How to Make Your Freshman Year in College the Best it Can Be

Going into college in exactly 24 days from now, I am starting to think of new ways for me to stay organized with all of my school work, but also make it fun as well so I would want to study. Throughout this summer, I have been thinking about how I can make my freshman year in college the best it possibly can be. I am pretty much feeling every emotion possible about leaving for college. ( I am moving out of my city and into a state two hours away where I know absolutely nobody). I am feeling extremely excited to meet a ton of new people, but I am also nervous for the work load ( I am majoring in Nursing), sad to be leaving my family, and every other emotion possible. It will be a new feeling for me, but I am ready to deal with everything that comes my way this year. Here are is some advice/tips to make your first year of college memorable and worth it:

1. Try to meet as many people as possible. Get in contact with your roommate(s) over the summer to figure out who is bringing what. Take this time to get to know your roommate a little better and figure out their likes/dislikes, study habits, what they like to do, ect. When you move in, whenever that day may be, leave your door open if you are around. This will allow people to walk in and meet you. Also, try to meet all of the people on your floor. You may find some of your best friends right on the floor you are living on. These will probably be the people you hang out with during your first few weeks at school.

2. Study hard. College is probably going to be a lot different than high school and I can already tell that the workload is going to be a lot harder. I plan on using every single my resource has to offer me at school. Check to see if your school offers a writing center to help with those tough and dreadful essays. Maybe your school offers free tutoring to help you understand a topic better. Go visit your professors during their office hours to meet them and ask the any questions you may not have understood in class. I know that this year, I will put a lot more effort into my studying than I have been these past few years.

3. Color Code. I know that this year, I will be coloring coding all of my school work. I am taking 6 classes and have a notebook for each class that is a different color. To match, I have highlighters of the same color notebook to use when I am going over my notes. Sticky tabs/flags are also a good idea to mark pages in your textbook and notes of something you need to remember or to go over more in depth at another time. Everything I have got for school supplies so far all matches to a particular class.

4. Use flashcards. These are a lifesaver when going over important notes or vocabulary for a particular subject. You can get the bigger ones to write down a couple notes to help you remember them better or you can also write the definition of a word on one side and the actual word on the other. Whenever you have free time, take out the flashcards and go over them as many times as needed. These help so much with memorization.

5. Lastly, get involved at school. Join a club, organization, or a team. You will meet people who have the same interests as you and maybe make some good friends in the process. It will keep you out of your dorm and get you to enjoy your new life at college. There are so many opportunities to meet new people and to get out, so take every chance you get.

I hope this blog post helped you all in some way. I will be blogging weekly, so expect to see another post from me soon. Enjoy your Wednesday.

- Ashley.