Five Awesome College Tips For Incoming College Freshmen‬

Five Awesome College Tips For College Students
College Advice For Incoming College Freshmen‬

If you are about to head off for your first year of college, you are probably feeling a little nervous and stressed. Even if you’ve lived away from home before, at summer camp for example, or if you’re planning on commuting, that freshman year is a milestone, and it’s natural to be concerned. You are beginning a new chapter of your life, and expectations are running high.

Here are five awesome college tips for first year college students.

• Talk to your parents about time management. You want to go into your freshman experience with a good sense of how to best organize your time. Break it up into hours in class, hours working on assignments, social time, extra-curricular activities, and perhaps even a part-time job – especially if you are in a work-study program. You need to strike a balance in order to achieve your academic goals and take advantage of all the opportunities that college offers.

• Develop some sort of communications plan to touch base with parents and other family members. Don’t rely on text messages and social media. They are not good substitutes for real conversations that can and should occur. Set up a weekly phone call schedule perhaps, where you can go over the highlights – and lowlights – of the last few days. You’ll be amazed at how refreshing and useful that can be, and how it can reduce stress, especially at the beginning.

• Thirdly, talk to your parents about financial responsibility. This goes above and beyond the cost of college tuition and perhaps room and board. You want to set up some sort of budget or plan so that you know how much money you have and how to use it the most wisely. If your parents are giving you a credit card, it should not be a “carte blanche” to buy what you want, whether it’s a cool new electronic device or an item of clothing. Showing financial responsibility early on is good practice for the future, and it will help you gain your family’s respect.

• Pay attention to your physical and emotional health. College freshmen tend to spend too little time sleeping. They are also less inclined to pay attention to the food they eat. Both can play havoc with your wellbeing. Also, if you are feeling stressed by either your course load or separation anxiety, don’t be embarrassed to acknowledge it. This is very common. Speak to a health advisor on campus, or family members, if you think you need support.

• Finally, as soon as you settle into a daily routine in school, begin to explore clubs and extra-curricular activities you might enjoy. Even if you were not an athlete on campus, you may be turned on to something like Ultimate Frisbee. Get involved in activities where you can meet people who share your interests. It will make you so much more comfortable and secure in your new college setting.

For more college tips and to learn more, go to www.onetruezone.com. We’ve got lots of information on line about how to make college count, including an introductory offer to the Own Your Zone Career Discovery Academy. Sign-up right now and take advantage of the limited time opportunity to have a free Skype session with Helene Naftali. Visit our website or give us a call at 201-337-2409.