So you're finally a college freshman, and it's exciting and terrifying all wrapped up in one. Unless you're lucky enough to have chosen the same college as your best friend, you're probably afraid that you won't make any friends or that people won't like you. But you will be OK because college is a new place where there are people who are interested in everything you are, and you'll find a group of friends. It's still going to be scary though, so here are some tips for your first semester of college:
1. Hang out with the first group that asks you to.
You might not stay friends with these people all semester. Heck, you might not even stay friends with them the rest of orientation weekend. But it will get you out and about, and you'll have some social interaction with someone other than your roommate.
2. Hang out with your roommate!
If you're in the dorms and you have a roommate as most of us have, hang out with your roommate! Maybe in time you two will drift and have your own friend groups, but at least you had someone to hang out with! It also gives you great bonding time.
3. Suggest group study.
Once you find a solid group of friends, remember that you don't always have to go out to eat or go to parties to have fun. You can all hang out together and study even if you're not all in the same class. My first semester, my friends and I would all get together and work on our homework. It's a great thing to do because then you get your social interaction AND you get your homework done
4. ALWAYS do your homework.
Some high schools are very lenient about late work. College isn't so much. You may have a professor who doesn't always collect assignments on time. Do them on time anyway because there will be a day when he or she collects the assignment on time, and you don't want to be the one person who didn't do it.
5. Don't be afraid to eat alone.
OK, this one to me is huge because I had no problem eating alone and I had multiple people ask if they could sit with me so they weren't alone. SO MANY college students eat alone. Sometimes you just don't have the time to actually sit and eat, and when you eat with friends it takes twice as long. So there are plenty of people who eat alone.
I know that your first semester of college is probably terrifying to you, but it will be over before you know it, really. Take it one day at a time and work hard on your school work and have fun (responsibly) whenever you can.
