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Use These College Freshman Tips To Enter Your First Year With Confidence
Starting college is an exhilarating yet challenging journey filled with new experiences, opportunities, and responsibilities. As a freshman, you must equip yourself with strategies to help you navigate this new chapter of your life. These college freshman tips I will share will help you during your first year!
Whether it’s improving on time management, building relationships, or maintaining your health, these college tips will set you on the path to academic and personal success. Some of these college freshman tips may seem obvious, but even as a type-A go-getter student, I constantly reminded myself of these things, as some weeks aren’t perfect (and that’s okay!).
Time Management
Being able to manage your time as a college freshman is critical. You will have many commitments in a given week, such as work, homework, exams, socializing with friends, football games, and so much more. The last thing you want to do is overcommit yourself or sacrifice your sleep schedule because you are forgetting things or didn’t set aside time for yourself.
I recommend purchasing a physical or digital planner to keep track of classes, assignments, events, and deadlines. I prefer a physical planner, as I remember my commitments a lot better if I have to write them out. I’m also a sucker for color coding. I’ll make exams have one color, social nights another, and so on! One of my favorite planner brands is the Happy Planner. I’ve included one design below, but they have so many options!
Avoid Skipping Class
Read this next sentence and take it to heart. Once you skip class once, it is very easy to make it a habit. I went to college in Iowa and found myself using the snow or weather as an excuse not to attend some of my math lectures (a big mistake come exam time). Regular attendance is crucial for understanding course material and completing coursework. Of course, there will be days you get sick or have an important event, but if you can help it, avoid skipping class just because you are feeling lazy. Your GPA will thank you in advance.
Get Involved
If you only attend class and do homework every day, you will burn out SO fast. I recommend joining one academic-based club (so something related to your major) and then one social/fun club that serves as a hobby. Clubs are a fantastic way to make friends on campus, especially if you don’t know where to start!
Not only will joining a few clubs give you something to do other than homework, but it will also be a chance to boost your resume with leadership skills and campus involvement – something that job recruiters love to see. So many students think that GPA is everything, and while it is necessary, being involved, volunteering your time, and taking on additional responsibilities outside of classes is just as important.
Stay Organized
Organization is critical in college and is one of the key things students don’t know how to do. Keep your study area tidy to minimize distractions. Clean out your backpack so you don’t lose essential assignments or papers. Keep your dorm or apartment neat so you don’t feel stressed or cluttered when trying to rest each day. Even if you don’t consider yourself a neat freak, the cleanliness of your environment has a critical role in impacting your mood and attentiveness.
Utilize Resources
Use campus resources such as the library, writing center, academic advisors, and tutoring services. If you pay thousands of dollars in tuition, you better get your money’s worth! College campuses tend to have so many resources and help centers that students overlook. My writing center helps students with class presentations, resumes, and public speaking. Your academic advisor will be your best friend in helping you graduate on time and even letting you know some potential class combinations or teachers to avoid. Don’t be afraid to research what your college offers; take advantage of the people and resources there to help you!
Build Relationships
Network with professors and classmates. These connections can be valuable for academic and career opportunities. Many professors have research opportunities that students can not only get paid for helping with but also give students experience. Not to mention, being nice and respectful to your professor can sometimes help you move a B to an A when you ask at the end of the semester.
Classmates are also super important to connect with, as some of these connections can turn into lifelong friends, helpful study groups, or simply fun people to be around while in classes. If you have to miss a class, you want people you can rely on to get notes from or even work together on tricky homework assignments.
Prioritize Health
Maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep to stay healthy and focused. You can’t do well in classes or enjoy your time in college if your physical and mental health aren’t being maintained. The freshman 15 is very real and will follow you throughout your sophomore, junior, and senior years if you aren’t careful. Stress and anxiety are so common for college students, and it is so easy to start spiraling if you aren’t seeking help for it. Make it a priority to go to the gym or take a fun group exercise class (my college had The Bachelor Spin Class Nights!), or I would bring my notes and walk on the treadmill for an hour. Any little activity helps! For mental health, seek out your college’s student health facilities to seek the help you need and to ask questions!
Budget Wisely
Manage your finances by keeping track of expenses and creating a budget to avoid unnecessary debt. College is already expensive. Create a healthy budget for yourself that prioritizes things such as your bills, savings, rent, and food. Once these high-priority items are addressed, set aside a small portion of your income for “fun spending,” such as drinks with friends or eating.
Seek Help
This college freshman tip may be the most important one on here. Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you’re struggling academically or personally. Most colleges offer counseling and support services. You won’t do well in classes if you aren’t feeling your best or have things impacting your day-to-day. Many confidential student help centers and resources are on campus, so you are never alone. I talked to my on-campus doctor about anxiety medication, anti-depressants, and therapy, and she guided me to so many helpful resources, medication, and therapy options to help.
I have used Betterhelp, as it offered me the most flexibility in my schedule, and they also paired me with a fantastic therapist each time I enrolled in therapy. Use the link here to sign up, and
Stay Safe
Be aware of your surroundings, especially at night. If I had a nighttime class or a club meeting, I always made sure to FaceTime my sister or a friend until I returned to my apartment. Don’t forget that many campuses also have many safety resources and services available to students. My college had a “safe ride” program where you could call a campus worker to pick you up in a college car to get you back home. Emergency phones were scattered throughout the campus if you needed to call.
Study Smart
Develop effective study habits and find the best study routine for you. I quickly learned that large study groups with close friends were the worst thing for me, as we would get off-topic and not study. If I wanted a study group, I chose people who I knew could stay focused, or I chose people who were strictly classmates who wanted to review material or work on homework (it’s okay not to be BFFs with everyone!).
Where you study is also super important. I made it a habit not to study in bed, as I associate my bed with sleeping or watching TV, and found I would quickly fall asleep, even if I had the best intentions. Avoiding busy spots on campus also helped. I have extreme sensitivity to noise, so noise-canceling headphones became my best friend throughout college. Check out the pair that my dad bought me below!
Enjoy the Experience
You only get to experience college for the first time once. Don’t be afraid to go to that football game, party (or a few), and make time for friends. Grades and doing well should be your top priority, but don’t forget that college is also a social experience – it’s all about balance.
For My College Freshmen
Surviving the transition to college can be exciting and daunting. With these tips, you can set yourself up for a successful and fun college experience! Remember, college is not just about academics. It’s also about personal growth and creating lifelong memories. Embrace the journey, seek support when needed, and don’t forget to enjoy the ride. Don’t be afraid to go to a party (or several…), but also know how to be safe and prioritize your academics and health first! Please use these college freshman tips to make your college years a safe, fun, and productive experience!
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