College is scary and can at times be overwhelming trying to maintain an active social life, work, and grades. Coming from high school where everything is structured to your own schedule can be tricky if you let yourself get out of hand. There are many distractions in college- many good, and some bad. College parties are fun and definitely worth the experience, but keep in mind you are here to learn, not party. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you strike that balance:

1. Start out Strong

The first few classes are going to be easy as hell, and you will be tempted to slack off. If you do, you will set up a poor foundation for the rest of your college career, and I can assure you that it only gets harder from here on out. Also, the things you learn your freshman year are built upon throughout college so do yourself a favor and learn it now.

2. Take Advantage of What Your College Offers

Most colleges offer a free tutoring service or a free therapy service. Use them. You might think you don’t need them, but trust me, you do. Get yourself the help you need before the hole is too deep to get out off. College is definitely stressful and it will affect you.

3. Buy a Planner...and USE IT

The first step to having a fantastic first year is to set up your planner early. Syllabi have important dates throughout the semester already listed out for you. The hour or two it takes to set up your planner may seem tedious but in the long run it is so helpful. I’m one of those people where if I don’t write it down, I will totally forget its existence. My planner is my life. Seriously. I can’t emphasize this enough. A properly used planner will change your life for the better.

4. Get Involved

Whether it be sports, clubs, theater, the school newspaper, whatever it is, join something. Join something that interests you. Join something that challenges you. It really doesn’t matter what you do, but getting involved on campus makes college life that much better. You meet people you would not have necessarily met, and as a plus, they share the same interests as you! College can get really lonely really quickly, so it’s important to have things and people to look forward to and support you.

5. Use Online Resources

There are tons of summaries and analyses online of a good majority of your reading, I assure you. While these are great supplements, they won’t act as a main source of your reading. Don’t rely solely on them, but they do come in handy for review. There are also tons of websites devoted to helping students study. Take the time to find the websites that you like and use them. They can truly be really helpful.

The main point of college is to prepare for your future and that in itself is scary. If you don’t start setting the foundation now for a successful college career, it will be a struggle for you. That’s just a fact. These little tips and tricks will help take the stress away and make your year more enjoyable!