Your first year of a college is a major time of transition and change. For many this might mean moving to a new place, not seeing siblings every day, having access to ~tons~ of food, and having copious amounts of seemingly free time. As fun as Freshman year is, sometimes not-so-great habits integrate into your college routine — if you are looking to nix these for good or prevent them from starting, keep reading!
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Procrastination
Procrastination is arguably a college student’s worst enemy and it is sooo easy to fall into especially if you have not joined clubs yet, or there are super fun hall events going on. However it is a super bad habit to continue once the semester picks up and you have a lab, three papers due within the week, a group project, and still have to go to class. Take some time at the beginning of the semester to plan out a schedule based on club events, syllabi, sports commitments, and study time. This will help to ensure no assignment is getting missed or started late!
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Not getting involved in your college town community
Since campus is totally new that first year, it is really easy to get absorbed into everything happening contained within Loop Rd — and this really is not a bad thing TBH. However, for many who are coming from out-of-state or even just a different region of Massachusetts, college means you are in a new environment and the opportunity to explore should not be missed. Waltham and Boston offer plenty of cool places, foods, and events for Brandeis students to take advantage of. Additionally, Waltham Group provides many ways to volunteer in our local community and some of the political clubs on campus will work on local campaigns or attend protests.
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Getting a dessert at every meal
Trust me when I say I am the biggest proponent of “Life’s short, eat dessert first” and it is so easy to do when they literally have cookies, brownies, ice cream, etc. at every single meal. Adjusting to dining hall eating can be difficult for a multitude of reasons and it is easy to develop unhealthy eating habits. For most people, dessert is a special, on occasion food, not every meal is ice cream kind of food. To keep it special, just limit dessert to one meal a day or a few special occasions throughout the week.
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Staying up too late for no reason
The transition from a structured 7 hour school day to maybe having a class at 3 pm can totally throw off time management and a general sense of productivity. Also not having adult supervision can easily lead to habits that form out of a newfound independence. Not all of these are bad but staying up too late is. It is soooo scientifically proven how important sleep is for college students and just staying up because you can throw off your sleep cycle, and lead to many unproductive days (I learned this the hard way). Try to stick to a general sleep schedule where your bedtime is only deviating slightly to keep your body’s natural rhythm in check — you can always chat with friends or watch that next episode in the morning!
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Cleaning
Two weeks into the semester and the pile of clothes on the chair has started to form, there are a couple of empty boxes from move-in still lying around, maybe you spilled your foundation but quickly wiped it away with a paper towel. Next thing you know, it’s almost midterms and your room looks like it was hit by a tornado. As much as cleaning is not the most fun activity, it is important for keeping you organized, healthy, and productive. To make it less of ~tornado clean up~ allocate time each week to tidy up so it can never get that bad.
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Allocating time for yourself
New school, new room, new people, new activities are so enticing and especially at Brandeis it is super easy to fall into the “I must do everything” mentality. While it is great to get involved in a lot, it can sometimes be the perfect recipe for burnout. To avoid this, make sure you are taking time for yourself every day whether it is journaling before bed, or early morning runs. Taking time for yourself will make all of your other commitments more sane and enjoyable.
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