What I’ve Learned in the First Weeks of College
As I dive into my third academic week of my freshman year of college, I reflect on how different my life is now than it was a little less than a month ago. It’s almost hard to fathom that my life changed so much within a single day—move in day. On the 23rd of August, I was living at home in the town where I grew up surrounded by everyone I loved, and by the end of the day on the 24th I watched my family walk away as I was left in a strange place with new people.
Of course, I’d heard all of the generic college advice: study hard—college isn’t high school, meet as many people as you can, get involved, and have the best time of your life. However, because I’m the oldest of just two children in my family, I didn’t have an older brother or sister to get real with me. Tell me the things that no one else tells you about what college is really like. So, here are the 5 most important things that I’ve learned so far in college.
1. You might not be best friends with your roommate right away—or even at all.
If you’re like me, you met your roommate(s) on some sort of Facebook page run your school. It’s really, really hard to tell if you’re actually going to click with someone in real life versus on social media, so it’s natural for there to be an awkward stage in the first few weeks of college. Just remember that you’re both human and experiencing college for the first time together, and if you end up being interested in different things it’s okay. There are literally thousands more people for you to meet and get close with.
2.There isn’t one way to study that will magically cause you to succeed.
I have my first real college exam coming up this week, and I have learned that there is literally an unlimited amount of ways to study. You’ll get advice from so many people on how to study and how you’ll always get an A if you study that way. That, I can tell you, is completely false. Everyone develops their own methods of studying because not every method works for everyone.
3. Eating, for some reason, is super hard.
Okay, I know what you’re thinking—how can eating be hard, I love eating. Me too, except for some odd reason when you get to college you forget how to eat meals. Going to the dining hall is a lot of work and there is always schoolwork to do so sometimes you just forget. Oh, and then in order to try to make up for the nutritional loss you drink two cups of coffee and eat a half of a bag of chips. Healthy, I know.
4. It’s super, super important to give yourself a break.
Even for someone like myself who procrastinated extremely well in high school, I have found myself CONSTANTLY doing homework and studying. I didn’t think that I would have the motivation to study all the time, but since you literally live at school it’s actually pretty hard to tear yourself away from school. Because of that, it’s essential that you give your brain a break—go sit outside, work out, watch Netflix, read a book. This will keep your brain focused and keep your mental health healthy.
5. It’s okay to be homesick and it’s okay to get help.
Getting help in dealing with homesickness or anxiety about transitioning into college is never something to be ashamed about. Your college has resources for a reason, so if you are struggling, the worst thing you can do is sit in your dorm room and let it eat at you. There is always someone there to help. Always.
Above all else, just remember–no matter what your first few weeks at college turn out to be like, you will get through it, the bad things will pass, and everything will be okay.