Going into your freshman year of college you get a lot of information thrown at you, be it academic, social, life skills, or something else entirely. And it can all be a bit overwhelming, so here's 10 things you should consider getting out of the way sooner rather than later:
10. Please learn how to do laundry... please.
I'm really hoping you already know how to do laundry, I was forcibly taught when I was 10 but not everyone was so lucky. During the first couple weeks of my freshman year I helped six people—yes six—from my hall alone learn how to do laundry, and for a few of them the information didn’t take, I saw more than one guy with comically pink or light blue shirts that were once white. So do yourself a favor and learn early. There’s a lot you can learn to keep your clothes in the best quality but there’s a couple basics you should know:
- Separate your clothes into 3 groups: whites/lights, darks, and brights.
- Only use bleach on all-white loads, and check the tags to see if they can be bleached.
- Wash whites and lights on hot, brights and darks on warm, and new clothes (where the color could bleed) on cold.
- Don’t wash your towels with your clothes. Just don’t.
9. Learn to cook SOMETHING. ANYTHING.
Eggs, pasta, stir-fry, whatever it may be, you need to learn some basic cooking skills before heading off to college. The dining halls aren’t always open, and trust me, you’ll be eating past midnight more than you ever expected. And you don't wanna be the freshman who sets off the fire alarm at 1a.m. because you burnt some pasta sauce, no one like that freshman. So learn a few basic foods you can make, stir-fry is a great option that’s both easy and delicious. Don't set off the fire alarm. Seriously. It happens more than you think.
8. Make it rainnnn- responsibly.
You’re about to have more financial freedom than you ever have. You're also about to be a lot more broke and have more responsibility money-wise than you ever have. Most people get their first credit or debit card when they enter college and it’s an amazing tool and a great learning experience, but you need to learn to budget your money and be careful. You should always know how much money you have in the bank. Luckily in our modern age there’s great apps to help you stay smart and savvy with your money. Mint is a great app for budgeting and tracking your money to help you decide if you really need to spend $60 on that Amazon Pantry box. Also download Venmo, which lets you send and receive money from your friends easily and quickly, a great tool for when ordering Chinese food with your friends late at night.
7. Consider making some money to be (selectively) responsible with.
You should definitely consider getting a part-time job in college. If you qualify for federal work-study you should check out your school website to see what the process of getting a work-study job is like at your university. A part-time job is a great opportunity. Even if you’re parents are helping you financially in school, a part-time job gives you some great work experience and some extra pocket change.
6. Transportation
Find out what your school’s situation is. Most universities don’t allow freshmen to have cars on campus, others charge a semester fee for a parking spot. See how your school’s public transportation is too. At my university our bus system is pretty great, and free—well if being included in tuition counts as free—and it’s unlikely to be able to have a car on campus, but a lot of the time you don't even need one.
5. Another way to make money!
Never stop applying for scholarships! Seriously, I’m going into my sophomore year and I try to find a couple scholarships to apply for each month. Outside scholarships are hard to win because of the huge applicant pool but finding out you won $1000 in the middle of a semester feels AMAZING. A little extra money for college can never hurt.
4. Set some goals.
Set up some academic goals for your first semester. You’re probably feeling a lot of pressure about concretely deciding on your major and future goals and it can all be a bit overwhelming. So set some goals that are more short-term, it’ll help you keep yourself on track academically without going crazy.
3. Then.. Set some more!
Set some health goals as well. The level of health you want to maintain is of course up to you, some people don’t care much for working out but like to keep a good diet, some vice versa, etc. but you need to know what you want and how to go about that. For those of you who played sports in high school who aren’t going varsity in college, you don’t have anyone making you workout any more. Set up a routine for yourself because it’s easy to lose track of your health goals in college. When you’re ordering calzones to your dorm at 2am with your hallmates you’ll realize how real the Freshman 15 is, I know I did.
2. To Study Abroad or not to Study Abroad?
Now is a good time to decide if you want to study abroad. Study Abroad is a great opportunity for some but it’s not for everyone. You don’t need to have everything figured out by any means but applying for Study Abroad can be a bit of a process for some and getting a little ahead can definitely make it a more relaxed process. There are GPA requirements and deadlines involved, as well as scholarships, which you should be aware of before you decide things like where and what semester you want to go. So look into your school’s program, and if you decide study abroad might be for you then consider doing some more research and talking to an advisor at your school about it.
And lastly...
1. Don't forget your roots
As all of these new experiences and struggles are happening, it’s important to remember home, and the people who helped get you here. They care about you and couldn't be more proud, and they put in a lot of work to help you. So call your parents, not just when you need money or ended up sick and don’t know how to get rid of a cold, call them to tell them about your really though Bio professor, or the new cafe that opened up, or just to say hi. A 15 minute phone call means 15 minutes to you, but it means the world to them.
