You’re moving up! You’ve passed high school and now you’re moving into college, whether it is immediately or after waiting a bit to figure yourself out. If you are living on campus in the dorms, there are some things you should probably know and should probably keep in mind, especially if you are living in a dorm with upperclassmen. I’m going into my junior year now, so I’m going to give you some advice to make your first year a little more successful!

They may seem scary and intimidating, but most are friendly and will want to help you. If you need help finding a building on campus or a classroom somewhere, just ask. They’ll give you directions to get exactly where you need. They might also know the best times to go to the dining hall or the bookstore so you don’t get swamped by people. They will often have good advice, take advantage of them.

This goes for whatever dorm you may be living in, freshmen only or upperclassmen. Some students study at night while others are trying to sleep. Some people will not mind it while others will hate it. However, some dorms will have quiet hours and some dorms won’t. Be compassionate and think about the other people living in the dorm. In my experience, it is extremely hard to sleep when someone decides it is a good idea to play with a basketball late at night in the hallway.

Schoolwork is important.

If you want to continue your education and get your degree, you better focus on your schoolwork and get your GPA and grades up… and keep them up. Make time for doing your schoolwork every night and don’t let things float away from you before you can get it done. It’s also best that you go to your classes. It is a huge waste of money and time if you never attend your classes.

But, do make time for yourself and friends.

Even if it is just taking a break from schoolwork to go eat at the dining hall or when you hang out during and after club meetings. Too much schoolwork will get to you and easily become overwhelming. Make sure you have time to de-stress and get some time for yourself or some time to spend with friends and complain about classes. Or, if you are with friends in the same class, you can do work together in a study or homework group.

Do not be afraid to ask for help.

You are not alone if you find some material confusing, believe me you are not. If you find something the instructor said confusing, do not be afraid to ask for a clarification. Go to them after class or during office hours and ask for help to explain it further. They will be more than happy to help you. If you need help on homework, you can go to other students in the class or ask the professor for help. Or, if your campus has one, go to the tutoring center. I’m a tutor on my campus and I’ve often helped many students with their homework or take-home tests. If you need help writing a paper, you can find someone to proofread and edit for you. On my campus, we have a center specifically for that purpose where writing tutors will help you edit and revise your papers. If you need help, the resources are there for you and you are not alone in using these resources.

Join clubs.

By joining clubs/organizations or fraternities/sororities, you make additional friends and gain new experiences. Your clubs will enable you to do cool things with them and you’ll be able to do things that you never would have done before. Also, by joining these clubs, you’ll be able to add things onto your resume to make you look more appealing to future employers.

Take opportunities.

If something shows up on your doorstep and you have the chance to participate in something neat, do it. It will give you great experience and a little bit of bragging rights. Additionally, if someone else gets an opportunity that you did, you can tell them all about your experience and, ultimately influence their decision.

Don’t play video games.

Don’t get me wrong, I love an occasional video game session. It’s a good way to relax. But, don’t play video games all the time. You are in college now and you have to manage your time to suit your needs. Playing video games all the time will eat up the time you could be using to do your schoolwork. Your grades will likely drop into a space where you can’t possibly get them out of.

This isn’t high school anymore.

The class schedule may give the illusion that you have more free time, but that just isn’t true. Between clubs, classes, and homework, you won’t have much time to do anything, especially if you are in a sport. Your life will become consumed by everything and if you aren’t careful, you will turn into a college zombie!

Write out a list of stuff that you need for college.

Before moving in, you’re going to be college shopping. One of the best ways to shop for college is to make a list of what you want and what you need. First, get all that you need. Then, get what you want. Things will change throughout the years and I still find that it is extremely helpful for me to write a list out of what I need to get before I move back into college, or what I need to get over the weekend when I go home.

Be brave.

Moving into college for the first time is a scary feeling. You’ll want to go home right away. You’ll get homesick. Just be brave. I got homesick. So homesick that I felt that I needed to drop out of school. But I stuck with it, got my work done, and before I knew it, I was actually loving it. I made new friends and we started hanging out and I started learning new things. If you are just brave about it and don’t focus on the negatives, you will do perfectly fine. Trust me.

Be yourself.

Don’t try to be like someone else or to pretend to be someone different. It won’t work out with your new friends. Just be your normal self, no matter how nerdy, goofy, or weird. Some people like the strange quirks and if you are honest about yourself, you will find that your qualities will draw out those who are just like you.

Good luck out there, new freshmen! Remember these tips and I’m sure that your first year will fly by fast and before you know it, you’ll be at graduation.