This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at VCU chapter.
The transition from summer vacation to attending university can be scary for a lot of students—even for those who have already gone through the motions. To help with this adjustment, there is Welcome Week! Here’s what to do and not to do during the week.
Do:
- Ask “stupid” questions
- Starting a new semester can be intimidating. You might feel like you’re supposed to have it all figured out, but that’s not the case! Use your resources—According to BusinessWire, 57 percent of students turn to their school advisors for advice.
- Attend every Welcome Week event possible
- You’ll be overwhelmed by moving in and buying all the supplies you need, but the other important part of college is the social aspect! Making friends is scary but so fulfilling at the end of the day. You could find someone that helps you through the rest of your college experience. Plus, there are usually free t-shirts!
- Take some time to walk to your classes before they begin
- When I first got to campus, I used my maps just to walk to class. It took so much time out of my day to navigate. Plan ahead and you might be able to get coffee before or between classes!
Don’t:
- Buy the textbooks for your classes just yet
- During Welcome Week, you can wait on buying any “required” textbooks listed in your class syllabi. A lot of the time, you can find the book for free online. Another likely scenario is that the textbook isn’t actually required at all.
- Be afraid to talk to your professors.
- Professors can seem unapproachable at times, and usually, you are in a class with over 300 people. Nonetheless, making that connection can really help your learning experience. The GCU blog suggests calling them by the correct title and also reaching out during office hours.
3. Bring all your clothes to campus
- I know it may sound enticing, productive or even really necessary but I promise—it isn’t. You’ll have time to switch out your wardrobe between the Fall and Spring semesters. Realistically, you’ll probably buy more clothes while at University. And, usually, the laundry rooms are limited in college dorms and apartments.
Remember that we are all still trying to figure things out. Don’t judge others, and be unapologetically yourself. Welcome week is only the beginning of all the fun that is the college experience!