What to know before your first year of college experience


Your freshman year of college is likely to be one of the more formative of your life. It is packed full of anxiety, new friends and more learning than you ever thought possible – about your classes, sure, but also so much more. The first year college experience is one that you will not forget in a hurry!

Living in

High School is intense, but at the end of every day, you get to go home to your family and forget school for a few hours (after homework is done of course!). Living with a roommate in college is a lot different than sharing a room with your sister! You are never not at college, although you are not always in lectures, and when things get tough, this can make it extra difficult. You will also have to learn to do a lot of things yourself that you are used to having done for you – nothing makes you appreciate what your parents do for you than moving out!

What to know before your first year of college experience

The workload

Of course you expect college work to be more intense but even so, it can surprise a lot of us. You will have so much to read and write, analyze and create, all with very tight deadlines! You will also be juggling your extracurricular activities, making new friends and the emotions that come with starting a new adventure – phew! It does get better after Freshman year, although the workload increases, your ability to manage it will do too!

Nostalgia

Before you head to college, you want nothing more than high school to be over. But on a cold night, when you are up at 2 am studying for a final, you are going to be longing for high school. It is natural to feel stressed and a little down at times like these but stick at it! You’re looking at the past through rose-tinted glasses, and things will seem better after your exams.

Friendship

One of the best things about Freshman year of college is the sheer amount of new people you are going to meet! Not all of these people are going to be life-long friends, and some of them are really going to get on your nerves, but all of them are going to teach you something about yourself and about life. You will meet people who have very different ideas and backgrounds to yourself, so embrace this and enjoy!

Find out who you are

During your college years, you are likely to find a lot out about yourself! This is a new environment, so you may go into it with a pre-existing idea of who you want to be, and it’s great that you can reinvent yourself, but do try to stay true to who you are deep down. Changes are going to come naturally during these years, so don’t feel that you have to force it.

What to know before your first year of college experience

A new lifestyle

It can be weird to have all this new found freedom, and there are many ways you can take it. Do things like sleeping in late, or staying up to talk to your new friends about the world, and go exploring in your area. Take risks (but nothing potentially deadly!) and try new hobbies, but never forget to be safe and that you have responsibilities too. There is a fine line!
The first year of college is going to be full of ups and downs, new friends and (hopefully!) a lot of studying. If you go into it with an open mind, you will get so much out of it. Make the most out of this time, as it goes fast and before you know it you’ll be out into the big, wide world!

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