College is scary, we all know that. Many of you have never left home for so long before. It’s okay to be scared. Really, it is. Chances are, everyone else is too. I know I looked up so many articles before I even moved in. But a lot of them leave lots of things out that I really wish I’d known before move-in day. So, I’m going to try to include them here, as a bit of a helping hand to all of the freshies out there.
When you’re packing, pack light. Take only the things you really need, or else you’ll end up with carloads of stuff that never gets used. It’s spring time, don’t take winter coats. Do you sometimes paint or draw? Don’t take a trunk full of canvases and art equipment that will just end up taking away your precious space. Be honest., do you really need all 30 pairs of shoes? Try to be conservative; you’ll be thankful on move-out day.
Get to know your hall neighbors in the first few days, and please leave your door open. It helps you to make friends (I promise!) and will make you seem more inviting to your neighbors! Prop the door open, put on some music, and start decorating! Personally, I always hang one or two strings of lights (can be found at most stores in a variety of styles) because it’ll help give your room a gentle, relaxing mood in the evenings. That’s also inviting to new friends! I found my current suite-mate because I left my door open so much in the first semester. Trust me, it works!
If you have a roommate, set boundaries. They are a partier and you’re not? Have a discussion as to what’s okay and what isn’t. If you don’t want her coming in at three a.m. and waking you up, make sure you tell them, so that she can try to be considerate. If you have a boyfriend or girlfriend, and your roommate doesn’t, make sure you discuss whether they're okay with you bringing them over. Your roommate should never be kicked from their own room so you and your partner can…ahem…bond. And if something is bothering you, make sure you find time to sit down and talk about it with them. Venting to friends is fine, but it won’t fix the problem. And tensions between roommates have often led to one or more tenant moving out, resentment and worse. I’ve seen it first hand, and believe me, it’s never pretty.
Housekeeping is more important than you realize. When your room is a mess, it can often have a negative impact on your mood and attitude. Try to keep things tidy. You don’t have to vacuum every day, but cleaning once a week is a good rule of thumb to keeping things neat. I rifle through my mini fridge on cleaning day as well, to throw out any questionable once-edibles. It’ll help if you do it during the day, (I pick Sunday's) throw the windows open to get a good breeze, pop on some music and give the place a good freshen-up. I don’t make my bed every day, but making it at least once a week gives you the opportunity to take a photo and send home, maybe with the caption, “Look, mom! I told you I’d keep my room clean!” It’s important, if you have a roommate, to discuss their cleanliness habits with them as well.
Organization is something I’ve never been particularly great at, but I discovered really quickly that the more organized I am, the more successful I am. I like to take my class schedules (you should get one from each teacher) and tape them to the inside of my closet door or to an unused wall. That way, they’re all together, I can see what classes have projects coming up, and keep on top of deadlines. You can also mark out the classes that have passed to keep track. Some classes won’t have set due dates. However, this does not mean that you don’t have to do the work. On the contrary, these classes are ones that you want to get done as soon as you’re able to. That way, you already have it out of the way and ready to turn in when the time comes. If you have the opportunity and ability to work ahead, I definitely recommend it.
Remember how in junior high or high school, you had an assigned color for every class? Green for Science and yellow for Math, etc.? Well, I definitely do not recommend doing that in college! I keep one notebook on me at all times (unless the class requires its own notebook for journaling or something) and I just pull pages out as I need them. I keep all of my files in a trapper keeper ($12 at Meijer) and each section has a color-coded tabbed divider with a pocket in the front ($7, also at Meijer). These are so helpful! The tabs and colors keep me organized, and I can store any papers I get from my professors in the pockets until I can hole punch them (I kept one in my room) and put them in the clips with my other papers. My trapper keeper also had a pocket in the front, where I’d put any homework that was coming up due, so I didn’t have to hunt for it during class time.
When it comes to classes, I try my best to avoid early mornings. Trust me, just because you did it in high school does not mean you can do it in college. Sometimes though, it can be helped. When you’re scheduling, it makes life a lot easier to schedule your classes in back-to-back blocks all at once, instead of a class here or there. For example, it’s better to schedule math from 1 to 2 p.m, then English from 2 to 3 p.m, and science from 3 to 4 p.m. If your schedule instead has one class from 9 to 10, then another from 1 to 2 p.m, then another from 4 to 5 p.m, you won’t have any time to yourself. Those empty blocks between classes really won’t help you; you’ll end up with not enough time to actually accomplish anything, and will push your homework back until the late evening. However, if you have all of your classes blocked together, you’ll get them done faster and have more time for homework. And believe me, do your homework. It’s more important than you think.
Remember to keep your head up and keep on trying, and you’ll be just fine!
