College is one of the biggest steps one can take that changes almost all aspects of life in an instant.
One day you’re living under your parents’ roof and attending school at the same time every day alongside all your classmates. Then, suddenly, you’re in charge of yourself entirely. Obviously, there are bound to be some differences between high school and college, but there are a lot of things you might not consider when making this big change.
As a freshman who is about to finish her first school year, there’s so much I wish I knew before starting college that I think all incoming freshmen should learn.
Making friends
I attend the University of Missouri, a school with roughly 30,000 students. Even with so many students, I had a very hard time finding friends my first semester – partly because I am not very outgoing, but also because there are almost too many students. You would think that if there are more students, it’d be easier to find friends, but that wasn’t the case for me.
I felt like some of my classes were too big to create a connection with any of my classmates. Even the people I saw every day seemed to have no interest in starting a conversation, so I didn’t try either.
However, that’s exactly what you need to do in order to start a friendship. Remember how easy it was to make friends as a kid? You could go up to just about anyone and ask to play, and then you’d instantly be best friends.
That’s how I was able to make the friends I did this year. Sometimes it’s nerve-racking to approach someone because they seem too cool or uninterested; however, chances are they feel the same way about you. If you take the chance, you might meet some really great people who will become a staple in your college life!
Plan and organize
A planner is a lifesaver.
I am someone who needs to plan and organize, otherwise, I am bound to forget something. Between classes, review sessions, homework and even eating meals, you are more than likely to have a full schedule. (Not to mention the time you will need to decompress).
I bought a planner thinking I wouldn’t really use it, only to end up needing it every day. I use it to plan out what days I should do homework as well as remind me of times I had meetings. It really helped me to organize my responsibilities, and it kept me from stressing over potentially forgotten tasks.
A planner might not seem like the most fun thing to use, but you can find one that fits your style, buy stickers to decorate pages and use colorful highlighters and pens to personalize it. This makes planning out your weeks enjoyable and allows you to get creative with something that might typically be pretty sterile.
Utilize your campus
Here at MU, there are events and activities nearly every week for any student who wants to attend. These events include free food, lawn games, on-the-go thrifting and so much more.
These things can make college life so much more enjoyable by taking you out of the stressful environment that is school. You’re able to meet new people and try things you’ve never had the opportunity to try.
There are tons of places you can go to relax or study. One of my favorite places to go is the student center; there are comfy chairs to relax in as well as quiet study spaces to get school work done.
Additionally, the recreational center is a great place to get active. Staying active is important for our physical and mental health, and there aren’t many other opportunities to have free access to a gym, pool or game court.
Don’t forget about the area outside of campus! Even if you don’t have a car, there’s a good chance you have accessible public transportation along with places off campus within walking distance. One of my favorite spots is the It’s Our Wild Nature Area trail and it’s only 10 minutes from my residence hall. I love going there to admire the scenery and distract myself from my busy campus.
Places like these help me not to use my dorm as my study/eating/exercise/relaxation area. When I stay in my dorm for everything I get restless and sidetracked, but taking advantage of what my campus has to offer has helped me keep my dorm a safe space for privacy and decompression.
Buying food
Many campuses have different meal plan methods. At my school, we have fixed amounts of money to spend on food depending on which meal plan you choose. While this amount may seem like a lot when you start, if you don’t budget, you will very likely run out of money before the end of the semester.
Something that helped me spend my money sparingly while also getting all the meals I need each day was dividing my money up between the days in the school year.
With my plan, this did not allow me to spend much money each day. To avoid going over budget, I bought things like fruit, oatmeal, cereal, ramen and other food items that I could eat over time instead of buying one thing every meal.
This does mean that access to a grocery store is ideal. If you don’t have your own car, look into public transportation options to your local grocery stores or even ask a friend if you can take a trip with them to the store. It’s a little inconvenient, but if you have a bit of personal money, a grocery trip every few weeks will help to keep you from spending all your dining dollars a month before school is over.
Familiarize yourself with all dining locations to ensure you are getting the most out of your dining dollars. Some places give larger portion sizes that you can split between meals and help lower your daily spending.
Plan out your meals as best as you can too. As said before, there is only so much time in the day, and that means some dining places close at inconvenient times. It’s important to plan your meals and know when dining places close so you don’t miss out on meals. Food is fuel for the brain!
What to wear…
Personally, fashion is a huge part of who I am, and dressing up is one way that helps me express that! Coming into college, I thought everyone else would also put more effort into what they wear to classes in contrast to what I saw in highschool, but expectations do not equal reality.
The majority of the people I see on campus wear very comfortable outfits: sweatpants, sweatshirts, work out clothes and even pajamas are college kid fashion staples. While there is nothing wrong with this – personally I prefer comfort over style too – I definitely felt out of place at first.
Overtime, however, I became less worried about looking “too dressed up.” No one cares what you wear to class, just like you don’t care what they wear! Wear what makes you feel most comfortable. If you like to dress up, then dress up, and if you don’t, you don’t have to. It’s as simple as that.
For you overachievers
If grades are important to you, you must prioritize them.
It may seem like there is so much time in a day, but if you are taking 15+ credit hours, especially in-person classes, class work will more than likely take up most of it. It’s important to figure out a schedule that allows you to spend an allotted time each day on school work while giving you time to do all the fun things that come with college.
While some classwork may not be too difficult, especially for those who are A and B students, the workload will pile up. When it does, you must be prepared to give your full attention to academics.
This does not mean to neglect basic needs like food, hygiene and much-needed leisure time – those things will actually help your brain work – but doom scrolling and going out instead of doing your assignments will not.
This also doesn’t mean every day has to be the same. Some classes vary with how much home and classwork is assigned, so you won’t be doing the same things like clockwork. Just be prepared for when school work does get repetitive, and allow yourself to still have fun.
Additional Tips
Buy. An. UMBRELLA. I did not have an umbrella for the entire first half of the school year and I paid the price with crazy hair and dripping clothing. Chances are there will be a few days you have to walk 15 minutes in the rain to get to your class, so be prepared.
Slippers are essential for campus housing! They’re perfect for communal bathrooms as well as common areas in your building, as you won’t have to spend time putting on your shoes every time you walk out of your room.
If you go to school somewhere where cold weather is expected, you will need a winter coat and other winter gear. A walk across campus in 15℉ with a wind chill of 3℉ is not fun without a coat, gloves and something to protect your ears from the cold.
Two gadgets that will make the stuffy dorm life more bearable are an air purifier and a humidifier. In my experience, the air in my room is extremely dry to the point where I was getting nosebleeds (I’ve never experienced a nosebleed before college). Anytime I got in and out of my bed, there was a ton of static that would cause me to shock myself on everything, particularly in the cold, dry months.
Additionally, an air purifier helped me a lot with my allergies. The dorms and vents are probably not the cleanest and have built up dust and other allergens everywhere, but an air purifier really changed the game for me! Side note: if you do buy one, make sure to take apart the gadget and make sure all pieces are out of their packaging. I learned that the hard way…
Hydration is key. Consuming the correct amount of water you need to sustain your body will make you feel physically better than if you don’t. The best way to do that is to find a dependable water bottle that doesn’t leak and will fit somewhere convenient in your backpack. Bonus points if you customize it with stickers!
Final thoughts
College will be different from high school. You will gain so much experience in just your first year and you’ll be doing it on your own.
Make and maintain good relationships with others. Whether it be family, roommates or hometown friends, it’s important to have a support system so you aren’t doing everything entirely alone. Plus, you will certainly need somebody to vent to about your daily antics.
College can be so much fun, but you might have to get out of your comfort zone to experience it. Take those leaps and progress, this is the time!