The comforts of high school include the coziness of home, gratitude of old teachers and needless to say, the concern of childhood friends. All of this goes out the window, when you’re at college. We’re not trying to terrify you, but trust us when we say it’s a 180 degrees shift from high school. It’s new, it’s tough and it requires insane amounts of hard work and commitment. Well, now you must be wondering as to how you’ll be able to have a social life, meet the ‘one’, get a terrific internship while working for grades – we have answers!
Here’s a guide for you to succeed at college without succumbing to the pressure of doing too much in too little time without making any mistakes!
1. Plan
Planning is the key at college. Nothing really works out without having a concrete plan. There are more than five courses you have each semester which means you’ll have more than 50 classes each semester; each course coming on with its own level of difficulty and endless syllabus to go through. Well, it is bound to get overwhelming as freshmen which is why you plan and conquer.
It is unrealistic to believe that you’ll be able to go through notes of each class every night which is where your planning enters. Plan each day for each course. Monday for Calculus practice questions to improve your understanding, Tuesday for Economics readings, so on and so forth. This way, you won’t feel lost and will be able to be more productive by taking one day at a time. Now, obviously, you’re not here to just study which is why dedicating 2-3 hours each day for a specific course will leave you with so much more time to engage with people around and do what you’re really at college for – personal and professional growth.
2. Get out of your comfort zone
As clichéd as it may sound, break those imaginary walls that limit you and get out of oyur comfort zone. Go out of your way to try new things which otherwise would scare you. Initially at college, most people feel intimidated by striking up a conversation with someone new. We all feel insecure and think too much of it when actually it’s something extremely insignificant. Try to strike up conversations with people you think are interesting and you’d be surprised with the response!
Further, college is an ocean of opportunities. Most colleges offer a plethora of courses to choose from which won’t necessarily impact your final major. With that said, it’s a great way to study or rather take classes for something that you really fancy, it could be anything from music to literature to even gender studies. These courses would work as a breath of fresh air for you amidst the chaos of other classes. Moreover, these courses will also help you learn something new and interesting which would reflect sparklingly well on your resume. So what are you waiting for? Put yourself out there and let the magic happen!
3. Catch up with your old life
College can be insanely busy leaving no time for you to unwind. The best and most effective way to do so is by catching up with your old friends and family. This will help you reconnect with your loved ones by also reminding you of your old, authentic self. Further, zoom calls are fun but you can along with your friends plan movie night (Netflix Party is a great option), have game nights online or even go further as driving back home or rather a new place and rent a cabin or even camp. These activities not only will be a great way to hang out with your friends but will help you de-stress from the daily grind that you and they have to go through.
It can be extremely difficult to take time out for fun activities with friends and families without having to forego something else. Guess what? Not this time! With websites like PaperHelp you don’t have to compromise on your assignments while spending time with people you love the most. It’s a great online platform which both assists and completes your coursework for you. The service is as cheap as $14. Not just that, you can provide them with a daunting deadline and well, they deliver even then! The website promises 100% anonymity and absolutely no plagiarism. In case, you still have your doubts, you can always request for a sample paper and look at it yourself!
4. Treat yourself!
You’re young and beautiful; do not spend this precious time in the books and out there partying with people you don’t even care about. Spend more time with yourself. Get to know yourself and most importantly, treat yourself! Students tend to get sucked into the tumultuous college life that they forget to care about their own selves. It is pertinent to be healthy and spend some quality time of self care.
The best of treating yourself, in the long run, is by eating healthy and working out. Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to survive on cow food, it means you become mindful of what goes in your body. Try and eat at home as much as you can. This won’t only be cheaper but would help you save money with the added advantage of polishing those chef skills you have! Further, alongside eating well is moving that body of yours. Sitting all day in front of a PC is not fine – get out there and move. Just be active. You can start slow by going for a jog around the campus or hitting the treadmill at your gym every once in a while. It would feel like too much in the moment but trust us, when those endorphins hit there’s no turning back!