30 College Freshman Tips: Things you need to know!

This post is all about 30 College Freshman Tips You Need To Survive Freshman Year: Everything my freshman year taught me!

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If you’re starting college soon chances are you’re feeling a million different types of emotions.

You might be feeling super excited to start a new phase in your life but at the same time anxious about leaving your home, family, friends, and starting a new school. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone because this time last year I was feeling the exact same way!

I promise though, you’re going to do amazing in college! I still can’t believe that I already finished my freshman year of college. It flew by fast.

These 30 tips really helped me during my freshman year of college and I know that they will help you too!

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1. It’s okay to feel a mixture of emotions!

Don’t worry if you’re feeling a lot of different emotions about starting college. Most likely, a lot of other students starting college are feeling the exact same way.

Just breath and believe in yourself. You are going to do great!

2. Keep a planner:

Using a planner in college is one of my most helpful tips! College can be super difficult and you want to make sure that you’re as organized as possible. A planner will help you stay on top of your assignments, extracurricular activities, work, etc.

I used my planner every day in college and it was a real lifesaver! If you’re looking for a great planner to buy my favorite is the Happy Planner.

They are super cute and come in all different sizes (my favorite is the mini version). I have tested a lot of different planners and in my opinion, nothing beats the Happy Planner! They also sell stickers that I decorate my planner with. Some of the stickers are motivational quotes and some are organizational tools.

Here are pictures of the Happy Planner sticker packs I have and what the stickers actually look like. (I put these stickers on my laptop as well and it’s really cute!)

If you’re interested in buying these sticker packs I found the same ones that I use on Amazon. I also linked two happy planners so that you can check them out.

The planners I linked below don’t include 2021. I recommend waiting until the end of the summer to purchase your college planner so that you can get a 2020/2021 version.

3. Learn how to manage your time:

Learning how to manage your time effectively is very difficult and takes a while to perfect. I am still working on this skill. However, some things that really help me manage my time is by setting weekly and daily schedules for myself.

Every week I fill in my work due this week printable below. I am a lot better at planning my day out when I know what assignments are due the following days. After I fill out the first printable I use my planner or the second printable to plan out my day.

I make sure to block off certain times of the day that are dedicated for working on assignments. Another thing that may help you manage your time better is breaking assignments up into smaller pieces.

If you want to use these printables too, they are in my free resource library. Click here to visit the library. I promise these printables are really helpful!

4. It’s okay to feel lonely:

Don’t worry if you’re ever feeling lonely. College can be a difficult adjustment and that’s completely normal. Just try your best to interact with as many people as you can.

5. Reach out to as many people as possible!

The beginning of college is super exciting because everyone is looking for friends so it’s the perfect time to talk to and spend time with new people. Try your best to interact with as many people as possible!

You may find a group of people who you’re most comfortable spending time with which is great but that shouldn’t stop you from branching out and spending time with other people as well.

When I first started college I clang to one group of people which ended up holding me back from meeting more people. Once I realized what I was doing I started spending time with different people and made so many more friends!

It’s also important to realize that the friends you make at the beginning of college may change over time and that’s okay!

6. Join at least 1 club:

I think joining clubs is a great way to make more friends and have something to do outside of schoolwork. Colleges usually have a ton of different clubs that you can join.

Most colleges have club fairs at the beginning of the year where you can sign up for different clubs that you’re interested in.

My piece of club fair advice is to only write down your email for clubs you’re actually interested in. I wrote my email down for SO many different clubs that I’m not even apart of. I still get emails for them which is crazy and kinda annoying, haha.

I am a part of 3 clubs that I really love! They all introduced me to super cool people and are just fun to be a part of. I definitely recommend joining at least one club and going to the first couple of meetings to see if it’s something you enjoy.

7. Try to find a job:

College is super expensive and having a job is a great way to make a little money while you’re at school. You can try applying for a job on your campus if you’re eligible.

You can also look for a job at local businesses around your school. I found a job at an adorable stationery store in the same town as my school. If you’re looking for a job try asking upper-classman if they know of any good places to work.

Click here to read my post on how to make a perfect resume!

This post is filled with super helpful resume tips that I learned in college and a FREE resume template that you can download! 🙂

8. Don’t order your textbooks in advance & make sure to use ratemyprofessors.com:

The best advice I ever got as an incoming college freshman was to use ratemyprofessors.com. I promise it is such a helpful website and will save you from some pretty difficult teachers.

Another tip I have is to wait to buy your textbooks until after your classes meet for the first time.

Last year I was so worried that if I didn’t but my textbooks before my classes started I would be the only student without them. I promise a lot of students wait to buy their textbooks and it’s completely acceptable.

It’s a good idea to wait because sometimes professors change the material needed for their classes. It is the worst feeling (and a big waste of money) to buy a book and then find out that you don’t actually need it.

I also recommend renting your textbooks from Chegg or Amazon. I have used both sites to rent books and they have saved me so much money!

9. Write down all syllabus dates in your planner:

On the first day of classes, your professors will give you a syllabus for their class. The syllabus will literally have all of the homework, assignments, quizzes, and tests mapped out for the whole semester.

I know syllabus’ can be pretty intimidating at first but it is also nice to know exactly when all of your work is due. I have found the best way to stay on top of my assignments is to write down important syllabus dates in my planner.

Writing down dates in your planner is a great way to stay organized and will ensure that you don’t forget about any important assignments.

10. Make a group chat with your friends from home:

This is a great way to stay in touch with your friends from home! My friends and I made a group chat before we left from school and it was a really nice way to check up on each other.

11. Call your parents every week:

Calling your parents every week is a nice way to check up on them and talk to some familiar voices. I really enjoyed talking to my parents every week while I was at school.

Most likely your home is not the same without you there and your parents miss you like crazy. They will be so excited to hear from you!

12. Try to bond with your roommate/s:

It’s super important to try to bond with your roommate/s because you’re going to be living together for the whole school year.

You don’t have to be best friends with your roommate but it can be helpful to try to get to know them better. Maybe you can go to dinner, get ice cream or go to a school event together.

My roommates and I (in the picture above) went to a dance that my school held during the first week of school. It was a great way to spend time with them and a lot of fun!

13. Find your favorite study location!

I think it’s super important to find a study location on your campus. I don’t know about you, but I work so much more productively in some locations than others. My favorite places to study are in coffee shops and on the silent floor of the library.

I definitely recommend trying to find a spot where you are the most productive. I promise it will help you get so much more work done!

14. It’s okay to get lost:

Don’t worry if you have trouble finding a building or class the first couple days of school. I go to a pretty small university and even I was confused about where some buildings were when I first started.

The good news is that freshmen usually arrive to campus a couple of days before classes start. That is a great time to get to know your campus even better!

15. Try new things!

College is super exciting because it is a fresh start. Try new things, learn more, meet new people and have fun!

16: Step outside of your comfort zone:

College is the perfect opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone and try new things!

It’s a great time to talk to new people, try new food, volunteer, start a job, etc.

Stepping outside of your comfort zone will help you grow and maybe teach you some things about yourself that you didn’t know before.

17: Remember quality is better than quantity when it comes to friends:

When it comes to friends quality is always better than quantity. It’s still important to get to know a lot of people but you don’t need a million friends to have fun.

All you need is a couple of close friends who you really enjoy spending time with.

18: Try to keep your room clean:

It can be really hard to keep your room clean in college especially since most students are super busy. My roommates and I learned the best way to keep our room relatively clean was to make our beds and tidy up our desks in the morning.

These simple chores will only take you about 5 minutes in the morning and will help make your room look so much cleaner! Having a clean room will also make you feel so much better.

19: Try to avoid 8 am classes unless you are a real morning person:

I always heard that 8 am classes were terrible in college but I never understood why. In high school, my classes started at 7:30 so I thought that 8 am classes would be a breeze.

I was so wrong! I swear something happens the summer before college that makes it impossible to wake up before 8 am, haha.

If you’re a morning person please don’t let this discourage you for 8 am classes! One nice thing about them is that you will most likely be finished with your classes for the day a lot earlier.

You also may not be able to get out of 8 am classes depending on your major. I usually have to take two 8 am classes a week which are manageable. If you’re not a morning person try not to take more than two 8 am classes a week. I promise you will be so thankful that you didn’t sign up for more.

20: Set multiple alarms:

This is literally what my alarm looks like every night. I am not a morning person and terrible at getting up in the morning. Setting an alarm every 5/10 minutes ensures that I get up for class.

Please make sure setting this many alarms is okay with your roommate! My roommates and I had very similar schedules so it helped all of us wake up. If your roommate doesn’t have to get up when you do then try your hardest to wake up at the first alarm. 🙂

21: Set a roommate contract:

Roommate contracts are a great way to set specific rules and responsibilities for you and your roommate to follow. At my school, it was required to make a roommate contract with our RA.

You can put anything in your contract that you think will make living together easier. For example, you can set rules about visitors, study habits, a standard lights out time, etc.

The picture above shows some great topics to address when creating a roommate contract.

22. Explore your new town!

It’s a great idea and a lot of fun to get to know you’re new town better! You can go on walks, go shopping or get some food.

23: Don’t procrastinate:

Try your hardest not to procrastinate in college. I know this can be super difficult but you will feel so much better if you finish your assignments ahead of time.

The best way to avoid procrastinating is to break assignments up into smaller parts. That way you can focus on parts of the assignment over a longer period of time instead of trying to finish the whole thing the night before it is due.

24: Actually read your textbooks:

You will do so much better on quizzes and tests if you actually read your textbooks. For one of my classes this year I tried just skimming the book before class.

I always knew enough about the topic for our class period but when it came time to take quizzes and tests they were so difficult!

After the first test, I decided to read the chapters assigned completely and take detailed notes. My grades on quizzes and tests dramatically increased after that!

25: Don’t skip classes (you’re paying for them)

You are paying a ton of money for college and most of that money is going towards your classes. If you skip a class you are literally throwing money down the drain.

Not only is it a waste of money to miss class but you will also miss important information. You may fall behind in class which is not fun and can be super stressful!

26: Get to know your RA:

RA stands for a resident assistant or resident advisor. At most colleges, you will have an RA living on your floor. They are older students who are trained leaders and in charge of coordinating activities in resident halls.

If you ever need anything your RA is a great person to talk to because they are there to help you.

It’s also a great idea to become friends with your RA. Having older friends in college is helpful because they can let you in on tips and tricks to make college life much easier for you.

27: Don’t bring all of your clothes:

If you read this and still pack basically all of your clothes for college, I don’t blame you! So many people told me not to bring a lot of clothes and I did not listen to them at all, haha. I promise though you really don’t need to bring your whole wardrobe to college.

Depending on where you’re going to school most students wear leggings and a sweatshirt literally every day. You should bring a couple of nicer outfits but do not need a ton.

I promise you will feel a lot better and much more organized with fewer clothes.

28: Exercise:

Try your best to get a little bit of exercise in every week. The freshman 15 can happen especially, with that unlimited food plan that most freshmen have, haha!

Maybe you can find a gym buddy, go on a walk or run with a friend, join a sports club, etc.

29: Be smart at parties:

If you’re interested in going to parties you should totally go and have fun! Just make sure that you’re super careful at them.

Only go to parties with friends that you actually trust and make sure to stick together.

30: Don’t stress too much, have fun and enjoy yourself!

Try not to stress too much over starting college! It’s going to be such a cool and unique experience for you.

Enjoy every moment of it because your freshman year is going to be over before you know it.

Believe in yourself and have fun! I know you’re going to do amazing!

I hope you enjoyed this post on 30 College Freshman Tips! If you’re nervous about starting college I completely understand and hope that these tips help make you feel a little bit better.

If you have any questions for me about starting college (literally anything) feel free to reach out! You can email me at emily@positivityispretty.com or comment on this post.

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