The weeks leading up to your first day of college are chaos. What if I can’t find my classes? What if my roommates don't like me? How will I survive without Mom’s cooking or Dad’s constant reminders to unplug my straightener? There is no doubting that starting a new school is a plate full of anxiety and excitement with a side of worry. However, taking this new experience head-on is exactly what you should do to ensure a great first year.
1. Befriend your roommates early: If possible, meet up with your future roommates. Meeting before Move-In Day will eliminate that initial awkwardness of trying to juggle moving in and having first conversations. Establishing friendships early on will give you some comfort that you’re not entering college alone. Chances are that your roommate will become your best friend (I know mine did).
2. Go to the Welcome Week Events: The best way to meet new people is to go to the events on campus. You aren’t going to meet anyone while binge watching OITNB (besides, why weren’t you spending your summer doing that?) I became familiar with campus just by going to the events held on campus. Plus, there's always a lot of free "swag" given out. Who doesn't love the 3 F's? Free food, fun, and friends? Warning: Not going could cause a case of FOMO.
3. Get Involved!!!: I cannot stress this enough! I didn’t get involved my freshmen year and I regret it. Getting involved my sophomore year was the best decision. I’ve met the greatest people and had incredible opportunities just from joining various organizations. If you aren’t ready for major commitment, I strongly recommend signing up for a volunteer board; that way you get the feel of being apart of something minus the major responsibilities that come with serving on an executive board.
4. Introduce yourself to your professors: Unlike in high school, some of your classes will be too large for your professor to know everyone by name. While I had have large lecture classes where my professor took the time to learn 80 + names, it is not very common. To avoid being lost in a sea of faces, introduce yourself at the end of class. It’ll show dedication to both their class and your grade, which will help when you’re struggling on the brink of that next letter grade.
5. Say ‘Yes’ more often: Now that you’re away at college the excuse—normally untrue—that “Sorry, my mom said no!” has been voided. So, now you are face-to-face with your new college friends who are begging you to go to this frat party that will be “epic.” Say yes. You may get there and realize that parties aren’t for you, but at least you gave it a shot. When your roommate is trying to drag you out to explore the mountains, say yes. You just might discover that you actually are an outdoorsy person. Besides, life is too short to say no.
The four to six years (shoutout to my super seniors) we’ll be in college are for making lifelong memories. Memories that, years from now, we’ll laugh at like it just happened yesterday. Live life to the fullest and don’t let the stresses of college keep you down.
