Well everyone, we've finally made it! 18 years of hot blood, sweat, and tears and we're finally here! Congratulations on all of your hard work! Now since I've been in college for three weeks already (not to mention five weeks of a pre-college camp), I'd like to share some information with you that may assist you in your adjustment to college life.
1. Make Friends!
This is the most obvious one, but it can sometimes be the most challenging. The easiest way to make friends is through the people on your dorm floor; just saying hello and starting up a small conversation can give you some of your closest friends for the entire year. However, the best way to survive college is to make friends in your classes - especially in your major. Not only will these friends help you out during the semester, but your fellow classmates in your major will be the ones you'll be seeing the most often of for the next four years. Although you don't need a lot of close friends, having at least one friend in each class can make college life a hell of a lot easier.
2. Get Involved!
Another extremely easy way to make friends and to enhance your college experience as a whole is to find things to do with your free time. Most schools have over one hundred clubs to join and at least one will be of a topic of interest to you. If a club doesn't fit your time schedule, don't stress it; join the club next semester or even next year. Intramural and sports teams are also great ways to get involved, as they'll help you get the adrenaline pumping and will provide a great substitute to the lows of college life. If you don't get involved, your time in college will go downhill quickly, so make the most of the opportunity!
3. Study Hard!
Yes, it's great to have a lot of free time, but you certainly don't want to waste it either. After all, getting the grades that will help you earn a job later down the road is essential towards making sure that your tuition payment wasn't a waste of time and money. Going to class every day and completing all the assignments will boost your grade enormously; don't miss out if you can help it. If you don't understand something, go to a professor's office hours and have them help you out. Most professors are extremely understanding and really care about your future, but only if you show that you're putting in the work. After all, you get out what you put in.
4. Don't Panic!
The biggest lesson I've learned over the past couple of weeks is to be patient with things. As it's most likely your first time being on your own, you're going to be adapting a lot to various situations over the past month, whether it be something as simple as doing your laundry on your own for the first time or as complex as finding your way around campus on your own. Leave yourself time to figure everything out or do things with a friend so that you both become more comfortable. Although some situations will be a bit of a challenge for you, relax, take a deep breath, and assess the situation. I promise you that you'll get the hang of things really quickly.
5. Have Fun!
Just like everybody says, college is going to be a very special time in your life. The amount of independence you have doesn't have to be a bad thing; in fact, it's what college is all about! Whether it's going out with friends, doing a fun event with a club, or just getting some much-needed exercise, finding a way to unwind and get your mind off of all the work is especially important. Not every day will go your way, and that's perfectly fine! Brush things off the next day and come back even stronger.
Well, I hope this guide helped out all of you who read it. If you're one of my friends reading this, thank you for being such a great person and for impacting me in some way, shape, or form over these past eighteen years. If you're someone else that's starting college this week that read this, then thank you for reading and I wish you the best of luck as well! Three cheers for the Class of 2020! Good luck everybody!
