Alright friends, it’s that time again; back to school season has begun. Another school year is pretty normal for most young people, but if you’re about to start your first year of college, it can be pretty intimidating. It can be especially nerve wracking if you’re leaving all of your friends and family to go to school far away. So if you’re about to begin your first year of college here are some tips to help you survive:
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Make a Packing List
For most people, going to college is their first experience living alone. Now, this is gonna give you loads of freedom, but that also means you need to make sure you have everything you need to live out of your dorm for months.
This means that you can still bring all the cute dorm decor that you picked out, but you also need to think about the little stuff like nail clippers, q-tips, and shower shoes.
My first year at college, I barely brought anything and my sophomore year I brought way too much stuff. Don’t be like me, bring the right amount of stuff the first time around. Here’s a pretty general packing list for dorm life.
2. Decorate Your Room
College dorm rooms are notoriously boring, so make sure to bring decorations that personalize your room. Pictures of family and friends are always a good idea to make a new place comfortable.
Whether it’s bringing posters or making your own decorations (check out this Buzzfeed article for a whole list of cute DIY decorating ideas), adding a personal touch to your dorm room is essential.
3. Don’t Mind the Upperclassmen
At a lot of schools, the upperclassmen look down on the first years. Honestly, don’t pay them any attention because I guarantee some of those upperclassmen will be friends with those first years they were making fun of the first week of school.
The upperclassmen can be pretty cynical about coming back to school and the first years are usually super excited about school and college life. But who cares what they think? Don’t let them kill your optimistic attitude. (Also, the upperclassmen are salty because they miss their friends that graduated and got replaced by a bunch of peppy strangers.)
4. Keep Making Friends
You’re bound to meet a bunch of new people as soon as you get to school, some great and others that you might not vibe with. My advice is to not get too attached to the people you meet on the very first day. This isn’t true for everyone, but likely the people you meet on the first day will be entirely different from your friends two weeks later. Don’t worry, just be patient because I guarantee you, you will find a group of friends that are gonna make your college years rock.
If you get anxious about meeting new people, just remember all the first years are on the same page; nobody knows anyone (okay except for that one girl Rachel who went to college with her best friend). Honestly, the first week of college is usually just starting conversations with strangers about your hometown, your major, and one cool fact about yourself (I asked everyone I talked to what their zodiac sign was).
5. Make Schoolwork a Priority
The other advice is to help you adjust and live at school, but this tip is by far the most important because you’re in college first and foremost to get your degree. Prioritize your academic work because trust me you will regret it. Also, please don’t just skip class to skip because I promise that extra hour of sleep will not be worth getting a D- just because of your poor attendance (sorry to all my professors last year).