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The Definitive Guide to Your Freshman Year of College

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The Tower at University of Texas

The tower at University of Texas.

Congratulations! If you’re reading this, then chances are that you or someone you know has recently spent an absurd amount of money on the Common Application and the College Board and are about to matriculate to one of the many colleges and universities around the country. You should be proud; you’ve worked hard for this and now it’s all finally paying off.

Having recently finished my first year of college, I’d say I’m somewhat of an expert on the matter of how to survive your freshman year and get out in one piece. Below are five tips and tricks to make the adjustment a little easier.

Don’t forget the snacks

As you’re getting ready to move into your first college dorm room, I’m sure you’re thinking that the unlimited meal plan that you signed up for will cover all your dietary needs. You’re wrong. Dining hall food will make you feel cool and independent for about a week, then it starts to make you feel sweaty and constipated for the rest of the semester.

Chicken nuggets and a sassy dining hall attendant will only get you so far. Invest in some healthy snacks and instant meals to keep in your room to eliminate the need to go to the dining hall for every meal; even better, if your residence hall has a communal kitchen, buy some groceries and make a home-cooked meal for you and your friends.

Also, don’t mooch off your roommate’s snacks. No one wants to give you their last bag of Chex Mix while you cry about how your economics TA won’t give you an extension on the project that’s due tomorrow (I know from experience).

Find your classes before classes start

You’re probably going to be exhausted after moving into your dorm, but I’d highly recommend finding the various buildings your classes will be in before class so that you know where you’re going and how long it will take to get there. It’s easy to think that you’ll just find your classes on the first day, but don’t make this mistake.

Rush…to the library

Being in Greek life or getting involved in other organized social groups on campus is a great way to make new friends. But if learning an entirely new alphabet isn’t your thing, have no fear! It turns out the library is actually a really good place to make new friends.

Most college libraries have a quiet study area and a collaborative study area,; take a few classmates to the collaborative study area and bond over studying, snacks, coffee, and your mutual dislike of that one professor who doesn’t give A’s because they don’t “believe in perfection.”

Become a time management master

You’ve probably heard this one before. It sounds a bit cliché, I know, but bear with me. It’s very easy for a single episode of Mad Men on Netflix to turn into a weekend-long binge where you forget to do your homework and you also forget what the sun and whatever might exist outside your dorm room looks like. It’s a slippery slope, but if you ever want to be a creative director like Don Draper, you have to learn to balance your time.

One thing that really helped me balance my time was purchasing a dry erase board that I could use to write out all my assignments for the week/month. Put the dry erase board in a prominent place where it’s likely to catch your attention. The first step to time management is realizing what needs to be done and getting started early so you don’t have to finish assignment the night before (refer back to the end of Tip #1.)

Relax!

Chances are that you’re going to spend a sizeable chunk of your freshman year being anxious about class, your social life and a slew of other things. Let me be the first to tell you that it is not worth it.

In regards to class, obviously you should try your best, but sometimes you’re going to fall short of your own expectations and that’s okay. I made my first C ever in a class during my first semester of college and obviously I survived that blow to my ego or I wouldn’t be writing this. Take the failures in stride and use those experiences to do better in the future.

Socially, everyone is in the same boat as you. However, that boat is currently sinking because the large majority of you haven’t needed to know how to make new friends since sixth or ninth grade.  You will make new friends, whether through an organized group like a fraternity/sorority or a chance meeting in class.

You will be okay. You might feel lonely in the beginning, but find solace in the fact that everyone around you probably feels the same way and would jump at the opportunity to have a meal or study session with a new face (i.e. you). 

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