The key to getting through your freshman year in one piece is to put as much effort as you can into all your back-to-school preparations. Some of these preparations will be familiar to you, such as organizing your school supplies and planning your daily schedule. However, some of them will be completely new to you, like preparing to live with a roommate. It’s a time in one’s life that is equally scary as it is exciting, but if you get a few major things in order, you will definitely get through it all much more easily. Here is how to survive and thrive your freshman year of college.
Enroll Early
You won’t get to enroll in your classes until all the upperclassmen have been given their chance to enroll. This means that all the classes you want might not be available to you once your window opens. It also means that you need to be ready to punch in your course codes the moment your window opens. In the case that a class is full by the time it’s your turn to register, you want to have a backup schedule or two that you can switch to right away.
Go to Your Freshman Orientation
Your freshman orientation is the best way to start meeting new friends, get to know the campus, and learn about some of the major events that will be happening in the first few weeks of school. One of the major keys to really thriving your freshman year is to get involved and take advantage of all the fun things you get to do. Be sure to find out what kinds of clubs and organizations are offered, and start meeting likeminded people as early as possible.
Bond with Your Roommate
There’s nothing worse than having a contentious or awkward relationship with your roommate. The best way to avoid this is to start getting to know each other as early as possible. Your conversations should start off with a good mix of sharing who you are and discussing some ground rules for your dorm room. You don’t want to put your whole focus on making rules in the beginning, but you also shouldn’t ignore this process. The earlier you make all your compromises, the less conflicts you will run into.
Buy Your Books Early
Once your books are assigned, you want to take care of buying or ordering them right away. This is the best way to get to the used books before they’re sold out, but it’s also the best way to start diving into them as early as you can. If you’re earning a difficult degree, like NEC’s master in accounting, you will want to skim through all your books as early as possible. This is the best way to predict what the semester will look like for you.
Get Yourself Organized
Getting organized isn’t just about buying all of your school supplies, it’s about labeling everything and creating all your systems. You need to decide whether you’ll take notes on your laptop, use notepads, binders, tablets, etc. If you plan to carry a lunch, you need a lunch box and you need to know how you plan to carry it. These seem like boring details that work themselves out eventually, but it’s always best when they’re worked out ahead of time.
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