college life survival guide

your first year of college is the beginning of a new chapter in your life. you need to start all over again. new school, new campus, maybe a new city, meeting new people, making new friends, an absolute different way of studying and for some of you living on your own, figuring out who you are and where you belong and so on. everything is unknown and undiscovered. for some all those changes cause quite some of stress and anxiety. a good way to control that stress and those nerves is by being prepared. and i'm here to help you do that with this 'first year of college survival kit'. in this article i'll sum up some things you'll find are quite helpful during your freshman year.

i'm not going to lie to you, it's not going to be easy.

do what you love, love what you do

first of all, you should study something that interests you. there is no point in studying something that you don’t actually like because your family wants you to or because you want to study the same thing as your friends. you’re more likely in succeeding when you’re doing something you really like. if the only reason you chose something is that it pleases other people or because you can see your friends more often, working for it will seem harder and pointless. whereas if you are doing it because you are interested in it and you want to achieve something with the degree, you will see the point in putting effort into it.

a friend may be waiting behind a stranger's face

college means starting all over. new surroundings and campus, (probably) a new city, a new way of working/studying and most importantly making new friends. that last one is probably the scariest one. but, you have to remember that everyone's new and everyone is probably just as scared and nervous as you are. you just have to start talking to the person sitting next to you in class and go from there. i know that that's anything but comfortable, but in the end that stranger may turn into one of your best friends (and i'm talking from experience!).

girl, don't dress for anyone

college is exhausting, that's a fact. so waking up 10 to 15 minutes earlier every morning just to do your makeup and to make sure you look good is something that a lot of students easily skip after a while. after all in college nobody really cares how you look and whether or not you're wearing makeup. the best fashion tip i can give you is to wear something you feel good and comfy in. if that's a sweater and a legging, fine. if that's a stylish and trendy outfit, also fine. you can choose whatever you want to wear, how you're going to look and wether or not you want to put in the effort and wake up 10 to 15 minutes earlier.

go to class! (to all your classes)

in college it can be tempting to skip class(es). but i've learned that going to class really helps you understand and remember the material better. definitely for me because i have a partially auditory and partially visual memory, so hearing the material and seeing it in a powerpoint, images and videos gives me a head start when i actually start studying.

take good and clear notes

it’s normal if this doesn’t go perfect from the beginning. try different styles of note-taking: do you prefer taking notes with pen and paper or typing them on your computer? do you try to write full sentences or make some kind of an overview of what the professor is saying? test some methods and see what works for you! remember, you are going to have to study your notes so if they are unclear or incomplete, you are going to have a hard time studying them.

take care of your body, it's the only place you have to live

try to maintain a healthy lifestyle. this one's pretty difficult in college, because most of the time you don't do sport anymore and you often eat junk food or pre-packaged meals. still staying healthy is crucial. you can start with small steps such as bringing a bottle of water to class or putting one on your desk while studying. between your classes, instead of checking facebook while sitting on a couch and eating chocolate cookies, you can take a walk around campus. you can take the stairs instead of the elevator. these are already a few small adjustments you can make to get a healthier lifestyle.

try to keep up with studying

i know it seems the perfect occasion to party every day of the week, binge watch every show you can think about and spend all of your time with friends, but don’t forget to study and keep up with your material. if you want to make some summaries, it’s best you do that before the exam period. you’ll thank yourself when the exams are coming up and you don’t have to go through everything for the first time.

find your way

every person is different, that also means that not everybody studies in the same way. during the first months of college you should figure out how you study best. writing everything down, making summaries or just reading the material. i study best by making summaries and drawings using a color coding technique, because i have a visual memory. also don't forget that some subjects ask a different approach, such as practical subjects.

don’t be afraid to ask for help

as important as your education is, your health - both mental and physical - comes first. if you have a problem, you should find someone to talk about it with. this can be a friend, a family member or someone on campus. whether you’re struggling with studying, with the people around you or with something personal, most universities or colleges will have someone you can talk to. there will most likely be a doctor and a psychologist for students so don’t be afraid to approach them or make an appointment.

make it feel like home

if you're staying in a dorm room, it's important to make it feel like home. you'll be spending a lot of time there so you should try to turn it into a place where you feel comfortable. add some pictures, lights, cushions, plants, ... anything that makes it more like your space to relax, study and have fun.

have fun

we all know that only hard work will get us where we want to be, but that's not all that matters. while you're in college, you should enjoy being in college. have fun, meet new people, find out who you are, go to parties, fall in and out of love, try new things, take every opportunity you can get, go on adventures and make memories. in short, enjoy being young and don't let stress and pressure hold you back or miss out on anything. life is way too short for that.

and finally breathe

going to college is a big step that causes a lot of changes all at once. a situation like that can be very overwhelming. at least that's how it felt for me. at a certain moment i was worrying about everything. i couldn't get any structure in my thoughts anymore. all i saw was chaos and new situations that i didn't know how to handle. it's perfectly normal to feel this way. one thing you always need to remember is to keep breathing. just take a deep breath in and out, clear your head, let go of all your worries and take a break. afterwards you handle whatever it was that was freaking you out, one problem at a time. in the end everyone finds the place (and the program) where they belong. some just take a longer route to get there.

i hope these tips can help some of you with the big step towards the next phase of your life but i think the main thing is: don't stress too much about it. everything will be fine and work out.

feel free to send me questions or maybe even tips that i forgot to mention. i might put them together in another article.

thanks for reading!

love,

V

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