Tips for surviving and thriving during your freshman year

You can survive your freshman year of college with few battle scars. The tips and advice I have to offer come from my experiences of doing everything wrong. I went away to college; just two hours away, but trust me it felt like ten hours. I knew very few people, and within about two weeks I had completely closed myself off. I began to feel like my dorm and campus were the edge of the earth, but it's just a microcosm of reality. I encourage everyone to get off campus as often as possible and explore your local surroundings. Before you headed off to college, school wasn't the only aspect of your life and I feel like it's important to create some sense of normalcy in your new 'home'. So, get out of the dorm as much as possible. Dorms made me feel like I was at summer camp; bunkbeds, fours girls sharing one shower, a lot of people in a tight space. Summer camp is fine, but eventually the time comes to get back to real life. Join a club, get a work-study job or any part-time job. Never miss a class and try not to fall into the trend of rolling out of bed and attending class in your pjs. Get up, take a shower, and then after class you're free to have lunch with classmates, study at the library, or go to work. Try not to take on too heavy of a course load. Twelve hours is full-time and only four classes. Give yourself a chance to adjust to your new surroundings. Make at least one friend in each class and get their contact info so you can call them if you have to miss. These people are also great to form study groups with when finals roll around. Go see your professors at least once at the beginning of each semester to break the ice, then when you actually have a problem you'll feel more comfortable talking with them. Lastly, and most importantly, do not start partying now. You're underage and only bad can come of too much partying. Remember why you are at college - to get an education.

-Lauren Palmer

I couldn’t agree anymore with everything that Lauren mentioned above! So I am just going to add a few tips based on my experiences. I suppose I was the complete opposite because I got involved with everything that I could. However, I was so involved with things on campus that my homework took a back seat to all of my extracurricular activities. DO NOT make the same mistake I did. The only reason you are in college is to receive an education, so schoolwork should be your number one priority. It is important to get involved on campus but do not let it overwhelm you or interfere with school. Time management is key when trying to jungle assignments, extracurricular activities, and a part-time job but it is all feasible. I recommended getting a planner or some type of calendar so you can keep track of things such as homework assignments, tests, meetings, days that you work, etc. One last thing that I have to add is if you see yourself struggling in a class don’t wait until the week before finals to try and find help. As soon as you realize you are having a problem, seek out help then. Most colleges and universities have tutoring available free to their students. All you have to do is show up. 

-Casi Dennis