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The Mesa Press

The Mesa Press

The independent student news site of San Diego Mesa College.

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The Mesa Press

The Mesa Press

What the brochure doesn’t tell you about your first semester in college

Spending hours trying to find parking, struggling to locate your first class, being late to class and meeting new people are all what a student’s first semester at college is made up of.

Most students probably thought that their only problem was going to be getting all the homework done. Though that will be a challenge, there are many more obstacles students need to tackle.  Fortunately for students who are new to San Diego Mesa College, there are resources on campus to help. The following advice is sure to somewhat help students survive their first semester at Mesa College.

The first complication that students are going to notice is that parking is horrendous.             “Early bird gets the worm, but while you’re watching that I got the parking spot. Always assume you are late,” says Archer Page, fourth semester student at Mesa College, about parking.

There are a few ways to avoid driving around for hours looking for a spot. One such example is the new shuttle that picks students up from Ross Elementary School and drops them off at Mesa College.

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There is also parking on side streets around Mesa College. Just be aware of the signs posted, some curbs are for permit parking only.  Lastly, if you live close by don’t be ashamed to have someone drop you off and pick you up, you’ll save at least an hour that way.

Once you have found parking and made it to campus your next mission will be to find your class. It is always better to plan ahead, even though it’s too late for that now use this advice for next year. Make a day before classes start and find all your classes.

“I wish I would’ve looked at the campus map before the first day of school, it would of saved me a lot of searching,” says Tifani Henderson, a first semester student at Mesa College.

If you are also having trouble finding bathrooms and vending machines on campus there are maps located all throughout campus. For a more convenient way, bookmark the map on your smartphone so you always have a quick reference.

One good thing about being in college that you might notice is that if you aren’t taking a full course load and aren’t working, you will have a lot of extra free time because you don’t have to be in school from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

At first you are going to want to use this free time to act like it is still summer, but you will soon realize this free time doesn’t      actually exist. What students need to know is that for each hour they spend in the class, there will be two additional hours spent doing homework for the class. This may sound cliché, but never procrastinate.

Most classes won’t be next to each other, and if you’re really unlucky will have one class in the “H” building and have to go across campus to the Modular Village for your next. Therefore, comfortable shoes are highly recommended. Now if your idea of a comfortable shoe is a 6 inch stilettos then by all means work it, but if that’s not the case find shoes that are easy to walk in.

You will also notice that a good percent of the population at Mesa College are more worried about getting good grades then impressing people. It doesn’t matter if you look good at school but get bad grades.  So don’t spend all morning trying to find the perfect outfit.

Finally, don’t be shy. Put yourself out there and meet new people. However, college isn’t all about work. Find some time for fun. To help you out here are some of the student clubs provided here at Mesa College.

For students interested in fashion and wanting to explore more into it should join the Mesa College Fashion Club. The advisors of this club are Professors Susan Lazear and Professor Andrea Marx.

Students who are looking to meet people that are motivated students then they should look into joining the Mesa College Honors Club. The advisor is Professor Alison Primoza.

Students looking to explore more in to another culture should join the Mesa Japan Club. The advisor is Professor Miyoko Hamanaka-Holden.

For more information about clubs go to student affairs located at H-500.

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