Freshmen Survival Guide
- Kimberly Zavera
- Aug 6, 2018
- 3 min read
Hello and welcome back to my blog! With the new academic year starting next month, I decided to put together a freshmen survival guide. This revolves around my own experiences but can apply to lots of people. I hope you enjoy reading and take away useful information. Thanks for visiting my blog!
1 Say "yes" to everything, within reason.
If you're like me and decide to move away for university, you'll be living in a residence building on campus. Moving in is a busy and long process, but you will also learn how many activities and up coming events there are for freshmen and all students. With that being said, say "yes" to those activities. The more you attend the more comfortable you'll start to feel in the new city you are in. It will give you an opportunity to become friends with people and make you feel less lonely.
2 Initiate conversations.
Individuals at your school could approach you and start a conversation, but if you initiate conversations with people you think you'd get along with, it increases your chances of making friends! More friends doesn't always mean better, but when you are a freshmen it's great to talk to different types of people and start to create a sense of "family" because the friends you make are your "family" away from home. Keep in mind that all the freshmen are in the same boat as you, so everyone wants to make friends!
3 Use the first week of classes to get organized.
With the 4,5 or 6 courses you will be taking in the semester, comes course syllabus', dates & deadlines, and other papers that will be important for the semester. Typically during the first week of classes, professors don't pile you with homework, but I still recommend bringing a notebook, folder, and a pen because you never know if professors are going to start a lesson in the first class. Take this non-stressful week to be organized with when your first assignment is due, when your mid-term is, what office hours your professor has, etc.
4 Make time to call or video family.
If you will be living away from home, you'll start to notice how different it is to go day by day without seeing your family members. That being said, home sickness is real, and some days it will be difficult but we have the technology to make the distance feel a little less far. I personally video called my family a lot after a month of living away from home. Home sickness will hit everyone at different times, but I promise that a video call, even for just 5 minutes, makes a big difference! If you don't experience home sickness or are too caught up in the college life, don't forget to call your family every now and then, because they miss you more than you think.
5 Do things you love.
Classes will take up a lot of your time, but don't forget to do things you love. Your college or university should offer many clubs and a handful of sports teams, so if you hear of something you might like... try it! University is a place where you can be 100% yourself and not be judged, so if joining a club will make your experience more fun... do it! Make sure to balance your studies and free time, because you don't want to focus on one and forget about the other. Remember that you want to do well academically to earn your degree, but have fun along the way!
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