In about three weeks or so, you will be packing up the last 18-years of your life, moving to another city, and living with a complete stranger. This is something you’ve been waiting for your entire life. You finally get to live on your own and have all the freedom in the world. You think you have it all figured out… That is until you actually move into your tiny dorm room and realize you have no clue what you got yourself into. Everyone is going to throw a bunch of advice at you, I am going to be one of those people, too. Sorry.
Go to the welcome back events.
My college hosts different events every year before school starts. We usually have a picnic, a mentalist and so many other fun events. I remember being a freshmen, I was extremely afraid to go to this because I didn’t know anyone. It was so fun though because I went with a bunch of girls from my floor! You will meet so many people and will be able to relax after moving in!
Get out of your room.
I wasted my entire freshman year because all I wanted to do was stay in my dorm and watch Netflix. It is so tempting because you don’t have your parents yelling at you to go out and do something. It is up to you to get off your butt and go take a walk, go study with a friend or go to the dining center with a friend. Just don’t spend every minute in your room. You will regret it, trust me.
Get involved.
I am so lucky that I go to a school where there is a club or organization for everyone. Whether you decide to join a sport, a sorority, chess club, just do something. There are so many different clubs out there. If you don’t find one that you like, then make your own club! I am so glad I was pushed to get involved because it really does help you transition through college so much smoother!
Not all professors are out to get you.
You can pretty much tell on the first day of school who actually cares about teaching and who is just there because they have nothing better to do. I was very lucky my freshman year with the professors I got. I will forever remember two of my freshman professors because of how much they helped me. They really cared about my well being and they wanted to see me be successful in their class and other classes as well. I promise these professors actually exist. Many classes often have study sessions, or you can start your own.
If you start to fall behind in class, get help.
!
I wasn’t adjusting well to college and because of this, I wasn’t doing well in any of my classes. Like I said, I was lucky though that I had professors that started noticing and wanted to help. They offered to come in early and stay after class to help me. Also, don’t be afraid to go to your academic learning center. Whether it’s getting help with a paper or just catching up on some homework, there is someone at the academic learning center to help you. Don’t wait around and not doing anything if you are falling behind, there are so many resources out there to help you out.
Set a budget for yourself.
It’s tempting to go out to eat, go to the movies or go to the bars all of the time because you don’t have anyone telling you not to. I made this mistake my freshmen year of college. Within the first semester of college, I blew through around $1,000 on going out to eat or going to the movies. It seemed like every single weekend I was spending money. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I was home for winter break and had no money to do anything. It’s OK to go out once and a while, but find other things to do that doesn’t cost money because it really does add up.
Call your parents.
This whole process is new and scary for you and also for your parents. I’m not saying you need to call them every single day, but once in awhile so that they know that you are actually alive. They want to hear about your day and how you are doing. I call my mom almost every day while I am school. Maybe that’s because I am a homebody, but trust me, your parents will appreciate a phone call once and a while.
There’s probably a billion other advice you will hear, but, I promise you will figure it out as you go. My biggest mistake I made when I was a freshman was that I thought I had it all figured out. Realizing that not everyone has it all figured out, is what gets you through. You will have many bumps in the road, but I promise you, you aren’t the first person to make those mistakes. You will get through it.
