First day of college getting closer, but still feeling less than prepared?
If you’re a college freshman, it’s totally normal to be wondering what exactly to expect on the first day of this new chapter in your life.
While the first week of college classes, also known as “syllabus week”, is considered by some as the easiest and shortest five days of the entire semester, there’s still a number of things you’ll want to do to start your first week of college off on the right foot.
Check out the following eight tips to make sure your first day of college and the remainder of your semester goes off without a hitch.
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Your First Day of College: 8 Tips for Success
1. Familiarize Yourself With Campus
One of the most important things you can do during the first week of college is familiarize yourself with campus.
Don’t be afraid to explore the different buildings to figure out where some of the key destinations are like:
- Dining halls
- Your classrooms
- Bookstore
- The gym
It’s also important to take note of how far each of these places are from your dorm room (or from each other, depending on your schedule), so you can save yourself the embarrassment of walking in late to any of your classes!
While almost all professors will be kind especially during the first week of classes, some do lock the doors after class has begun and will not allow for interruptions like late arrivals during their class.
Related: How to Make the Most Out of the Fall Semester at College
2. Invest in a Quality Planner
Before your first day of college, you’ll want to find a planning system that works for you.
Throughout college, this was my favorite planner to keep track of everything from assignment due dates to extracurricular commitments.
One of the easiest ways to make sure you stay on top of all of your deadlines is to take all of your syllabi at the beginning of the semester (these are the course outlines you’ll receive on the first day of each class) and mark all of the important dates such as paper due dates, exams, quizzes, etc. in your planner/calendar at the very beginning of the semester.
You can use systems such as color coding or sticky notes to help make things really stand out on the page — whatever works for you! Just make sure you write down all of the important dates at the beginning of the semester and check your planner frequently for the weeks ahead to make sure nothing sneaks up on you.
This is by far one fo the biggest things that helped me to maintain an almost perfect 4.0 throughout college each semester.
3. Bring a Notebook
When it comes to your first day of college, you don’t want to show up to any of your classes empty handed.
Though you might be unsure of exactly what supplies you’ll need for the course ahead of time, make sure you come with a notebook (I like to have one of these for each class) and a pen/pencil at the bare minimum.
A good highlighter can also be a smart tool to have on hand, so you can mark any important dates or other information on each of your syllabi.
Related: How to Graduate College Early
4. Develop an Organizational System
With your first day of college in your near future, you’ll want to make sure you develop a strong organizational system.
There’s a variety of successful methods to organizing your work, but most students find success in keeping their courses separate.
A system as simple as having individual notebooks and pocket folders for each class can really make a difference when you’re trying to find something.
We all remember that kid from middle school who kept everything (literally, everything) in one binder.
Did it ever go well?
No.
Don’t be that kid. You’re an academic now.
5. Secure Your Study Spot
Another important thing you’ll want to do around your first day of college is figure out where you’re going to study.
While this may seem unimportant at the time (the first little quiz is still weeks away, right?), living arrangements and other new distractions can sometimes provide unique challenges to studying that you’ve never had to think about in the past.
For example, I had a lot of friends in college who would want to do group study sessions in the library, but I always knew I studied most productively on my own.
Though it was hard at the time to decline the social time, I’d arrange to meet up with them for dinner or at another time after I’d completed my work and felt comfortable with my knowledge on the subject material.
Figure out what environment is the most conducive to learning for you, and don’t be afraid to stick with it.
Related: How to Make a Study Guide and Ace ALL of Your Exames
6. Know Your Office Hours
Make sure to get acquainted with your professors’ office hours early on in your college semester.
Unlike in high school, professors aren’t necessarily on campus every day so you’ll want to familiarize yourself with their availability in case you need extra help outside of class.
7. Ask Questions
There’s no better time than your first day of college to ask questions.
Whether it’s “how do I get to the library again?”, or “when did you say our first assignment is due?”, now is the time to clarify any questions you may have before things really get rolling for the semester.
8. Join a Club
Last but not least, one of the most important things you can do during your first day at college (or your first few weeks) is join a club.
You’d be amazed at how many different groups there are available for you to join, whether you’re interested in anything from musical theatre to quidditch (yes, the same quidditch from Harry Potter — the school I went to actually had a real quidditch club!).
Joining clubs is one of the easiest ways to make new friends at college and also figure out what you like.
In fact, joining the college newspaper was one of the biggest things I did during my freshman year at college that made me realize I didn’t want to be a journalism major.
The pressure of constant editing and deadlines wasn’t for me, but the experience did far than discourage me.
Instead, it helped to inspire me to start this blog and also encouraged me to look into different majors that encompassed more of my passions (I ended up switching to integrated marketing communications, which was a blend of business, marketing, and graphic design courses…I loved it!).
College is the ideal time to take risks, explore different passions, and really learn more about yourself.
Make the effort to put yourself out there, because you really never know what path it will lead you down!
What was your first day of college like? What do you wish you had known?
