Now that I’m starting my junior year, I can honestly say that my time in college so far has been the best years of my life. The learning, the friends, the experiences, the adventures… I feel so grateful for all of it. While I couldn’t be any happier with my experience at this point, there are some tips I wish I’d known at the very beginning of my experience to help me more quickly get to where I’m at now. Here are some tips to help you thrive in college based on lessons I’ve learned along the way.
Join at least one “thing”
Joining any type of organization at school based on your interests will help you make friendships and meet people with similar interests. Look into all the different clubs, organizations, teams and volunteer groups to find something that interests you. Many are free or inexpensive to join and have lots of fun events! When I joined Her Campus toward the middle of the first semester of my freshman year, I made so many friendships and memories and I felt a strong sense of belonging. Whether it’s a club, Greek life, a sports team or even a job or internship related to something that interests you; being part of something on campus will make you more confident in your college experience.
Avoid comparing yourself to others
I realized that I compared myself to others too often pretty early on in my college journey. For example, I remember feeling insecure in one of my required art classes freshman year when I felt like it would take me longer to understand or finish a project than whoever was sitting next to or behind me. I’d even judge myself for things like having significantly fewer followers on social than many other people I’d met, or the fact that I was very shy growing up when some of my new friends were more outgoing and confident. Everyone does this sometimes, but comparing yourself to others too much is an unhealthy habit that I’ve learned to break. Whenever I start to compare myself to others, I take a deep breath, remind myself of how far I’ve come and everything I have to be grateful for. If you feel like you compare yourself to others too much, make a mental (or even physical) list of everything that you love about yourself and everything in your life that makes you happy and go over that list in your head whenever you start to feel insecure. Also, take breaks from social media; it can be so misleading!
Don’t be afraid to do things alone
At one point in my college career, I wouldn’t eat in the dining halls alone and I would always wait to see when my friends wanted to eat and plan around that. Then one day when I was just too hungry to wait and went by myself. I looked around the dining hall and realized that lots of other people were eating alone too, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Eating alone is relaxing and I even look forward to it sometimes now. On the same note, I used to be too intimidated to work out at the rec center alone or go to on-campus events such as plays by myself, but once I tried it, I realized that it was fun to do these things on my own and it gave me a great sense of independence and self-care. I also discovered that sometimes doing things alone is a good way to meet new people. So if you’re hungry or you want to work out or there’s an event that sounds fun, don’t be afraid to do any of these things by yourself, because no one will judge you and you’ll be pleasantly surprised once you try it!
Do everything you can to enjoy your living situation
Both living on campus and commuting can be fun. If you’re living on campus, try to make as many friends as you can both in and out of your dorm and build good relationships with your roommates, neighbors, and RA. While roommate and neighbor issues are common and can be stressful, be sure to remain calm and mature if you end up in that type of situation. Be sure to have fun decorating your room! If you commute, try to enjoy and utilize your time on campus to get work done and make friends wherever you hang out before or between classes. Find a routine that works for you and get creative with where you spend your time.
Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize
Prioritizing is the key to college success. Considering we’re all in school to get our degrees, grades should be a top priority for everyone. But everything else that you choose to prioritize is up to you. Three of my main college priorities are my grades, my friends/social life, and my organizations, and I make sure to put a lot of care and effort into all three of those things. While it’s a lot to manage at times, I know myself and I know that I’d rather be able to study, have fun with friends and participate in my organizations than get a lot of sleep, so that’s a sacrifice that I often make. But that’s me, not everyone else, and that’s the point of priorities, they’re different for everyone. Whether they include your social life, a relationship, being physically active, getting a good night’s sleep, a job or anything else, you need to determine what’s most important to you (in addition to your grades). From there, figure out what needs to be sacrificed so you’ll be able to devote the most time to your top priorities.
Now that you’ve read these tips, get out there and thrive! Remember that college is what you make of it, so enjoy every second of it. At the end of the day, you’re the one person who can make your own experience the best or worst it can be, so make the best of it!