With the start of Spring semester just behind us, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed. It might be the fact that it's now your second semester and you realize that the first didn't go as you planned it to. Your grades could have been better, or maybe you just weren't as outgoing as you wanted to be; either way, here are ten things to remember and change to get you on the right track for your second semester.
1. Go to on-campus events
First of all, a lot of them are free with your student ID cards. Many schools have little events and festivals with food trucks and entertainers, and some schools even have concerts. As long as you are paying the (high) cost of tuition, their events are going to be most likely very easy for you to attend. These could help you make friends and even get to talk to some people who could be useful for the future.
2. Join a club or an extracurricular
This is a good one if you're struggling in the friend department since clubs are full of people with similar interests. Pick a club is about something you love and you will have a great time going to the meetings as well. If there isn't a club that interests you, though consider talking to someone who could help you create a club you want, many schools make it very easy to get a club up and running and have very few restrictions on the rules of the matter.
3. Reset your sleeping schedule
I know for a fact that when all of you went home, everyone pretty much slept all day, or stayed up super late. One of the biggest challenges of coming back to school is having to wake up and get things done, if not daily, then almost daily. With classes and/or sports and even having a social life, a lot of your time gets eaten up and soon you could find yourself staying up till 3:00 in the morning with a 9:00 AM class (this was me last semester, I promise you, just go to bed) and it's going to make you want to skip class.
4. Don't over-do the skipping
Speaking of skipping, let's remember that either you or your parents (or just someone) is paying for you to be in college. Let's also remember that it is not cheap either. If you're feeling sick or just moody, it's okay to skip once or twice but don't make a habit out of it. Classes mostly have an attendance policy, and if not, they give out quizzes in their place, which will affect your grades. in the end,
5. Create a weekly schedule
Planning ahead is something only a select few people do, I was not one of them. Although, I am now because I have realized that being able to see what I have planned for the week does help me to keep track of what I'm doing. Write down whatever you want on this weekly calendar, important dates, events, even if you're going out. Writing it down helps you to see that you need to get a specific amount of items done before you are able to do another thing. Even if it doesn't seem like something you'd like, at least try it once.
6. Use your on-campus resources
And by that, I mean use the library and the tutoring that your school has, and I know they have them. It's free (with tuition) so why not be able to get extra help if you need it, or even if you don't. A lot of the time tutoring session can help you gain better knowledge on a topic and hey, maybe if you're so smart, you can apply to be a tutor. The job most likely will pay even a little, and taking home some form of income is better than none.
7. Explore outside of campus
Even if you live on a big campus (like UCF) or a little campus, there are things to do outside of your school that might interest you. Maybe there's a mall or the beach, either way, don't spend every living moment on campus. If you're going to college in a town that isn't your hometown, chances are might end up living close by to finish varying degrees, so why not get comfortable now instead of waiting another year or two. Maybe colleges have Town Centers or larger Shopping plazas near them to make commuting easier for college students, so take a few friends and explore.
8. Don't over do the Partying
If you all recall, I used to refer to myself as "Ya Local Party Girl" now while I am not stepping down from my title, I am the most qualified to say that you don't need to party every day of the weekend. I know, it's fun to get all cute and go out with your friends and do what you do at parties, excessive partying will cause you problems. Go to a few, have fun, but it's very easy to get drawn into the party scene and then you're not going to want to stop. (Yes, I am very guilty of this, nobody is perfect.)
9. Talk to your professors
If you are an undecided or currently not taking any classes related to your major, this one isn't so much for you. So the few of you left to read this one, talking to all your professors is a very overrated piece of advice, since many of the classes you're taking have nothing to do with your major, but if you have already started taking classes for your major (or even minor) those are the professors you might want to form a small connection with. Maybe later they could help you out in the end, but as a freshman in college, you really don't need to, but just something to think about.
10. Play hard but work harder
Take this advice with a grain of salt if you want to, but take it. College is a lot of fun, but don't forget you are here to learn. Have as much fun as you want to, it's your last semster as a freshman, but don't forget your homework and studying to come before anything else.
