10 Tips for Navigating Your First Semester of College
The transition to college is huge! You can make the way smoother by following these 10 tips for your first semester of college.
What to Do in Your First Semester
You made it! You are headed to college. Congratulations!
It’s an exciting time, but how do you make the most of it? How do you set the stage for success: academically, socially, and mentally?
The decisions you make and the habits you form in the first semester of college can set you on the path to thrive in college and beyond.
Follow these 10 tips to navigate your first semester of college.
10 Tips for Your First Semester
Follow these 10 tips for navigating your first semester of college.
Say “Hi” to People
This may seem obvious, but it is hard to do! This is especially difficult to do when you are nervous and don’t know anyone.
Even though it is tempting to glue your face to your phone to hide your unease, you need to make connections. How does that start? By saying “hi” to people.
Start conversations. Ask people where they are from, why they chose the school, and if they have an intended major.
These beginning conversations can turn into some budding friendships. Everyone is looking to make friends (especially the first two weeks).
You may not find your best friend in your first few weeks of college (or even your first year), but you do need some people to eat with in the dining hall.
You will find that people are usually receptive to someone starting a conversation. Chances are, they feel just as awkward and alone as you do. Look up from your phone and say hi.
Go to Class
If you ask college students what they had to learn the hard way, many of them will answer, “Go to class.”
The temptation to skip class is immense. You might have a full social calendar, and so you skip class for something more fun.
You might want to sleep in. You think, “I can watch class online or get the notes from someone else.”
But the key to doing well is showing up. This is a general rule that applies to life, but it certainly applies to college.
Get up, get dressed (preferably in actual clothes, not pajamas), and go to class.
Just being in class can affect the help you receive from your professor, your ability to ask clarifying questions, and your ability to retain the information you learn.
Check Your Email
Question: Who still sends emails?
Answer: Your college.
Successful students check their email every day.
Why? Email is the chosen method for schools to communicate information that will help you.
Not only will you get information about class registration, financial payments, school events, etc, but email is also the place to learn about internship fairs, scholarship opportunities, and club meetings.
Email is the information hub for college. You need to check it every day!
Join Three Groups
You may think, “This is my first semester of college. I need to focus solely on academics.”
While it is true that academics are a top priority, being involved in groups can help you thrive in college (yes, even academically).
Browse the list of clubs and organizations online, and then attend the student activities fair at the beginning of the semester.
Pick three different groups to join. These could include faith-based groups, intramural sports teams, Greek life, pre-professional organizations, or service groups.
Most colleges have hundreds of groups. Pick three that you will join.
Why three? Don’t concentrate your friend group all in one place. Have separate “bubbles” that you can move between in case things sour with one.
Get a Meal Plan
Colleges work hard to offer appealing food, and many campuses offer more than just cafeteria fare.
If you have a meal plan, food is one less thing you will need to worry about. You show up, swipe your card, and eat.
If you love cooking your own meals, consider adding that in for your sophomore year.
In the meantime, the dining halls are quick and easy. They are also social gathering places, so having a meal plan helps people form friendships.
It’s as easy as saying to someone from class, “Hey, do you want to grab lunch?”
Introduce Yourself to Your Professors
Your professors are teachers. They are here because they want to help you learn.
They can’t help you if they don’t know you.
Within the first two weeks, introduce yourself to your professors. Most professors have office hours, which are set times they commit to be in the office (either in person or virtually) so students can drop by and ask questions.
This is your window! Go to your professors’ office hours and introduce yourself.
You can go in with a few questions. You can ask, “I want to do well in your class. Do you have any tips on how to be successful?”
You can also ask professors about their research areas or the majors in which they teach.
You can also ask a question about a topic from class (even if you don’t really have one). Your goal is to build rapport.
Establishing the relationship now will make asking for help easier later on.
Professors are also founts of knowledge on internships, scholarship opportunities, and research programs.
They are also the people who will be writing your recommendation letters for internships and graduate school. Get to know them!
Pursue Ways to Lower Stress
College can be stressful. If you are living on campus, this may be your first time away from home. Loneliness is real.
Adapting to a college-level workload is tricky as well. There may be weeks when you have multiple assignments due at once.
You need to find ways to lower your stress and maintain your mental health.
Focus on healthy habits: adequate sleep, nutritious food, exercise, and time management can go a long way toward warding off stress.
The app Finch is a fun way to practice self-care.
For acute moments of stress, take a walk outside or practice breathing exercises and mindfulness techniques.
Finally, every college has mental health counseling (often free). Find out about this service, and be proactive about reaching out before a crisis point.
Keep a Planner
Between club meetings, assignments, and study groups, you will need a way to stay organized, or you will miss deadlines.
If you have never kept a planner, it’s time to start.
You have a choice to make: paper planner or electronic planner?
For a paper planner, choose one that focuses on the academic year, like this one in basic black or this one in lavender.
If you prefer an e-planner, try MyStudyLife. Not only does this app have a planner, but it also has a productivity timer to help with focus.
You can also use something basic like Google Calendar. Or try an app with more features (such as syncing with Canvas and Brightroom), like Shovel.
Break Tasks into Chunks
Learning effective time management is key to college (and life) success.
In high school, your teachers likely broke large assignments up into smaller chunks. You had a series of mini-deadlines to hit along the way.
No one does that for you in college. You need to do that for yourself.
When you get an assignment (whether that is an upcoming project, test, or paper), don’t wait until the last minute.
Instead, use your planner and break the tasks into their own mini deadlines. For tests, you can review specific chapters on certain days.
For papers, you can create deadlines for thesis statements, outlines, rough drafts, and final copies.
For projects, you can review the components and set deadlines for each.
You may also need to break up your study time for maximum productivity.
Using focus apps or focus timers (such as the Pomodoro timer) to study for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. After four sessions, you take a longer break.
These “study chunks” help you to stay focused and make the most of your study time.
Make a Degree Plan
How long do you want to be in college before earning your degree? You will need a degree plan to stay on track.
Learn about the general education courses you need to take at your school.
Search for the name of your school + “course catalog” to find the degree plan for your chosen major.
Make a degree plan with your academic advisor so you take the right courses each semester to ensure you will graduate on time.
Tips for Your First Semester in College
Your first semester of college is a huge transition, but you can navigate it successfully by following these 10 time-tested tips.
