The first of anything is almost always scary; first kiss, first day driving on your own, and now your first official day of college classes. I know it's easy to get bogged down in the details like should you buy your books before, how many pencils will you need, will you make any friends, where the heck is this building anyway?? But don't let anxiety ruin something super cool.
The first week of classes is for trial and error anyway. Even as a seasoned junior I'm still expecting a few hit and misses, and that's ok because everyone will have at least one first week horror story--trust me it does get funny!
While I can't completely reassure you that you will survive, I can give you a few helpful tips:
1. Don't just buy all the books on the booklist.
Look out for emails from your professors about it. Chances are they have a completely different list than the one online.
2. If your scared about getting lost, do a trial walk.
School maps are a beautiful thing. If you're more directionally challenged than most, grab a friend and walk around campus to where your classes are. You'll feel more comfortable come the first day and maybe have a great conversation too!
3. Don't worry about making friends.
Seriously, don't. It may not be immediate, but you WILL make friends, and they will be some of the best people ever.
4. If you have to drop a class, it's ok.
Sometimes we overestimate how much work we can handle, or the class just isn't what we thought it would be, or even the professor just creeps you out. Whatever the cause, don't feel bad for dropping a class in add/drop week. I've literally redone my entire schedule during the first week, before. You got this.
5. Don't start studying.
Unless you have a legitimate homework assignment that's do relatively soon, just leave the books and the library alone. They'll be there for week two...and the entire rest of the semester.
6. Get some sleep.
I know it'll be tempting to stay up all night with your friends and doing random stuff, but trust me, get some sleep. You'll have plenty of time for all-nighters during midterms and finals!
And finally just enjoy! You're in college, you made it, now it's time work hard, play hard, and kill it.
