As I write this article, I am curled up on my couch in my “real” house with my puppy and chai tea, about to go sleep in my own bed. I love the luxury of being able to come home because I am from the Boston area and live relatively close to Tufts. But at the same time, I’m already itching to go back to school. It’s so wonderful that a place I’ve known for only a month can become my new home so quickly. I’m definitely no expert, but for those future college students, I hope you find these few lessons helpful:
Lesson 1: Start small.
One of the biggest adjustments to college life is the shift in my daily routine. Managing sleeping enough, eating, homework, laundry, extracurriculars and down time has been such a learning curve. I was one of those lucky freshmen who happened to stumble upon a schedule that allows me to sleep in, get my work done at a reasonable hour, and still have three-day weekends (which makes my friends who have 8:30 classes on Fridays very jealous).
Lesson 2: Stay true to yourself.
Another important lesson I learned fairly quickly: a normal human can only handle so many clubs, even though others may appear to be doing everything. After signing up for probably thirty e-lists, I finally settled on the few clubs I actually want to stick with and the ones that I want to become heavily involved in. To any future college students out there, I will say that the first month of school has taught me that I certainly can’t do everything, and that I’m not expected to, either. Find the few things that you love, and stick with them!
Lesson 3: Be friendly.
This above idea also applies socially. Coming from a school of under 700 kids, it was an adjustment. I tried introducing myself to as many people as I possibly could and got myself into many different social groups. Gradually, however, I found the people I connected best with and who I saw most often, and they became my closest friends. Having a group iMessage was comforting, especially when solving the daily question of who to sit with in Dewick.
My first month at Tufts has been an unexpected, stressful, eye-opening, and super fun experience; and I am so excited to see what the next four years have in store for me.