All freshmen start off college with the same fears and questions. "How am I gonna live on my own?" "What do I do when I can't get my work done?" "I miss my family back home." Here are some tips and tricks to help you with your first semester as college freshmen.
Tip One: Living on your own isn't how it may seem. In fact, most people aren't alone at all. A good portion of college freshmen has one or even two roommates. Get to know your roommate(s) and know you're not alone.
Tip Two: Technology is a beautiful thing now a days. You may be miles away from home physically, but emotionally, they are right there beside you. Set up times where you can text with family members. Find days where you can call them just so you can hear their voices. You don't have to wait weeks for letters to arrive when it only takes a few minutes to send a text.
Tip Three: Many freshmen in college worry about school work and being able to finish it on time. Some even worry about not being able to go to class. Chances are, your professor isn't as mean as you might think. If you can't make it to class or you need an extension on some work, email them. Give them a valid reason for not being able to go to class or why you can't finish the work before it's due. Nine out of 10 times, they'll understand. You just need to tell them sooner rather than later, because no professor likes to be emailed five minutes before class by a student asking for an extension.
Tip Four: A good portion of the time students will be doing school work. This can cause a lot of stress for anyone. If you're stressing out and feel like your about to explode, take a breather. Unless you've pushed off your work to the last second, take a small break. Push the work aside for a few minutes to give your mind some time to relax. Play a game, text a friend, even take a small nap. Once you've felt like your okay to work, go back at it. You'll finish feeling a lot less stressed than before.
Tip Five: Never put off your work to the last minute. Most professors give an ample amount of time for students to complete assignments and projects. Being a procrastinator will be your downfall. It might seem like you can do it at the beginning of the year, but once it gets later and you get more work, procrastinators are gonna have a hard time keeping up and completing work with little stress. So, procrastinators, you've been warned.
Tip Six: Naps are your best friend. A good way to adapt to college life is to learn when naps are needed. Once the year starts going, and you're receiving more and more work, naps are gonna be your life saver. So always squeeze in time for a 15 to 20-minute nap. Otherwise, you'll be struggling to stay awake.
Tip Seven: Moving to college is a big step. Chance are though that all your friends from high school aren't going to the same place as you. So you're probably coming to a brand new place all alone without knowing a single person there. It may be college, and it may seem scary, but making friends is easy. No one knows you there. They don't know your past or anything about you. At college, you can be yourself and still find people who have the same interests as you. You just gotta look.
Tip Eight: Money is precious. Before you moved, you probably didn't consider how you spent your money because you always had your parents to give you more. Now is different. Your parents aren't right beside you to give you more cash. You'll need to learn how to wisely spend your money. Only get things that you need, to begin with. Focus on school supplies and food. If it's not needed, hold off on buying it. And look for work. Most students get jobs in between classes and homework to help with money. If you're someone who goes out every week to go shopping for clothes or other things, learn how to get away from that habit. Save money for a rainy day, because that's when you'll need it most.
Tip Nine: Be yourself. A good portion of people feels that have to act a certain way to fit in. There's a good chance you're one of those people who had to change who they are and you've been lying to yourself for a long time. In college, no one cares who were in the past. In college, you can be yourself. A lot of freshmen hide out in their dorms. Don't do that. Go out, sit with people, talk to them, join clubs, go on trips. There are so many things you can do to meet people. There's a good chance they could be a friend for a long time. You just got to say "Hello."
Tip 10: Don't take college for granted. A lot of people nowadays think that college is useless, or that they are only there so they can get better jobs. If you're in that state of mind, then you don't belong in college. College isn't just there to help you gets better job. It's there to help you expand on the skills you already know and to guide you on the path you want to take in life. Freshmen year especially, because a good portion of students come in not knowing what career they want to do. It's that first year that you can test the waters with different activities and classes. You are stuck in one career if you decide to change. It's that beginning year where you can change your path in life without having to worry about credits or it being too late to change. You aren't stuck in that one path, and college helps you find that perfect road in like for you. Take it while it's still available for you. Otherwise, you'll regret it later.
