The prospect of going away to college for the first time can leave a would-be freshman with so many different feelings, that it may be hard not to feel completely overwhelmed.
On the one hand, you are anxious and excited, and on the other hand, you are nervous about fitting in, doing well, finding your way around campus and meeting people, and you are frightened about the prospect of being away from home for the first time.
By arming yourself with as much information as possible about what you need to know and what you can expect, you can calm a lot of that uneasiness so you can get on with the task of readying yourself for your freshman year in college.
Here is a look at some of the things you will need to know about being a freshman in college.
Freshmen typically live in dorms
Most schools will require that incoming freshmen live in the college dorms. The exceptions to that are when an incoming freshman is over 18 or over 21, or when the incoming freshman has family that lives in the town where they are going to college. In that case, they will typically live at home. You will be lumped with all the other freshmen whose feelings are probably identical to yours.
Don’t be afraid to say hello
College life can be pretty lonely and depressing if you don’t get to know other people. The easiest way to start to get to know people is by saying hello. When you arrive at your dorm, say hello to the people who have already arrived. Introduce yourself. You may discover that they are just as scared as you are, and having someone who is going through the same thing to hang out with can be very reassuring.
Leave your door open so that people can pop their head in to say hello. Once one person starts to do this, others will probably do the same thing. Pretty soon, everyone will be leaving their doors open, and it won’t be hard to get to know the other people living around you.
Learn to manage your time effectively
One of the most important things that any college student needs to learn (and this is not something that is specific to college freshmen,) is to manage their time.
Managing your time means learning how to create a schedule that will allow you to get your assignments and studying done without having to wait until the last minute. It also means that by learning how to schedule your time effectively, you will be able to spend time doing other things and having a good time.
If you can’t manage your time so that you can get things done in a timely manner, you will always find that you are trapped in your own personal prison with no hope of escaping.
Ask for help when you need it
- If you need help with your academic work, there is no crime in asking for help.
- If you are having difficulty adjusting to life away from home and are feeling progressively more isolated and/or alone, don’t hesitate to ask for help.
There are countless professionals on campus who are trained to deal with any kind of issue that college students have. They are eager to help you because they know that by doing so, they will help you have a better overall experience.
Never allow yourself to suffer in solitude.
Get involved with what the school has to offer
It may be hard to figure out how you’re going to get everything done and still be able to participate in different things that the college has to offer. Don’t deprive yourself of getting involved. Obviously, you will have to learn how to create a balance between a social life and accomplishing your academic requirements, but this is a challenge that all college students have to face.
1) Don’t be afraid to talk to people because that’s the best way to make friends.
You can start up a conversation with a classmate, with someone you encounter at one of the freshmen welcome programs, at the orientation program, or even say hello to someone you recognize in the library.
If the school sponsors events or functions for incoming freshmen, take advantage of these opportunities. They will help you adjust to life on campus, and they may help you learn things that will make college life easier for you all the way around.
2) Be sure you maintain regular contact with your family.
Having a good support system from family and friends is crucial to your success as a college student. You may also want to keep in touch with your old friends from high school. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as you don’t use that as an excuse to keep yourself from getting to meet new people.
Take advantage of everything the school has to offer. The more you are able to get out of the services, activities and classes, the more equipped you will be to do things later in life.
3) It’s okay to have a good time, but don’t allow your social life to get in the way of your academic work.
Although it’s important that you experience everything there is to experience as a college student, it is equally, if not more important, that you do well in your classes.
By neglecting your academic work, you may risk being able to continue at the college, and if you have hopes of going on for further education to train yourself for some sort of specialized career, you may also be destroying any possibility of doing that.