5 Tips for your First Month at College

1. Get involved! Whether its something as small as getting to know your roommate or joining lots of clubs make your presence known on campus in someway and meet the people who you’ll be spending the next four years with. Who knows, maybe you’ll have some classes with them or see them at an event or party. If you get the introductions out of the way in the beginning you’ll be able to mingle your way through things. Just be friendly, all freshmen are in the same position when it comes to meeting new people and being in a new environment.
2. Try out a new class. This tip is even more so important at a liberal arts school. But your first year, even your first semester or trimester of college should be all about trying new things and transforming into a new you. Academics should be at the forefront of your thought process when it comes to this new beginning. What you decide to study can shape what you want to ultimately do with your life. You make think you want to be a lawyer now, but you might think about taking a biology course and pre-med could be the track for you. Get a good mix of humanities and math or science just to get a feel for different areas. You might like something you never thought of!
3. Get to know your teachers. As important as socializing with new friends is, get to know the other members of campus too! The faculty and staff members of your new college campus will turn out to be some of the best mentors of your life and they want to get to know you. Be open to conversations with them; learn about what they’ve done and what they’ve seen. Get their advice when it comes to cramming for an exam, joining clubs, or even living in a dorm. So many of them have been in your shoes so ask ask ask!
4. Talk things over with your new roomie. You’ll be living with this new person in this new place for the whole year, so get to know them! The most important thing about the whole roommate process is respect, from both sides. The more you know about each other the easier it is to manage close quarters and constant togetherness. You were placed together for a reason, so search for it.
5. Find your (study) space. Do some exploring by yourself around campus to get acclimated with all of its secret places. Because most first-years have roommates you’ll probably need some alone time here and there. It’s important to find a place on campus that you can escape to. Whether you want to study there, sleep there, or put some headphones in and just relax…it’s a crucial part to staying sane when you’re surrounded by people 24/7.