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The first semester of college can be very intimidating. Starting a new school, moving to a new town and meeting new people all at the same time can feel overwhelming. Everything is new and exciting, but also kind of scary. Here are five tips to help you survive your first semester of college.
1. Manage your time
I’m sure you have heard this tip before, but it is so important. One of the main differences between college and high school is that in college your professors aren’t going to manage your time for you. At the beginning of the semester you will get a syllabus with all the due dates and requirements for the whole semester. After that first day, many of your professors won’t remind you when assignments are due. You have to manage your own time. Use a planner. When you first get your syllabus, write all of your assignments in you planner and check it often to make sure you never miss an assignment.
2. Make at least one friend in all your classes
On the first day of classes, it may be kind of intimidating going into class not knowing anyone. One of my classes last semester had 300 people in it! Woah! That may seem overwhelming, but if you just make one friend you will feel so much better! Turn to the person next to you and introduce yourself, then try to sit in the same spot every class so you start to get to know the people around you. In my french class last semester, I tried this and some of those classmates ended up being some of my best fiends at OU!
3. Use your resources
OU has so many resources like the writing center, action tutoring, the math center and more to help you with all of your classes. Don’t be embarrassed to use those resources to help you with classes, that’s what they are there for!
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4. Embrace uncertainty
When you go off to college there is this certain expectation to have everything figured out before you even get there. “What are you studying?” “What do you want to do after college?” “What’s your dream job?” These are all questions you probably have heard so many times, but let me tell you it’s okay to not know the answers. People come to college with no idea what they want to do, people change their minds and they still make it out okay. As one of my favorite authors, Bob Goff, put it “Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have a title until much later.”
5. Have fun
Your first year of college is special. Life will never quite be the same as this year, so don’t forget to enjoy this time before it’s over!