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Tips For Incoming College Freshmen

It's not as overwhelming as it seems.

Jun 28, 2016

College is extremely different than high school. You’re entering a totally new environment and leaving behind everything you know. I’ll never forget the anxiety I experienced right before I moved in. Although the new school jitters are almost inevitable, here are a few tips to help the transition be a little more smoothly.

1. Making friends during the first few weeks of school is easier than you think.

Believe it or not, everyone else is just as nervous as you are about making new friends. Just be yourself and be friendly, you’ll find people similar to yourself.

2. Your dorm room will become your second home

Your dorm room will not only be the place you sleep, but it will be your place to relax, get ready, laugh, cry, and call your parents. Cover the walls with pictures and really make the place your own.

3. Your roommate will be really important to you

I lucked out and ended up having an amazing roommate. Your roommate is there for the highs and lows of your year. They’ve seen you at your very worst and have also been there to congratulate you for the good moments. The memories you’ll make together are countless.

4. Don’t take 8 a.m. classes

You can tell yourself that you can handle an 8 a.m. all you want, but trust me you can’t. You’ll end up struggling to get up and probably end up missing class. Even picking a 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. will seem like a struggle to get up sometimes.

5. The dining hall food sucks

Dining hall food is nothing like your parents cooking. Embrace every home cooked meal that you have left until you have eat the same thing everyday for the year. It gets boring eating a salad every night for dinner.

6. College is a lot more difficult than high school

You can’t look over your notes thirty minutes before a test like you did in high school and expect to pass the exam. You have to spend hours on end studying in college if you expect to get good grades. Take advantage of professor’s office hours. The resources to get good grades are all provided for you, you just have to take advantage of them.

Even though you might be worried to start your freshman year, it’s also extremely exciting. You’re about to make a whole new set of friends and try new things. It’s okay to be scared, but just always be open to the new opportunities that your future holds.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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