Admission News

13 Tips for New College Students

African american female college freshman holding books with a blue background
Written by CB Community

You’re on your way to college for the very first time. You know that learning, going to classes and getting thesis editing are among the top priorities. But, how are you going to survive the first year as a college student?

The good news is that there are many tips for new college students to survive in the first year. These tips can help you make your first year of college one of the most memorable years of your life.

Get to know your roommate

You might not feel like mingling with other students, but you’re going to live with one for a while. So, the sooner you get to know your roommate the better for both of you. You’re going to be in one small space for a long time doing everything together. You might as well become friends.

Find the best place for you to study

You might think that your room is going to be the perfect place to study, however, this might not be possible with your roommate in the same room. There are other places where you can study like the study hall and the library. Test all the different places until you find the best place to study. This is especially important when you are writing your thesis.

Go to your classes

Yes, you might not have your parents with you, telling you to go to all your classes. However, you are an adult now and you need to be responsible. If you miss your classes, you won’t know what’s going on and you won’t be able to pass the courses. This isn’t high school where your teachers spoon fed you with everything.

Balance between learning and socializing

Some students play all the time, while other students don’t make time for socializing and having fun. You need to make sure that you’re getting a balance between learning and socializing. If you don’t have the balance, you might end up in serious emotional distress.

Get involved in activities on campus

It is so easy to be in your own world, while you’re in college, especially during the first year. However, if you want to make sure that you enjoy everything, you need to get involved in different activities. This is the best way to make friends and to get to know your professors.

Make time for yourself

We know that between going to classes and asking for thesis help, you might not have the time for yourself. In order to do everything, you need to know how to manage time correctly. But, it is really important that you make time for yourself even if this is just for taking a long stroll, or for taking a long hot bath. This is the major reason students don’t make it through the first year. They forget all about themselves.

Make friends

Yes, you might have friends back home, but you need to survive your first year at college as well. The best way to get used to college is to make friends. You might find a friend who will be true to you, and always be there for you even when you have to face challenges. It is great to have friends who you can talk to, or just to have fun with.

Get to know your professors

Yes, you can get to know your professors. In fact, it is recommended that you get to know your professors. That doesn’t mean that you have to become friends with them, but you need to know that there is someone who can assist you if you have problems at the college or with a course. Just going to class and never getting to know your professor doesn’t help to make things easier.

Ask as many questions as possible

We know that this isn’t high school, but you can ask as many questions as possible. You can make an appointment with the professor if you’re not comfortable asking questions during class. You need to remember that this is the first year of the rest of your future. And, you need to make sure that everything is going according to plan right from the start.

Don’t get a job within the first trimester

This is a mistake that many new students make. They think that because they coped in high school really easily, they can get a job and study at the same time. Yes, there are some students who can do this, but it doesn’t mean that it will work for you. Wait until you are done your first trimester to see if you can cope with adding a job to your schedule.

You don’t need to purchase new textbooks

If you have all the money in the world, then you can consider purchasing all your textbooks new for college. However, not every student has that kind of money. And, it is important to make sure that you’re getting some cheaper options. Buying secondhand textbooks online or from someone you know that is a year in front of you, could be your best option. And, when you’re done with the year, you can sell it again to someone else.

Do your assignments right away

College assignments are a lot more difficult than high school ones so you should make sure that you’re doing your assignments as soon as you get them. Otherwise, you will have too many assignments to do in too little time. This is a big mistake that can cost you a lot of money.

The first year isn’t just for fooling around

Most of the time, you hear that the first year of college is just for having fun and fooling around. However, this isn’t the case, especially if you don’t have money to repeat the year. If you start working hard from the start of your first year, you won’t have to worry about passing the year. And when the end of the year is coming to a close, you don’t have to feel so stressed out.

For more great tips on all things college, check out the other blogs on College Basics.

About the author

CB Community

Passionate members of the College Basics community that include students, essay writers, consultants and beyond. Please note, while community content has passed our editorial guidelines, we do not endorse any product or service contained in these articles which may also include links for which College Basics is compensated.