Don't Set The Bar Too High

First and foremost, college is not like the movies make it out to be. It's not some crazy wild 24/7 party with no responsibilities.

That being said, college can be fun! However, with the current situation we are facing it is likely that many colleges will be limiting activities and big gatherings, which will limit the events you're able to go to.

I think that the best thing you can do for yourself is to go into college with low expectations. Best case scenario you are pleasantly surprised and able to do so much more than you expected. Worst case scenario you're not able to do very much and it's a bummer.

Hopefully there will be events and live as we knew it will resume, to some extent. I just think that by setting the bar low, you'll be prepared for anything that comes your way!

Be Safe

With meeting and encountering new people and places, be safe! Especially when it comes to sharing drinks, going to class sick and hooking up with anyone. The last thing you want to do is get sick or spread sickness, so be careful!

One thing I learned the hard way in the beginning of college is that living off of no sleep is going to inevitably lead to getting sick, so take care of yourself and make sure you're getting enough rest.

That being said, I have seen SO many students AND teachers come to class when they are sick. Many teachers now are willing to let you facetime into class if you are sick and I encourage you to do so, or just stay home and rest. If this virus has taught us anything it's that we need to be more careful so please do not go around spreading germs!

In addition to that, wear a mask when regulated and when it benefits you!

Don't Take On Too Much

The last thing you want to do when you get to college is totally overwork and overwhelm yourself. You don't need to participate in every club known to man and be at every event your campus holds.

Do the things you are really passionate about and use your time wisely. Make sure you're allocating enough time to get homework done and most importantly, take care of yourself! It can be really overwhelming to see all of the clubs your school offers and all of the event flyers in the buildings, but don't worry- you will have time to do a reasonable amount of things!

If anything, it is better to be a leader of a club rather than being in 25 clubs. So if there is a club that you really enjoy, spend more of your time there!

Be Adaptable

It is likely that some classes will be online to some extent if not fully in the fall. Colleges want to take every precaution they can to avoid an entire blowup of the virus on their campus, which is definitely reasonable.

That being said, make sure your schedule and workload is adaptable to working well either in person or online.

Something that's helped me tremendously is organizing my google drive and taking all of my notes remotely. This way, when things are either online or in person, I don't have to worry about forgetting anything because it's all in my laptop.

With online classes, professors sometimes tend to give open book / resource exams. This means you need to keep all of your resources and notes organized so you're able to use them!

Another way to be adaptable is transitioning clubs from in person to online platforms. For Fordham's running club, I started working on an IG page to better organize events as well as try some virtual events.

Use This Situation To Your Benefit 

As much as all of the regulations right now truly suck, I think it is important to remember that a negative can almost always be made a positive!

This is a great time to take an elective class on something like photoshop, digital design, computer science, etc. so that you are better equipped to study and work remotely.

This is an amazing time to apply to remote internships or reach out to internship programs and offer to work remotely. As a commuting college student, being able to work without an additional commute is a dream!

Lastly, take all the extra time you have on your hands to work on things like your resume, portfolio, website, etc. With everything really being so online these days, it's important to make sure everything is up to date and up to par.

Be Smart

I know many students that were stranded without their belongings this past March because they had left their school thinking they were only going to be away for Spring break, to never return.

If this continues or even if you just go home for a weekend, I would definitely recommend bringing home as much of your essentials as possible, should anything happen again. Things like clothes, textbooks and your electronics are definitely important to have! Also maybe don't leave things like produce out or perishables in your fridge, when it can be avoided. This will prevent disaster should you have to leave for a while!

Don't Worry Too Much 

If things don't resolve this year, they'll calm down at some point in the near future. Humans have survived thousands of diseases and illnesses and like all of those, this will too pass.

College is one of the most transformative and important times in your life and it truly does suck that it may not be the traditional or normal experience because of all of the regulations and precautions. That being said, those regulations and precautions are there to protect you, so follow them!

Take advantage of what you can and appreciate what you have! Things will get better!