Yep, it's that time of year again: you go to the store and buy a brand new back pack, pencils, pens, erasers, notebooks, folders and trapper keepers, maybe a few new outfits to. It's a typical new school year, and then you find yourself shopping for bedding, maybe a new chair and shopping for food down the microwavable aisle. WHAT??? And you have to buy your books. WHAT??? I thought you got those on the first day of class.
Welcome to the first day of college, little high school graduate. Welcome to the land of higher learning (at a way higher price to). You're not the big cheese in school anymore, so even the most confident college freshman may feel intimidated and need help adjusting to life without mom and dad.
Here are some simple tips and hints that can help you along the way:
- Get to know the people on your floor: they may be great people, or they may be total freaks. If you're observant, it doesn't take that long to figure out. Does your roommate have a rep for being a tad promiscuous? Is the guy down the hall known as being a player? Or maybe you have a shy roommate that's great in math and the guy down the hall is a total sweetie. Get to know these people before you call them your friends.
- Go to class, even if you're tired: one of the best ways I know to pass your classes is to actually show up for them. Yes, it may seem fun to stay out late and sometimes we put off something till the last minute and stay up all night working on a paper or studying for a test and you may be tired, but still drag your butt out of bed and go to class. Otherwise you'll miss out on important notes and other information that the teacher brings up (email is great, but to encourage attendance some teachers set certain info up where you can only learn it by showing up to class) this way, there will be no nasty shocks. Because if the teacher decides to change a test from the sixth to the tenth, your golden. If he decides to cancel class and you show up anyway just to find the note on the door that little bit of extra walking won't kill you. However, if you missed the announcement about the test being moved from the tenth back to the sixth or that class will be held in the library instead of the regular classroom you might be in trouble.
- Manage your time: laundry is piling up fast, the dishes need to be done, maybe your running late for work and the paper that's due tomorrow you haven't even started it yet because after you got back from class you took too long of a nap so that you could recover from staying up last night to study for that test you had in your 8 am class. College means you need to learn better time management. You thought you had it down in high school, but now you're starting to realize how much mom and dad really did for you. Or maybe you have everything else down but the new course load is making you feel overwhelmed. Make a schedule of when things will get done and keep it somewhere where you can easily find it and check it frequently.
- Join organizations with like minded people: yes, this can mean join the Spanish club if your major is foreign language. But also join organizations that help plan events for all of campus. Rush for fraternity or sorority and don't worry if you don't get a bid, it might not be for you. Be-bop on down to your local Baptist Student Union or Christian Campus House (believe me, most of these people are not the goody goody bible thumpers you knew in high school). Again, even here, get to know the people before you decide to call them friends. Some of them might be awesome and some are not that much different than the player down the hall. Remember to know what an organization is really about before you decide to have your name associated with it. If you keep your eyes open, it will be easy to tell. Also take note that professional organizations can look good on job resumes once you graduate.
- One final note: fellows, you do not have to get drunk every night to make friends. Ladies, don't let anybody pressure you into doing things you don't think are right. The people that want you to do these things or say that you're out of the group because you won't are not your real friends. Just be yourself and put yourself out there and you will find friends that respect you and appreciate you for who you are and what you stand for. Yes, you can do whatever you want now and most likely mom and dad won't find out, but sometimes you have to think about how you will feel in the morning as well as what you're thinking about doing in the present moment.
So study hard, have some fun and follow these tips. Before you know it the year will have flown by and you won't be frazzled.
Author: crystal
