Freshman Year: Class 101

I want to say congrats to the entire college freshman class of 2015!! It will be a fun roller coaster ride, to say the least. I bet a lot of you are stressing over being the small fish in the pond again. Well, there is nothing to worry about as college will have a different vibe then high school had.

Honestly, going off to college will be a lot different. You will have a lot of different feelings that you didn’t have in high school. No fear about that either, the transition will be an easier one depending if you are going to a local college, or you are venturing off to a university.

For starters, the first few weeks you are on campus, will be pretty critical for you. During this time you will have to make some important decisions that will affect a good part of your life, if not all of your life. I have compiled a list of 14 tips to help you get through these first few weeks. Some of these tips will help you throughout your entire college career, while others will help you throughout the remainder of your life. No matter what, always be yourself. You will cherish these memories for a lifetime.

Orientations

Depending on if you are going away to college or going to your local community college, there will be tours, orientations, and freshmen events. It is vital to attend all of these tours, orientations, and events. You are probably asking yourself why you should. Well for starters, it will ease you into the campus/school, you will find hidden gems that you may not know about, plus it’s a great source of knowledge.

Roommates

Alright, if you are staying in a dorm, chances are you will have 1-3 roommates. Well, with all this technology you can “meet” your roommate on social media before even seeing them in person. Needless, to say add them on your Facebook, Twitter, Google +, because this will help the anxiety of all your roommates. You will be able to get a gist of what they are like, what do you have in common, etc. Not to mention, plan to meet your roommates on campus somewhere, so you all can hang out in the first few days before school officially starts for the semester.

Get organized

While you were in high school, some teachers probably babied you, am I right? College won’t be like that, they will not accept homework late, and they will definitely frown upon you not being organized. If you are one of those who stuffs papers in a binder or folder, you want to get a good organization system going, so you don’t fail the class because you forgot your paper in your dorm room.  Have no fear, we will talk about how you can get yourself organized to the fullest here.

Find a study place

Finding a place to study will be vital. As you will soon learn, your studying will soon overtake your social life, if you had one before. However, some people choose to study in their dorm, while others head on down to their campus library. Where ever you choose to study, make sure it is eliminate of all distractions, so you can get your work done and keep those grades up.

Go to class

This one seems pretty obvious, but you won’t believe how many kids do not attend class. I will admit I was one of those kids for a while, but you have to have discipline. Of course, staying up all night partying always sounds great until you realize you have to be up at 7a.m to attend your 8a.m. class. Pick and choose your battles wisely.

Know your syllabi

Your syllabi should be your bible for the next semester. I am not even kidding, your syllabi will have what is expected of you, what you will be learning, when items are due, and how you will be graded. Get to know it and learn to follow it.

Meet with your professors

Your professors are always ready to lend a helping hand. You need them for anything, look at your syllabi and see when they have office hours. Take advantage of those office hours because you can learn a lot just by stopping in and asking your questions.

Get to know your academic advisor

Just like in high school you will have an academic advisor, it is vital that you keep in contact with them after each semester of classes. They will be able to tell you what classes you still need, what classes they are offering this semester, and help you if you run into any academic issues. Don’t be afraid of going to them, if you truly need help.

Seek a balance

You will learn this is not high school anymore when your parents aren’t telling you, it’s not a good idea to go to the campus library at 2 in the morning. You will have to balance your life without anyone telling what you should and shouldn’t do. It will take some time getting used to, to say the least.

Get involved on campus

During your first year, it can be intimidating, but if you were active in high school; you should be just as active in college. However, college has a wide variety of clubs and organizations to join. You will see a lot of them looking for new members during the first few weeks of school.

Strive for good grades

Of course, that should be your main goal, but since you will have so much freedom that you are not use to, getting good grades can be a challenge. As long as you stick to a routine that includes studying and going to class, you will do just fine.

Study resources on campus

You’ll be surprised that your college may offer free tutoring, study groups, and much, much more. You need to take advantage of all study resources that your school offers. Besides you are paying good money anyway, so why don’t use it to its fullest?

Make time for you

Always make some time for you. You will be a better person, if you choose to take one day off a week and do what you want. It doesn’t matter if you want to lie in bed and binge watch Netflix, but do what you want and don’t let anyone make you feel bad for doing it.

Peer Pressure

Don’t fall into peer pressure. You may have friends that are changing their mind about their career choices while you are set on what you want to do. Don’t let them change your mind on what you want to do with your life. Remember you are going to college for what you want to do, not what your friends want to do.

All in all, just remember you got good grades to get where you are. Do not lose focus of why you are there. It may seem overwhelming, but we have all been there and done that. You will learn that college isn’t as bad as it seems. Just remember, to always take advantage of all the resources your school offers.