You’re starting your college career! This is an exciting time, but it’s stressful. You may be leaving home for the first time, you have to make new friends, and you have a lot of work to do for the next few years.
Don’t be scared. There are so many great experiences in your future. We’re here to offer our best advice for incoming college freshmen so you can start your college career off on the right foot.
Keep reading to learn the best advice for freshmen in college that we have to offer.
1. Find The Right Housing
Many schools require incoming freshmen to live on-campus (unless they’re commuting). Whether this is an attempt for the college to get more money or guarantee safety is up to interpretation. Still, if that’s your situation, you already have housing figured out.
If you’re going to a community college or you aren’t restricted to on-campus housing, you might be able to get off campus housing.
If this is the case, make sure you pick housing that makes it easy to get to and from your campus. To make housing more affordable, talk to friends and classmates about arranging a roommate situation.
2. Don’t Ignore Office Hours
Too many new college students think that office hours are unnecessary. In reality, office hours are your best resource for your classes. This is one of our best pieces of advice for college freshmen.
All professors need to hold office hours. While they often use this time for grading, they’re available for students who have questions. If you’re struggling in class, why not talk to your professor for help?
You’ll discover that many (but not all) college professors are flexible if you talk to them.
3. Give Yourself Time for Your Schoolwork
Are you someone who tends to cram for tests or work on papers last minute? This might have worked in high school, but many college students discover that they’re no longer able to keep it up.
In college, you’re balancing more things. You may have harder classes, you’ll be living on your own, and you might also be working. It might seem like that gives you more reason to cram, but this isn’t true.
You’ll have a lot of work to do, but it will be far less stressful if you don’t rush. You’ll be able to give yourself breaks and retain more information.
4. Don’t Overburden Yourself
We understand the college freshman struggles. You want to experience so many things all at once. Your university offers so much to do, but there’s little time to do it between work and classes.
It’s tempting to get involved in every extra-curricular activity, but this isn’t a great idea unless you’re good at time management. Limit yourself, especially during your first year, until you know what you’re able to handle.
You’re there to learn, so don’t waste your time or money.
Use This Advice for Incoming College Freshmen
College is an exciting but difficult experience. You’re on a path toward your future. Try to utilize this advice for incoming college freshmen, so you set yourself up for academic success.
