As an incoming freshman, college can seem foreboding, huge, and scary. It can also seem like a fresh start and a new meaning of the word "freedom." When most freshman actually get to school, they realize that college isn't scary, and they're totally equipped to handle the volume of people there, and for the most part, it's really fun! However, there are still roadblocks once you get to school, which is why we've comprised this list of tips to get you through the sticky social challenges of your first year.
1. Roommates
Whether you love your roommate or hate them, you will, at some point, undoubtedly get into an argument with them. Granted, it probably won't happen until you've been at school for a couple of months and you're finally comfortable with each other, but comfort hanging out turns into comfort with confrontations, too. Even if you're moving in with your best friend, it's hard to live with somebody. You're constantly around them, and sometimes people just need alone time. Luckily, there are tons of ways to combat occasional annoyances with your roommate!
- Study in the library instead of your room.
- Put some sort of pretty fabric in a canopy around your bed to create the façade of alone time, even when they're in the room.
- Talk things out calmly, and hear them out if you're fighting. If it gets bad, turn to your Resident Advisor (RA) to mediate. They're often trained to do so!
- Try to be respectful of their space.
- Even if you're in the same group of friends, make friends with lots of people so you're not always together outside of the room, too.
2. Class work
College is fun, but you need to keep in mind the fact that you're not there to party. As much fun as it is to arrive and be swept up in the constant whirlwind of "extracurricular activities," if you flunk your classes you'll have a lot more to worry about than missing out on a night of fun to study. Find the right balance of school and fun by forcing yourself to stay in until you've finished everything that you need to do for school. Don't miss class, either. It's a myth that professors don't care and that you don't need to go to class. Every class contains important material that you will need for your final, even if you don't need it for the paper due in three days.
3. Avoiding the Freshman Fifteen.
The freshman fifteen is not a myth, unfortunately. Combine late nights of studying, unlimited food in the dorms, restaurants around town that are willing to deliver food for almost no money, and (possibly) less exercise, and you get some weight gain. You may not gain 15 pounds, but in my experience, almost everyone I knew gained weight in their first year of college. Here are a few ways to maintain your weight:
[ Continue reading Start Freshman Year Right: How to Have a Great First Semester in College → ]
