Before heading off to college, there’s many things you’ll have to get done. Among those, you’ll want to declutter your electronics and make sure that your online accounts make a good first impression for future friends, professors, teammates, coaches, and other people that you’ll encounter throughout this next stage of your life. This quick guide will show you how to do just that!

Prepare Your Devices

Delete Anything Unnecessary

First things first, declutter your devices! Go through the apps on your computer and phone and delete any programs that you’re no longer using in order to free up space. Go ahead and do the same thing with photos, documents, and old emails. You’re going to want as much space as possible for all of the new photos you’ll take, papers you’ll write, and emails you’ll receive. Deleting old files will make it easier to search through your documents or emails to find what you need. You can also take the time to organize your files into folder to make the data you keep easier to access.

Back It Up

Get in the habit of frequently backing up your hard drive and phone to avoid losing your files. It’s never fun when you lose an important project or your favorite pictures due to your device crashing, so avoid the stress by backing up your devices. You can back your phone up to your computer, and save the files on your computer to an external hard drive or cloud-based service such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud – all of which have free options.

Set Up Your School Email

Setting up your college email account before arriving on campus will help make your transition easier and smoother. Your college will likely send you information on how to log in and access this account, or you can contact your school’s tech support office or check the website for instructions. Download any apps you may need to your phone, learn how to enable notifications, and set a professional signature. If you would find it helpful, you can find out if you can sync your new email with an existing account, such as Gmail, so that all of your emails will be delivered to the same inbox.

Prepare Your Social Media

Declutter Your Feed

This is a great time to declutter your social media feeds. Unfollow, unfriend, or unlike any people or pages that you no longer enjoy seeing or that you find to be too negative. This can help make your social media feeds more positive and enjoyable to look at, reduce the amount of time you spend sifting through content, and make some room for all of the new people and pages you’ll be following once you arrive at school.

Double-Check Your Pages

Social media can be a great way to make a first impression, so make sure to put your best foot forward. Remove any posts that you don’t feel represent you, or that you are no longer comfortable with being on your social media – remember that if your pages are public, professors or future employers could end up seeing them! While this process might sound overwhelming, you can make it fun! Grab a friend and have a good time looking back at all of they posts you’ve made over the years. (While you’re going through your phone, go ahead and set a professional-sounding voicemail message if you don’t already have one!)

Create a LinkedIn

LinkedIn can serve as an online resume and a way to connect and network with the people you meet throughout college and your future career. Create an account and add a nice-looking headshot (having your friend take a picture against a plain background is fine!) and add your college, as well any work or volunteer experience. Periodically check your account to add people you’ve met, and to update it with new experiences.

Engage with Your New School

Lastly, consider joining groups or following social media pages for your new college. Your school likely has a Facebook group for your incoming class year, and they may also post regular updates on their Facebook, Instagram, or other social media accounts. By following them, you’ll start integrating yourself into your new community, learning about your new home, and getting a feel for what students enjoy doing for fun. You’ll also ensure that you’re in the loop regarding any content your school posts online.

Looking for other ways to prepare for college? Check out the college section on our blog for more tips!

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