The first few weeks of your freshman year is usually a pretty exciting time. You’re out on your own, and you don’t have to worry about curfews or anyone being on your ass bugging you to be somewhere at a certain time. You can make your own choices and do whatever you want now. This new lifestyle and newfound freedom is very exciting but with great power comes great responsibility. If you’re not wise about it, it can have some real consequences.
In this post, I’ll give you tips on how to not flunk out of college during your freshman year but instead be successful and start your college career off in a strong way!
Here are some tips that I learned during my freshman year of college that led to success
There will be some Amazon affiliate links listed below which means if you order a product through any of those links, I may receive compensation. However, these are items that I use everyday and only items that I believe you will truly benefit from are listed below.
1.) Planner
Whether you use an old school journal planner or you use your phone, make sure you write down all of your to-do tasks. College is super busy, and these assignments are all important to remember. You don’t want to forget a simple task that can lead to you failing a class just because you chose not to write it down.
2.) Routine
Make sure you have a solid routine that you try to stick to everyday. Set aside time for socializing, and set aside time for homework/studying. I remember when I lived in the dorms, I had so much fun talking my ass off with my friends, that time would quickly fly by. One time, I failed a biology exam because I was busy talking to my friends all night in the dorms, without realizing how much time had gone by. I thought it was 7PM, but instead it was 1AM. I failed that bio exam horribly.
3.) Meet With Your Academic Advisor
When I was in college, I avoided my academic advisor like the plague. I don’t know why. I felt like he was someone I only had to speak to if I got in trouble. Three years later, I ended up going to my academic advisor because I had some questions regarding what classes to take, and he told me that I would have a lot less classes if I visited him earlier during my college career. Supposedly I took a good amount of courses that weren’t necessary and instead I could have taken the courses that would’ve gotten me closer to graduating. Don’t make the same mistake. Visit your academic advisor and they will keep you on track towards graduating in a timely manner.
4.) Office Hours
I never understand why students don’t take advantage of this. College might be super fun, and you might feel like your time is valuable and you have better things to do than to talk to your professors outside of class hours, but trust me, there’s very few better things to do than to meet with the people that can help you be successful. Office hours are used to help you understand the courses to make sure you are successful. Put “office hours” in your planner or agenda and make it a regular routine to visit your professors during their office hours.
Also,if you go to your professor during their office hours at the end of the semester when you realize you’re failing real bad, that might piss them off.
5.) Exercise
Exercising and staying fit will help you stay on track. I remember when I lived in the dorms, I gained 20 lbs my first semester. I felt sluggish and lazy all the time. Once I added exercise to my daily schedule, I began to be more productive. I would feel more energized and focused. I also felt prettier too.
6.) Join Clubs and Make Connections
Whether it’s with all of your peers inside the dorms or at school clubs, I highly encourage you to meet a bunch of new people. One of the things you’ll realize after graduating college is that it’s important to know people. You never know, the random person you meet in your Speech and Debate club might be the person that hooks you up with a decision making reference for a life changing job.
7.) Relax Your Mind
Whether this means taking a nice stroll everyday, or meditating in a dark room with lit up candles, everyone should do something that can help relax their mind. College, especially freshman year, can get real chaotic. Make sure you don’t get overwhelmed. Have some alone time and just relax and escape from reality every now and then. Your mental health is more important than school.
8.) Be Smart With Your Money
There’s a good chance that your school offers a lot of free stuff. Technically that stuff isn’t free, you pay for it with your tuition. If your RAs are hosting a pizza party, attend the pizza party and eat the free pizza. If the club booths are offering free food during Welcome Week, take the food. Don’t spend your money if you don’t have to. Be smart with your money. College is a fun time and sometimes it requires money to be spent, so be wise with it when you don’t HAVE to spend it.
9.) Take Advantage of All The GE Courses
If you’re a freshman, there’s a good chance that you don’t know what you want to major in. Maybe you think you know what you want to major in, but you’re not sure. I suggest using this time of your life to focus on figuring out what you want to do. Find out what interests you. You can use your general education courses to figure this out. Chances are, you will have to take classes in multiple different subjects throughout your GE career. Through this process, find the courses that sound interesting and take them. Also, if you speak with the career center or any of the academic advisors, they may be able to set you up with some tests that will help you pick a major.
10.) Make Your Dorm Room Your Home
You’re probably away from home for the first time. Make sure you immediately set up your space if you haven’t done so already. Make it cozy and familiar. Adjust to this new space and make it your home, because it is your home. Make it a space where you can easily relax and get rest and comfortably do your work.
11.) Have Fun
Last but not least, have fun. You will never experience a year like your freshman year. The Dorm Year is a truly fun experience and it was the most fun and formative year of my life. Enjoy it to the fullest and make it a memorable year because you will never have a year like this again.