You have graduated high school with an above average GPA and a good SAT or ACT score. Your college applications went through and you are headed to the college of your dreams. Well, maybe it was your last option but who cares, right? You still made it to college. You are excited. You want to experience the new life, the new freedom.
College life is an entirely new life you will have to get adjusted to and live. Here are some tips that might reduce your culture shock once you get to campus.
The huge freedom
Campus is the land of freedom. You can go to parties, club, binge on alcohol and some not so legal drugs. In some cases, you’ll even have the freedom of skimping on your classes.
However, on the face value, these freedoms might look like a great idea. Most of us get blinded by them in our freshman year.
Your freshman year is a vital year as it sets the groundwork of other units that you will undertake later in your campus life. Take life by a stride and do everything in moderation, even when all is permissible.
Roommates – happiness or stress
College is the first place that most people share a room with someone outside there family. This can be a productive or poisonous relationship; it all depends on the kind of person you get as a roommate and how you two relate.
One way you can have a good relationship with your roommate is by setting some ground rules early in your living arrangement. Whatever your preferences, the two of you can come up with an arrangement of mutual understanding.
Moreover, each of you will have to make some compromises on how you live. This does not mean giving in to the other person’s whim. A compromise is for mutual benefit. Communication is also key in order to have a healthy roommate relationship. Mumbling and holding silent grudges only worsen the relationship.
If living with a stranger in the campus dorm room is a big no-no for you, you can consider off-campus residence.
Time will be a scarce resource
Good time management is of vital importance in college. There will come a time when you will have to juggle between schoolwork, a social life, work and extracurricular activities. All these will consume a lot of your time and sometimes you will barely have time to relax and take a nap.
Having too many after-class activities, in the long run, affects your studies. You will barely have to complete assignments and school projects.
A way to avoid the time pit is by prioritizing. Your schoolwork comes first. Once that is established, you can then organize your other activities in order of importance. At times when you have bigger prioritizes than your homework and you still have to beat the clock, you can seek help from writing services such as the custom writers at Unemployed Professors.
Financial crisis
Unless your pockets are quite deep, your new-found independence will take a toll on your finances. You will have to budget whatever money you get and stick to it and keep track of your spending. You might also need to cut off some expenses from your daily spending.
Sometimes college life gets busy and packed and you might find yourself craving for some extra cash to cater for your ever-increasing needs. If it comes to this, then you might have to get a job.
It will not last forever
When all is said and done, it will take time to get your affairs in order. You will make mistakes, you might get robbed, conned or ridiculed, or you might fit in and be part of something bigger than yourself. This will all depend on the decisions you make. In the end you get used to it; the lack of privacy, the residence halls washrooms, the huge workload, and after college you will look back with a smile at all you had to go through to be where you are.
