First, be prepared. Make sure you bring all of your paperwork and identification with you. Keep it organized in a folder according to what it is. Bring a back pack or other type of bag that will make carrying things easier. Make sure the bag is sort of big…not huge, but big enough for a lot of stuff, especially if you haven’t picked your classes yet or bought your books. Make sure you bring something to eat and drink with you. Depending on where you go to school, you might be in a lot of lines for a very long time.

Second, get a map of your school. Figure out where the main buildings are. Registration is a big one. Financial Aid is another, as well as the college bookstore. You’ll be in and out of these buildings a lot.

Third, if you’re going to be going to a dorm or student housing somewhere, come prepared. Bring all of the normal stuff (bedding, pillows, shampoo, etc), but also bring at least a few dishes and a pan or two. You’ll want to be able to cook something once in a while, so be prepared to have those things. A coffee mug or a few cups and glasses wouldn’t be bad either. Bring a crate to store them in so you don’t have to have them falling all over the place in case there aren’t any storage facilities available in your room. Also bring a few locks. Skinny ones and thick ones…at least one of each. You’ll want to lock up your valuable stuff. Theft on campus can be a big problem sometimes.

Third, before your classes begin, make sure you know exactly where they are as well as where the room is you’ll need. Makes a better first impression if you’re on time for your first class. It’s not a big tragedy if you’re not, but its cool if you can do it and less frustrating.

Fourth, bring extra cash with you. First week of classes seems overwhelming and rough, but to make it easier, make sure you have cash for the small things that you’ll need. Food, drink, transportation, fees for ID’s if not included in tuition, extras professors might want you to get, or just some fun money so you can go to a movie or go out to enjoy yourself after you’ve gotten through the first few days.

Fifth, even though it’s college, don’t plan on doing any partying for the first two weeks. Get used to things first, get into the swing of classes. There are a lot of ways that you have more freedom in college, but they also expect a bit more from you too. Don’t use up all of your leniency from your professors before you have an idea how hard or easy it will be.

Most of all, don’t let all of this or anything you experience once you get there daunt or overwhelm you. If you get in trouble, find your advisor and let them know what’s going on. If you need help or understanding from a professor, tell the truth on what’s going on and they’ll most likely understand. If the professor gives you a hard time, then if it is still early in the semester, you can drop that class and find a professor that’s a bit more understanding. Make sure to always keep up your number of hours. If you drop below full time hours (usually 12), then you’ll jeopardize your financial aid if you get any because they won’t give you as much or any the following term. If you do find you have to drop a class and that it will drop you below full time hours, then do so on the last day of allowed drops and this should safeguard your money.

Anyway, don’t worry too much. Lots of freshman before you went through the same thing and survived. Like I said, it seems overwhelming at first, but it’s really not big deal. A hassle during the first week, but no big deal.

BTW, wear comfortable shoes the first day.

Good luck. 🙂

However, if you’re going somewhere out of state or away from your hometown it will be a lot harder. The first few weeks for me were awful. I didn’t know anyone and I just felt sad all the time. I didn’t know how I would meet anyone.

However, after the first few weeks and after I gained some friends, I love it. It really is a great experience, and by being away from home it gives you the real college experience.

Keep in mind, you don’t need to party all the time to have fun. 🙂

Don’t stress about college. It’s basically like a more independent version of high school. Teachers don’t care if you don’t show up to class or even leave in the middle of one. If you have the will power to show up to class and this is honestly something you want to do, then it’s really just a more mature version of highschool where you don’t have to interact as much with your peers outside of class. It’s nice in my opinion.

Also go to ratemyprofessor.com to check what teachers are best, and take a lighter load your first semester just to get a feel for what college is like.

second-fourth is the more hectic, busiest ever!!!