If your college/university is anything like mine, the first couple days (or in my case, the first week) after you get there will be full of fun (mandatory) activities about how now to die in a fire and how not to be a dick to your fellow classmates. It’s a week of exploring a new environment, whether you’re in a college in your hometown or halfway across the country and meeting a dozen new people in an hour you most likely will never speak to again. It’s stressful but a thoroughly unique experience so here’s how I made it through with minimal tears.
1. go to mandatory things
I don’t care if you were out til 4 am drinking last night and your mandatory fire safety course starts at 7. Get yourself out of bed, put on something resembling clothing and go. There’s a decent chance you’ll have to make it up later in the year when you have a bunch of other stuff going on and it’s best to get it out of the way now. Check times for these events and class registration if you need to do that, and put them in your phone or planner so you don’t forget.
2. go to non-mandatory things (there’s a 98% chance there will be free food)
Your school will probably have a bunch of things these few days: ice cream socials, mixers for different student groups, activity fairs, career fairs, tours of campus or the neighborhood and so on and so on and so on. It’s a great chance to grab free stuff like food and bags and chapstick. It’s a great place to meet people. Also, if you’re like me and making friends is a bizarre combination of time and chance, it gets you out of your room or stops you from anxiously roaming around campus. Go to things you don’t think will be interested in either and don’t be afraid to go alone.
3. get to things like ten minutes early
If you’re going to a club meeting or some kind of cool speaker or whatever it might be, try to get there a little early. Not only will you be able to grab the seat of your choice but it gives you the opportunity to talk to people who have similar interests. At the very least, it’s good practice at awkward small-talk.
4. get off campus/explore campus
Things can get a little overwhelming that first week, what with a probably packed schedule and the new people being thrown at you on a near constant basis. That’s why, when you get the chance, it’s nice to slip away and explore wherever it is that your college/university calls home. Whether it’s going to a nearby park to read and jog ,taking a walk around the neighborhood to find a good place to grab dinner, or going downtown to shop, this can be a good chance to relax and see what you’ll be calling home for the next fourish years.
If this isn’t an option (maybe you grew up here or the neighborhood nearby isn’t a place you’re comfortable being yet), explore the campus itself. See if you can find all the libraries and find an out-of-the-way study spot or a cool piece of art on campus. Just find a new place to breathe.
You should do this whether or not you take the time to explore campus during your free time. Once registration is done, whether you do that before or after coming to campus, your school will probably be releasing where each class is. Give yourself like half an hour and figure out where all the rooms and buildings are. There might be buildings that share names or with rooms in really weird places and it’s good to figure out where those are so you aren’t late on your first day of lecture.
6. talk to upperclassmen and people on your floor
Upperclassmen are honestly such a great resource and from my experience most of them really, really want to help out first-years. I’ve gotten some really good advice for my RA (pro tip: be friends, or at least friendly, with your RA) and upperclassmen on my floor. Speaking of people on your floor, get to know them as well. Y’all will be living together for the next nine months so might as well make that awkward bathroom small-talk at least a little easier.
7. have a thing that is your thing to help you make friends
Maybe you know the campus really well and can show fellow lost freshman around. Maybe you compliment everyone’s cute shoes or sit at tables with other people who are alone so you can commiserate together. Whatever it is, keep doing it because eventually some of those connections will stick.
This is a really stressful time in your life and a big change for a lot of people. There is going to be things you aren’t used to and your days are most likely going to be full of activities that don’t give you time to breathe. It’s okay to take a minute and express all that emotion. If you want, call your family or a friend to talk through your stress. I promise you’ll feel a lot better afterwards.
9. say yes to things (within reason)
Let’s say your roommate invites you out to Ethiopian food with some of their friends or you find out about a cool outdoor concert for a band you’ve never heard of. Now is the time to try new things, especially before the impending crush of schoolwork steals your sanity. Keep your budget and your comfort level in mind, but get out there because you might learn something about your surroundings or yourself you didn’t know before.
10. It Doesn’t Have to Happen All At Once
Chances are, you aren’t going to make your best friend forever during your first week of college. You might have to try a bunch of different things before you find your niche, whether that’s a friend group or a major or a club. And as much as it sucks, that’s okay. Don’t put pressure on yourself for everything to fall into place right away. It might be stressful right now, but it’ll all work out if you give yourself time.
questions, comments or concerns? this is the place for ‘em.
