Freshman year is now over for me! It was definitely an amazing year – I met so many people and learned so much, not only academical stuff, but also about adulting. I also went through some rough patches, like a breakup and it took some time to get used to being away from home. If you have been following this blog for a while, you might know I’m an international student. Moving here was quite exciting yet hard. But overall, my year was great! So, I thought I’d share some tips on how to survive your freshman year of college.
Related: 15 Things I Learned my Freshman Year of College
Go to your school’s organizations fair
And join a club or organization that interests you. Or consider being a part of greek life! Not only will you be doing what you like, but you’ll make some friends. Besides, joining an organization or multiple organizations is a great way get involved around campus. Also, if you decide to take on a council role, like the president or representant of a club, it’ll look great on your resume! I would also recommend joining a club whose topic is related to your major. For example, my major is fashion design and I joined 2 fashion organizations and I also joined a sorority!
Socialize
Remember that everyone is in the same boat when it comes to making new friends. So, don’t be nervous and shy, relax and talk to some people. Also, get to know the people that live in your hall. Fun fact, my freshman year I was living in a suite style dorm and I never even saw people that lived in the same floor I lived in. It was like a ghost building.
Another tip, make friends in your classes! It is so helpful if you end up skipping a class, they could just send you their notes. And you’ll have a study buddy!
Go to class!
It is college, you could easily skip every single class for the entire semester. But you shouldn’t. Go to class (or at least try). Some professors include in the exams, topics they talked about in class but aren’t in the book, so if you don’t go to class you’ll automatically be losing some points in the exams. Also, some professors are really strict with attendance, so be careful with that. And some professors pick a random day to give the students that attended class, extra credit. Don’t underestimate the power of extra credit!
Related: How to survive finals week
Bring lots of underwear
This one seems kinda random, but doing laundry won’t be your favourite thing to do, so you’ll just keep putting it off. Or maybe you won’t even have time to do it, so you’ll just forget to do it. Bring lots of underwear so that you don’t run out of clean clothes. I used to do laundry every 2 – 3 weeks, and I used to wait the longest I could to do laundry. Also, another tip is to bring your laundry home whenever you go home.
Don’t take 8 ams
I didn’t take any classes that started this early and it was the best decision I could have taken. Even if you’re an early bird, being in a math class at 8 am is probably not where you want to be. My roommate had 8 ams every single day and just seeing her getting ready for class made me feel so good cause my classes started at 11 am. If you don’t take 8 ams you get to sleep in every morning. Also, it gives you time in the morning to workout, do your homework and have breakfast or run some errands.
Make sure you have some free time between classes
When scheduling classes I made sure I had some free time (an hour or two) between classes. This way I could do homework between classes, run errands and have lunch. The most important thing is that during midterms, I had some time to study between exams, instead of having to take 2 exams (or more) in a row. And I used to take naps between classes too, which was the best thing ever! Besides, having classes back to back sucks.
Create a roommate contract
My roommate and I never used that contract, we never had an argument or anything like that. But I’ve heard so many awful stories. And, especially if you don’t know your soon-to-be roommate, you never know how people could react to some situations. Besides, with a roommate contract, you have to talk about certain situations (like about boys) and avoid weird situations later.
Related: College Move-In Day Tips
Use your school’s resources
If you find a class difficult and are having trouble with it, go to your professor’s office hours. Also, many schools have a learning assistance centre, where you could schedule an appointment with a tutor for free. Use your school’s gym. Find the resources your school has to offer and use them, in the end, you’re paying for it…
Find your classrooms before classes start
A day or two before classes start, try to find your way to your classrooms and time it. I got lost so many times on campus my first week of college and as a result of that I ended up getting late to class so many times.
Find your alcohol tolerance limit
It is your freshman year of college, so chances are that you’re going to drink… alcohol. If you don’t know your alcohol tolerance limit yet, do it! And learn how to control yourself once you’ve reached that limit. Also if you know you’re going to drink, make sure to have someone that you trust with you. That way if something happens, they’ll take care of you. And always be safe, I know college is supposed to be wild, especially college parties, but always be safe, you never know when something could go wrong. Be careful with your drinks, always have it on your sight.
Related: A girl’s guide to staying safe in college
The freshman 15
Gaining weight during your freshman year can seem inevitable, but it isn’t. You just need to do the right things like working out, getting your daily water intake and being more aware of what you’re eating. I have another more detailed post on the freshman 15 and how to avoid it. Click here to read.
