Starting the year at a new school can be daunting. Joining clubs, making new friends, and figuring out the best times to grab lunch can be extremely stressful. Here are five tips to help get you on track to a successful first year at a new school.
1. Talk to your classmates.
On the first day of classes don’t be afraid to befriend the people sitting next to you! It’s always handy to get the phone numbers or emails of people in your class in case you miss a class or have questions about an assignment.
2. Join clubs.
More than likely your school will have some sort of activities fair during the first or second week of school. I can’t stress enough how much I recommend doing this. Most of the friends I made when I transferred to my new school I met through extra-curriculars. In addition to meeting new friends, joining different clubs allows you to explore what your new city has to offer, and maybe give you insight into future career options.
3. Eat healthy.
While it’s easy to fall into a habit of eating junk food while you’re stressed, make sure to pick food that fuels your body. It’s fine to eat chips and cookies every once in awhile, but be conscious of food choices you make so you don’t feel like a train hit you when you wake up for your 8 AM the next morning.
4. Exercise.
Exercise and eating healthy go hand in hand. According to the US National Library of Medicine, exercising increases your endorphin count which in turn makes you a happier college student. While I know that when running on a treadmill there’s nothing you want more than to get off of it, after the workout you’ll feel refreshed, energized and overall rejuvenated.
5. Keep an open mind.
If you take away anything from this list it would be to be adaptable, and inviting of all the opportunities your new environment will throw at you! There were so many times where I just wanted to go back to my dorm and watch a conspiracy theory documentary, and was asked to eat dinner with a new group of friends. While I wanted to do anything but socialize, I decided to go anyways and ended up becoming a lot closer to the friends I have now.
Research source used: Harber, V. J., & Sutton, J. R. (n.d.). Endorphins and exercise. Retrieved September 18, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6091217