College is stressful, especially during the first few weeks. Follow these tips, and it will help you be more stress-free.
1. Before you move in, order all of your books.
Check Amazon and other book sites before you resort to buying at the university bookstore. You can rent and buy from Amazon for almost half the cost; just remember to compare prices.
2. Only buy/rent the books that are marked as required.
If you need a recommended book, you can buy it later. But you probably won't.
3. Never take the shrink wrap off or break the seal on a book/access code/workbook until you are using it.
Even "required" books are sometimes not used. Keep your receipt, so that you can take it back if you don't use it.
4. Set up your room right away.
It gives you a calm and prepared place to come back to after a long day of classes and orientation.
5. Be kind and compassionate to your new roommates and hall-mates.
They are stressed out too, and the impression you first make will last a long time and can be hard to overcome.
6. Put all of your assignments, projects, and due dates into a planner or calendar that you can take with you and check often.
It's helpful to put in reminders to start big projects a few weeks in advance, so they don't sneak up on you. This way you don't have to pull out all of your syllabi each time you do homework. It also keeps you from forgetting about assignments. T.J. Maxx is my go-to place to find a nice planner for less than $10.
7. Take a picture or screenshot of your weekly class schedule complete with times, room numbers, and class names. Then make it the lock screen on your phone.
Don't be that person who has and inevitably loses the paper copy of their class schedule.
8. If you are a new student or are taking classes in an unfamiliar building, find your classrooms before classes start.
It's way more stressful looking for the classroom tucked away in a random corner when you have two minutes until class starts.
9. Freshmen: don’t feel like you have to go to every orientation activity.
Go to the absolutely required stuff and anything that looks fun. Ignore the stuff that will add stress without much reward.
10. Make a minimum of two friends in each class and get their numbers or social media contacts.
These people are great to coordinate study sessions with or to help if you miss a class, don't understand something, or have questions on an assignment.
11. Don’t overcommit.
Clubs and other groups may seem super fun, and probably are, but you don't need to be in five of them. Pick one or two. It's probably all you have time for.
But most importantly: have fun and study hard.
