Flickr user: Georgia Southern
Starting off on the right foot at college is important for staying on track. Here are a few tips for freshmen to consider doing during their first week of college.
Be Prepared
Make sure you have all the materials you need for your upcoming coursework. Show up to class with pens, pencils, notebooks, maybe a laptop, and the required texts. You should look at the syllabi beforehand to make sure that you have what you need for your classes. You can also bring a water bottle and snacks to have if you decide to hang out at the library or student union between classes.
Check Out a Fair
It’s very common for schools to have student organization or volunteer fairs during the first week of classes. Give a few different organizations your email, and attend their first meetings. At many schools there are campus activity organizations, focusing on coordinating and implementing large on-campus events. There may also be groups for maintaining a student garden, reading Shakespeare, or even training to participate in triathlons.
Talk to Your Roommate
If you’re living in a residence hall on campus, it is likely that you have a roommate. It would be a good idea to talk to your roommate during the first week of classes to get an idea of what their schedule is like compared to yours. You should also talk to them about your living and study habits. If your roommate likes to sleep without any lights on, you probably don’t want to stay up studying in your room and rather should head to a study lounge for those late nights. Similarly, you’ll want to know ahead if your roommate is someone who hits the snooze button 10 times before actually getting up.
Explore Campus
While you probably visited your campus before you committed to going there, the first week is a great time to check out campus again in the eyes of a real student. Explore the buildings you have classes in and the ones you don’t. If your college has a university bus system, try hopping on a bus and seeing where it takes you. This can help you feel confident about taking the bus when you really need to. Maybe you’ll find a secret study spot that’s not as busy as the main campus library!
Get to Know Others
Introduce yourself to the people on your floor. You’ll be living with these people for the next several months, and you’ll want to get to know them. No, you most likely won’t be best friends with everyone, but it doesn’t hurt to be confident and at the very least, practice your introduction. It’s as easy as leaving your dorm room door open. You can also meet people in your classes. Just say hi to the person you’re sitting next to, and ask them about themselves. You never know who you’ll become really good friends with!
There’s a lot going on during the first week of college, but these are just a few things to keep in mind to help make your first week easier.
