Dear Jahresa Ryan,

First off I want to congratulate you on your high school graduation, I hope you are excited to begin
your new journey as a freshman in college. Although you have just finished high school, college is a
bit different and it takes some time to get used to. I have written this letter to share a bit of my
college experience as a freshman and to also give you some advice and helpful tips on how to be a
successful student. I will also share some strategies that I learned in my EDU 1020 class that can
help you through college.
My freshmen experience was a bit different, it took me some time to get use to where my classes
were and also know my way around the building, eventually I got use to the campus, and I found my
way around the building. On the first day I was a bit nervous, I had a lot of thoughts on my mind. I
wondered if anyone else was a freshman, I wanted to know the difficulty of the course, and I also
wanted to know what we would be covering in the classroom. Most of my questions were answered
on the first day, the teachers explained to the class what we should expect, and some of my teachers
also gave some helpful tips that I will be sharing with you.
Some advice and tips that I would suggest for you is to make sure you know your way around, if you
feel youre not too good with remembering where things are, go to the campus before you start
classes and walk around so that you can get familiar with the campus. You can also ask questions if
you dont know how to get somewhere. Another way to find your way around is to make friends with
a sophomore or with someone who knows their way around. Make sure you are prepared on the first
day, and make sure you have all the right materials that you need for class as far as books. Some
teachers may go right into a lesson on the first day, and that lesson might require you to have your

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books. Before class starts most teachers will send out emails, or they will have a syllabus that you
should look over. The syllabus will provide you with information such as your teachers name, contact
information, and office hours, the syllabus will also tell you what days you have that class, and what
days you will be covering certain chapters and when your quizzes and test will be and also the day
your final will be and the last day of class. Make sure you come to class on time, being late leads you
to missing out on important information that the teacher may give out at the beginning of the class.
Some teachers may or may not repeat themselves once you miss the information it is then your
responsibility to get it.
Here is a list of strategies that will help you contribute to student success that I learned from my
EDU 1020 class. The first one is staying organized, motivated and on track. This strategy teaches you
how to manage your time, make sure you manage your time wisely when it comes to homework and
preparing for a test or quizzes. Make sure you keep all your paper work organized, having a folder
for each class is one way I learned to make sure I knew what class each paper was for. You have to
make sure you keep up with due dates, especially final assignments, and also days you have test and
quizzes. Make sure you motivate yourself to do well and try hard. This strategy will help your
freshmen year run smoothly.
The second strategy is listening, taking notes and remembering. Listening in class is an important
strategy, making sure you are always alert and listening to what the teacher is saying helps you stay
focused. Taking notes during class is a good way to help you study when you have a test or a quiz
coming up, taking notes can also help you remember what you learned in the class. Remembering is
another helpful strategy that helps you not only in class, but it can also help you outside of class.
The third strategy that I learned is preparing for and taking test. When you are preparing for any test
you should make sure you are comfortable, and you are in a quiet study area. You should also make

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sure you have all your study materials next to you. Make sure there are no distractions nearby such as
loud noises or electronics. When you are taking a test a helpful tip would be to go to all the questions
you know first, take your time and do not rush, make sure you eat a healthy breakfast so that you can
stay focused.
And last but not least the fourth strategy is to take control of your finances. This strategy taught me
that you should set a financial goal for yourself. College can be expensive, but to prevent yourself
from getting into debt you should have a set budget, and manage your money wisely. Make sure you
are spending your money on essential things, and also if you dont have the finances to help you pay
for college you can also apply for finical aid, scholarships and grants, student loans and work study
programs. This strategy will help you save money, and also tell you what you are spending your
money on.
I hope these strategies and tips will help you throughout your freshmen year and also help you
become a successful student. Remember to stay focused and do your best.

Sincerely,

Sharifa Harrigan