Transitioning to College
I very much recommend visiting college campuses and getting an understanding of the college experience before you actually go. It will help you prepare academically, prepare for the different environment, and confirm your decision to attend that particular university or university in general. I describe how my sister visited and stayed at a college campus below and give suggestions for how you can do the same.
My sister says having her spend time at the university was helpful to her transitioning to college. Specifically, she came to live with me at school for short periods of time. I live in the school dorms at the same university Caley ended up coming to and to help her transition every time she was out of school but I wasn't she came to stay with me. Three day weekends, Thanksgiving break (which is twice as long for high school students as it is for college), my sister came for all of them. At the end of it, she was the most prepared for living on campus as it's possible for any freshman to be.
In addition, she came out more prepared academically as well. I had my friends, who were studying my sister's desired major, take her with them to class. I also took her to those few of my classes that I thought might replicate the sorts of classes she'd take. Because of this, not only did my sister come out more prepared for living on campus, but she also was more prepared for the classroom setting with a better idea of the academic rigor she'd encounter.
Naturally, she had an advantage that most students don't have. It's unlikely that most of you all also have older siblings that still go to the university you'll attend, let alone siblings that still live on campus at that university. However, it doesn't have to be the exact university that you'll attend - spending any amount of time in a university setting will be helpful. Also, this plan doesn't require a sibling to carry out. Family friends, friends who already graduated from your high school, or willing mutual acquaintances may be willing to do something similar.
Even if you have none of those, you may still be able to make this work for you. I have a friend that's a freshman this year who did the same thing, despite knowing no one in our university, and in fact being from out of state. She simply contacted the dean, informed him that she was very interested in coming to my school, but as an out of state student coming without her parents, didn't have any place to stay when she came. The dean took care of it from there, sending out an email to the students in my dormitory, asking if anyone would be willing to let her stay with them while she was here. Some of my friends agreed, even taking her to class with them, and she had such a great time that she ended up coming to my school.
My point is that you may be able to make something like this work for you, too. This would help with the transition from community college to university, as well, should you pursue that route. I don't claim that this method will work for everyone - although I see little reason why it wouldn't - but it was certainly great for my sister and my friend and bears investigating further for your situation.
My sister says having her spend time at the university was helpful to her transitioning to college. Specifically, she came to live with me at school for short periods of time. I live in the school dorms at the same university Caley ended up coming to and to help her transition every time she was out of school but I wasn't she came to stay with me. Three day weekends, Thanksgiving break (which is twice as long for high school students as it is for college), my sister came for all of them. At the end of it, she was the most prepared for living on campus as it's possible for any freshman to be.
In addition, she came out more prepared academically as well. I had my friends, who were studying my sister's desired major, take her with them to class. I also took her to those few of my classes that I thought might replicate the sorts of classes she'd take. Because of this, not only did my sister come out more prepared for living on campus, but she also was more prepared for the classroom setting with a better idea of the academic rigor she'd encounter.
Naturally, she had an advantage that most students don't have. It's unlikely that most of you all also have older siblings that still go to the university you'll attend, let alone siblings that still live on campus at that university. However, it doesn't have to be the exact university that you'll attend - spending any amount of time in a university setting will be helpful. Also, this plan doesn't require a sibling to carry out. Family friends, friends who already graduated from your high school, or willing mutual acquaintances may be willing to do something similar.
Even if you have none of those, you may still be able to make this work for you. I have a friend that's a freshman this year who did the same thing, despite knowing no one in our university, and in fact being from out of state. She simply contacted the dean, informed him that she was very interested in coming to my school, but as an out of state student coming without her parents, didn't have any place to stay when she came. The dean took care of it from there, sending out an email to the students in my dormitory, asking if anyone would be willing to let her stay with them while she was here. Some of my friends agreed, even taking her to class with them, and she had such a great time that she ended up coming to my school.
My point is that you may be able to make something like this work for you, too. This would help with the transition from community college to university, as well, should you pursue that route. I don't claim that this method will work for everyone - although I see little reason why it wouldn't - but it was certainly great for my sister and my friend and bears investigating further for your situation.