Finally, high school is behind you. You are about to undertake your first year of college. You are officially a freshman, finally on your own, and you’ve never been more excited in your life.
Whether you are attending ACU Online or Stanford University, your freshman year of college may be the most trying two semesters you will ever experience. You are a small fish now, making your way around this gigantic, confusing pond. And on top of that, you still have to worry about getting to class, studying, and keeping up your grades.
Here are 5 tips to help you cope during your freshman year in college.
- INVEST IN A PAIR OF SHOWER SHOES
If you are one of the tens of thousands of freshman moving into a dorm for the first time, there’s a very good chance you’ll be introduced to the shared community shower stall, where all of your floormates shower, too.
Do yourself a favor and find the nearest Target or Walmart and purchase a cheap pair of rubber flip-flops. The care you take in keeping your feet hygienically sound might influence you to care similarly for the rest of your body. It’s a petri dish of a campus out there! Covering your feet, regularly washing your hands, and getting a flu shot will help that freshman body of yours stay healthy all year long.
- KNOW THAT HALF THE WORK IS JUST SHOWING UP
Class attendance is more important than you think. Since you’ve made it this far in your academic career, hopefully you plan on actually going to class.
But sometimes those Friday morning lectures come way, way, way too early. Force yourself out of bed, throw on some clothes, and show up to class! The difference between a B and a C at the end of the semester could very well be decided by whether or not your professor knows who you are.
- GET A JOB
Laziness only breeds more laziness. If you have a few hours to spare every week, ditch the videogames and the social media sinkholes and look into filling the gap with a part-time job.
Staying engaged with a busy-but-not-too-busy regular schedule helps you balance everything else that’s thrown at you during your freshman year. A part-time job also earns you some extra cash for the weekend, which is never a bad thing.
- DON’T FORGET TO TALK
Email and texting are by far the most common forms of communication these days, but let’s not completely do away with the time-tested art of conversation.
Whether it’s with your roommate, your neighbors, your classmates, or your professors, unplugging yourself every once in a while and having simple conversations keeps you socially sharp and more in tune with the world. It might also make you a friend or two – or land you a date!
- ENJOY IT
You’re only a freshman once. If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong. Make sure to have a good balance of school, work, and pleasure.
It’s college, after all. Find the parties, attend the sporting events, join a club, a fraternity, a sorority. So much is happening around campus in any given weekend. Go after it and have a good time!