Suffolk’s 2013 high school graduates may have a few weeks to decompress after years of textbooks, exams and expectations, but a Suffolk Public Schools guidance counselor urges the college-bound to get prepared early.

Sheila Williams, who counsels Lakeland High School seniors, advised graduates who will be attending college to contact the institution early to save future headaches.

“Getting in touch with that college to make sure everything is in order as far as deposits, as far as orientation, getting all their necessary immunizations and records that they need to have” is her advice, she said.

Failure to take these steps can result a student’s college account being frozen, she said.

“They definitely need to start getting their curriculum in order,” Williams continued, adding it’s a good idea to contact instructors about this, as well as get in early to purchase textbooks.

And though hitting the beach with friends, relaxing in front of a video game or getting lost in a thick novel can all be hard to resist, there’s wisdom in starting lessons before lessons actually start, according to Williams.

“They can be reviewing curriculum and making sure they have anything extra they need, like a computer,” she said.

The logistics of attending college is another thing graduates need to start thinking about, Williams said.

“If they are going to be local but staying on campus, they need to pack just enough to carry them through,” she said.

“But if they are going to be hours away, they really need to start packing to stay for a bit longer.”

For graduates attending colleges farther away from home, Williams recommended plastic tubs to conveniently transport and store items.

But as well as turning the brain toward college, graduates also should enjoy quality time with family and friends, Williams said.

College will be a new educational experience, she said, with no mollycoddling.

Graduates need to be “open to what they encounter, because things are not the same in college as they are in high school. There is no hand-holding in college. The professor is not going to remind you of anything.”

Most of the approximately 75 percent of Lakeland graduates off to college seem ready, according to Williams.

“There are some that are definitely ready to take the next step,” she said. “Of course, right now they are excited, because it is graduation.

“They are excited, they are nervous, they are anxious, they are scared, because the real world is coming.”

College-goers should begin making positive steps toward the transition by the end of June, she said.

“A lot of orientations are starting the third or fourth week of June,” she added.