Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive in Your Freshman Year

Starting college is one of the most exciting things in the world, but it’s also one of the scariest things you’ll ever do. This is the beginning of a new phase of your life, and you need to make sure you know what you’re doing if you want to have a great time doing it. From meeting new people to coming up with a viable studying schedule, there are lots of things you need to do if you want to survive your freshman year and have some fun doing it. So, if this is something you might be struggling with as well, here are several tips that will help you thrive this year and turn it into the best year of your life.

[lwptoc]

Figure out your major

When you’re a college student, it’s all about getting a good education and doing something useful with your time. Yes, you can still go partying and have an amazing time, but you need to know what you’re about to do with your academic career and your future life after you graduate. To have more time for different parties you can help professional writing services that can reduce the time to study and give you a full life in college. And even most college students don’t think about these things until they’re seniors, you might start doing that earlier – while you’re still a freshman.

Choosing your major is a long and difficult process, and you need to know all your preferences and dreams before you can make that happen. The best thing about doing this early on is the fact that you can change your mind in the meantime – if you notice that something else might suit you more, you can switch your major and follow another path instead. This is only possible if you make this decision right now, and if you do that, you’re going to have a great time your freshman year and know that you’re on the right path.

Get ready to go online

Being a college student in this day and age means being ready to do lots of things online. In a world ruled by COVID-19, doing things this way has become the new normal, and we all have to do wherever we can to embrace this setup. One of the ways to survive and protect your health is to do things online, including your learning process, but the problem is that you’ll need to adapt to this model of learning almost immediately after your classes start.

Luckily, if you’ve done this in high school – and the chances are that you have since the pandemic started over two years ago – you won’t have a problem making the transition. You may just need to start using new software solutions that are preferred at your college, and that’s basically it. Even if you don’t like this way of learning, you should focus on its benefits and remember that online learning might be better than your traditional learning techniques. This way, you’ll learn more, complete your work in less time, and come up with a schedule that’s flexible and that works for you the most.

Meet some new people

The main reason why you’re a college student is to get educated, but don’t forget about having fun as well. This is the perfect place to meet tons of new people and make tons of new friends – probably in just a day or two after your freshman year starts. Meeting people at college is easier than doing that anywhere else in the world, and you won’t have a problem finding friends who share your interests and your points of view, and it’s safe to say that these people might turn into your lifelong friends or sometimes even more than that.

Meeting new people will also give you a chance to reinvent yourself and leave your old self behind. Most of us didn’t like attending high school, not because of the school work and requirements, but because we felt misplaced, misunderstood, and totally unhappy. But, once you reach college, you can start all over again and choose who you’re going to become. This is especially true for people who are attending college in another city, area, or country, so start meeting new people and start coming up with new ideas on who you’re going to be.

Pay attention and take notes

You’ll soon realize that you’ll learn a huge portion of everything during classes which is why it’s important to attend them regularly. It’s important to always be present because not only will your teachers remember you, which will make the interaction much easier and better, but you’ll always be close to the material and you’ll receive all the additional stuff you need to read. Also, you’ll connect with people who can become your study buddies and you’ll always have someone with whom you can trade notes and prepare for exams.

On the other hand, sometimes an outsider who maybe has some additional notes could be beneficial to your learning process. Learn a thing or two from all those students who use valuable Griffith notes that were made by the previous generations of students who paid attention and made helpful material just for you. This will allow you to never miss out on important stuff and always be able to prepare for every upcoming class, which is beneficial if you want to learn as you go without having too much on your plate before the exams.

Get organized

College is so much different from high school in lots of ways, so you need to learn how to organize. Dividing your time between going to classes, studying, and finding time to relax and regain energy can be challenging especially if you don’t start from day one. Start by creating a schedule and add all the deadlines you have, and remember to keep adding them as soon as they come your way. You can download one of those apps that could help you track your obligations and use different reminders that will keep you on track.

In addition to that, when it comes to your exams, you should know that preparing for some of the most difficult or challenging ones is something you need to do from the start. Make sure you find time during the week to go through your reading material, just to be prepared for the upcoming classes, but also to be able to start preparing for different assignments, essays, and exams.

Join different groups

People could get lonely in college, especially if they don’t know anyone and they find themselves miles away from home. If you want to do something with your social life, explore different groups you can join and find people who have the same interests as you. From a book club to sports enthusiasts gatherings, you can find people with whom you can talk to, go to different events, or organize your own gatherings. This will help you make friends, get out of your comfort zone, and get over your anxiety.

Of course, college life is also all about parties and having the best time of your life, so if you want to experience it to the fullest attend a party or two. On the other hand, if you are light of the party and are known for making the best parties, throw one in your dorm room and meet new people. This will also help you to relax and find something that could be a part of making sure you’re having a great time and help you get away from all the obligations and work assignments.

Stay healthy

Going through so many changes in life could leave you stressed and prevent you from leading a healthy life. When you move to a new place, you’ll need to be able to continue your habits when it comes to staying healthy so make sure to always pay attention to your diet and your exercise. When it comes to food, just because you’ll have a busy schedule doesn’t mean you should forget about some basic rules of good dieting. So, you need to always eat a healthy and energetic breakfast, drink a lot of fluids, and avoid junk food as much as you can. During late-night studying, make sure to avoid energy drinks and drinking too much caffeine, and rather opt for different ways of boosting your energy – eat some fruit, go for a short walk, take a shower, or let some fresh air into your room.

Pay attention to your annual checkups and don’t miss out on doctor’s appointments just because you’re out of your hometown. If you don’t want to switch to a new doctor or your campus doesn’t have proper medical care, make sure to always go home once the time for these checkups comes. This will help you pay attention to their health and stay on top of your medical routine, so don’t forget that in the future as well.

Being a student means a lot of changes are coming your way and you need to learn how to deal with them. If you know how to organize and want to thrive from the early days as a student, you need to have some sort of a list of surviving tips so make sure to always have these in mind.

Read more: 14 Ways to Be a Better Student and Succeed in Life