There's a lot of things that are different when you start living at school with the same people 24/7. It's an adjustment and you're going to want to be prepared for that.
1. Be at least 5 minutes early to your classes.
First of all, you can get a good seat. But more importantly, you can start to become a familiar face to your professor which is a really good thing. You can get your notebook or laptop ready before class starts so that way you won't miss any of the lecture.
2. Keep a clean room.
Considering most of your friends will be made in the residence halls, people are going to end up hanging out in your room. No one wants to walk into a gross, tiny room, so try to keep it tidy.
3. Use a planner.
Staying organized is so important. With 5 classes and a ton of coursework, you're not going to be able to magically remember all of your assignments and upcoming exams, so you need to find a cute planner and write everything down. Color-coding definitely helps.
4. Go out and have fun.
Don't go out every night, but some of the best ways to make new friends is to go out.
5. Go to the club fair.
Find something that you like and sign up for it! It's such an easy way to make new friends and keep busy on campus.
6. Always carry an umbrella.
You never know when you're going to be walking to class when all of a sudden it starts to downpour. Trust me, you don't want to get caught in the rain with your books, your laptop, and your clothes.
7. Get in a routine.
Being in a routine will help you feel more at home. For example, go to class, go to the gym, do your homework, and watch Netflix. Although it can change a bit each day you'll feel much better if you have an idea of what you're doing when you wake up each day.
8. Try your best not to procrastinate.
Seriously you're not going to want to have assignments that you didn't finish when all of a sudden plans come up last minute.
9. Find a show to watch when you have a bad day.
Some days you're just going to want to curl up in your bed and watch a show. Whether it's Friends, The Office, or Parks & Rec, it'll make your day a lot better.
10. Do your laundry once a week.
Get in the habit so that you never run out of clean clothes. I promise it's not hard.
11. Walk in groups.
During the day walking to class by yourself is fine, but walking around after class try to walk with at least one other person. I'm not saying your campus isn't safe, I'm just saying you need to take precautions.
12. Don't spend all of your points in the first few weeks.
Whatever system your school uses for meal points other than dining halls, don't use all of them before the semester has even begun. You're not going to be happy when halfway through the semester you don't have enough points to buy the snack you want in the student center.
13. Leave your door open for a while.
Meet the people on your floor and be friendly! They're your neighbors for the next year.
14. Don't overpack.
Don't bring more than you actually need because there's hardly any extra room in your dorm so you don't need a bunch of extra stuff.
15. Just relax.
Seriously you'll be fine, college is fun! If you get stressed call your parents or your home friends. Reach out to new people on campus. Take a nap or go out. Whatever you decide to do, just have fun.
College is a time to have fun and learn as much as you can, so just relax and take a deep breath because it's not as scary as you may be thinking.
