Adjusting to college is not the easiest thing to do and it can even be a daunting task.
You just moved out of your parents’ house, and you now have all the freedom that you’ve been desiring for. All you want to do is go party with your new friends and get the lay of the land.
It’s totally fine to want to do those things because it is natural when you get some freedom, but it’s something that you will have to monitor. It’s easy to fall into the cycle of partying and lose sight of your ultimate goal.
I’m going to try to help you out and give you some tips that helped my friends and me transition into college life.
I’m going to contradict myself slightly here, but for the first few weekends of college, let loose and have some fun. Be smart and safe. Just enjoy yourself and your newfound freedom for the first couple of weekends.
Notice I’m saying weekends. Go to your classes and get your work done, but enjoy your free time because you are going to have a lot of it in college. Keep it to the weekends though and keep yourself under control.
This brings me to my next point. Try to make a schedule and stick to that schedule. It doesn’t have to include much, but designate times to do your homework. I would suggest trying to put that period shortly after your class so everything is still fresh in your mind.
One of the main advantages to this strategy is the fact that after you get your homework done, you can do whatever you want. If you stick to your schedule early in your college career, these things will start to become a habit that you will hopefully carry throughout your experience.
This next tip is going to sound incredibly cliché, but I think it is one of the most important.
Be you.
You are going to meet all different kinds of people in college, some good, some bad. Cherish all of your experiences with them, but understand that not all of them will stick around.
Find your passion whether it be in your degree or a hobby. You are bound to hit some down moments in college, so having something you are passionate about will allow you to destress in important moments.
Outside of the gloomy stuff, the people that you will meet in college may be more knowledgeable than you in a certain subject. Learn from those people and soak up all that you can because that information could prove vital to you in the long run.
You may meet your best friend or create a friend group for life. This is truly an amazing time that you will have to cherish, but to quote Andy Bernard, “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them.”
Be unapologetically you and don’t worry whether people like you or not because you will find your people. Let’s face it, you won’t be able to please everybody.
