Advice for College Freshmen
I’m guessing that you’ve heard more than once that college will be “the best four years of your life!” For some of you out there, that may be so. But, for others, college will not immediately feel like it’s all it’s hyped up to be and the first year will be a struggle. Know now: that’s okay. Actually, it’s pretty normal.
For many students, their first year in college is a struggle. It’s likely the first time you will be out trying to manage life on your own. You may be moving far away from home and friends and having to navigate a brand new environment without your usual support system. And then there’s classes. Struggling with all this change is normal. Trust me; if you’re not having a great time in the first few months of school, you’re not alone, even if it feels like that when you look around. Here is my best advice for college freshmen, as a former high school teacher, licensed therapist, and former college student:
Make the effort to make new friends. I know it can be scary and awkward, but it will be worth the effort. Find clubs and organizations that interest you, talk to the people around you in class or waiting in line for food, and be proactive about inviting people to hang out in-person. It may take some time for you to find ‘your people,’ but the relationships you make are what you will value the most about college.
Use all of the resources that your college offers. Your school likely has academic resources like writing centers, tutoring support, and an office for accommodations, as well as medical and mental health services. Your tuition is already paying for these services; don’t hesitate to use them!
Be intentional about managing your time. College professors, unlike some high school teachers you may have had, are not going to trap you in class until the bell to make sure you have time to get your work done. Your professors will expect you to budget time for their classes on your own, so you will need to find new ways to manage your schedule and assignments. Experiment and see what works best for you. Some of my favorite practices are…
Do a syllabus dump at the start of the semester. Take the time to go through all your syllabi and put every due date and assignment on one calendar.
Write a short to-do list for each day. I find it helpful to use a tool like Google Tasks so that I can place tasks on future days and not feel overwhelmed by things that don’t need to be done yet (this can also be helpful to break up large assignments).
If you’re feeling unproductive, write a ‘ta da!’ list at the end of the day to celebrate what you did accomplish.
Reduce distractions. If you end up scrolling on your phone when you’re studying, try setting it across the room or even leaving it in your dorm while you go to the library or a study room.
Most importantly, be kind to yourself. You are managing a major life transition while also completing advanced college classes. That’s awesome…and also scary. At some point you may fail a test or crash out or not get invited to a certain party. And that’s okay. You are not alone, and it’s perfectly normal for those things to bum/stress you out. The question is: how do you want to handle that stress and anxiety moving forward? .
If you are overwhelmed and not sure how to manage everything in your life right now, please reach out. I’d be happy to help you slow down, take a breath, and set goals for what you want your college experience and the rest of your life to be. College can be a great time in your life–even if it doesn’t start out that way. And I sincerely hope that each of you reading this takes advantage of this time to have fun and learn as much as you can about yourself, the world, and your place in it.