High school grads, don’t waste this summer

Dear Recent High School Graduates:

You've no doubt been receiving round after round of congratulations, so let me add mine. Congratulations! You did it! And now you've got the summer to chill out and . . .

Wait. Scratch that. As a professor at a major university who often teaches freshmen, I don't think you should goof off for the summer between high school and college, if that's where you're headed in the fall. In fact, I think you should fit the following tasks into your summer. (Don't worry — you'll still find time to chill.)

First of all, it's time to get organized before the onslaught of a new schedule and lots of work. If you already have a system, and never missed turning in an assignment on time in high school, then you can skip ahead. Otherwise, whatever you did, or more likely, did not do through high school isn't going to work. In college, you'll juggle five or more classes, which meet at different times, taught by professors with wildly different expectations.

Every semester, I have a student or two who confidently assures me "I've got it all in my head," instead of writing down due dates and other helpful information. I end up watching them scramble desperately a couple of weeks later. So, figure out how you're going to keep track of every class meeting, draft due date, mandatory study session, and blog post. A paper planner? Your phone's calendar? Whatever works for you is fine, but remember, no one will help you, not even friendly professors like me.

Secondly, read. Wait! Hear me out! I'm not suggesting you buy and read your textbooks for the first semester already, but you should get in the habit of reading something every day, preferably something longer than an Instagram caption. How about a novel? The daily newspaper in your town? You'll have to read so much in college, and I've noticed that students who are already readers — even if they're reading Harry Potter for the 23rd time — are always able to handle the demands of college classes better than those who don't read.

Third on my list of sugges- tions: Although you may not even know your class schedule and roommate yet, there are areas of your school you can study up on. For example, spend some time learning how to use your future alma mater's email and online systems; most colleges have them, and two days into the overwhelming first semester is not the best time to realize you deleted the email with your password months ago. Those school websites often have lists of extracurricular activities, information about special events and games, and even a campus map. How much you want to study this stuff is up to you, of course. I know that not everyone enjoys being able to explain where the observatory is on campus as much as I do. But even a cursory examination will help you get around on campus and possibly be of help to your future friends.

And, hey, while you're online, if you do have your course list for the fall, look up your professors. Don't stick to just the student-friendly-butbiased professor rating sites. Most colleges publish biographies of their faculty, and some professors maintain a personal website as well.