So I’ve officially finished my first week of college and I already love it. Being in college is like being in a different world. You are now responsible for each and every thing you do! It’s frightening, exciting, and overwhelming all at the same time. This week has been absolutely insane in the best way possible. I never thought that I would be having this much fun so far! Yes, the school work is a lot heavier than high school, but so far I feel alright about it. In the past year, I’ve read hundreds of articles about various study tips for college, along with a few guides to making it through syllabus week. As a freshman coming right out of syllabus week, I thought I would share my personal tips for staying calm, cool and collected during your first big milestone at school. These things all worked perfectly for me! I’m proud to say that syllabus week went off without a hitch… I only lost my keys twice, accidentally threw my wallet in the trash, and tripped over a step in front of twenty people. Although the week wasn’t perfect, I still managed to get through it and came out feeling more confident about my abilities to succeed in school and in life. So without further ado, here are my top five tips for syllabus week:
1. Write down everything. If your professor mentions an important exam date, write it down. If you hear about a cool event for a club you want to join, write it down. When you inevitably receive all of the freshmen “welcome week” activity dates, write them all down! Seriously, I’ve only been here for a week and already my planner is filled to the brim with stuff I have to remember to do. Trust me when I say that you are absolutely, positively NOT going to remember every little detail. If you write it down, the thought will automatically leave your brain. Remembering things in your head stresses you out because you'll simply have too much in there to remember it all! I highly recommend investing in a cute planner. I love this one that I got from Target… it has everything I need: to-do lists, monthly spreads, and weekly spreads. After I received a new syllabus in each class, I sat down at my desk and went through the entire thing. I carefully read and wrote down important contact information, office hours, and the attendance policy of each professor. Also, I went through my monthly calendars and wrote down every. single. assignment. Now, I can look through my planner and know exactly what’s coming up that week in each class! Way easier than finding out down the road that a midterm is in two days... and you had no idea.
2. Remember to call home. Here is why syllabus week is crazy: you are attending every single class and learning what each professor is like, you’re going to school-sponsored events, you’re trying not be awkward and to make friends, you’re being forced to develop a brand new routine and learn to do things for yourself, you’re probably doing a little bit of work, and you’re having meetings upon meetings for various different things (RA meetings, required sexual harassment courses, school-specific introductory events and more). Things can definitely get stressful really quickly. It was so nice to FaceTime my family that first night and hear everyone’s voices when I was feeling very alone. Don’t get me wrong, I was so excited to start college, but the first night is really hard. I didn’t sleep well and felt sick to my stomach the next day. I can happily say those feelings only lasted a short 24 hours, and I quickly was able to forget about my homesickness because of how busy I was! However, checking in with your parents once (or twice or three times) a day can make you feel so much better. I’ve also talked on the blog before about how close I am with my friends. Senior year and this summer we spent literally every single day together. And if we weren’t together, we FaceTimed or put together a Skype call. My first night, I called my best friends to chat with everyone, give a little dorm room tour, and have them meet my roommates. It felt like they were there with me and made me feel more at home. Staying connected with people is really important. If you don’t want to lose your high school friendships, make the effort to reach out and talk a couple of times a week.
3. Go to as many events as you can! It’s going to feel so awkward, but that’s the best way to meet people/get involved. You should not hole up in your dorm room because you’re afraid of going out and encountering complete strangers. Get your roommate(s) to come to everything with you- they are the ones who are going to be your go-to people! I absolutely love my roommates (I have two in my bedroom and three others in the suite with us)! I’ve gotten really close with them already because we drag each other out to different school-sponsored activities. Having someone with you is key to not feeling awkward because you can always talk to them if you feel uncomfortable around strangers. Which leads me to my next point…
4. Everyone is new. I actually think that your freshman year of college is the easiest time to make friends. All you have to do is literally go up to someone and introduce yourself. “Hi, I’m ____! I live in (this building), what about you?” Your first week of college is a blur of names, hometowns, majors, and residence halls. It’s so easy to start a conversation with anyone. I've met so many people in the elevator for my building, as well as just randomly sitting down next to people in lecture halls. I know it seems scary to put yourself out there, but the other person will feel so grateful and excited that someone else (you) is talking to them! Try leaving your door open and welcoming people in. Our floor just had an “open-door night,” where you could go into anyone’s room on the floor and meet them. My roommates and I baked cookies and handed them out to people as they came by! I now know everyone who lives in my hall and became friends with a bunch of them!
5. This might be vain, but put an effort into your appearance. I don’t mean full hair and makeup every day (but also, if that’s what you do, amazing!). Rather, simply wearing what makes you feel the most confident and comfortable. Since you are going to be meeting a lot of new people, you don’t want to be stressing about how you look. Don’t let the stress of whether your hair looks good or not overshadow your awesome personality. For me, I feel the most confident when I’m dressed up, my hair is straightened, and my makeup is fresh. So that’s what I’ve been doing this whole week: taking the extra time in the morning to sit down and do my makeup has been really therapeutic for me and takes away a lot of my stress (i.e. can everyone tell my face is breaking out because of the water here?)
Quick Pieces of Advice:
- Bring your school ID and room key everywhere with you
- Be open-minded about everything
- Get the free food!
- Spend time getting to know your roommates
- Keep your room somewhat clean
- Leave for every class ten minutes earlier than you think you need to
- Walk around campus just for fun
- Participate in the ice-breakers
- Don't be afraid to ask for help
- Pick up the phone when your mom calls you
- Don't be that girl at the first party of the year
- Be respectful to everyone you meet; you never know who you could be talking to
And my final, quick tip might seem like a no-brainer, but just TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. Try to eat right, take care of your skin, and get on a good sleep schedule. You’ll thank me later.
Any other college posts you want to see?
Thanks for reading!
-Ashley Ann
No comments:
Post a Comment