Every new phase in life can cause some excitement, happiness, anxiousness, worries… College is no different. This change in every teenager’s or young adult’s lives usually results in a mix of emotions, and a lot of them have trouble adapting to this new reality. It’s a new space, with a bunch of people that you don’t know, and now have to socialize with them, new teachers and routine. It’s not easy to let go of the life we were used to living during High School. And you don’t need to let it all go away, you can always enjoy your friends from school, visit where you studied… but things are going to change.
This guide may not be the solution to all problems regarding a new start in college, but for sure can certainly help you with some steps. Be patient with yourself just the way you would with a kid entering school for the first time, there isn’t much difference. The most important step is to enjoy your whole academic journey, learn every day and grow as a person.
Be patient
People tend to be very uncomfortable around new situations, and sometimes it causes anxiety. The first week or month is an adapting period, and you have to be patient with yourself. Listen to your favorite songs, talk with someone that you trust, play on your cell phone, or whatever helps you to relax and relieve the anxiety and tension that these first days can give you.
Organization
College teachers are not as evil as high school teachers taught us – at least not all of them – but they are demanding. You need to organize your routine with college lessons, homework, time to study, your usual tasks and some student’s work. So organize it all with your work time, if that’s your case. In the beginning, this can look overwhelming, but things will fall into place and everything is going to work out!
Free time
A super important tip is to leave some time for you to rest, do something that you like and relax – it’s necessary to have a healthy routine. Spare time with your friends and family, practice a sport that you like, go to the movies, go to a park, have lunch at your favorite restaurant, read a book or anything that will help you enjoy this whole journey and keep your mind healthy.
Sleep
In order to have an organized mind and energy to maintain your routine, it’s essential to have a nice night’s sleep. It’s important to rest, you have to sleep around 8 hours per night (according to medicine). If you have sleep deprivation you won’t be able to get most of your college days. So, it’s important to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Enjoy every part of it!
There is a misconception that college is a place where you can only study, but that’s not true. In this period of your journey, real and long life friendships can be made, you can enjoy parties and if you don’t like them, there is always another option to make the best out of college. You can join study groups, sports teams on campus, or any extracurricular activities, just have some fun and understand that not everything is related to classes and grades.
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The article above was edited by Ana Beatriz Aith.
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