5 Tips for Surviving Freshman Year

You’re finally free, on your own, and a big man (or woman) on campus. You’re all packed, you have your schedule, you’ve met your roommate, and you are ready to finally be your own person, once and for all.

Or are you?

Freshmen dropout rates range from 20 to 25% for a reason. Public high schools often do not prepare students for a rigorous college schedule. Away from home, broke, perhaps on your own for the first time, you may not be as well equipped to handle “life on the outside” as much as you had thought.

Fortunately, there are some things that you can do to increase your chance of remaining at school and graduating, such as the following tips.

Make sure you have your own computer. Yes, your college has them on campus, but odds are they will always be full—as well as have a time limit attached, which will really hurt when you’re trying to write a paper. Be sure to have an Internet connection as well; many colleges provide them in your room already.

Use every resource at your disposal. You’re already paying for it, so make use of it! From your academic advisor to your resident hall advisor, the campus clinic to the library, tutoring to writing centers to language labs to shuttles, use every single service that you need. And even if you think you don’t need one, try it out—it may end up being just what you needed.

Don’t forget to study. You may not have needed to in high school, but odds are that you won’t get a decent grade in college if you don’t. Use those books you’ve paid good money for and learn your material.

Find your campus niche. This does not mean to drink all night, hitting as many clubs as you can and then sleeping all day. If you want to succeed, save that stuff for the weekend, and focus on your schoolwork during the week. But you will need something that makes you feel at home besides your Twilight posters; this is where your campus group of friends comes in. To find this, mingle with your roommate and her/his friends, social clubs, service clubs, sororities and fraternities—just find something that interests you and you will likely find some lasting friendships that stem from it. People who share your major may also take the same courses you have, creating a common bond, potential study buddy, and possible friendship.

Invest in a sturdy backpack. If you’ve used girly plastic fashion bags or just a binder in high school, you’ll need to change your style a little here. Chances are you’re going to have to lug your notes, books and materials for multiple classes across campus, and without a good backpack you won’t be able to do it. Canvas works well. (Feel free to personalize with buttons, patches, etc.)