Going off to a new place, starting over in an unfamiliar city full of faces you have never seen and starting school, especially college, at the same time, can be overwhelming, scary, exciting and everything in between. Not to mention moving into a super tiny room with a complete stranger is a little weird. However, once I realized that the new kid sleeping three feet away from me was actually pretty cool, and the people down the hall and on the floors below us were too, life got a lot easier and a lot more fun.
1. The Resident Advisors (RA's) Are There to Help You.
Once you realize that the RA's are really only there for when you lock yourself out of your room at 3AM, and to leave those cute little name tags on your door, you understand that they're just students too, trying to do the same things you are. But they have also made it their responsibility to make sure you stay safe. They don't want to ruin your fun, but they also don't want you to make poor decisions and end up getting hurt.
2. Go to Class.
Yes, there are absolutely classes where you can show up for the first day, the midterm and the final and still pass. However, your parents are paying crazy amounts of money for each of those classes you are skipping, and let's be real, if you can not show up and get a B in the class, imagine how easy it would be to go to class a couple times a week and get an A.
3. If You Are Trying To Sleep, Lock Your Door.
While everyone in your building probably won't try and walk into your room in the middle of the night and steal your personal belongings, you never know when a group of your intoxicated friends are going to barge in at 3AM. (Trust me on this one.)
4. You Can Avoid The Freshman 15.
Yes, it is a real thing, but it is also really easy to avoid it. The perks of being a college student is having a pretty decent gym available to you all year for free. Also, being on your own for the first time does not make it ok for you to eat pizza and fries for lunch and dinner every single day.
5. Join a Club.
Or a few clubs. This is the absolute best way to meet new people and make tons of new friends. Your campus probably has a club for just about everything from science to sports. And if it doesn't have a club you are interested in, there is a good chance other people are looking to start the same club you are.
6. Meet New People.
From professors, dining hall employees, to your campus' security, talk to everyone and be polite. You never know when you may end up needing their help or guidance in the future! (But also, just be nice to people.)
7. Ask For Help.
Never be afraid to ask a professor or another student for help with something, whether it be for help on an assignment or a topic you don't understand. Don't be shy, and don't let your pride get in the way of you understanding important material. Your grades matter now more than ever.
8. College Isn't High School.
College is much more difficult than high school, and I promise it is completely okay if your grades slip a little bit. It happens to everyone. Just because you were the best in high school and had nearly perfect grades does not mean the same thing will happen during college and it is completely normal and okay. It might be confusing and frustrating at first, but at the end of the day, as long as you are actually trying your best, that's all that matters.
9. ratemyprofessor.com. It can be useful.
This website is an absolute lifesaver and I would completely recommend using when selecting your classes for the upcoming semesters. It allows you to get an idea of the way the professor works, what the class and assignments will be like, as well as how you will be graded. It is a site where previous students who had these professors rate them on several different categories, and give their personal experience of the class.
10. Actually Read The Syllabus.
Professors don't just waste their time writing these things for fun. They give them to you for a reason! There are so many helpful things within a course syllabus, such as due dates, and dates of tests. It also includes important emails for the professors as well as their office hours so you can get more help if you need it. Worship this page/packet, it is basically a treasure map that leads to a passing grade in the course.
11. Don't Buy Your Textbooks From The Bookstore.
WHATEVER YOU DO! The prices at the bookstore are crazy expensive. Honestly, 99% of the time you have no reason to actually purchase the book. I am absolutely NOT saying you don't need that book, but you can usually rent them from places like Amazon.com and chegg.com for SOO much cheaper. If you do buy a textbook from the bookstore, you can expect to get about $8 back on a book that cost you about $200, or just rent it from one of these sites for $20 and return it at the end of the semester. I promise it saves a lot of time and frustration.
12. Call Your Family.
Just because you know you will be going back home and living with your parents again at the end of the year doesn't mean they don't like hearing from you. Some parents may call to check in. They don't want to be annoying or to bother you, sometimes it's just good to hear their voice and vice versa. And if your parents don't call you first, call them. Just because they don't initiate the phone call does not mean they do not want to hear from you, they just understand that you are busy.
13. Shower Shoes. Enough said.
This is honestly probably the most important one. You share the bathroom on your floor with a countless number of other people wear shower shoes. The floors are wet and gross, if you are a girl, the shower floor and walls and drain will probably be full of hair and god only knows what else. I feel like I shouldn't even have to explain this one. Just do it!!
By the time May rolled around I never wanted to leave. My freshman year brought me countless late nights in the library, many stressful classes, tests I was confident I would fail, and a few (more like a million) mental breakdowns. But it also brought some of the most amazing people into my life.
I made so many new friends, amazing memories, and I became so close to so many people that were complete strangers when we moved in just months ago. But eventually May will sneak up on you and everyone will be moving back home for the summer, and you will just be waiting for the fall so you can start all over again.
