. This will set the
stage for future leadership opportunities within these clubs or activities and will help strengthen your
professional interests.

Step 5: Create Your LinkedIn Profile
Establishing a professional on line presence begins freshman year. Yes, students need to clean up their
Facebook page and even lock it down, if preferred. However, the main focus freshman year, is to establish
your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a professional networking site every bit as relevant to first year college
students as it is to seasoned professionals.
The difference is in the strategies used by freshman versus seasoned professionals. Freshman can research
alumni, learn about their majors and subsequent careers, research those careers and the companies in
which they work and learn tons about the professional world. And, the career development coaches and
staff can assist freshman in building their profiles and using the site strategically.


Step 6: Get A Mentor
Because your first year in college is a huge transition, it can be a tremendous help to build a relationship
with someone a bit ahead of you. Someone who has recently been in your shoes, can guide you, give you
advice and support you through this transition. This is where mentoring comes in. Ask the career
development office if they can assist you in locating a mentor. Alumni can be fabulous mentors for
freshman and a career coach can assist you in making connections with alumni through LinkedIn.


These are six easy steps to accomplish during your freshman year. Remember, you have made a
significant financial investment to attend college, so follow these steps and you will be on your way to
gaining a huge ROI.

gud means